What should I do for a noisy disk drive? | Seagate UK (2024)

FAQs

What should I do for a noisy disk drive? | Seagate UK? ›

If you are concerned about the noise your drive is making, please test it with SeaTools. If it fails the test, the noise may be due to a mechanical problem or something similar. Seagate

If the fans are loose, too small, or not powerful enough, they can create noise. Hard disks can also make noise as the platters spin and the head seeks data. Loud noise is generally a very bad sign and should be dealt with immediately.

If the humming is pronounced, or you can hear occasional crackles coming from it, it's possible the power supply is no longer supplying enough power to the drive. Another hint is that the drive no longer spins up (doesn't whir or vibrate), and some models will also emit an intermittent but regular beep.

Optical drives make noise when reading a disc because they have physical parts that are being moved from one position to another as the head is reading the optical track as well as the spinning of the disk. All of this causes vibration of the case and thus air waves that are in the range we can hear.

Try connecting the drive in different USB ports on your computer. It may not beep when connected via a different USB port. If you are using a desktop computer, connect the drive to a USB port on the rear of the computer. Replace the USB cable with a new or known-good cable.

If you are concerned about the noise your drive is making, please test it with SeaTools. If it fails the test, the noise may be due to a mechanical problem or something similar. Seagate recommends you replace the drive in that case. When an external drive beeps, this can be due to insufficient electrical power.

Again, think of the drive as a car engine; once you hear it making popping and sputtering sounds, it just means the engine will eventually bid you farewell. But like an engine, a hard drive can be fixed. You just have to act quickly because the more time you waste, the compounding the problem with the drive becomes.

A grinding noise coming from a hard drive could be indicative of a severe head crash, where the hard drive's read/write heads are scraping the magnetic surface of the platters away. Small particles of metal can then cause other components in the drive to fail – this is what the grinding noise might be.

Hard disk drives have more moving parts and are less durable and more likely to fail than their solid-state counterparts. For this reason, hard disk drives tend to last between 3–5 years. Get it repaired fast at one of our stores. Just stop in or make an appointment⎯we'll handle the rest.

How do I know if my disc drive is bad? ›

The noisy drive may cause you data loss as the disc will fail overtime. So another sign of a failed CD-ROM and DVD drive- loss of important data out of nowhere. Your important files or documents seem to be missing very often. A block of data may cause such a problem.

Chugging or rattling noises

A chugging sound could mean there's a blockage in the exhaust system. [2] A rattling sound might mean that the wheels are out of alignment. A hissing sound could mean there's a crack in the exhaust system, so in that case, you should take your car in for an exhaust system check.

High-speed CD-ROM/CD-R/DVD drives spin discs extremely fast, and if the disc inside isn't perfectly balanced it will wobble a bit - just like unbalanced tires on your car. The wobbling can create anything from a small buzz to a sound like a miniature weedeater, depending on the degree of imbalance.

If you feel that it is moving too much, then you can use Velcro pads to attach it firmly to the bottom of the case. Alternatively, you may want to place a piece of foam, such as an old mouse pad or some carpet foam, under the shock-mount hard drive rack.

Typically, hard drives will make low-pitched whirring or whining noises – particularly when they're booting up or accessing/storing data – or clicking noises. These are usually perfectly normal and not a cause for concern.

If it has ventilation holes there is probably a fan. The fan collects dust and it's bearing is likely to fail before the hard drive. First clean the fan and see if vibration reduces. Disconnect the drive power from the control and see if the vibration continues with just the fan, if it does replace the fan.

To put it another way, like a car engine, your hard drive can be noisy and still healthy. Some sounds, though, indicate that something is seriously wrong. Typically, hard drives will make low-pitched whirring or whining noises – particularly when they're booting up or accessing/storing data – or clicking noises.

Yes, PS5 disc drive is loud enough that out of courtesy I just take the disc out if I won't be playing for a while. It's louder than any other console's disc drive I've had. Unfortunately it seems Sony treats optical drives like an afterthought now, the same way PC case manufacturers do.

In Disk Management, right-click the existing volume you want an additional partition④, then select [Shrink Volume]⑤. Shrink volume will automatically calculate the maximum space that you can shrink, you also can enter the size you want to shrink⑥, and then select [Shrink]⑦.

When a specific voltage is applied to these solid state components, they begin to resonate producing sounds that fall within the range of human hearing (15 – 20 KHz). This is the noise that is heard from the system, and is not indicative of a problem or failure.