Identifying HDD Noise Problems
A healthy hard disk is a relatively quiet device which can only remind you of its existence by emitting soft clicks when you address some information on it, or when you shut down or power on your PC. However, if your hard disk has developed some loud clicking, whistling or rustling noises (or there is some nasty vibration) that you’ve never heard before – this HDD is probably out of order.
- Sounds of a faulty hard disk
- What should you do if your HDD started emitting strange sounds?
- Other sounds that may be emitted by a PC
- Questions and answers
- Comments
Sounds of a faulty hard disk
Here are some of the most typical sounds a faulty hard disk may produce. If you hear them from your computer’s HDD and you still have access to it – hurry up to back up your drive or create a backup image.
Western Digital
The dull clicking of faulty magnetic heads.
Faulty magnetic heads click slowly a few times and then the disk platter slows down.
Hard disk platters slowing down after the faulty magnetic heads produce several clicking sounds.
A hard disk with a broken spindle is trying to spin up.
The clicking sounds of a hard disk with faulty high-power amplifier integrated chip.
Unstable work of the hard disk magnetic head, and the HDD stops after a few clicks.
A laptop-series hard disk with a stuck spindle trying to spin up and emitting a siren-like sound.
A computer’s hard disk can’t spin up because of faulty rolling bearings.
Seagate
The clicking and rustling noises emitted by a hard disk with inoperable magnetic heads.
The sounds emitted by a disk with damaged magnetic heads while trying to start up (spinning up its platters).
Clattering of a laptop hard disk magnetic head.
The hard disk with a stuck spindle is trying to spin up.
The drilling sound of broken magnetic heads.
Maxtor
The hard disk with an inoperable or broken magnetic head assembly.
The clicking of inoperable magnetic heads.
The sound emitted by a hard disk with a stuck spindle.
Samsung
The quick clicking sound which suggests the magnetic heads are out of order.
The same problem as with the previous hard disk.
The sound emitted by damaged magnetic heads.
A worn-out hard disk emitting a scratching sound when addressing bad blocks.
Hitachi/IBM
A laptop hard disk with damaged magnetic heads clicks at startup and then beeps.
A worn-out hard disk emitting a scraping sound when addressing bad blocks.
A hard disk with worn-out platters and magnetic head assembly emitting rattling sounds.
The buzzing sound of a laptop HDD with a stuck spindle trying to spin up.
Toshiba
The sound of broken-down rolling bearings in a laptop hard disk.
The sound of worn-out rolling bearings in a laptop hard disk.
The sound of jamming rolling bearings in a laptop hard disk.
Fujitsu
Worn-out magnetic heads in a laptop hard disk.
Broken magnetic heads in a laptop hard disk.
The sound of worn-out hard disk platters.
Quantum
Faulty magnetic head assembly.
What should you do if your HDD started emitting strange sounds?
- First of all, make sure that it is the hard disk that produces the suspicious noise.
- After you realized the culprit is your HDD, run a hard disk diagnostics utility. You can use both the tools supplied by your device manufacturers and third-party utilities. You should remember, though, that such a diagnostics tool will only identify and restrict the use of bad blocks on your disk that cause its incorrect or unstable work, at best. If there is any mechanical damage or natural wear of the hard disk, they cannot be fixed by any software.
- If nothing changed after using the diagnostics software, we recommend backing up all data from such disk or creating a disk image for recovery – and this should be done immediately.
- If the suspicious hard disk sounds have disappeared completely or partially after using the diagnostics / restoration tool, your HDD may have bad blocks. Even in this case, we advise to back up all hard disk data and think of replacing it, since more bad blocks may appear in the future, and it will eventually result in loss of data or hard disk breakdown.
Other sounds that may be emitted by a PC
A hard disk is not the only part in your PC that can emit sounds. Other suspects may include the power supply unit, fans, CD/DVD drive, or other peripheral devices connected to your machine. On the other hand, SSDs do not produce any sounds since they contain no moving parts. Before taking any action, it is important to identify the source of the suspicious sounds.
If your PC is busy running a resource-intensive game or working on a complicated task, it is quite normal to have more noise coming from its system unit – at least, its fans have to spin faster to cool your rig down. Sometimes, a dirty or damaged fan can be noisier than the rest of your system.
Also, it is absolutely natural for your CD/DVD drive to make some noise while reading or copying data from an optical disk.
Why cant I listen to any of the sounds
Have WD Ultra metal portable HD. When I connect to my laptop , the laptop doesn’t recognize the WD HD, at times it recognize, however when I try to enter a file it will freeze. Any idea what the problem is?
Perfect explain, good job
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Noises Emitted by Western Digital (WD) HDDs. My external HD have got this sound: A laptop-series WD hard disk with a stuck spindle trying to spin up and emitting a howling sound. Can this be fix and can I retrieve the data?
You can fix that only in a special data recovery laboratory
my seagate hdd makes some noise that is not listed above.but it seems to work fine.i want to know whether there is any problem in my drive.please help.
Extraneous noises were earlier or appeared recently? If recently - save all data from this drive to another, or to the online cloud. It is quite possible that this disk will soon stop working.
What are some possible solutions for reducing or eliminating HDD noise?
Can a software issue cause HDD noise problems, or are they always hardware-related?
Software issues can cause HDD noise problems, as they can cause the HDD to work harder than normal. This can lead to increased heat, vibration, and noise. Additionally, a software issue can cause the HDD to become overworked, which can also lead to increased noise.
How can environmental factors impact HDD noise levels?
Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and dust can all have an impact on HDD noise levels. Temperature can affect the mechanical components of the HDD, causing them to vibrate more and thus produce more noise. High humidity can cause condensation to form on the HDD, which can lead to rusting and other corrosion, resulting in increased noise. Dust can accumulate on the HDD, causing it to become clogged with debris, resulting in increased noise levels.
How can a user distinguish between normal and abnormal HDD noises?
Normal HDD noises include a low-level hum or buzz that may be heard when the computer is powered on. This is usually caused by the spinning of the hard drive platters. Abnormal noises may include clicking, grinding, or buzzing sounds, which are usually indicative of a problem with the drive. If you hear any of these noises, it’s best to power off the computer immediately and seek professional help.
What are some possible consequences of ignoring HDD noise problems?
Read about identifying HDD noise problems. If you do have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our technical support service - we will be happy to help you.
My hard disk make sound and not show in computer is it pcb issue?
1) Backup all needed data from it 2) If the hard disk make sound - its mean what hi is stop working very soon