Check your drive's cluster size, make sure its not at 512 bytes. If so, you might need partition magic to change it to [umm i forgot, but its something like 1.**kb]. I hear thats a problem...
I pulled the following from a Scot's Newsletter (
www.scottfinnie.com)
NTFS PART III: HOW TO MAKE NTFS GO FASTER
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In the last two issues of this newsletter I've run one of my
> inadvertent series -- this one on Windows XP's NTFS file system. I
> had no idea I was about to touch off an avalanche of questions and
> reveal a large problem for Windows XP users. Or even better, that I
> was about to publish an NTFS performance solution.
>
> I explained about cluster sizes in NTFS in the first in the series:
>
>
http://www.scotfinnie.com/newsletter/19.htm#filesys
>
> In short, Windows XP's NTFS file system is even more storage
> efficient than Win98's FAT32. And it can be at least as fast as
> FAT32. It's also more reliable. But there is one very big problem.
> When you install Windows XP as an upgrade of a previous version of
> Windows running FAT16 or FAT32 and convert to NTFS as part of setup
> or after the fact, in most cases you end up with tiny 512-byte
> cluster sizes. This occurs because of the way the data is aligned on
> the disk and the NTFS conversion process as carried out by
> Microsoft's Convert utility. PowerQuest's PartitionMagic 7.0 uses
> the Microsoft utility, so it has the same issues.
>
> The surprising truth is that some new PCs also arrive with 512-byte
> cluster sizes. So if you've got a new Windows XP box that runs slow,
> you should definitely check out what I'm about to explain.
>
> In the last issue, I alluded to a possible solution:
>
>
http://www.scotfinnie.com/newsletter/20.htm#filesys
>
> A little-known program called Paragon Partition Manager, created by
> a group of Russian programmers working for Paragon Software, has in
> its latest version, 5.0, added the ability to dynamically adjust
> cluster sizes.
>
> Paragon Partition Manager 5.0:
>
http://www.partition-manager.com/n_pm_main.htm
>
> Paragon Partition Manager 5.0 Features Details:
>
http://www.partition-manager.com/n_pm_requir.htm
>
> Paragon Partition Manager isn't generally marketed in the U.S.,
> although you can purchase it on the Internet, where it sells for
> about $40:
>
> Where To Buy Paragon Partition Manager:
>
http://www.partition-manager.com/n_pm_buy.htm
>
> None of the popular disk utilities marketed in the U.S. is capable
> of pulling off this feat yet. But Partition Manager does it, and
> does it well.
>
> To prove the point, I acquired a copy of Paragon Partition Manager
> 5.0 from the company and configured a test system. I had an existing
> drive containing a clean Windows 98 Second Edition installation on
> my trusty Compaq Armada 700 (the best Compaq product I've ever
> worked with) notebook PC. I ran a standard Windows XP upgrade
> installation, which took a while, but completed just fine. I also
> converted to NTFS. When all the files were copied and the changes
> made, it was immediately apparent to me that my performance eroded
> markedly. It took Windows forever to load, and disk-intensive tasks
> ran like molasses in January. In fact, I was surprised by how slow
> the machine became. I had been led to believe that 512-byte clusters
> slowed the machine down incrementally, but the reality was much
> worse.
>
> Next I used Windows' Disk Defragmenter to check the cluster size on
> my hard disk. To do that, you open Disk Defragmenter from Start >
> All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
> Right-click the appropriate drive and choose Analyze. When the
> analysis is complete, click the View Report button. There you see a
> line that reads Cluster Size = XX KB. In my case, it showed 512-
> bytes, the smallest, slowest cluster size NTFS allows. The optimum
> size is 4K clusters.
>
> I was ready to try Paragon Partition Manager. I'll tell you upfront
> that there are two problems with this product. The first is the user
> interface, which needs help. But it's usable. The second is that
> before you make the cluster size change, block out several hours of
> time for your PC. Overnight might be a good idea. You may save
> yourself some time by running a defrag before you run the cluster-
> size conversion, but you'll find that Disk Defragmenter also runs
> very slowly when your cluster sizes are 512-bytes.
>
> The time factor thing is variable. While it took me four hours to
> convert the cluster size on a 12GB notebook drive, it took one SFNL
> reader only a few minutes and another one over six hours. I asked
> the Paragon people about that and they wouldn't commit to even a
> range of time you can expect this process to take. Reading between
> the lines, this large difference from PC to PC in the time it takes
> to run the conversion is normal.
>
> The user interface issue comes into play when you do the cluster
> conversion because nothing says "Convert to 4K Cluster Size." But I
> can save you that pain. Once you have Paragon Partition Manager
> running, select the NTFS drive whose clusters you want to convert.
> >From the program menu, choose Partition > Modify > Change cluster
> size. Dial the "Sectors/Cluster" spinner up to the number 8. Press
> OK. (If you select 4 in this scroll box, you'll get 2K clusters --
> not the desired outcome.) The conversion process requires that
> Windows XP reboot.
>
> Maybe you'll be lucky and have the fast-track conversion. If not, I
> can promise you this, it'll be worth the wait. As soon as the
> conversion completed for me my performance was back to FAT32 levels.
> All that was left to do was run Disk Defrag again, both to check the
> cluster size and also to defrag the disk. Do both things.
>
> A couple final notes on NTFS this week. First, I've received a ton
> of email about NTFS that I haven't had time to get to. Many offer
> interesting info or questions deserving response. I will continue to
> cover NTFS in future issues.
>
> The other point is that Microsoft is continuing to investigate
> issues people have had with slow NTFS performance on new Windows XP
> PCs. The company is working with some of SFNL's readers on that
> point. I hope to get some sort of report back from Microsoft -- and
> if so, I'll publish it in a future issue. My take though? The steps
> in this issue will probably fix your problem, assuming you're
> willing to shell out for the Paragon product.
>
> I'd like to thank SFNL readers Jerry Bass, Tom Synder, Tom Duda, and
> literally scores of others who volunteered excellent information,
> donated hours of their time, and asked smart questions. Many of the
> best things in this newsletter come not from me, but from its
> readers. And for that I'm eternally grateful.
maybe this helps you?