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Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

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  Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old  one back "hdv@gmail" <hdv.jadev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-04 13:10 +0100
    Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back "Alexander V. Makartsev" <avbetev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-04 13:50 +0100
    Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back Hans <hans.ullrich@loop.de> - 2019-03-04 14:00 +0100
      Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back "hdv@gmail" <hdv.jadev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-04 15:20 +0100
        Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back "hdv@gmail" <hdv.jadev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-04 15:50 +0100
          Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back "Alexander V. Makartsev" <avbetev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-04 16:20 +0100
            Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back "hdv@gmail" <hdv.jadev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-04 18:30 +0100
              Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back Ric Moore <wayward4now@gmail.com> - 2019-03-04 21:10 +0100
              Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-03-04 22:40 +0100
                Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back Paul Ezvan <paul@ezvan.fr> - 2019-03-05 04:40 +0100
                  Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back "hdv@gmail" <hdv.jadev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-05 10:10 +0100
                    Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back Jimmy Johnson <field.engineer@gmail.com> - 2019-03-06 02:10 +0100
                      Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back "hdv@gmail" <hdv.jadev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-06 10:20 +0100
              Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> - 2019-03-08 07:40 +0100
                Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back "hdv@gmail" <hdv.jadev@gmail.com> - 2019-03-08 08:10 +0100
    Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting  old one back Sarunas Burdulis <sarunas@math.dartmouth.edu> - 2019-03-04 14:30 +0100

#205979 — Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

Hi all,

The mSATA SSD in my Thinkpad W530 was getting full,. So I tried to replace it
with a new larger one (Samsung EVO 860).  I knew about the mSATA II vs III issue
and the BIOS AHCI setting. What I didn't expect was the laptop to slow down to a
crawl. To illustrate: even opening de start menu is so slow that you have to
wait for the panel to show for about 10 seconds. Like this the machine is
completely unusable. I expected not to be able to run the new SSD at full speed
(max 3 GB/s on the port in this machine), but this is crazy.

It gets even crazier. Placing the old SSD back in the slot resulted in the same
slow speeds as with the new SSD in. Not the old speeds. Before this experiment
the laptop was just fine. It was quick enough, the storage was just getting
filled up.

Can anyone give me some pointers on how to diagnose or maybe even fix this?
Running hdparm doesn't make me any wiser (timed cache read value is about 1.1
GB/s). Google didn't point me to anything I could use either. I would be very
glad to just get the old speeds back, let alone to get the new disk running at
somewhat adequate speeds on a mSATA II port).

Thanks in advance.

Grx HdV

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#205981 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

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On 04.03.2019 17:04, hdv@gmail wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> The mSATA SSD in my Thinkpad W530 was getting full,. So I tried to replace it
> with a new larger one (Samsung EVO 860).  I knew about the mSATA II vs III issue
> and the BIOS AHCI setting. What I didn't expect was the laptop to slow down to a
> crawl. To illustrate: even opening de start menu is so slow that you have to
> wait for the panel to show for about 10 seconds. Like this the machine is
> completely unusable. I expected not to be able to run the new SSD at full speed
> (max 3 GB/s on the port in this machine), but this is crazy.
>
> It gets even crazier. Placing the old SSD back in the slot resulted in the same
> slow speeds as with the new SSD in. Not the old speeds. Before this experiment
> the laptop was just fine. It was quick enough, the storage was just getting
> filled up.
>
> Can anyone give me some pointers on how to diagnose or maybe even fix this?
> Running hdparm doesn't make me any wiser (timed cache read value is about 1.1
> GB/s). Google didn't point me to anything I could use either. I would be very
> glad to just get the old speeds back, let alone to get the new disk running at
> somewhat adequate speeds on a mSATA II port).
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Grx HdV
>
With symptoms like these it could be something else, to blame.
When you installed a new SSD, did you reinstalled the OS completely, or
somehow transfered\migrated it from an old SSD?
These slowdowns (open start menu) are temporary and happen sporadically,
or they happen every time you click on the start menu?
Did you look for any interesting error\warning messages in syslog or in
xsession log?
Do you use LVM with snapshots?
What filesystems do you use?
Show us your /etc/fstab
Also, tell us more about your system, is it stable branch, what kernel
version, what DE you are using, etc.

-- 
With kindest regards, Alexander.

