Maxtor Hard Drive Clicking Noise HELP

[neworder7]

Hi, recently ive re built my PC with a nForce4 M/B and now all of a
sudden one of my hard drives once a week start to make a clicking
noise. This can happen when loading up Windows XP or randomly when
using my machine. The noise is quite loud, lasts 3-6 seconds and sounds
similar like a drive not wanting to mount or the head jumping?

I've heard it could be because of the HD having lack of power but i
have a Seasonic 430w power supply and im sure that im not using more
than 280w for the system. I have also heard the drive could be dying.

Is there any software i can download to test the drive if it's about to
fail..

The drives are 6B250R0 (7200rpm 250gig)
and 6L300R0 (7200rpm 300gig)

Also how can i tell which drive it is

 

[steve]

Hi, recently ive re built my PC with a nForce4 M/B and now all of a
sudden one of my hard drives once a week start to make a clicking
noise. This can happen when loading up Windows XP or randomly when
using my machine. The noise is quite loud, lasts 3-6 seconds and sounds
similar like a drive not wanting to mount or the head jumping?

I've heard it could be because of the HD having lack of power but i
have a Seasonic 430w power supply and im sure that im not using more
than 280w for the system. I have also heard the drive could be dying.

Is there any software i can download to test the drive if it's about to
fail..

The drives are 6B250R0 (7200rpm 250gig)
and 6L300R0 (7200rpm 300gig)

Also how can i tell which drive it is

In my experience clicking drives get worse and always need replacing.

You can tell which drive it is by listening to then with a "stick"
between the drive and your ear.

 

[budgie]

Hi, recently ive re built my PC with a nForce4 M/B and now all of a
sudden one of my hard drives once a week start to make a clicking
noise. This can happen when loading up Windows XP or randomly when
using my machine. The noise is quite loud, lasts 3-6 seconds and sounds
similar like a drive not wanting to mount or the head jumping?

I've heard it could be because of the HD having lack of power but i
have a Seasonic 430w power supply and im sure that im not using more
than 280w for the system. I have also heard the drive could be dying.

Had a similar experience, which had me quite concerned that i was going to lose
access to years of records. It was eventually traced to a dodgy power connector
on the PSU harness.

Is there any software i can download to test the drive if it's about to
fail..

Diagnostic software in my case kept declaring the drive was good (which it was).
But unless it is actually testing when the problem occurs, it *would* say that.

The drives are 6B250R0 (7200rpm 250gig)
and 6L300R0 (7200rpm 300gig)

Also how can i tell which drive it is

Does the drive activity indicator LED light when it is happening If so, and IF
the drive also has an activity LED on its underside (as many do), then you
should be able to check visually with the case open.

 

[Schrodinger's cat]

Hi, recently ive re built my PC with a nForce4 M/B and now all of a
sudden one of my hard drives once a week start to make a clicking
noise. This can happen when loading up Windows XP or randomly when
using my machine. The noise is quite loud, lasts 3-6 seconds and sounds
similar like a drive not wanting to mount or the head jumping?

I've heard it could be because of the HD having lack of power but i
have a Seasonic 430w power supply and im sure that im not using more
than 280w for the system. I have also heard the drive could be dying.

Is there any software i can download to test the drive if it's about to
fail..

The drives are 6B250R0 (7200rpm 250gig)
and 6L300R0 (7200rpm 300gig)

Also how can i tell which drive it is

I had that same noise on a system. It was fixed by upgrading the PSU.

It was a Maxtor too.

HTH

Martin

 

[frischmoutt]

Same issue here on a Primary slave. Maxtor 40GB. It began to ckick and
temporarily freeze two years ago.
Once the disk removed and connected on an IDEtoUSB adapter, it worked fine !
Might be a MoBo issue. A7N8X deluxe ver 1.04.

 

[Rod Speed]

Hi, recently ive re built my PC with a nForce4 M/B and now all of a
sudden one of my hard drives once a week start to make a clicking
noise. This can happen when loading up Windows XP or randomly
when using my machine. The noise is quite loud, lasts 3-6 seconds and
sounds similar like a drive not wanting to mount or the head jumping?

Its the drive recalibrating when it cant read the data off the platters properly.

I've heard it could be because of the HD having lack of
power but i have a Seasonic 430w power supply and im
sure that im not using more than 280w for the system.

It isnt as black and white as that, you can
be short of power on one of the rails.

I have also heard the drive could be dying.

Yes, it could be. Can also be due to the drive overheating too.

Is there any software i can download to test the drive if it's about to fail..

Yes, first post the SMART reports on the drives using Everest.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

Run PowerMax from the Maxtor site.

The drives are 6B250R0 (7200rpm 250gig)
and 6L300R0 (7200rpm 300gig)

Also how can i tell which drive it is

The software may well tell you. You can also unplug the
slave and if the drive continues to click, its that drive.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Hi, recently ive re built my PC with a nForce4 M/B and now all of a
sudden one of my hard drives once a week start to make a clicking
noise. This can happen when loading up Windows XP or randomly when
using my machine. The noise is quite loud, lasts 3-6 seconds and sounds
similar like a drive not wanting to mount or the head jumping?

