My computer just started clicking

[The Unavoidable]

My D drive has been out of service for a while, but that never bothered me since I don't use it. It was just "there" and whenever I tried to access it, it froze up. Like I said, I didn't matter cause I never used it.

However, now the D drive has completely dissappeared it seems (in windows, not physically) and my computer is doing this weird clicking sound, almost like a clock of somekind.

Tips before I reformat the entire shit?

 

[SocialNumb]

I have no idea. Last time I heard clicking it was a failing drive. Guess what happen.

 

[The Unavoidable]

Yeah, it's pretty much all falling apart now. I'm on the sinking ship, throwing shit into the lifeboats before it all goes down. Oh well, I was kinda expecting this anyway.

 

[Torniojaws]

Any mechanical clicking on a PC is the hard drive or a fan on its way out. But since the drive is inaccessible, it's 100% the HDD. Also remember that it won't kill just the partition that won't work, but all partitions on the physical drive (eventually).

 

[Atheist]

Disconnect it and see if it stops

 

[JBroll]

Right, once you have need-it-now things backed up, disconnect it and if you need anything else prepare for the worst with data-recovery specialists.

Jeff

 

[Erkan]

Clicking discs = imminent death

However... trumpet playing discs = pure awesome

I'm serious, one of the discs I have in my "studio" computer sounds like a trumpet from time to time... I mean, EXACTLY like some random notes being played on a trumpet but on a low volume of course, followed by a couple clicks. It's been doing that for 2-3 years and it's still going strong even though it's a Hitachi DEATHstar. Weird huh? When it was first doing that, I had it in this computer at home and I seriously thought "Who the FUCK plays the trumpet at this time of the day??" and looked out the window to see if anyone was standing outside with a fucking trumpet in their dick hole.

 

[JBroll]

Erm... I'd pull that thing out even if it has been doing that. That's just uncomfortably weird, unless you just have something resonating in your case.

Jeff

 

[Torniojaws]

If you really need something out of it, and now, here's a couple of tricks you can try:

1) Put the HDD in the freezer (yep) for 30 minutes
2) While waiting, bring a fast-booting computer with absolutely minimum on-boot programs loading
3) Take the HDD out of the freezer and connect it to the computer mentioned above (while it's off), and boot it
4) Now, try to think of all you need in priority order
5) As soon as you can, access the HDD from the freezer and start copying to a working HDD on the computer

If you can't get all, try to repeat the trick once more.

And here in the northern parts, you can try a similar thing in the winter, but with an open window + table fan instead, allowing for more time to copy:

1) Connect the HDD to a computer, and leave the case side open
2) Take the HDD as far out from the computer as you can, and take the entire thing next to a window
3) Now, setup the table fan to blow cold air from outside - preferrably -20C or colder, and try to pick a day when the humidity is 0 % - directly at the HDD
4) Let the fan blow at the HDD for 15 minutes or so, until it is very cold to the touch
5) While waiting, make the priority list
6) Boot the computer and leave the table fan still on
7) Now, copy all stuff to a working HDD on the computer until the system freezes (figuratively )

The table fan method allows for a bit more time to copy stuff (about 25 minutes, instead of 10 minutes, from my experience) than the freezer trick, but you can only do it in the winter, and on the second repeat you can't copy quite as long. In total, it's still well over twice the time than with the freezer trick (30-35 min instead of 20 minutes).

Good luck!

 

[Lowberg]

my laptop makes a grinding noise sometimes when it is shutting off

hopefully it's just a fan stopping lol

 

[SocialNumb]

That freezing your HD stuff is strange.

 

[DanLights]

Torniojaws, you trying to play a joke on OP and make him fuck up the HD faster than it already is?

 

[The Unavoidable]

I backed up all my shit, and pulled the sucker out. Luckely it turned out to be just my D drive, (like I suspected) so just yanking it out and doing a format for good measure fixed the problem quite neatly. Thanks Satan something like this didn't happened before I got my music-production-only laptop and moved all my shit over there. That would've sucked.


EDIT: To clarify, I formated my main C drive. I just tossed the other one.

 

[Torniojaws]

Torniojaws, you trying to play a joke on OP and make him fuck up the HD faster than it already is?

No, but like I said it is only meant for drives that are already beyond all hope (physically broken) as a means to recover files you REALLY need to have, and maybe for security reasons can't/don't want to take to professional recovery plants.

- http://geeksaresexy.blogspot.com/2006/01/freeze-your-hard-drive-to-recover-data.html
- http://www.emergingtechs.com/posts/put-your-hard-drive-in-the-freezer-to-recover-data/
- http://www.trap17.com/index.php/hard-drive-freezer-trick_t26193.html
- http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/2006/12/02/dead-hard-disk-try-putting-it-in-the-freezer/
- http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-23-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=245616
- http://thesdf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=325

Luckely it turned out to be just my D drive, (like I suspected) so just yanking it out and doing a format for good measure fixed the problem quite neatly.

If the problem is physical, formatting will not permanently fix it. You will soon have the HDD act just like it does now. The problems will grow over time, so it's better to just get rid of the hard drive.

 

[Metaltastic]

Man, I didn't even click on it, but that is the lamest fucking URL

 

[The Unavoidable]

If the problem is physical, formatting will not permanently fix it. You will soon have the HDD act just like it does now. The problems will grow over time, so it's better to just get rid of the hard drive.

Hence why I added the clarification.

 

[kev]