my PC's sick =[

Rich'[ard] · Feb 2, 2010

yo,
my PC is sick. i don't know what's wrong with it so i hope i can get a diagnosis lol.

last week i started getting weird HDD problems. sometimes i would hear the HDD clicking - sounded like it kept trying to start but something was stuck, and at this moment my computer would freeze until it stopped clicking.

then, just then, as in 5 minutes ago, my PC randomly froze, so i restarted the computer and then it woudln't boot. i took out the CMOS battery, unplugged the PC for a few minutes and plugged it back in. somehow it's working now.

i have no idea what is it.
could it be my measly OC?
my HDD dying?
hot temps? (i did take out most of my fans)

none of my voltages are set really high though.
CPU is 1.35v, RAM to 2.0v (rated to 2.1v) and GPU runs 50c idle (running a passive Thermalright HR-03)

any suggestions?
i'm most confused about the HDD clicking noises :shrug:

ScottinIndy · Feb 2, 2010

Sounds like it could be a HDD dying. Have you tried any diagnostic's on the harddrive? Seagate has decent diagsonstic software.

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools

Rich'[ard] · Feb 2, 2010

hmm, i've run the Error scan app on HD Tune Pro and nothing came up.
i'll try that out, thanks man :thup:

my OS drive is a Seagate 7200.10 i believe...and i'm backing my data ASAP. this thiing better not blow on me.

tinymouse2 · Feb 2, 2010

Well I'm just hoping you have all your files backed up. Basically there's some physical damage to your HDD

I'm not 100% on what the problem is but I believe it is indeed fatal

1 more thing, is the HDD sitting on a slight slant? Older drives don't like slopes.

Rich'[ard] · Feb 2, 2010

tinymouse2 said:
Well I'm just hoping you have all your files backed up. Basically there's some physical damage to your HDD

I'm not 100% on what the problem is but I believe it is indeed fatal

1 more thing, is the HDD sitting on a slight slant? Older drives don't like slopes.

currently, i have nothing backed up.

music, pictures, games, movies. lol.
i just ran that Seagate tool and both my harddrives pass all the tests.
i'm thinking maybe a re install...but i don't see how that will help fix my HDD.
and no, its not on a slant. ppl have cases on an angle these days? :shrug:

mine's straight lol.

freakdiablo · Feb 2, 2010

Rich'[ard] said:
and no, its not on a slant. ppl have cases on an angle these days?
mine's straight lol.

At one point a few years back I had a few books under the front of my case to lift up the front of the case to make the power button easier to reach (yes, I'm a lazy fat ****

) so it's possible to have the case at an angle.

What do the SMART values look like?

TollhouseFrank · Feb 2, 2010

rich'[ard] - your hd is on it's last legs. get your data off there while you still can.

That is one thing i'm sure not gonna miss as we move to SSD's... the click-o-death...... but yes... that's what is going on with your HD.

That 'click-o-death' generally only occurs when the read/write heads bounce off the platters of the HD (which they should never, ever touch the platters). If you catch it early enough, which ti seems you have, you can pop that drive into another machine as a slave drive, and pull all your personal info off of it. Hopefully, you can do this before the read head decides to skip beyond a bounce off the platters and decides to rest fully on them and start ripping up the magnetic storage medium thus ensuring you'll never get your files back.

Joeteck · Feb 2, 2010

TollhouseFrank said:
That 'click-o-death' generally only occurs when the read/write heads bounce off the platters of the HD (which they should never, ever touch the platters).

Actually, The noise is the read / write arm hitting the extension limiting stops under the coil / magnet... Since the drive can't find track zero any longer, it continues to search, and is what you hear.

Here, I found this video for you to see, and tell us if this is what you hear..

curtis1552 · Feb 2, 2010

OH! so that's why all my hardrives make so much noise

(Well, at least the OLD ones)

Creegz · Feb 2, 2010

Hard drive clicking is dangerous, and there's no way to tell how long you have, back up ASAP before it's too late. You will notice the drive slowing down too in this instance as well.

