My Notebook's Funny Clicking Sound - Is It the Harddrive?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a user’s concern regarding a clicking sound from their notebook, speculating whether it is related to the hard drive. Participants explore potential causes, implications, and preventive measures, focusing on technical aspects of hard drive behavior and maintenance.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a clicking sound and expresses concern that it may indicate a problem with the hard drive.
  • Another suggests defragmenting the drive to reduce head movement, which could alleviate the clicking.
  • A participant mentions that if the clicking occurs after inactivity, it may be the drive parking its heads, questioning whether it is a new noise.
  • One user recounts a personal experience where a clicking sound preceded a hard drive failure, advising others to back up their data.
  • Another participant shares their experience of a hard drive crash, recommending immediate data backup and diagnostic programs.
  • It is noted that as hard drives age, they may produce louder clicks due to worn dampeners, but this may not necessarily indicate a serious problem.
  • One participant inquires about the specific model and brand of the notebook, indicating that the brand is not available in the US.
  • The original poster mentions that the clicking sound has not recurred since defragmentation, but they received a low disk performance rating during a health check.
  • Another participant suggests considering a new hard drive if issues persist.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions regarding the cause of the clicking sound and its implications. While some suggest it may be a benign issue related to head parking, others warn of potential hard drive failure. No consensus is reached on the nature of the clicking sound or the best course of action.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference personal experiences and anecdotal evidence, which may not apply universally. The discussion includes varying levels of technical understanding and assumptions about hard drive behavior.

Monique
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:bugeye: I caught my notebook making a funny sound (several times already): something like a click, similar to when you release a string or when you put up your bicycle stand (I wonder if people in the US even HAVE those :rolleyes: :-p )

I sure hope it's not my harddrive :bugeye: could it be that?

it is EXACTLY one year since I bought the notebook (typical).. good I bought two years of extra insurance :rolleyes:
 
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I suggest defragmenting your drive so the head of the hard drive reader doesn't have to jump around as often.
 
Hey, that's a good idea :)
 
If it happens after a few minutes of inactivity, it is probably just the drive parking its heads (moving them off to the side of the disk so that they can't accidentally bump into the discs). Are you sure it's a new noise?

- Warren
 
Monique, I suggest that just in case, you make sure everything on your computer is backed up (always a good practice, but everyone gets sloppy sometimes). The only time I had a notebook start clicking at me was about a week before it died a horrible death. I don't know what the clicking was, but apparently it was a bad thing. I handed it off to a friend who derives great joy from reviving dead computers, and he got it working with a new motherboard and I'm not sure if he also replaced the hard drive. I do know nothing on it was ever seen again (though it was all backed-up elsewhere, so not too disastrous).
 
Having just had my hard drive crash on my laptop, I would suggest you immediately back up anything important on your computer, and look into getting a new hard drive just in case. I would also suggest looking for programs on the internet for HD diagnostics.

When my HD was having trouble, I would hear an audible click, and the system would hang for a couple seconds before continuing. I don't know if that's what you are having, but if it is don't take a chance.
 
When a drive gets "broken in" the heads tend to make louder clicks than when new, because the dampeners are wore out usually..
This however is not a big problem, just make sure it is defragmented and you run a scnadisk or some HDD scan thing..

now, thecolor, what was happening to you, is the HDD could not find the item(magnetic arrangment) it needed, and finally just wore out..

btw, what model and brand is your notebook Monique?
 
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Mine is a packard bell, the brand is not marketed in the US :)

I haven't heard strange things since I defragmented, everything is backed up :)
 
chroot said:
If it happens after a few minutes of inactivity, it is probably just the drive parking its heads (moving them off to the side of the disk so that they can't accidentally bump into the discs). Are you sure it's a new noise?

- Warren
:bugeye: it happened again today when I was checking disk health at www.pcpitstop.com ,a jumping needle I guess, and got an 'unusually low disk performance' rating (disk speed measured by the transfer rate or a relatively large data file). Without the sound I get an excellent rating, I'll contact the supplier :)
 
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  • #10
If that is the case Monique, look at getting a new hard drive
 

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