I think my HDD is failing...

mgear

New Member
Sorry if there is no/ or if this is the wrong area but...
I think my Hard Drive is failing.

Sometimes, I hear noises coming from it, not just the normal spinning of the disk, but it kinda sounds like your repetitively tapping your keys on a keyboard.
Or a laptop parking it's head.
I have google'd it, and some of the other clues are random BSODS.
I can sometimes reproduce the sound, when I click on something that needs usage of the HDD.
My the send and receive times haven't been changed since I got the computer.
The drive is a "640GB SATA 7200RPM" "Western Digital Caviar Blue"
Are these drives normally loud?
It feels like it's running a little warm.
If it is the heat, could I just plop a heatsink on it from an old video card?
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=394

Also, I am not sure if this is just normal HDD noise, because on my old computer, my case was always closed, and on my new one, I always have the side off when using it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    Intel Pentium E5200
    Motherboard
    NVIDIA nForce 730i
    Memory
    Some off brand 6 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon HD 3850 (512mb)
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Some gateway VGA monitor from 99' (VX920)
    Screen Resolution
    1152 by 864
    Hard Drives
    1 WD Blue - 600 gigs
    PSU
    700 watt - OCZ Silent something
    Case
    Standard Gateway 4800- 05e case
    Cooling
    Standard, but the PSU has a huge fan in it
    Keyboard
    Old gateway keyboard, from 99'
    Mouse
    A black HP mouse, lazer...lazor?
    Internet Speed
    Uhh... I don't know, but it's pretty fast
    Other Info
    My computer has annoying freezes...
I would suggest that you run WD Lifeguard tools for two reasons: first it can give you a quick thumbs up or down on the drive and second it will give you the serial (without looking at the physical drive) so that you can set up the RMA if need be. Linky

If you want a more in depth status of your drive try speedfan, the SMART tab will give you a read out on the drive. Each entry can be checked for more specific data with wiki entries.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q6600 2.4 Ghz
    Motherboard
    DFI Lanpart UT x48-T3rs
    Memory
    2 x 2 GB Mushkin Ascent DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus BK HD 4870
    Sound Card
    On Board module
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung Synchmaster 2443BWX
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    2 x 150GB WD Raptor X (RAID 0)
    4 x 500GB Hitachi Deskstar (RAID 5)
    3 x 1TB Hitachi Deskstar (RAID 5)
    PSU
    PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750W
    Case
    Lian Li PC-A70A
    Cooling
    Thermaltake True-120
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15 Gamer
    Mouse
    Logitech G-7
    Internet Speed
    5/20
I would suggest that you run WD Lifeguard tools for two reasons: first it can give you a quick thumbs up or down on the drive and second it will give you the serial (without looking at the physical drive) so that you can set up the RMA if need be. Linky

If you want a more in depth status of your drive try speedfan, the SMART tab will give you a read out on the drive. Each entry can be checked for more specific data with wiki entries.
The lifeguard tools won't install on Vista, and there is nothing under SMART tab because my HDD is in Raid with my DVD drive (somehow).
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    Intel Pentium E5200
    Motherboard
    NVIDIA nForce 730i
    Memory
    Some off brand 6 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon HD 3850 (512mb)
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Some gateway VGA monitor from 99' (VX920)
    Screen Resolution
    1152 by 864
    Hard Drives
    1 WD Blue - 600 gigs
    PSU
    700 watt - OCZ Silent something
    Case
    Standard Gateway 4800- 05e case
    Cooling
    Standard, but the PSU has a huge fan in it
    Keyboard
    Old gateway keyboard, from 99'
    Mouse
    A black HP mouse, lazer...lazor?
    Internet Speed
    Uhh... I don't know, but it's pretty fast
    Other Info
    My computer has annoying freezes...
I would suggest that you run WD Lifeguard tools for two reasons: first it can give you a quick thumbs up or down on the drive and second it will give you the serial (without looking at the physical drive) so that you can set up the RMA if need be. Linky

If you want a more in depth status of your drive try speedfan, the SMART tab will give you a read out on the drive. Each entry can be checked for more specific data with wiki entries.
This won't test for physical failure though. Only bad sectors, and this is NOT his problem.

