Solved Western Digital WD20EARS Question

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ben946210

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I plugged my new-ish hard drive in to back up my computer and realized that it was making this noise. WD20EARS - YouTube

I know it is not writing/reading because I connected only the power to test just that. It does this when it is sitting there and I was wondering if it is anything to be worried about. Like I said, this is new and is meant for backups. It would be ironic if the backup drive were to fail first (especially after little use).
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom (desktop), Custom (desktop), Lenovo U530 Touch
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 7 Pro x64, Windows 10 Home x64
CPU
Intel i7-4790K , Intel i7-3770K, Intel i7-4510ULT
Motherboard
Asus Z87-PRO (main), Asus P8P67 Rev 3.1(secondary)
Memory
12GB Corsair Vengeance
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB, 2X GIGABYTE 6890, Nvidia GT730M
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated, IDT (both laptops)
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S22C300H 21.5"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 (Both machines)
Hard Drives
Main:
Muskin SSD 240GB
Seagate 320GB
Western Digital 1TB
Seagate 2TB

Seconday:
Toshiba 1TB
WD 1TB

Lenovo Laptop:
SAMSUNG SM843 SSD 480GB
PSU
Corsair GS700, COOLMAX CUL-850B (secondary)
Case
Thermaltake Chaser
Cooling
Corsair H60 Dual Fans, Stock Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech K360
Mouse
Logitech M310
Internet Speed
16Mbps
Antivirus
Comodo Internet Security Premium, MWB
Browser
Chrome, Firefox
Other Info
I have three systems listed in the specs area. My main desktop and my secondary desktop that was my previous build. The last one (in all the sections) is my Lenovo laptop.

Thanks for your interest in my machines! :)
That drive is toast, I have seen this problem with a lot of these 2GB drives which is why I will not buy one, if it is under warranty then you are in luck and WD will replace it, hopefully you did not have any data on it.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home build
OS
Windows 7 Pro x64
CPU
AMD FX 4100 4 Core 3.6GHz AM3+
Motherboard
ASROCK 970 Extreme3
Memory
16GB G.Skill RipjawsX
Graphics Card(s)
Radeon 6850
Sound Card
ASUS Xonar D1
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS 23" LCD
Hard Drives
SSD 120GB
WD 750GB Black series
WD 640GB Black series
PSU
700W
Case
Antec 100
Cooling
Hyper 212 Plus
Internet Speed
50MB

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518
I wasn't sure if you wanted me to run a test or not with this program as I am not familiar with it. I do see however that it says the health status of the drive is "good".
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom (desktop), Custom (desktop), Lenovo U530 Touch
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 7 Pro x64, Windows 10 Home x64
CPU
Intel i7-4790K , Intel i7-3770K, Intel i7-4510ULT
Motherboard
Asus Z87-PRO (main), Asus P8P67 Rev 3.1(secondary)
Memory
12GB Corsair Vengeance
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB, 2X GIGABYTE 6890, Nvidia GT730M
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated, IDT (both laptops)
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S22C300H 21.5"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 (Both machines)
Hard Drives
Main:
Muskin SSD 240GB
Seagate 320GB
Western Digital 1TB
Seagate 2TB

Seconday:
Toshiba 1TB
WD 1TB

Lenovo Laptop:
SAMSUNG SM843 SSD 480GB
PSU
Corsair GS700, COOLMAX CUL-850B (secondary)
Case
Thermaltake Chaser
Cooling
Corsair H60 Dual Fans, Stock Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech K360
Mouse
Logitech M310
Internet Speed
16Mbps
Antivirus
Comodo Internet Security Premium, MWB
Browser
Chrome, Firefox
Other Info
I have three systems listed in the specs area. My main desktop and my secondary desktop that was my previous build. The last one (in all the sections) is my Lenovo laptop.

Thanks for your interest in my machines! :)
When you said that you plugged drive into the back of the computer, I assume that means that the drive is in an external case. If so, check that the cooling fan is not the source of the noise. It doesn't sound like a fan, but it would be best to rule it out.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
DIY
OS
W7x64 Pro, SuSe 12.1/** W7 x64 Pro, XP MCE
CPU
Phenom II 1090T w/Noctua NH-D14 /**4400+ X2 w/CM Hyper TX 3
Motherboard
ASRock 890FX Deluxe 4/**A8N-SLI
Memory
2 x 2GB Patriot PGS34g1600LLKA/**4x1GB Corsair VS
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GTX460 SC/**EVGA 8800GTS
Sound Card
Asus Xonar D2X/**Xonar D1
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer X233H, Dell E152FPc /**LG M237-WD
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 & 1024x768/**1980x1080
Hard Drives
WDC 2TB, 1.5TB, 1TB, 500GB,Seagate 500GB , Maxtor 80GB /**500GB Seagate & WDC 1TB Black
PSU
CM RS600 w/ APC BX1000G/**Antec 500 TP w/ APC BX1000
Case
HAF922/**Antec 1040IIB
Cooling
3x200mm, 1x140 and 1x120mm/**5x80mm fans
Keyboard
Logitech Media USB/**Saitek Eclipse
Mouse
Cordless Trackman Wheel/**Ditto
Internet Speed
3.3Mbps
Other Info
SB 560 5.1 w/ Sennheiser RS140/**Creative T20 speakers, Dvico FusionHDTV7 Gold RT, Cisco E3000, HP 5510V AIO, Linksys E3000, Belkin F5U237 hub and **F5D8055 adapter
(** = 2nd rig)
Initially I plugged the hard drive in the back, but to do the test and to record the sound, I took it out and connected it up directly to the motherboard.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom (desktop), Custom (desktop), Lenovo U530 Touch
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 7 Pro x64, Windows 10 Home x64
CPU
Intel i7-4790K , Intel i7-3770K, Intel i7-4510ULT
Motherboard
Asus Z87-PRO (main), Asus P8P67 Rev 3.1(secondary)
Memory
12GB Corsair Vengeance
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB, 2X GIGABYTE 6890, Nvidia GT730M
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated, IDT (both laptops)
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S22C300H 21.5"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 (Both machines)
Hard Drives
Main:
Muskin SSD 240GB
Seagate 320GB
Western Digital 1TB
Seagate 2TB

