Grumbling 2TB WD My Book External Hard Disk

[zzxantrax07]

i have a Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB external hard disk. i bought it march 12, 2011.

my hard disk grumble periodically. mostly when accesing files. it grumbles like a grumbling stomach, but it has no sound. the hard disk is silent.

i can feel the grumble when touching the sides of the hard disk. is it normal?

i never dropped it or anything that will damage the drive.


thanx.

 

[WyomingKnott]

Some small vibration is normal when the drive is "seeking," moving the read heads from their previous position to where the requested data is. But it's pretty small in a healthy drive.

You can download diagnostics from the manufacturer and run them if you suspect that the drive is damaged.

 

[zzxantrax07]

i think it's the actuator arm. i can feel the grumbling when opening a folder with many folders inside.

should i do extended self-test? i did a short self-test, and it passed.


i'm copying 15k images (15.5gb). it's grumbling continuously.


thanx for the reply.

 

[WyomingKnott]

As to the extended self-test, it's up to you. If I were at your location, I'd just feel the drive and see if it's normal vibration or excessive.

Maybe you could try another external drive / go to a friend's house and feel how much it rumbles when it's seeking? I can't give you a basis of comparison from here (holds seeking hard drive up to screen).

 

[zzxantrax07]

thank you sir. i'll try to look at my friends' portable hdds.

i can't return it because it was bought by my uncle from another country.


and i have 2 160gb WD internal hdds, they're 3 yrs old and still running. i can hear noises (and other spinning & actuator moving noises) to the drives but they still work fine.

 

[zzxantrax07]

Best answer selected by zzxantrax07.