Weighty question for you hardware gurus to ponder
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My computer has started a new, disturbing habit. It has been switched on for most of the 2 years that I've had it, but when I got back to it this afternoon the HDD was ticking. Yes, ticking. Infernally. Irregularly. Disturbingly. It had been on all day, I switched it off immediately. Now my question is this: should I run out and buy a new HDD and copy everything off this one while it holds out (*shiver*), or what? :~ (I typed this off another PC, I'm leaving that one alone until I've decided what's happening. Bear in mind while giving above mentioned advice that all my dev, etc. is on that HDD) What is the cause of this behaviour? It's not that old a drive... :( All counsel welcome! :) Nervously yours, :(( Paul ;)
I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. - Samuel Goldwyn
You probably shouldn't have turned it off. If it was on a network, I would have immediately tried to copy any important files off it before it was too late. I had the exact same thing happen and was stuck with a drive that wouldn't restart.
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You probably shouldn't have turned it off. If it was on a network, I would have immediately tried to copy any important files off it before it was too late. I had the exact same thing happen and was stuck with a drive that wouldn't restart.
Larry Antram wrote: I had the exact same thing happen and was stuck with a drive that wouldn't restart. Nailed :(( Larry Antram wrote: If it was on a network, I would have immediately tried to copy any important files It is on a network, and I contemplated that, but the other PC was (is) full, I need to get a new HDD anyway before I can have space to salvage anything. A serious pity if it is permanently dead now :(( Paul ;)
I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. - Samuel Goldwyn
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My computer has started a new, disturbing habit. It has been switched on for most of the 2 years that I've had it, but when I got back to it this afternoon the HDD was ticking. Yes, ticking. Infernally. Irregularly. Disturbingly. It had been on all day, I switched it off immediately. Now my question is this: should I run out and buy a new HDD and copy everything off this one while it holds out (*shiver*), or what? :~ (I typed this off another PC, I'm leaving that one alone until I've decided what's happening. Bear in mind while giving above mentioned advice that all my dev, etc. is on that HDD) What is the cause of this behaviour? It's not that old a drive... :( All counsel welcome! :) Nervously yours, :(( Paul ;)
I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. - Samuel Goldwyn
Don't know if you've got that HD replaced yet, but I'd recommend it. Most HD mfg'rs will replace a clicking HD if it begins to do so in the first year only. I have seen hd's start clicking and continue to work for several months. Of course, the best option is to err on the side of caution and replace it ASAP! The clicking is usually the read/write arm moving outside its usual read/write area and slamming into the stops at either side. This is why you have a better chance of recovering a drive that wasnt always on. I've seen scsi hd's that work perfectly for 6 months (while powered) then die at the first power off. Replace the drive and use a partition copy utility like ghost to recover the data. Good luck, Frank "Keyboard Error - Press F1 to Continue"
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Larry Antram wrote: I had the exact same thing happen and was stuck with a drive that wouldn't restart. Nailed :(( Larry Antram wrote: If it was on a network, I would have immediately tried to copy any important files It is on a network, and I contemplated that, but the other PC was (is) full, I need to get a new HDD anyway before I can have space to salvage anything. A serious pity if it is permanently dead now :(( Paul ;)
I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. - Samuel Goldwyn
BTW, if it doesn't restart, there are some tricks that may get it working again for long enough to copy the data, if it's related to sticky mechanisms: 1) Spin the whole drive back and forth horizontally. This may unstick the stuck mechanisms. 2) Put the drive in an oven that's OFF for 15 minutes. This will thin the lubricant enough that the HD may start up again once. If these don't work, you can still get you data recovered by professional data recovery technicians, for a fee.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." - Jesus
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi -
You probably shouldn't have turned it off. If it was on a network, I would have immediately tried to copy any important files off it before it was too late. I had the exact same thing happen and was stuck with a drive that wouldn't restart.