⢀⣴⠾⠻⢶⣦⠀ 
⣾⠁⢠⠒⠀⣿⡁ Debian - The universal operating system
⢿⡄⠘⠷⠚⠋⠀ https://www.debian.org
⠈⠳⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀ 

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#205982 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

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Am Montag, 4. März 2019, 13:04:53 CET schrieb hdv@gmail:
Hi,

try to start with a livefile system, then check the ssd speed. Thus you see, if 
the problem is by the operating system or by the hardware.

If it is same slow, then you know a hardware problem.

Check the BIOS configurations of the harddrive, mybe something has changed by 
the ssd exchange.

If there is nothing obvious bad, try the ssd in another computer (with the 
same livefile test) and see the results.

If this is better, you can also try to reflash the BIOS (in case, the BIOS has 
trouble itself). Sometimes a mainboard needs a newer BIOS for newer hardware. 
This depends on the manufacturer. Check his sites.

Last but not least, exchange the cables, maybe one makes trouble.

Hope this helps

Best

Hans
 
> Hi all,
> 
> The mSATA SSD in my Thinkpad W530 was getting full,. So I tried to replace
> it with a new larger one (Samsung EVO 860).  I knew about the mSATA II vs
> III issue and the BIOS AHCI setting. What I didn't expect was the laptop to
> slow down to a crawl. To illustrate: even opening de start menu is so slow
> that you have to wait for the panel to show for about 10 seconds. Like this
> the machine is completely unusable. I expected not to be able to run the
> new SSD at full speed (max 3 GB/s on the port in this machine), but this is
> crazy.
> 
> It gets even crazier. Placing the old SSD back in the slot resulted in the
> same slow speeds as with the new SSD in. Not the old speeds. Before this
> experiment the laptop was just fine. It was quick enough, the storage was
> just getting filled up.
> 
> Can anyone give me some pointers on how to diagnose or maybe even fix this?
> Running hdparm doesn't make me any wiser (timed cache read value is about
> 1.1 GB/s). Google didn't point me to anything I could use either. I would
> be very glad to just get the old speeds back, let alone to get the new disk
> running at somewhat adequate speeds on a mSATA II port).
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Grx HdV

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#205990 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

On 04/03/2019 13.53, Hans wrote:
> Am Montag, 4. März 2019, 13:04:53 CET schrieb hdv@gmail:
> Hi,
> 
> try to start with a livefile system, then check the ssd speed. Thus you see, if 
> the problem is by the operating system or by the hardware.
> 
> If it is same slow, then you know a hardware problem.
> 
> Check the BIOS configurations of the harddrive, mybe something has changed by 
> the ssd exchange.
> 
> If there is nothing obvious bad, try the ssd in another computer (with the 
> same livefile test) and see the results.
> 
> If this is better, you can also try to reflash the BIOS (in case, the BIOS has 
> trouble itself). Sometimes a mainboard needs a newer BIOS for newer hardware. 
> This depends on the manufacturer. Check his sites.
> 
> Last but not least, exchange the cables, maybe one makes trouble.
> 
> Hope this helps
> 
> Best
> 
> Hans

Hi Hans (and others),

Thanks for taking the time.

Upon rereading my original mail I see I was not clear enough.

This is what I did:

0] Notice the SSD was getting full. Otherwise the machine was OK. No signs of
trouble. Adequate performance.

1] Check if all settings in the BIOS were OK for the new SSD. They were. Nothing
needed changing.

2] Turn off the machine and lift the keyboard.

2] Remove the old SSD from the mSATA slot. (SanDisk U100 16GB)

3] Place the new SSD in that same slot. (Samsung EVO 860 500GB)

4] Close up the machine.

5] Boot from a netinstall image on a USB-stick. The image was downloaded at that
same day, no old image was used.

6] Install current stable on the new SSD. Update to testing after install. (The
original SSD was running a very recently updated testing as well.)

7] Reboot laptop.

8] Get scared from how slow it is. Tried to find out what was causing this. No
obvious indications found with hparm, smart and other tools. Neither in the logs.

9] Shut down machine.

10] Place old SSD back in its old slot.

11] Start machine expecting everything would be as it was before beginning with
step 1. That turned out to be not the case: it still is as slow as found during
step 8.

To summarise: nothing was changed in the BIOS, nothing was changed on the
original SSD. Same boot sequence was used. As far as I can see the mSATA slot is
connected directly to the motherboard, no cables to see.

