Hard drive keeps making noise every couple seconds?

[timnswede]

It's been doing this for probably two months, but it would usually go away after I used the HDD, from say, doing a virus scan. Now it is almost nonstop noise all day and it is slowly driving me insane. According to the resource monitor, there is absolutely no activity on the hard drives, all the activity is on my SSD. The noise is sounds like a seeking noise, but it only lasts for about half a second. Any ideas on how to fix this? I believe it is this HDD making the noise: WDC WD1002FAEX. I also have a WDC 5003ABYX, but there is nothing on that drive.

 

[USAFRet]

Noise in a modern hard drive is never a good thing. And it almost never gets 'better'.

I'd start looking at a replacement.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

if you have any concerns about unusual noises from a WD hard drive you can test it with WD Data LifeGuard Diagnostic for Windows as long as it's not the system boot drive: http://support.wd.com/product/download.asp?groupid=613&sid=3&lang=en

I suggest you select the Long/Extended test which is more thorough than the short test. I've known a few drives pass the short test but fail one or more stages of the long one.

 

[timnswede]

if you have any concerns about unusual noises from a WD hard drive you can test it with WD Data LifeGuard Diagnostic for Windows as long as it's not the system boot drive: http://support.wd.com/product/download.asp?groupid=613&sid=3&lang=en

I suggest you select the Long/Extended test which is more thorough than the short test. I've known a few drives pass the short test but fail one or more stages of the long one.

OK thanks I am testing it now, it'll be done in about 2 hours. Might get one of the new WDC Black drives if there is a problem since newegg has a deal on them right now.

 

[timnswede]

I ran the test, it came back as "PASS". I was kind of hoping it would fail so I could RMA it, the noise is extremely annoying.

 

[GhislainG]

You can RMA a noisy drive.

 

[fzabkar]

Could it be a Background Media Scan?

See http://malthus.zapto.org/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=557&p=2119

 

[Gustave45]

Noises always indicate physical hard drive problems. So, you should act carefully.