I think my HDD is failing...

[mgear]

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.

 

[mtekr]

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.

 

[mgear]

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).

 

[lordbob75]

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

 

[mtekr]

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.

 

[mgear]

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.

 

[lordbob75]

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

 

[mgear]

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?

 

[lordbob75]

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

 

[mtekr]

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.