Seconday:
Toshiba 1TB
WD 1TB

Lenovo Laptop:
SAMSUNG SM843 SSD 480GB
PSU
Corsair GS700, COOLMAX CUL-850B (secondary)
Case
Thermaltake Chaser
Cooling
Corsair H60 Dual Fans, Stock Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech K360
Mouse
Logitech M310
Internet Speed
16Mbps
Antivirus
Comodo Internet Security Premium, MWB
Browser
Chrome, Firefox
Other Info
I have three systems listed in the specs area. My main desktop and my secondary desktop that was my previous build. The last one (in all the sections) is my Lenovo laptop.

Thanks for your interest in my machines! :)
Then you have definitely determined that the sound comes from the drive itself. In that case...were it me, it would not matter how any test program rated it, because it is on it's last leg, and I would copy any data on it elsewhere and RMA the drive if possible. I have a WDC drive of that model myself, and I'm happy to say that it is as silent as any drive that I've had...knock on wood. I have found WDC to be easy to deal with in the past, so I wouldn't hesitate to apply for the RMA.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
DIY
OS
W7x64 Pro, SuSe 12.1/** W7 x64 Pro, XP MCE
CPU
Phenom II 1090T w/Noctua NH-D14 /**4400+ X2 w/CM Hyper TX 3
Motherboard
ASRock 890FX Deluxe 4/**A8N-SLI
Memory
2 x 2GB Patriot PGS34g1600LLKA/**4x1GB Corsair VS
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GTX460 SC/**EVGA 8800GTS
Sound Card
Asus Xonar D2X/**Xonar D1
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer X233H, Dell E152FPc /**LG M237-WD
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 & 1024x768/**1980x1080
Hard Drives
WDC 2TB, 1.5TB, 1TB, 500GB,Seagate 500GB , Maxtor 80GB /**500GB Seagate & WDC 1TB Black
PSU
CM RS600 w/ APC BX1000G/**Antec 500 TP w/ APC BX1000
Case
HAF922/**Antec 1040IIB
Cooling
3x200mm, 1x140 and 1x120mm/**5x80mm fans
Keyboard
Logitech Media USB/**Saitek Eclipse
Mouse
Cordless Trackman Wheel/**Ditto
Internet Speed
3.3Mbps
Other Info
SB 560 5.1 w/ Sennheiser RS140/**Creative T20 speakers, Dvico FusionHDTV7 Gold RT, Cisco E3000, HP 5510V AIO, Linksys E3000, Belkin F5U237 hub and **F5D8055 adapter
(** = 2nd rig)
Thanks for a speedy response. I think that is probably my best bet, even if it is OK, it isn't worth the risk. One last question, why does it seem like hard drives die a lot quicker than they did in the 90s? I have an old 250mb Quantum drive and a 100mb Seagate that are both from 1994 and work fine and have no bad sectors.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom (desktop), Custom (desktop), Lenovo U530 Touch
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 7 Pro x64, Windows 10 Home x64
CPU
Intel i7-4790K , Intel i7-3770K, Intel i7-4510ULT
Motherboard
Asus Z87-PRO (main), Asus P8P67 Rev 3.1(secondary)
Memory
12GB Corsair Vengeance
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB, 2X GIGABYTE 6890, Nvidia GT730M
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated, IDT (both laptops)
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S22C300H 21.5"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 (Both machines)
Hard Drives
Main:
Muskin SSD 240GB
Seagate 320GB
Western Digital 1TB
Seagate 2TB

Seconday:
Toshiba 1TB
WD 1TB

Lenovo Laptop:
SAMSUNG SM843 SSD 480GB
PSU
Corsair GS700, COOLMAX CUL-850B (secondary)
Case
Thermaltake Chaser
Cooling
Corsair H60 Dual Fans, Stock Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech K360
Mouse
Logitech M310
Internet Speed
16Mbps
Antivirus
Comodo Internet Security Premium, MWB
Browser
Chrome, Firefox
Other Info
I have three systems listed in the specs area. My main desktop and my secondary desktop that was my previous build. The last one (in all the sections) is my Lenovo laptop.

Thanks for your interest in my machines! :)
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