WD 2TB scratching/clicking noise when Hard drive activity light is on

[ccqueen]

I have a 2TB Western Digital Black drive (WD2003FZEX). I installed Windows 10 Home 64-bit on it. Once I got to the Windows loading/login screen I noticed it had been making this awful scratching noise every time the hdd activity light flashes. So when the light is not on, it makes no noise, but when it turns on for a second or two, it makes that noise.
So my question is, did I get a bad unit? And if I did, is there any way I can use my Windows 10 product key on a new hard drive?

 

[ThatVietGuy]

That noise is the HDD working. The HDD light correlates with activity. The hard drive is active, therefore it turns on the light.

Not a problem, it's normal.

 

[ccqueen]

That noise is the HDD working. The HDD light correlates with activity. The hard drive is active, therefore it turns on the light.

Not a problem, it's normal.

Alright, but that noise doesn't sound like a normal hard drive. I am on my old gaming computer right now and the light flashes periodically, but it doesn't make that clicky noise


Edit: Apparently these black performance hard drives are just noisy and make strange sounds! At least that is what everybody is saying.

 

[D_Know_WD]

Hi there ccqueen,

Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
It may be a good idea to back up the data stored on the drive until you sort this out.
After that, you can just re seat the drive. I would be nice if you use different cables(SATA and power ones). You can even attach it to a different SATA port.
Another thing you can do is to test the drive with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool(both short and extended tests): http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=BRF55W

Even though WD Blacks have slightly higher acoustics levels, they shouldn't really make clicking noises. It would be helpful if you record that.

Let us know how this goes,
D_Know_WD

 

[ccqueen]

Hi there ccqueen,

Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
It may be a good idea to back up the data stored on the drive until you sort this out.
After that, you can just re seat the drive. I would be nice if you use different cables(SATA and power ones). You can even attach it to a different SATA port.
Another thing you can do is to test the drive with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool(both short and extended tests): http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=BRF55W

Even though WD Blacks have slightly higher acoustics levels, they shouldn't really make clicking noises. It would be helpful if you record that.

Let us know how this goes,
D_Know_WD

I will do that as soon as I get home!

 

[ccqueen]

Hi there ccqueen,

Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
It may be a good idea to back up the data stored on the drive until you sort this out.
After that, you can just re seat the drive. I would be nice if you use different cables(SATA and power ones). You can even attach it to a different SATA port.
Another thing you can do is to test the drive with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool(both short and extended tests): http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=BRF55W

Even though WD Blacks have slightly higher acoustics levels, they shouldn't really make clicking noises. It would be helpful if you record that.

Let us know how this goes,
D_Know_WD

Got home around 2:30, ran the scan at 3:00pm and took 4 hours to complete but got a pass on the extended and smart status.

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[D_Know_WD]

That is strange.
Sometimes HDD testing tools can't pick up some mechanical problems. Scratching and clicking noises are certainly not normal.
Try to re seat the drive, used different cables and ports. In case the issue persists, I would suggest you to RMA the drive.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD

 

[ccqueen]

That is strange.
Sometimes HDD testing tools can't pick up some mechanical problems. Scratching and clicking noises are certainly not normal.
Try to re seat the drive, used different cables and ports. In case the issue persists, I would suggest you to RMA the drive.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD

Yeah, the Hard Drive is under warranty, so I will just try re-plugging in the connectors and see if that helps.