hard drive constantly makiing clicking soudns

[dud2k]

hey,
whenever i open any applications,unrar,unzip,open folders, or soemthing like that, my hard drive is always making clicking sounds...is that bad and means that it will die soon?
thanks

 

[DoOLiE11]

sounds like it might die soon...

 

[IamDavid]

Is it a Maxtor? Does it sound like marbles dropping? If so, its normal.

 

[>>>Newbie<<<]

You can do a bad sectors scan; I would say die soon also.

 

[compudog]

A constant, timed clicking sound indicates a drive servo going bad. If the sound is sporadic and random, it may be normal depending on the brand of the drive. If this is something you have just recently noticed, it most likely means the drive is on it's way out.

 

[Kazi]

5 months later...
we are gatherd here today to pay respects to dud2k's HDD. He died of...hehe

j/k man hell i dunno what could be wrong with it...something lose holding the HDD in place?!

 

[dud2k]

it's a maxtor..kinda like marbles dropping.

 

[dud2k]

how do i do a bad sector scan?

 

[Muerto]

I would. Backing up your data would also be a good idea. It may be nothing but it's better to be safe than sorry.

&quot;how do i do a bad sector scan&quot;

Start => Programs => Accessories => System Tools => Scandisk

 

[dud2k]

do i have to do a low level scan?

 

[KrispyKremer]

I'd strongly suggest you first back up your important data files.
Then do a low level scan and let it run overnight.
Back up your files. Back up your files. Back up your files.

 

[dud2k]

how do i low level scan it in win2k? i cant find the option.

 

[dud2k]

yeah the clicking sounds are occuring a lot more whenever i use the hard drive..like when i search for files and stuff. i am really concerned that it is broken..and in addition to that..my computer has slowed down by a lot.

 

[vegetation]

It's going to die soon. Back up your files immediately if you haven't already, and look for a replacement drive as well.

 

[spaceman]

yep had the same thing happen to me last fall.My Maxtor 10gb started making this horrible clicking sound...it couldnt get thru a scandisk...it was awful to listen to.
Get that RMA info ready man...that suckers is on its way out.

 

[wyvrn]

There is no scandisk in Windows 2000. You can run Checkdisk. Go to Start | Run and type &quot;chkdsk /f&quot; (without quotes). Click ok, it will prompt you to reboot. Let it reboot and run checkdisk. It should notify you of impending bad sectors.

If you formatted in Fat 32, another option is to make a Win98 bootup floppy disk (or go to bootdisk.com and download one), boot from it, and run scandisk in DOS mode.

 

[dud2k]

ok, but from what i remember last time...i didnt get any errors when i checked disk

 

[crzyc]

usually when i hear a clicking drive its cause someone in the office can't boot up, and they get me to look at it. so i would say this is dead like everyone else, wonder how long it will take to die.

 

[gunf1ghter]

The drive could be good for months weeks or days depending on how bad the problem is. I had a co-worker with a bad laptop drive and he wouldn't do anything to replace it for 6 months and it was still running.

If your drive is going bad then you might be having seek time trouble which would explain the &quot;slowdown&quot; that you are observing.

As others have indicated, back your data up, buy a new drive and get ready to restore your system. Or buy a program like ghost or driveimage that would allow you to put the new drive in and direct copy your old drive to the new one. Just be warned that if you DO have corrupt data it might get copied to the new drive.

 

[Desmoquattro]

i would go get an rma ready...maxtor's rmas last 90 days...i had that problem...thinking it was a 60mm fan inside just rattling my cheap ass case...but nope...a month later my system would lock and my mobo would not even recognize it...it let me sneak in a couple of times...so i did a backup...then i formatted it just in case some mofo got me a virus...but it would just keep on dying after it tries to load windows. i have an rma on the way...maybe it'll take around a week more.

 

[DJFuji]

The clicking is likely to be the sound of the read/write head bouncing off the disc platters...which is bad in any case.

 

[gunf1ghter]

nooo nooo noo... if the heads were &quot;bouncing&quot; off the platters then your drive would be dead. It's more likely a servo or the bearing going out.

 

[sluss]

<< There is no scandisk in Windows 2000. >>



oh, is that so, assmaster?
ever tried right-click on drive/tools?

MORON

 

[DJFuji]

...god i hate it when smart ass 11 year-olds access this forum...