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Is some HDD Clicking normal?

Forum CPU & Components : Other Components - Is some HDD Clicking normal?

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jeep11   09-20-2009 at 09:37:30 AM

My HDD is clicking a little, but to hear this I have to put my ear to the computer hith the fans off to the side. It is a high performance drive.

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shubham1401   09-20-2009 at 12:23:33 PM

Don't worry it is normal.Some Drives click a Bit.

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Kari   09-20-2009 at 03:59:00 PM

you should start to worry only when the system freezes for a while when it's clicking (and the clicking gets quite loud...)

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Bronze CPUs badge sminlal   09-20-2009 at 05:59:52 PM

The clicking is the sound of the read/write heads moving back and forth to access data on the drive. Some drives are louder than others, but they all do it to some degree.

The read/write heads are mounted at the end of the arm you see in the photo linked below, and the arm moves back and forth as the platters spin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File: [...] d_head.jpg


Message edited by sminlal on 09-20-2009 at 06:00:37 PM
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shubham1401   09-21-2009 at 08:26:43 AM

You can also download HD Tune software.
Has features such as Error scan,Health status,drive temps and lots more.

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jeep11   09-21-2009 at 08:31:23 AM

It might just be something vibrating in my case. I only hear it now when i put my ear in the top back. When i put my ear in the mid front I don't hear it. It just makes me worried since the drive I have is a 7200.11 'Cuda.

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threednonsense   09-21-2009 at 09:11:10 AM

That isn't normal... LOL! It's normal if it's getting worn overtime, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily REALLY bad, depending on how loud it is and how often it ticks, that's how you measure how bad it is. The loud long pause ticks is the one you have to worry about. Ticking is not the hd working properly, I'll tell you that right now...

Like if you start to feel your computer feeling sluggish for no reason, but it seems fast and responsive, it's probably your hd going bad. And it's a subtle sluggishness.

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jitpublisher   09-21-2009 at 04:04:37 PM

It depends on what the clicks sound like, faint rapid soft clicks that sound more like a clattering noise, are normal. Do you have a drive acitivity light? The light should be flashing in time with the clicking. Certain brands of drives are louder that others.

Loud sudden single clicks are bad news. They will sound more like someone tapped the top of the drive with a screwdriver. Usually these are accompanied by a momentary lapse or freezing of your PC. These can be just one occasional click, or a steady click.........click..........click..........click for a several seconds.
When you hear this, and you don't usually need to listen closely for these, as they are quite audible, it is a sign you need to save your data immediately somewhere else, and prepare to dig into your wallet.

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threednonsense   09-21-2009 at 11:26:11 PM

The good reading sound is like a "rrrrrr, rrrrr, rrrrrr" sound. I forgot to mention that.

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