My first mail was about what could be causing the laptop to behave differently,
even though nothing was changed in the BIOS and the original SSD hadn't been
touched. I'd like to solve that mystery first, before trying to make the new SSD
work as it should. I need this machine for work, so my first priority is to
restore it to a workable state.

Grx HdV

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#205993 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

On 04/03/2019 15.36, Ric Moore wrote:
> On 3/4/19 9:19 AM, hdv@gmail wrote:
>> ame day, no old image was used.
> 
> Right, but if you didn't use a "clean install" more than likely an old
> configuration might be at fault. I don't have an SSD but during the install
> process, wouldn't that drive be re-formatted?? Trouble shooting with a shotgun. Ric
> 

Maybe, but that would only account for the trouble with the new SSD. As I wrote,
the old SSD was never changed at all. Nor was the BIOS. The system ran fine
before I took that SSD out. You'd expect the system to run fine when putting it
back in.

Grx HdV

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#205994 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

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On 04.03.2019 19:40, hdv@gmail wrote:
> On 04/03/2019 15.36, Ric Moore wrote:
>> On 3/4/19 9:19 AM, hdv@gmail wrote:
>>> ame day, no old image was used.
>> Right, but if you didn't use a "clean install" more than likely an old
>> configuration might be at fault. I don't have an SSD but during the install
>> process, wouldn't that drive be re-formatted?? Trouble shooting with a shotgun. Ric
>>
> Maybe, but that would only account for the trouble with the new SSD. As I wrote,
> the old SSD was never changed at all. Nor was the BIOS. The system ran fine
> before I took that SSD out. You'd expect the system to run fine when putting it
> back in.
>
> Grx HdV
>
Unless you didn't performed a reboot in a long time or\and used hibernation.
I'm just throwing suggestions blindly, because things could go wrong in
many ways if poking inside laptop case is involved.

Do you have another drive installed in this laptop in tray caddy,
perhaps, or in second drive slot if it is available?
How much RAM your laptop have? Does it all detected by BIOS\OS?
It is possible you have damaged some passive parts around SATA connector
during drive swap procedures. Inspect that location with magnifying
glass for possible damage to small SMD elements and inspect SATA
connector itself for possible cracks in solder joints.
If everything is ok, it wouldn't hurt to insert and remove drive into
SATA connector multiple times just to ensure all contact pads in
connector have a good contact.
Also show us SMART information for both SSD drives:
    $ sudo smartctl --all /dev/sda


-- 
With kindest regards, Alexander.

⢀⣴⠾⠻⢶⣦⠀ 
⣾⠁⢠⠒⠀⣿⡁ Debian - The universal operating system
⢿⡄⠘⠷⠚⠋⠀ https://www.debian.org
⠈⠳⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀ 

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#205995 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

On 04/03/2019 16.14, Alexander V. Makartsev wrote:
> On 04.03.2019 19:40, hdv@gmail wrote:
>> On 04/03/2019 15.36, Ric Moore wrote:
>>> On 3/4/19 9:19 AM, hdv@gmail wrote:
>>>> ame day, no old image was used.
>>> Right, but if you didn't use a "clean install" more than likely an old
>>> configuration might be at fault. I don't have an SSD but during the install
>>> process, wouldn't that drive be re-formatted?? Trouble shooting with a shotgun. Ric
>>>
>> Maybe, but that would only account for the trouble with the new SSD. As I wrote,
>> the old SSD was never changed at all. Nor was the BIOS. The system ran fine
>> before I took that SSD out. You'd expect the system to run fine when putting it
>> back in.
>>
>> Grx HdV
>>
> Unless you didn't performed a reboot in a long time or\and used hibernation.

Could have been the case. But I have rebooted the laptop before replacing the
SSD to look at the BIOS settings. So in this case this was not so.

> I'm just throwing suggestions blindly, because things could go wrong in many
> ways if poking inside laptop case is involved.

Indeed.

> Do you have another drive installed in this laptop in tray caddy, perhaps, or in
> second drive slot if it is available?

Nope.

> How much RAM your laptop have? Does it all detected by BIOS\OS?

There is 8GB of RAM and it is all detected. Both before and after this mess.