It might be that your HDD motor went bad, or is just off balance, or some other crazy thing.
If you think that it is soon to die, make backups of anything you need. Then, if you still need it, you can take it in to a place that does repairs and ask them to check it.

~Lordbob
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5QC
    Memory
    2x2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9500GT 1Gb
    Sound Card
    Mobo
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster 206bw
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SP2514N ATA 250Gb 7200RPM
    Samsung [Model] 1Tb 7200RPM SATA2
    PSU
    Cooler Master Real Power Pro 750W
    Keyboard
    Razer Tarantula
    Mouse
    Razer Lachesis
    Internet Speed
    not fast enough
Sorry, I meant the diagnostic only, the tool set doesn't work in vista yet. Corrected link (direct dl).

In the SMART tab you have to select the drive, also if the drive in connected to an onboard RAID enabled controller it will not show smart status.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q6600 2.4 Ghz
    Motherboard
    DFI Lanpart UT x48-T3rs
    Memory
    2 x 2 GB Mushkin Ascent DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus BK HD 4870
    Sound Card
    On Board module
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung Synchmaster 2443BWX
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    2 x 150GB WD Raptor X (RAID 0)
    4 x 500GB Hitachi Deskstar (RAID 5)
    3 x 1TB Hitachi Deskstar (RAID 5)
    PSU
    PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750W
    Case
    Lian Li PC-A70A
    Cooling
    Thermaltake True-120
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15 Gamer
    Mouse
    Logitech G-7
    Internet Speed
    5/20
I would suggest that you run WD Lifeguard tools for two reasons: first it can give you a quick thumbs up or down on the drive and second it will give you the serial (without looking at the physical drive) so that you can set up the RMA if need be. Linky

If you want a more in depth status of your drive try speedfan, the SMART tab will give you a read out on the drive. Each entry can be checked for more specific data with wiki entries.
This won't test for physical failure though. Only bad sectors, and this is NOT his problem.

It might be that your HDD motor went bad, or is just off balance, or some other crazy thing.
If you think that it is soon to die, make backups of anything you need. Then, if you still need it, you can take it in to a place that does repairs and ask them to check it.

~Lordbob

Do you think it can be heat? I have quite the octopus inside my computer.
Every other component runs at good temps, but I cant tell what the HDD temp is.
I have no where to store the wires, because the drive bays have little poles in them.
 

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My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    Intel Pentium E5200
    Motherboard
    NVIDIA nForce 730i
    Memory
    Some off brand 6 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon HD 3850 (512mb)
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Some gateway VGA monitor from 99' (VX920)
    Screen Resolution
    1152 by 864
    Hard Drives
    1 WD Blue - 600 gigs
    PSU
    700 watt - OCZ Silent something
    Case
    Standard Gateway 4800- 05e case
    Cooling
    Standard, but the PSU has a huge fan in it
    Keyboard
    Old gateway keyboard, from 99'
    Mouse
    A black HP mouse, lazer...lazor?
    Internet Speed
    Uhh... I don't know, but it's pretty fast
    Other Info
    My computer has annoying freezes...
I would suggest that you run WD Lifeguard tools for two reasons: first it can give you a quick thumbs up or down on the drive and second it will give you the serial (without looking at the physical drive) so that you can set up the RMA if need be. Linky

If you want a more in depth status of your drive try speedfan, the SMART tab will give you a read out on the drive. Each entry can be checked for more specific data with wiki entries.
This won't test for physical failure though. Only bad sectors, and this is NOT his problem.

It might be that your HDD motor went bad, or is just off balance, or some other crazy thing.
If you think that it is soon to die, make backups of anything you need. Then, if you still need it, you can take it in to a place that does repairs and ask them to check it.

~Lordbob

Do you think it can be heat? I have quite the octopus inside my computer.
Every other component runs at good temps, but I cant tell what the HDD temp is.
I have no where to store the wires, because the drive bays have little poles in them.
I don't think that the noises would come from a heat problem..... But I am not an expert....

