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HDD making clicking noises!!! HELP!!

A

aolj

Golden Member
Oh noes!!! My HDD is making clicking noises. It's running really slow too!! I have all my school projects, family pictures and all sorts of stuff on it. Is it a sign of it dying? What should I do to save it? Argh!!!!
 
Get the test software from Maxtor (or get it off the CD that came with the drive) and backup everything NOW! Once you run the test, and it is bad, send the drive back to Maxtor for a replacement. If it is not under warranty, then get a new hard drive and copy all the data to the new drive.
 
What size HDD?

If its a secondary or a smaller drive <20GB ( or in range ) go for the freezer trick.. Aparrently, heads on older drives were more prone to locked up or stuck...

It has worked for people many times in the past..



This is all if a single backup doesn't work of course 🙂
 
HDD normally make some noise when accessing the disks but louder audible clicks are most probably signs of a failing drive. how much data do you need to backup?? backup now if you haven't already to whatever you can backup to, cd, dvd, etc. a quicker option is if you have an extra HDD connect it to your IDE as a slave and just copy/cut and paste your data to that drive. you'll just have to reinstall your programs later on after you backup.
 
ACK! The sound of DEATH! NOOOO

My HDD on my NEW computer broke after 2 weeks of usage. I took it back to MemoryExpress and they replaced it for me no questions asked. Still, I was ALMOST completely finished GTA: VC...
 
It is a sound of death. 🙁
I'm too busy this week to even try to do anything to it. I'm working on my final papers and this happens. What bad luck!

I will try the Maxtor software sometime later. It's going to be interesting. It's a 120GB hdd and I have pics, emails, school files, game saved files and music to back up. It's big GBs. I think around 10GB. I have an extra HDD to start up with. Hopefully it all works. I want to save up my emails. That's the most important thing.

Would the freezer thing work?
 
My IBM 180GXP tends to make a clicking noise (just the one single click though) when the PC accesses it after a long period of unactivity. But, there is no speed loss, nor is it repetitive as its normally the case. Some of the Maxtors/Hitachis also "meow" from time to time.

As ppl said its best to backup NOW and test later. HDs are funny, sometimes they just go and at other times it may click for several months before finally giving up.
 
I had a western digital 80 gb hard drive go out on me after about 6 months of random clicking and what not... hopefully you've got enough time to back up your data.
 
Originally posted by: ^aolj^
It is a sound of death. 🙁
I'm too busy this week to even try to do anything to it. I'm working on my final papers and this happens. What bad luck!
Click to expand...

Dude, if you are too busy, then maybe your data isn't worth that much to you. I suggest you MAKE time to try to get your data before the drive totally dies. Otherwise if you have other partial projects on it, you may end up having to re-write some other papers.
 
If you fail to backup your important files it will be a hard lesson learned that many before you have had to learn. Always back up your data onto hard media like DVD / CDR and always keep a back up of the entire HD with Norton Ghost or whatever you want to use and keep it current enough that your aware that you can easily replace what you lost. Anyone that doesnt backup these days is in for a very very rude awakening... Screaming tearing hair out bloody murder fist through windows terrified hoarse throat uncontrollable crying while the rest of us ask WTF why didnt you back up? DVDRW is your friend for backing up important work/school files. I keep 3-5 levels of backup myself these days so when I lose stuff it is always just a small anoyance. If you lose your data I feel very sorry about it man. I know how bad it sucks. It is like having a house fire and losing your family pictures in some cases.
 
Argh. Ok. New problem. I had a extra new Maxtor 160gb. I'm trying to install it so that I can save my data from the dying 120gb hdd. However, I'm running into all sorts of problem with the new hdd. Because it's bigger than 137gb, it's so difficult to install it!

My current PC is this.

I have PIII 600EB @ 133 Mhz, Gigabyte 6vx-4x, Promise ultra 133tx2 to connect the large HDD.

What I did was this.

Boot up with new HDD connected to ATA card.
Boot from CD.
Load up windows XP prof.
Loaded the driver for ATA card.
Used Windows setup to partition drive.
Windows XP says unknown disc. Can't copy files. Exit.

I then tried this.

Connected new HDD to motherboard IDE.
Only detected as 137GB.
Load up windows XP prof.
Windows XP setup copies files over.
Restart PC.
Missing files!

I then used the Maxblast CD from Maxtor to partition HDD and format it.
Connected new HDD back to ATA card.
Same thing happens. Windows XP says unknown disc even though I have it formatted!
Now I have that Ontrack blue banner thing. I'm so frustrated!! :|

Any help for me please? I am really bummed. I don't know what else to do.
 
What I do is format a CD-R into a Direct CD, and use that to backup like a flash drive, it's easy, and i've backed up all my media and projects like that.
 
Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
What I do is format a CD-R into a Direct CD, and use that to backup like a flash drive, it's easy, and i've backed up all my media and projects like that.
Click to expand...

I think I will try that. When you say Direct CD, does it mean that the CD works like a CDRW?
 
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