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Why is my hardrive rattling?

by entry
20 replies
My hardrive is making a rattling noise regularly, does that mean it is about to go? (it is old)

i have made a back up of my files tho.

i know the truth is i am working too hard on it lol, but seriously does it mean it is unstable, and could crash/freeze.... a rattling hardrive ?
#hardrive #rattling
  • Profile picture of the author ShayB
    I would have to say a rattling hard drive is an unhealthy hard drive.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Start shopping for a new hard drive like right now. Rattling noises, grinding noises, unusual noises of a mechanical sounding nature are hardly ever a minor problem.

      Seriously, right now. Log off WF and find a new drive. Pronto.

      Why are you still reading this?

      Go.

      Shop.

      NOW.
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  • Profile picture of the author p2y
    Yes that is the dying sign of a hard drive, time for a new one! Drives these days are cheap, I just picked up a 1tb hitachi for $85 from newegg
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    • Profile picture of the author entry
      Thanks, Any recommendations?

      I want a Seagate, and a 200+ Gb hardrive.

      are seagate cheeta drives good? anyone got them ?
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  • Profile picture of the author John M Kane
    200GB
    Don't be a cheapskate.
    Get a 500GB minimum
    200Gb really is not a big savings compared to a 500.
    I prefer Seagate myself.
    Been more reliable compared to Western Digital and Matrox.
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    • Profile picture of the author entry
      Originally Posted by war28476 View Post

      200GB
      Don't be a cheapskate.
      Get a 500GB minimum
      200Gb really is not a big savings compared to a 500.
      I prefer Seagate myself.
      Been more reliable compared to Western Digital and Matrox.
      lol ok.
      you know much about the seagage cheeta ?
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  • Profile picture of the author GarrieWilson
    Get 1TB or 1.5TB.

    Pick one out at NewEgg then use pricegrabber.com to find the lowest price. Normally NewEgg is higher on HDs in my experience. I got my last 10 from Mwav.com (saved $20/drive and got free shipping.)
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Buckley
    First, be certain it's your hard drive that's making the noise. Cooling fans have given me more than one scare.

    If it IS your hard drive, here's a trick that might give you enough additional life from it to transfer/backup data: Remove it, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in your freezer for a couple of hours then reinstall it. This will cause the materials to shrink and possibly realign themselves and fit correctly for a little while longer.

    While it's in the freezer, go shopping for a new one
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    • Profile picture of the author entry
      Originally Posted by Paul Buckley View Post

      First, be certain it's your hard drive that's making the noise. Cooling fans have given me more than one scare.

      If it IS your hard drive, here's a trick that might give you enough additional life from it to transfer/backup data: Remove it, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in your freezer for a couple of hours then reinstall it. This will cause the materials to shrink and possibly realign themselves and fit correctly for a little while longer.

      While it's in the freezer, go shopping for a new one
      My fan did make a crazy noise about 6 months ago. I opened it, and cleaned it out (hoovered the dust in it) and the huge noise went away.

      How can i tell if it is the fan or hardrive? they are both near each other in the computer (and the computer is open tho/side removed/naked)
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  • Profile picture of the author Bujuk
    yeah, dont wait any longer. make the necessary backup immediately. and buy a new hd for the replacement.
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  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Wilkinson
    Unplug the fan, reboot for a half a minute and see if the noise goes away. Don't let it run very long that way.

    Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author entry
      Originally Posted by Thomas Wilkinson View Post

      Unplug the fan, reboot for a half a minute and see if the noise goes away. Don't let it run very long that way.

      Tom
      The thing is the noise comes and goes, and isnt constant. so if i unplugged the fan for 30 seconds, it would be hard to tell if the silence is caused by the fan, or hardrive - as there would be silence, as the noise isnt constant. another lil dilema
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  • Profile picture of the author mhuktar
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author entry
      Originally Posted by mhuktar View Post

      How to Recover Dead Hard Drive Data
      Legend has it that if you put a dead hard drive in a freezer, pull it out and plug it in, it should run long enough to recover the data. Is it true? Indeed, it seems so.

      While freezing the drive for a while extends life momentarily, the real trick is to run the hard drive while it's in the freezer. Just throw in a water tight bag first, of course. Works pretty well with other gadgets including iPod hard drives too.

      Evidence:
      Two techs encounter an uncooperative drive, this is their epic recovery story.
      More stories of how freezing a hard drive brought it back from the dead. Note, this only temporarily extends the life of the device, allowing you to recover data before it completely dies.

      more of this @: hackaday.com
      Freezing a hardrive? is this method from CSI ?
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  • Profile picture of the author SteelDanno
    Nothing strikes more fear into a geek than the death rattle noise of a HD.

    Especially if the last backup was ... when was it? :-P
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    • Profile picture of the author edhan
      Sounds like it is going to breakdown.

      Your option will be get a replacement harddisk. You can easily get 1 TB harddisk at S$300+

      Next will be backup your harddisk so you can transfer to the new harddisk before it crashes. I use Acronis TrueImage backup. Great with the entire harddisk backup including the O/S. After transfer, it simply boot up from the new harddisk.
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  • Profile picture of the author andrewpeacock
    Backup. Now. See TweakHound - Windows XP Backup Strategies For Home Users, Disk Image 1 for some advice to backup everything that's on that drive.

    Even if it turns out to be the fan, back up just in case.

    And do clean out the fan etc. My PC's got a crud load of "furballs", and I've finally gotten round to buying one of them compressed air cans to clean it with. Just need to wait for a non-rainy day so I can take it outside and let the wind take the furballs.

    Please. Please. Please... Backup. Buy, beg, or borrow a spare drive from somewhere. Don't delay.

    Andy
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  • Profile picture of the author fan994
    My harddrive has been rattling for 2 year now. It does this off and on, not all the time. So far no problems but I do back up all the time.
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    • Profile picture of the author Hannah McNamara
      If you're not doing it already, get backing up! After a moaning-groaning hard drive finally collapsed and died on me a few months back, I could have lost my entire business if I didn't have everything backing up automatically every night. Don't rely on saving files to CDs or an external hard drive - upload to a secure service so you can get your hands on files quickly. It also means you're protected in case you get robbed or have a fire. Thieves steal external hard drives too!
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