How to tell if HD is on its way out. (Maxtor 40GB)

[BoomAM]

How can i tell if my HD is on its way out?
I`ve got an old 40GB Maxtor and about 30mins ago, when i got back in from college, i noticed it more than usual. Sort of a high pitched sound.
Now it might just be me, cos ive had a "bassy" day(listened to loads of rock, and in noisy rooms all day). But does that mean the HD is on its way out? The "SMART" thing still says 70%. Just like the day i brought it.
Is it the low temps causing it? According to a utility i have, its reading as 24*c, for my 40gb, and 18*c for my 120gb. Or is it fine.
For reference;
Its a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus8 40GB, 7200RPM, 2mb cache.

Thanks in advance.

 

[OdiN]

It could be on the way out, but not for sure. I'd back things up just in case though.

 

[lenjack]

Download and run Maxtor's diagnostic utility, PowerMax. Be aware the final test will lose your data.

 

[BoomAM]

Already backed-up most stuff. The ironic thing is that, that drive is my backup drive!

 

[MDE]

FYI- PowerMax will NOT work on an nForce2 board.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Yeah, download the Powermax utility and run all the tests, except for the last one, which would wipe out your data, If there's a problem, the first tests will more than liklely identify it, anyway...

 

[BoomAM]

Its definatelly making a high pitched sound.
If it unplug it, the sound goes away, and my rig is near silent.
What could cause the sound?

Lets be honest. If its making a high pitched sound, theres a high chance that it`ll need RMAing. So i`ll have to buy a new drive, as that drive holds my backups, temp folders, swapfile and other stuff. So if i was to RMA it, i`d have a near useless PC without the second drive.
-------
I know about the nForce2 problem, but i have a KT133A, so im fine.
I`ll run the tests when i get home. Im at college at the moment.

 

[Imdmn04]

sometime the high pitched sound is just the harddrive viberating against the case.

is it a high pitched whining noise? do u have to listen sorta hard to hear it? i've got that noise for many years, its nothing too much u need to worry about.

try to place your hd on a piece of foam inside the case, then try to hear if it still has the noise.

 

[vegetation]

High frequency increased noise tends to happen with hard drives as they age, it's a real hit or miss type of thing if you'll be affected. I'm not sure if it correlates with shorter life expectancy though.

 

[CraigRT]

before i even read this, i was going to say.. if it's a 40 gig DM+8 it's more than likely going to fail because they SUCK.

i have 2 sitting on top of my PC at work (dead) and 2 in the RMA stage with Maxtor... I hate these hard drives and I hate Maxtor. junk.

 

[Sureshot324]

Originally posted by: MonkeyDriveExpress
FYI- PowerMax will NOT work on an nForce2 board.

Actually about 4 months ago i called maxtor about dying hard drive and they emailed my an updated file that let PowerMax work on my nforce 2 board. I thought it was kind of strange that they had this file but the version they had on the website didn't, but i'd be suprised if they didn't update it by now.

 

[BoomAM]

It is a DM+8
The high frequency only started happening as of late.

 

[BoomAM]

Ive ran the tests. Ive ran the advanced one, and the "burn in" test.
It passed both!
Im not goin to risk it though. On friday im going to OC UK and im buying a new HD. The choice is as follows;

Samsung SP0802N 80GB
7200RPM, 2mb cache, Silent drive

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 80GB 2MB Cache
7200RPM, 2mb cache, Silent drive
(For an extra £8, i can get the 8mb cache version)

Western Digital Caviar 80GB Special Edition
7200RPM, 8mb cache

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80GB ATA100
7200RPM, 2mb cache
(For an extra £16 i can get the 120gb version).

What would you lot reccommend?
The Samsung is the quietest (aparentely)
And the WD the fastest.
The Seagate is the best value.

Im thinking of the Maxtor DM9+ w/ 8mb cache.
My DM9+ 120GB is very quiet, and the 8mb cache on the drive will help with large transfers.

All are about the same price bty. All from OC UK as well.

 

[BoomAM]

I managed to get to OC UK today, and i decided on the Maxtor DM9+ 80gb w/8mb Cache.
My PC is now near silent now. Can still slightly hear the fans in it though (7 of them). But it will be 99% silent come feb, when i go down the water cooling route!.

 

[WobbleWobble]

Originally posted by: Sureshot324

Originally posted by: MonkeyDriveExpress
FYI- PowerMax will NOT work on an nForce2 board.

Actually about 4 months ago i called maxtor about dying hard drive and they emailed my an updated file that let PowerMax work on my nforce 2 board. I thought it was kind of strange that they had this file but the version they had on the website didn't, but i'd be suprised if they didn't update it by now.

Can you get that to us? I have an nForce 2 board and don't want to put it into another computer to test. My seek times are outragously slow...