Hard drive making weird sound

[It's Not Lupus]

I have a Samsung F4 2TB hard drive that in an external dock. Upon turning it on, it makes a weird (stroking and clicking?) sound about every second. I still see it in Windows, but there are indeterminate delays accessing it. Is it dying? Is there anything I can do to save it?

 

[MongGrel]

Sounds like I'd try copying anything you want off it somewhere else to me atm.

Just to be safe, that sounds bad.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That sounds like the HDD is resetting itself, and re-seeking to Track Zero. Generally, that's a bad sign, but it can also indicate power problems. What kind of power supply are you using for the external dock, and is it adequate? Some are not.

 

[Spungo]

It's dying. Immediately backup everything.

Once you have everything backed up, try to break the drive with a stress test.
http://www.hgst.com/support/downloads

 

[datarecoveryguy]

The heads are likely hitting bad sectors and resetting the drive. Like others have said, back up the most important files first.

 

[mohit9206]

I had a Seagate 320gb HDD that used to make loud clicking noises all the time.I took the risk and kept using it but then i decided annoyed with the noises bought a new HDD which had no problems. So yes its probably dying. Time for new Hdd, ssd or sshd.

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

Back it up and replace it.