TollhouseFrank · Feb 2, 2010

Joeteck said:
Actually, The noise is the read / write arm hitting the extension limiting stops under the coil / magnet... Since the drive can't find track zero any longer, it continues to search, and is what you hear.

Here, I found this video for you to see, and tell us if this is what you hear..

Ah... I'm used to the clack being the platter getting dinged. Couldn't tell ya how many times i'd open up one of those old ata/66 drives after the click-o-death and see tiny divets in the platters where the heads were bouncing.

Joeteck · Feb 2, 2010

TollhouseFrank said:
Ah... I'm used to the clack being the platter getting dinged. Couldn't tell ya how many times i'd open up one of those old ata/66 drives after the click-o-death and see tiny divets in the platters where the heads were bouncing.

hahaha, never saw that... That probably would have been cool to see....

Bobnova · Feb 2, 2010

Yup, clicking is bad bad bad. Get that backup software running pronto.

Rich'[ard] · Feb 3, 2010

hmmm, i watched the video. the sound is similar...but he does have the lid open, so i'm not sure if it's exactly that. the tone is different LOL. if that makes sense. is there only one reason for the HDD to click?

my HDD makes the same noise when i do a cold boot, but just once - it sounds normal though, as if the HDD's just spinning up.

i'll back up my files ASAP.

EDIT: ok i looked around (on the very slow recently) youtube and coudln't find a sound that sounds like my HDD. to describe it, when the clicking noise happened, it sounded like the HDD revved up/started to spin, and then clicked, started up again...clicked. this went on for about 10 seconds and then it went back to normal.

it's like it just coughed up blood, and is perfectly fine now :shrug:

Bobnova · Feb 3, 2010

Rich'[ard] said:
hmmm, i watched the video. the sound is similar...but he does have the lid open, so i'm not sure if it's exactly that. the tone is different LOL. if that makes sense. is there only one reason for the HDD to click?

my HDD makes the same noise when i do a cold boot, but just once - it sounds normal though, as if the HDD's just spinning up.

i'll back up my files ASAP.

EDIT: ok i looked around (on the very slow recently) youtube and coudln't find a sound that sounds like my HDD. to describe it, when the clicking noise happened, it sounded like the HDD revved up/started to spin, and then clicked, started up again...clicked. this went on for about 10 seconds and then it went back to normal.

it's like it just coughed up blood, and is perfectly fine now

Usually once they do the multiple-spin-up routine they never function again. I've heard that before, heh. Except it's always gone on indefinitely.

Rich'[ard] · Feb 3, 2010

Bobnova said:
Usually once they do the multiple-spin-up routine they never function again. I've heard that before, heh. Except it's always gone on indefinitely.

haha, guess my HDD's just sooo special

this happened 3-4 days ago. there's no errors when i ran Seatools ( Short/Long DST, Generic and Smart). and HD Tune didn't show any errors either :shrug:

the error scan comes up with nothing...
maybe a HD Tune benchmark will help?

EDIT: what about a heat issue? it's running at 41c at the moment...but it's pretty hot today. 33c ambient. normally it hangs around 25-30C.

TollhouseFrank · Feb 3, 2010

thanks to years of experience, and i know joeteck will probably back me on this: once the HD starts the click-o-death's, no matter how far and few in between, it's time to never trust the drive again, backup your data, and get another one as soon as possible.

I've seen them die suddenly too many times after the click-o-death to ever trust one to run long enough to let me just 'get by' with using it.

Rich'[ard] · Feb 3, 2010

TollhouseFrank said:
thanks to years of experience, and i know joeteck will probably back me on this: once the HD starts the click-o-death's, no matter how far and few in between, it's time to never trust the drive again, backup your data, and get another one as soon as possible.

I've seen them die suddenly too many times after the click-o-death to ever trust one to run long enough to let me just 'get by' with using it.

ok sure, thanks for that.
i'll back up all my data to my Samsung storage drive...as i currently don't have access to a portable :shrug:

i knew these 7200.11 drives were dodgy...but never knew mine would cough up this quick! i've only had it for roughly a little more than 1 year.

my PC's sick =[

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