Larry Antram wrote: You probably shouldn't have turned it off. Same thing happend to two of my friends, the first of them was trying to start it for weeks, and he succeeded after about 2 months! :) After this, he backed-up everything and said the last goodbye to the poor old HDD :) Rado
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My computer has started a new, disturbing habit. It has been switched on for most of the 2 years that I've had it, but when I got back to it this afternoon the HDD was ticking. Yes, ticking. Infernally. Irregularly. Disturbingly. It had been on all day, I switched it off immediately. Now my question is this: should I run out and buy a new HDD and copy everything off this one while it holds out (*shiver*), or what? :~ (I typed this off another PC, I'm leaving that one alone until I've decided what's happening. Bear in mind while giving above mentioned advice that all my dev, etc. is on that HDD) What is the cause of this behaviour? It's not that old a drive... :( All counsel welcome! :) Nervously yours, :(( Paul ;)
I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. - Samuel Goldwyn
Hmm...from what people are saying here, I guess I should replace mine too. It makes weird clicking noises when I boot my computer, but not any other time. Fortunately it's still under warranty.:) Brad Jennings "You're mom is nice. Mind if I go out with her?" - Jörgen Sigvardsson
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Hmm...from what people are saying here, I guess I should replace mine too. It makes weird clicking noises when I boot my computer, but not any other time. Fortunately it's still under warranty.:) Brad Jennings "You're mom is nice. Mind if I go out with her?" - Jörgen Sigvardsson
If it's only soft clicks, and only when you first start it (within the first 2 seconds), it's most likely just the HD starting up, in which case, there's no need to replace it. ;)
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." - Jesus
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi -
My computer has started a new, disturbing habit. It has been switched on for most of the 2 years that I've had it, but when I got back to it this afternoon the HDD was ticking. Yes, ticking. Infernally. Irregularly. Disturbingly. It had been on all day, I switched it off immediately. Now my question is this: should I run out and buy a new HDD and copy everything off this one while it holds out (*shiver*), or what? :~ (I typed this off another PC, I'm leaving that one alone until I've decided what's happening. Bear in mind while giving above mentioned advice that all my dev, etc. is on that HDD) What is the cause of this behaviour? It's not that old a drive... :( All counsel welcome! :) Nervously yours, :(( Paul ;)
I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. - Samuel Goldwyn
sorry - havnt read all the thread (so this may be a repeat) .. when one of my machines hdd's start exhibiting this behaviour, I 1) locate a copy of Norton Ghost 2) either plug an emergency hdd into the bad machine's 2nd bay/ide slot, or make sure Ive got a network connection to a machine with a shitload of free space 3) ghost suspect hdd -> new hdd/network drive 4) remove suspect hdd (since all our machines are under maint it just gets swapped out with the supplier) 5) either use the emergency hdd or replace bad one with new one from spares, ghost image back onto it ... Ive had a lot of trouble with hard disks, these days its fix early, at first sign of problems ... and for me ghosting an image of the disk is easier .. 'G'
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Don't know if you've got that HD replaced yet, but I'd recommend it. Most HD mfg'rs will replace a clicking HD if it begins to do so in the first year only. I have seen hd's start clicking and continue to work for several months. Of course, the best option is to err on the side of caution and replace it ASAP! The clicking is usually the read/write arm moving outside its usual read/write area and slamming into the stops at either side. This is why you have a better chance of recovering a drive that wasnt always on. I've seen scsi hd's that work perfectly for 6 months (while powered) then die at the first power off. Replace the drive and use a partition copy utility like ghost to recover the data. Good luck, Frank "Keyboard Error - Press F1 to Continue"
No, it hasn't been replaced yet. I've ordered one, but it'll take a few days to arrive. But in the meantime I'm just leaving it alone: hopefully it'll start up when I need to copy everything. Paul ;)
I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. - Samuel Goldwyn
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BTW, if it doesn't restart, there are some tricks that may get it working again for long enough to copy the data, if it's related to sticky mechanisms: 1) Spin the whole drive back and forth horizontally. This may unstick the stuck mechanisms. 2) Put the drive in an oven that's OFF for 15 minutes. This will thin the lubricant enough that the HD may start up again once. If these don't work, you can still get you data recovered by professional data recovery technicians, for a fee.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." - Jesus
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi -
My computer has started a new, disturbing habit. It has been switched on for most of the 2 years that I've had it, but when I got back to it this afternoon the HDD was ticking. Yes, ticking. Infernally. Irregularly. Disturbingly. It had been on all day, I switched it off immediately. Now my question is this: should I run out and buy a new HDD and copy everything off this one while it holds out (*shiver*), or what? :~ (I typed this off another PC, I'm leaving that one alone until I've decided what's happening. Bear in mind while giving above mentioned advice that all my dev, etc. is on that HDD) What is the cause of this behaviour? It's not that old a drive... :( All counsel welcome! :) Nervously yours, :(( Paul ;)
I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. - Samuel Goldwyn
Create a ghost of the problematic harddrive, assuming you have another harddrive to place the ghost image on. Then, you now have a complete image of your problematic drive. So, trash the old one, go get a new drive and then place the ghost onto the new drive. I did something like this last year when my OS drive was giving me problems. [EDIT]The above post says exactly what I've said, but with more details. :-D[/EDIT] I prefer to wear gloves when using it, but that's merely a matter of personal hygiene [Roger Wright on VB] Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning. [Rich Cook]