I've heard it could be because of the HD having lack of power but i
have a Seasonic 430w power supply and im sure that im not using more
than 280w for the system. I have also heard the drive could be dying.

Or they could be overheating. Maxtors are prone to do that
and then die young.

Is there any software i can download to test the drive if it's about to
fail..

Sisoft sandra or the smartmontools will both leth you check
temperature and SMART-status.

Arno

 

[Paul Lower]

Hi
Clicking is normal behavior on maxtor drives and is caused by the movement
of the heads.. There is a diagnostic tool that can be downloaded from the
Maxtor site if you are worried by this behaviour.
Cheers
Paul

 

[Rod Speed]

Clicking is normal behavior on maxtor drives and is caused by the movement of the
heads..

Have fun explaining why he didnt get that with the original motherboard.

 

[kony]

Have fun explaining why he didnt get that with the original motherboard.

That might be a valid point but then again, how hard would
it be to not notice an event that is described as occuring
only once a week for 3 to 6 seconds?

 

[Rod Speed]

That might be a valid point

No might be about it, it is a valid point.

but then again, how hard would it be to not notice an event that
is described as occuring only once a week for 3 to 6 seconds?

Why should that change with a change of motherboard ?

 

[kony]

Why should that change with a change of motherboard ?

I think you missed the point- that an event that only occurs
for 3-6 seconds once a week could easily be overlooked, go
unnoticed for several years so it may not have actually
changed with the change in motherboard, it was merely first
observed after that point in time.

 

[Rod Speed]

I think you missed the point-

Nope, you did.

that an event that only occurs for 3-6 seconds once a week
could easily be overlooked, go unnoticed for several years so
it may not have actually changed with the change in motherboard,
it was merely first observed after that point in time.

Why should it not have been noticed with the previous motherboard ?

 

[kony]

Why should it not have been noticed with the previous motherboard ?

Go ahead and claim you have noticed ALL the events in life
that occur only 3-6 seconds per week. Once you do that, I
can then claim you are FOS.

 

[Rod Speed]

Go ahead and claim you have noticed ALL the
events in life that occur only 3-6 seconds per week.

I'm not that stupid.

He clearly noticed that problem with the new motherboard,
so why wouldnt he have noticed it with the old one too ?

Once you do that, I can then claim you are FOS.

Every one can see that its you thats full of shit.

 

[Andrew Smallshaw]

["Followup-To:" header set to alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt.]

Why should it not have been noticed with the previous motherboard ?

Think about it. Have you considered he may be _looking_for_problems_
after a motherboard transplant, and therefore more likely to spot
something like this? I know I would.

 

[Rod Speed]

["Followup-To:" header set to alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt.]

Molesting of the followups reversed

Think about it.

No thanks, that makes my head hurt.

Have you considered he may be _looking_for_problems_
after a motherboard transplant, and therefore more likely
to spot something like this?

Tad unlikely with a problem that happens about once a week.

I know I would.

Your problem.

 

[Squibbly]

Hi, recently ive re built my PC with a nForce4 M/B and now all of a
sudden one of my hard drives once a week start to make a clicking
noise. This can happen when loading up Windows XP or randomly when
using my machine. The noise is quite loud, lasts 3-6 seconds and sounds
similar like a drive not wanting to mount or the head jumping?

I've heard it could be because of the HD having lack of power but i
have a Seasonic 430w power supply and im sure that im not using more
than 280w for the system. I have also heard the drive could be dying.

Is there any software i can download to test the drive if it's about to
fail..

The drives are 6B250R0 (7200rpm 250gig)
and 6L300R0 (7200rpm 300gig)

Also how can i tell which drive it is

ooh your getting me worried i got a MAXTOR 6L300R0 (7200rpm 300gig) just
recently lol

 

[Stephen Chadfield]

Hi, recently ive re built my PC with a nForce4 M/B and now all of a
sudden one of my hard drives once a week start to make a clicking
noise. This can happen when loading up Windows XP or randomly when
using my machine. The noise is quite loud, lasts 3-6 seconds and
sounds similar like a drive not wanting to mount or the head jumping?

I've heard it could be because of the HD having lack of power but i
have a Seasonic 430w power supply and im sure that im not using more
than 280w for the system. I have also heard the drive could be dying.

I recently added a 250GB Maxtor SATA drive to my system and could hear
it occasionally clicking and every few days it would disappear on me. A
warm reboot would not show the drive in the BIOS settings.

Maxtor's Powermax software found no errors.

As my PSU is only rated 250W I decided to try disabling my original IDE
drive in case adding the Maxtor had pushed me to close to the PSUs
limits.

So far, so good! No clicking and no lockups.

 

[Arno Wagner]

I recently added a 250GB Maxtor SATA drive to my system and could hear
it occasionally clicking and every few days it would disappear on me. A
warm reboot would not show the drive in the BIOS settings.

Maxtor's Powermax software found no errors.

As my PSU is only rated 250W I decided to try disabling my original IDE
drive in case adding the Maxtor had pushed me to close to the PSUs
limits.

So far, so good! No clicking and no lockups.

Not surprising. Unless this is a 250W PSU with a lot of reserves,
it ought to have been running close to maximum load or under overload.

Arno