What does this sound mean???

[FriedRiceBob]

i have an old-ish IBM DTLA 30 gig drive in my system right now and occasionally it makes a noise that can best be described as
"tick tick tick....CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH"
this noise repeats at least three times and sometimes closer to 10.
it only happens when the drive is idle for a period of time...if it starts makin 'the noise' and i pop a winkey+E it stops immediately
so what do you think it is? i mean i know the drive probably has less then a year or two to live but...what causes that noise???

 

[JetBlack69]

Backup everything from that drive RIGHT NOW!!!!

Sorry, I don't really know what could be causing the noise.

 

[FriedRiceBob]

well...yeah thats a given.

actually it has been making this noise in some capacity for nearly a year...hehehe
just recently its gettin on my nerves

and i dont care about any data i have on this drive...but thanks for the warning
if WD would send me my damned 40g drive i rma'd then i could reconstruct my raid0 and retire this drive...or sell it on eb$y (j/k)