What version of DiskSalv is it? The PD version is slower...
Why not just format the drive? or, get a bigger one? 170Mb is really small!
I run a 4.3 Gb Toshiba, which may be on the small side, but it works quite well (Has for about 8 years now).
If you run OS 3.5 or 3.9, you want to be very careful what program you use to "fix" your hard drive.