2024-11-22

hard disk clicking sound

How To Tell If The Noisy Hard Drive Is Normal?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM13 mins

Noisy Hard Drive Current hard drive technology dictates that some noise will occur during drive operation. The type of noise and the volume of the noise can change depending on the current function that the drive is involved in. It is important to recognize which noises indicate trouble and which are simply normal drive sounds.

Normal drive sounds include:

  • Whining noise during drive spin-up
  • Occasional clicks during data access
  • Hard clicks during a head park operation (shutdown or sleep mode)

Abnormal drive sounds include:

  • High-pitched whining sound
  • Vibration sounds due to either vibration in the mounting hardware or in rare cases, a drive failure
  • Clicking or clunking sounds that occur repeatedly
  • Grinding sounds

Solutions:

Step1: Make sure it is not a case fan or another device
Turn off the system. Remove both the power and data cables from the drive. Turn on the system to see if the noise continues. If the noise is still present, the drive is not the cause. Search for another device such as a case fan, which is causing the noise. If the noise is no longer present, continue with Step 2.

Step 2: Determine if the problem is the hard drive or its data cable
Turn off the system. Connect only the power cable to the drive, and turn on the system. If the noise occurs, the problem is with the drive. At this point, continue with Step 3. If the there is no noise, the drive is not at fault. Turn off the system and connect your data cable. Turn on the system. If the noise occurs now, your data cable is faulty and should be replaced.

Step 3: Try the hard drive in a new location
Turn off the system. Install the drive into a different drive bay or place it securely on an anti-static surface if available. Attach only the power cable. Turn on the system. If the noise is still present, the drive has failed and should be replaced.

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Hard Disk Details (1)

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM03 mins

Data recovery is necessary when source material fails and where no good backup exists, either Physical or Logical. There are two types of data recovery in the standard basic sense.  One type of data recovery is when there is damage to the media and the pre-existing data need to be retrieved. This will usually require the media to be repaired.

The second form of data recovery is when files were purposely or accidently deleted.  When this type of data recovery is necessary there is usually no damage to the media and standard software can be used to recover the data.  This is the process that most software performs. Very few software programs understand damaged media. Because most software relies on calls and functions from the operating system for its input, it has no control itself over error correction or any functions that the operating system performs on the drive. I believe there a four phases to any data recovery.

Four Phases of Recovery
1. Repair the Hard Drive so it is running in some form, usually requiring hardware or special equipment.

2. Image, Copy or recover the physical drive and sectors primarily by bitstream imaging. If the drive is functioning, it is possible to do this with software, however there are some hardware solutions that work very well; i.e. DeepSpar Disk Imager. This is a situation where some software is better than others, such as dd_rescue (use with dd_rhelp script) on a Linux system has a special feature that allow it to image backward (understanding why you need to image backwards is very important in data recovery).

3. Perform Logical Recovery of files, partition structures, or necessary items; usually this is by software and is the most common type of application sold.

4. Repair of files that might have existed in damaged space or sectors to recover what is possible.  This is usually the requirement in Forensics to be able to re-assemble data to display what was there, if whole or not. This is also applied in data recovery for corrupt Word and Excel documents.

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The reasons of a Hard Disk Clicking Sound

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM03 mins

Head Crash This is a physical damage of the disk platter when the head of a hard disk scratches the surface of the disk. This is the result of the grinding sound you hear when this occurs. Firstly, turn off your computer and do not attempt to power it up. Prolong power to the hard disk will only cause it more harm and causing further complications. Consult a data recovery firm immediately and avoid dismantling the disk to repair the problem yourself. Operating without the correct tools and a lab environment can result in further extensive damage that complicates the data recovery process.
Bad Sectors Typically bad sectors are physical damage of a span of disk area. When the head make several attempts to read from the same area of disk multiple times but fails, it generates the clicking sound. This can also occur when the head is unable to calibrate with the media servo tracks due to the gradual weakening of the magnetic domains on the platter that causes the drive to reset continuously. Perform a disk surface scan if the condition of the hard disk is not too bad. This helps to mark all bad sectors and prevent your system from writing new data on the marked sectors of the disk.

Mechanical Faults This is a physical damage and these sounds can be caused by a malfunctioning spindle, Read Write head or loose components. Backup your data immediately if you are still able to access data on the disk. Your disk is near the end of its life and will stop functioning anytime. If your disk stops spinning after a period of clicking sound, you may wish to send your disk to a reputable data recovery firm to recover your data.

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