Windows 7: Noisy hard drive

I'm getting increasingly annoyed by my hard drive (Seagate ST9500420AS). I'm sure you all know what a hard drive sounds like, but sometimes mine clicks away really loudly.

There is no difference in performance - just noise. It's like the normal clicky seeking sounds have been amplified 10x! Usually I can just put the computer into sleep and wake it back up again to fix it.

Does anyone know what could be causing it?

Yes hard drive failure. Back up everything to be safe. Then go to the website of the manufacurer and test. I am sure it is a problem .. Traditional sound of problem.
I am sorry if I turn out to be wrong, but just trying to protect you, based upon my experience.
If I am right it could last for months, but then again maybe days.

Yep.

An increasing intensity of the click sounds like the 'click of death'. I'd be looking at getting a replacement, because if it's on its way out - it can give way at any time.


Or it could be the bird on the line outside

I agree 100% with Rich.

Your hard drive is going through its death throes. IMMEDIATELY backup the hard drive to an external USB drive. If you don't have an external USB, then run, don't walk to your nearest electronics/computer store and buy one.

Post a pic of the output of disk management so that we can best advise you as to what and how to back it up.

Use either the snipping tool or MS Paint to make a snapshot of disk management output.

Here is more info:
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...en-forums.html

To use the snipping tool, just type SNIP in the Search Box and hit Enter

To use Disk Management,
type DISKMGMT.MSC in the Search box and hit Enter.
Maximize the resulting display.

Be sure to make a System Repair Disc:
________________________________________
CREATE A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC
START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button
________________________________________

Besides needing an external USB disk for backup purposes, of course, you are going to need to buy yourself a new hard disk.

The external will not need to be any where as large as your hard drive, but make that snippet of the output of disk managment so we can best advise you.

Once that hard disk fails, then you will only be able to recover data from the hard disk at very great expense if at all.

Please take this advise seriously.

Let us know if you do not understand any of our advise or the tutorials. We want to save you from an impending disaster. As said, you could get lucky and the drive last for a couple of more weeks, but maybe not.

Also put a fan blowing directly on your computer. Right now heat is a very definite enemy.

I have a small clip on 6 inch fan that blows directly on my laptop and mine doesn't make noise but I want to keep the temperature down.

Your computer will also run cooler if you choose the power saver option.

WIN key + X | in the section that shows your battery, choose Power Saver.

As soon as possible make that backup or at least save of to usb sticks all your important data, pics, music, anything dear to your heart.

After we have that diskmanagment display, and that first backup is made, then we can discuss other matters.

But, if it does go before you save your documents, put it in the freezer over night. You may be able to back up your documents during a small window of opportunity.

Put in a zip-lock bag though

And be very quick with data retrieval.

I would tend to go along with that.

Thanks for the advice everyone. The thing is, it's been doing this for pretty much a year! Sometimes it will go days without getting it (I put my laptop to Sleep quite often during the day). I wasn't expecting it to be a 'health' problem.

I'll swap it out with another hard drive I have of the same capacity - I'm good with backups/data copying, but thanks for the help offer anyway!

Death can come very quickly. Those of us advising you have seen and/or experienced this. I have a friend who didn't heed this advise. Just like you-it had been making noises off and on for a year. She spent months rebuilding her small company's financial records.