HDD starts "clicking" when computer sits idle

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

On 2 Jan 2005 21:00:08 -0800, elrous0@pop.uky.edu wrote:

>Hi, all. I apologize if this has been asked before (couldn't find it on
>Google Groups if it has).
>
>My hard drive starts making a clicking noise when my computer has been
>sitting idle for a while (after about an hour or two). The clicks
>continue at regular intervals (about 1 click per second or so) until I
>get back on the computer and start up a program that acesses the drives
>(like Windows Explorer). Then it stops again and doesn't click until it
>has been sitting idle again for about an hour or two (same pattern
>repeats).
>
>Darned if I can figure it out. My power management isn't set to spin
>the drives down or anything. And they all appear to be working fine
>(and don't make any clicking sounds at any other time).
>Anyone got any ideas? Thanks in advance for any help.
>
>-Eric

XP will defrag your system files when the computer is idle. Also, some
harddrives periodically do thermal recalibration. You might not notice it
when you're using the computer - only when it's relatively quiet.

You can get a program like Everest and check the SMART status of your
drives if you think they are going bad but minor sounds like that could be
perfectly normal.

--
Michael Cecil
http://home.comcast.net/~macecil/