~Lordbob
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5QC
    Memory
    2x2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9500GT 1Gb
    Sound Card
    Mobo
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster 206bw
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SP2514N ATA 250Gb 7200RPM
    Samsung [Model] 1Tb 7200RPM SATA2
    PSU
    Cooler Master Real Power Pro 750W
    Keyboard
    Razer Tarantula
    Mouse
    Razer Lachesis
    Internet Speed
    not fast enough
This won't test for physical failure though. Only bad sectors, and this is NOT his problem.

It might be that your HDD motor went bad, or is just off balance, or some other crazy thing.
If you think that it is soon to die, make backups of anything you need. Then, if you still need it, you can take it in to a place that does repairs and ask them to check it.

~Lordbob

Do you think it can be heat? I have quite the octopus inside my computer.
Every other component runs at good temps, but I cant tell what the HDD temp is.
I have no where to store the wires, because the drive bays have little poles in them.
I don't think that the noises would come from a heat problem..... But I am not an expert....

~Lordbob
I have a heatsink from a broken video card, that used to be in my old computer (Regular PCI version, GeForce 9400gt).
Can I plop that on the HDD in hopes it will dissipate the heat better?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    Intel Pentium E5200
    Motherboard
    NVIDIA nForce 730i
    Memory
    Some off brand 6 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon HD 3850 (512mb)
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Some gateway VGA monitor from 99' (VX920)
    Screen Resolution
    1152 by 864
    Hard Drives
    1 WD Blue - 600 gigs
    PSU
    700 watt - OCZ Silent something
    Case
    Standard Gateway 4800- 05e case
    Cooling
    Standard, but the PSU has a huge fan in it
    Keyboard
    Old gateway keyboard, from 99'
    Mouse
    A black HP mouse, lazer...lazor?
    Internet Speed
    Uhh... I don't know, but it's pretty fast
    Other Info
    My computer has annoying freezes...
Do you think it can be heat? I have quite the octopus inside my computer.
Every other component runs at good temps, but I cant tell what the HDD temp is.
I have no where to store the wires, because the drive bays have little poles in them.
I don't think that the noises would come from a heat problem..... But I am not an expert....

~Lordbob
I have a heatsink from a broken video card, that used to be in my old computer (Regular PCI version, GeForce 9400gt).
Can I plop that on the HDD in hopes it will dissipate the heat better?
I don't think this could be a heat problem. It seems more like your HDD is just breaking down. How old is it?

~Lordbob
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5QC
    Memory
    2x2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9500GT 1Gb
    Sound Card
    Mobo
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster 206bw
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SP2514N ATA 250Gb 7200RPM
    Samsung [Model] 1Tb 7200RPM SATA2
    PSU
    Cooler Master Real Power Pro 750W
    Keyboard
    Razer Tarantula
    Mouse
    Razer Lachesis
    Internet Speed
    not fast enough
I would suggest that you run WD Lifeguard tools for two reasons: first it can give you a quick thumbs up or down on the drive and second it will give you the serial (without looking at the physical drive) so that you can set up the RMA if need be. Linky

If you want a more in depth status of your drive try speedfan, the SMART tab will give you a read out on the drive. Each entry can be checked for more specific data with wiki entries.
This won't test for physical failure though. Only bad sectors, and this is NOT his problem.

It might be that your HDD motor went bad, or is just off balance, or some other crazy thing.
If you think that it is soon to die, make backups of anything you need. Then, if you still need it, you can take it in to a place that does repairs and ask them to check it.

~Lordbob

I believe that WD drive tools also check spin up time and seek time, the short test is too quick to be a surface scan.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q6600 2.4 Ghz
    Motherboard
    DFI Lanpart UT x48-T3rs
    Memory
    2 x 2 GB Mushkin Ascent DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus BK HD 4870
    Sound Card
    On Board module
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung Synchmaster 2443BWX
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    2 x 150GB WD Raptor X (RAID 0)
    4 x 500GB Hitachi Deskstar (RAID 5)
    3 x 1TB Hitachi Deskstar (RAID 5)
    PSU
    PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750W
    Case
    Lian Li PC-A70A
    Cooling
    Thermaltake True-120
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15 Gamer
    Mouse
    Logitech G-7
    Internet Speed
    5/20
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