> It is possible you have damaged some passive parts around SATA connector during
> drive swap procedures. Inspect that location with magnifying glass for possible
> damage to small SMD elements and inspect SATA connector itself for possible
> cracks in solder joints.

I did think of hardware damage myself as well, but my inspection did not show
any visible damage. Not that that says all, but at least it is an indicator.

> If everything is ok, it wouldn't hurt to insert and remove drive into SATA
> connector multiple times just to ensure all contact pads in connector have a
> good contact.

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried this too. Alas, without any improvement. You
could say I am at a loss...

> Also show us SMART information for both SSD drives:
>     $ sudo smartctl --all /dev/sda

I'll try to run the the command again, but it might take an extremely long time
to finish. I did before (during diagnosis) but did not copy or type over the
results. I do remember that cached reads were about 1.1 GB/s for both the old
and the new SSD after the slowness started.

Thanks for trying to help!

Grx HdV

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#206003 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

On 3/4/19 12:21 PM, hdv@gmail wrote:
> On 04/03/2019 16.14, Alexander V. Makartsev wrote:
>> On 04.03.2019 19:40, hdv@gmail wrote:
>>> On 04/03/2019 15.36, Ric Moore wrote:
>>>> On 3/4/19 9:19 AM, hdv@gmail wrote:
>>>>> ame day, no old image was used.
>>>> Right, but if you didn't use a "clean install" more than likely an old
>>>> configuration might be at fault. I don't have an SSD but during the install
>>>> process, wouldn't that drive be re-formatted?? Trouble shooting with a shotgun. Ric
>>>>
>>> Maybe, but that would only account for the trouble with the new SSD. As I wrote,
>>> the old SSD was never changed at all. Nor was the BIOS. The system ran fine
>>> before I took that SSD out. You'd expect the system to run fine when putting it
>>> back in.
>>>
>>> Grx HdV
>>>
>> Unless you didn't performed a reboot in a long time or\and used hibernation.
> 
> Could have been the case. But I have rebooted the laptop before replacing the
> SSD to look at the BIOS settings. So in this case this was not so.
> 
>> I'm just throwing suggestions blindly, because things could go wrong in many
>> ways if poking inside laptop case is involved.
> 
> Indeed.
> 
>> Do you have another drive installed in this laptop in tray caddy, perhaps, or in
>> second drive slot if it is available?
> 
> Nope.
> 
>> How much RAM your laptop have? Does it all detected by BIOS\OS?
> 
> There is 8GB of RAM and it is all detected. Both before and after this mess.
> 
>> It is possible you have damaged some passive parts around SATA connector during
>> drive swap procedures. Inspect that location with magnifying glass for possible
>> damage to small SMD elements and inspect SATA connector itself for possible
>> cracks in solder joints.
> 
> I did think of hardware damage myself as well, but my inspection did not show
> any visible damage. Not that that says all, but at least it is an indicator.
> 
>> If everything is ok, it wouldn't hurt to insert and remove drive into SATA
>> connector multiple times just to ensure all contact pads in connector have a
>> good contact.
> 
> Thanks for the suggestion. I tried this too. Alas, without any improvement. You
> could say I am at a loss...
> 
>> Also show us SMART information for both SSD drives:
>>      $ sudo smartctl --all /dev/sda

Or, back up what you can (but no /home or /etc user/system configs) then 
install *CLEAN* reformatting everything. OR, do a live install desktop 
and see how that runs before the installation. If it's good, nuke 
everything and do a clean formatted install. Best not to copy the old 
/home or /etc back. Trouble shooting again with a shotgun and waving my 
hands hovery hovery.<ZOT!> Ric

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#206004 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

hdv@gmail wrote:

> Could have been the case. But I have rebooted the laptop before replacing
> the SSD to look at the BIOS settings. So in this case this was not so.

double check - I had similar observation when trying to setup USB stick boot
for a notebook - it's a company property, so not supposed to do that ;-)

Well turned out that I had to modify few bios settings to see the usb
working at acceptable speed. First I was thinking the one stick was a
problem, but after observing the same with a second one I looked at the
bios and it did it.

regards

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#206006 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

Le 04/03/2019 à 13:32, deloptes a écrit :
> double check - I had similar observation when trying to setup USB stick boot
> for a notebook - it's a company property, so not supposed to do that ;-)
>
> Well turned out that I had to modify few bios settings to see the usb
> working at acceptable speed. First I was thinking the one stick was a
> problem, but after observing the same with a second one I looked at the
> bios and it did it.
>
> regards

What does "top" show when your menu takes a long time to load? What is 
the CPU temp? Maybe you accidentaly touched the cooling system while 
replacing the SSD?

