PC won't boot, clicking noise coming from the harddrive.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Sam_140

Commendable
May 25, 2016
2
0
1,510
My pc will not boot, fans and lights turn on but nothing on the screen. The monitor light will turn green, then off, then green and keep going on/ off. The harddrive makes a distinct ticking/ clicking and the pc will still not boot even when the harddrive is disconnected. Any suggestions?
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
clicking is not a noise you want to hear from a hdd. Time to get a new drive

as for pc not starting

have you tried running an install disc, its unlikely to boot without a hard drive, or do you mean post?

what are specs of the pc? what brand hard drives?
 

Sam_140

Commendable
May 25, 2016
2
0
1,510


I mean with the hardrive removed the screen stays blank, even with an unused ssd connected instead of the hardrive it stays blank. As for specs, 500gb seagate hardrive, Intel® Core™ i3-4370 Processor
(4M Cache, 3.80 GHz) ,8gb Ram and nvidia 650ti. Haven't tried running the install disc as I dont actually have a cd drive (borrowed a friends to install), how would I do this when the screen stays blank?
 
Hey there, @Eijon!

If you have a clicking hard drive and your system is not booting, I'm afraid you are dealing with a failed HDD. The Clicking noises indicate internal hardware failure, and unfortunately, physical damage is not something you can easily fix. I'd strongly recommend you try to access the data on the drive (if it's not backed up yet) from another computer. If you do need to retrieve any files from the drive, I'd advise you to consider contacting a professional data recovery company.

Please provide more details about the troubleshooting you have done so far. It would also be really helpful if you share your system specs! :)

Keep me posted!
SuperSoph_WD
 

Eijon Franklin

Reputable
Jul 22, 2015
11
1
4,510


Sorry i forgot to mention that not only does it fail to boot, it wont post at all. Evem without the hard drive, and i read online that a clicking hard drive could mean a power issue, what do you think? I could list my specs, is it possible that i have a psu issue? I recently purchased a sketchy psu and it was working fine until i moved to a new apartment

 


The best way to determine that would be to try and hear where these noises are coming from. You could try opening the side of the PC case (only if it's out of warranty, otherwise, you will void it) and check if the sounds are coming from the HDD or not. It is also possible they could be caused by improper mounting of the drive, which usually causes extra vibrations when the drive is active. You could also try booting the system with a different HDD and see if the noises will still be present.
It could be the PSU, indeed, but it's going to be much easier to troubleshoot and exhaust all other options as the source of the issue.

Let me know how it goes! :)
SuperSoph_WD

 

Eijon Franklin

Reputable
Jul 22, 2015
11
1
4,510


Yah i opened it up and its definitely coming from the hdd, i tried Setting it up with a different hard drive and this one is clicking too and it still won't post, there's no signal to monitor

 
I'd recommend you check both HDDs on another computer, @Eijon, and see if they will continue to click there as well. Clicking noises, as I mentioned, indicate hardware failure on the HDD itself. However, it is also possible that the PSU could be faulty, too. You should definitely test the power supply unit as well and see if there's anything you should be concerned about there. However, I'd still advise you to power down your system and reseat all the connections inside. Make sure everything is properly plugged & mounted.
If you don't feel comfortable doing this by yourself, you should find a PC repair service nearby and let the guys there perform full diagnostics on your system. They will easily find the source of the problem.

Let me know how the HDDs behave on another PC!
SuperSoph_WD
 

Eijon Franklin

Reputable
Jul 22, 2015
11
1
4,510


But shouldn't my pc still post without a hdd? Like i should at least be able to get to bios but it won't even post with or without the hdd, no signal to monitor whatsoever

 
  • Like
Reactions: 266k
Jun 2, 2020
1
0
10


But shouldn't my pc still post without a hdd? Like i should at least be able to get to bios but it won't even post with or without the hdd, no signal to monitor whatsoever


But shouldn't my pc still post without a hdd? Like i should at least be able to get to bios but it won't even post with or without the hdd, no signal to monitor whatsoever
Hey bro @Sam how did you solve it? Please share I have the same exact problem
 
Status
Not open for further replies.