Solved External hard drives making clicking noise

[Layback Bear]

Sounds like the arm or disc in the hard drive wasn't able to keep up with the data stream speed of USB 3.0 but was happy with the data stream speed of USB 2.0.

 

[Clairvaux]

Sounds like the arm or disc in the hard drive wasn't able to keep up with the data stream speed of USB 3.0 but was happy with the data stream speed of USB 2.0.

I don't think that's the problem, because USB 3.0 is supposed to be compatible with USB 2.0. However, several cable specialist sites warn that external disks without their own power supply may fall short of power if connected to a USB 3.0 cable > 2 m.

 

[Layback Bear]

I didn't think anybody would try a hard drive on a usb port without it's own power supply.

Hard drives need 12VDC to operate the disc spinning and the arm movement properly and usb ports only have 5VDC.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

3.5" HDDs would not be able to be self powered off a USB port of any kind since the drives do need 12v and USB only provides 5v. 3.5" HDDs have to use an externally powered (usually from a 120v brick or wall wart) dock or enclosure.

However, 2.5" HDDs run on 5V. In ideal situations (which rarely happens), USB 2.0 barely provides enough power to run a 5400 rpm HDD, which is why USB 2.0 powered enclosures and docks use a cable with an extra connector to steal additional power from a second USB port. Even though the standard for USB 3.0 calls for enough power to easily run a 7200 rpm 2.5" HDD but, in real life, many notebooks and laptops do not provide enough power to each port to run the faster HDDs. On my notebooks, I had to find USB 3.0 cables with the extra power connector (that was a challenge, btw) to reliably power my 2.5" docks and enclosures when running 2.5" 7200 rpm WD Blacks with my notebooks.

Adding to those limitations, longer USB cables experience more voltage drop due to the higher resistance of the tiny wires in the cables. That can cause the voltage delivered to drop low enough to keep a drive from operating properly, even if there was enough power available to begin with.

Keep in mind the speed and power standards for USB are given as a maximum. As long as the speed and available power of a USB device, cable, or port is higher than the maximum for USB 2.0 (and has the correct pin out), it meets USB 3.0 standards.

 

[Clairvaux]

My external hard disks are 2,5", and they work straight off the USB 2.0 cable, without an extra power supply or an extra USB port. I do have cables which tap a second USB port for added power, but I don't use them because my disks don't ask for it -- and they would take a jolly good beating if they ever did.

I believe in educating hard disks the hard way. Don't let them get the better of you. Feed them as little power as possible. That'll teach them a lesson.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...I believe in educating hard disks the hard way. Don't let them get the better of you. Feed them as little power as possible. That'll teach them a lesson.

:roflmao: I guess that's where I messed up; I baby mine.

 

[Layback Bear]

Undervolting electronics can also cause damage. Give you drive what it wants so it quiets ticking.

 

[Clairvaux]

It doesn't tick...