Paul

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#206011 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

On 05/03/2019 04.28, Paul Ezvan wrote:
> Le 04/03/2019 à 13:32, deloptes a écrit :
>> double check - I had similar observation when trying to setup USB stick boot
>> for a notebook - it's a company property, so not supposed to do that ;-)
>>
>> Well turned out that I had to modify few bios settings to see the usb
>> working at acceptable speed. First I was thinking the one stick was a
>> problem, but after observing the same with a second one I looked at the
>> bios and it did it.
>>
>> regards
> 
> What does "top" show when your menu takes a long time to load? What is the CPU
> temp? Maybe you accidentaly touched the cooling system while replacing the SSD?

What I forgot to mention (sloppy, sorry for that) is that the slowness already
happens at "grub" time. I presume that rules out trouble with my DE (KDE/Plasma)
or systemd or something like that.

I am thinking hardware trouble too. Not only because the trouble start before
the kernel and DE gets loaded, but also because it happens with two different
SSDs. It happens with the new one with a freshly installed system, and with the
old one that I never had any trouble with before this and that hasn't been
changed (by me that is). In both cases the slowness begins immediately after
boot. Possibly after the BIOS has run, but definitely before the kernel gets
loaded or otherwise during the earliest stages of loading it.

Thanks for the pointer to the cooling. I will check that.

Grx HdV

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#206025 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

hdv@gmail wrote:
> On 05/03/2019 04.28, Paul Ezvan wrote:
>> Le 04/03/2019 à 13:32, deloptes a écrit :
>>> double check - I had similar observation when trying to setup USB stick boot
>>> for a notebook - it's a company property, so not supposed to do that ;-)
>>>
>>> Well turned out that I had to modify few bios settings to see the usb
>>> working at acceptable speed. First I was thinking the one stick was a
>>> problem, but after observing the same with a second one I looked at the
>>> bios and it did it.
>>>
>>> regards
>>
>> What does "top" show when your menu takes a long time to load? What is the CPU
>> temp? Maybe you accidentaly touched the cooling system while replacing the SSD?
> 
> What I forgot to mention (sloppy, sorry for that) is that the slowness already
> happens at "grub" time. I presume that rules out trouble with my DE (KDE/Plasma)
> or systemd or something like that.
> 
> I am thinking hardware trouble too. Not only because the trouble start before
> the kernel and DE gets loaded, but also because it happens with two different
> SSDs. It happens with the new one with a freshly installed system, and with the
> old one that I never had any trouble with before this and that hasn't been
> changed (by me that is). In both cases the slowness begins immediately after
> boot. Possibly after the BIOS has run, but definitely before the kernel gets
> loaded or otherwise during the earliest stages of loading it.
> 
> Thanks for the pointer to the cooling. I will check that.
> 
> Grx HdV


Is the bios still showing all the installed ram, are there any test you 
can run from the bios...
-- 
Jimmy Johnson

Slackware64 14.2 - KDE 4.14.32 - AMD A8-7600 - EXT4 at sda9
Registered Linux User #380263

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#206028 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

On 06/03/2019 02.04, Jimmy Johnson wrote:
> hdv@gmail wrote:
>> On 05/03/2019 04.28, Paul Ezvan wrote:
>>> Le 04/03/2019 à 13:32, deloptes a écrit :
>>>> double check - I had similar observation when trying to setup USB stick boot
>>>> for a notebook - it's a company property, so not supposed to do that ;-)
>>>>
>>>> Well turned out that I had to modify few bios settings to see the usb
>>>> working at acceptable speed. First I was thinking the one stick was a
>>>> problem, but after observing the same with a second one I looked at the
>>>> bios and it did it.
>>>>
>>>> regards
>>>
>>> What does "top" show when your menu takes a long time to load? What is the CPU
>>> temp? Maybe you accidentaly touched the cooling system while replacing the SSD?
>>
>> What I forgot to mention (sloppy, sorry for that) is that the slowness already
>> happens at "grub" time. I presume that rules out trouble with my DE (KDE/Plasma)
>> or systemd or something like that.
>>
>> I am thinking hardware trouble too. Not only because the trouble start before
>> the kernel and DE gets loaded, but also because it happens with two different
>> SSDs. It happens with the new one with a freshly installed system, and with the
>> old one that I never had any trouble with before this and that hasn't been
>> changed (by me that is). In both cases the slowness begins immediately after
>> boot. Possibly after the BIOS has run, but definitely before the kernel gets
>> loaded or otherwise during the earliest stages of loading it.
>>
>> Thanks for the pointer to the cooling. I will check that.
>>
>> Grx HdV
> 
> 
> Is the bios still showing all the installed ram, are there any test you can run
> from the bios...

