Laptop hard drive dying?

[igowerf]

A few months ago, my laptop hard drive randomly started to click with a specific rhythm (3 clicks, pause, 4 faster clicks), and when this happens, my computer pretty much stops responding. I formatted once and the problem went away, but now it's back. Sometimes it happens while the system boots, sometimes it happens while I'm browsing the web. It used to go away if I restarted, but now my system isn't even booting up.

 

[foodfightr]

Well... first thing is first. If you have important data to recover, pull it out and put it in an AIR TIGHT ziplock bag and put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then put it back in to the system and this should buy you enough time to recover what is important. (Personally, I'd use a laptop->desktop hard drive converter to recover the files.)

Then, order a new hard drive or RMA the one you have. (If it is under warranty.)

 

[Nocturnal]

I'd back up anything and everything you need, really fast. It sure does sound like it's going out. The clicking and slow browsing are two tell tale signs that a hard drive is failing.

 

[igowerf]

Doh. Thanks for the replies guys. Luckily, there isn't anything important on the disk so I don't need to worry about backing up/recovering data. The laptop is about three and a half years old now so the warranty is gone. I guess it's time to order a new drive. Thanks again.