Yep. All memory is detected. I ran the diagnostics utility of the BIOS and it
found no errors. You'd think that a hardware failure would be detected. ..

However, after that I dismantled the whole machine. I pulled out every connector
and reseated it. I cleaned up all parts (as far as that was possible). And then
ran the BIOS diagnostics again. Still no warnings. Then I rebooted the laptop.
Lo and behold, everything is fine again!

To be honest I still don't know what was wrong. But I am glad I can use this
laptop again for now. This machine is 7 years old, maybe I should start thinking
of buying a new one. I have had my eye on another Thinkpad (the P1) for some
time now. Maybe it is time to bite the bullet...

Thanks all for thinking with me!

Grx HdV

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#206065 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

> results. I do remember that cached reads were about 1.1 GB/s for both
> the old and the new SSD after the slowness started.

FWIW, the "cached read" speed of hdparm doesn't have much to do with the
SSD (it reads from the in-RAM cache, not from the in-"disk" cache, AFAIK).


        Stefan

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#206066 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

On 08/03/2019 07.39, Stefan Monnier wrote:
>> results. I do remember that cached reads were about 1.1 GB/s for both
>> the old and the new SSD after the slowness started.
> 
> FWIW, the "cached read" speed of hdparm doesn't have much to do with the
> SSD (it reads from the in-RAM cache, not from the in-"disk" cache, AFAIK).

I am almost sure that you are correct. But to me it was a symptom showing that
the system was indeed very slow with either of the SSDs installed, but not
necessarily due to those drives. That combined with the slowness starting in or
immediately after the grub-stage pointed me in the direction of a
hardware-related issue. Reseating all removable hardware and connectors seems to
have resolved most of the slowness (not all though).

Meanwhile I have ordered a new laptop to replace my old Thinkpad W530 of 2012.
In a few days I will be the proud owner of a maxed out Thinkpad P1. I am sure I
will notice the increase in speed and especially the 32GB RAM when having
multiple VMs open at a time. Can wait! Keeping my fingers crossed hoping the
BIOS problems have been solved and it will be easy sailing installing current
testing on it.

Anyone have any experiences with this laptop to share? I'd appreciate to hear
about it.

P.S. This will be my fourth Thinkpad. All have been serving me for years before
being replaced. This was the first that has ever given me any trouble. As a
matter of fact all of them do still work. I do like those darn machines!

Grx HdV

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#205983 — Re: Laptop still extremely slow after replacing msata ssd and putting old one back

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On 3/4/19 7:04 AM, hdv@gmail wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> The mSATA SSD in my Thinkpad W530 was getting full,. So I tried to replace it
> with a new larger one (Samsung EVO 860).  I knew about the mSATA II vs III issue
> and the BIOS AHCI setting. What I didn't expect was the laptop to slow down to a
> crawl. To illustrate: even opening de start menu is so slow that you have to
> wait for the panel to show for about 10 seconds. Like this the machine is
> completely unusable. I expected not to be able to run the new SSD at full speed
> (max 3 GB/s on the port in this machine), but this is crazy.
> 
> It gets even crazier. Placing the old SSD back in the slot resulted in the same
> slow speeds as with the new SSD in. Not the old speeds. Before this experiment
> the laptop was just fine. It was quick enough, the storage was just getting
> filled up.
> 
> Can anyone give me some pointers on how to diagnose or maybe even fix this?
> ...

Boot from live media; reset BIOS to defaults; check for W530 BIOS
update; SSD firmware update; ...

-- 
Sarunas Burdulis
Systems Administrator, Dartmouth Mathematics
math.dartmouth.edu/~sarunas

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