Hard Drive Issues

My son's hard drive failed a few months ago and he lost everything. We replaced the drive and he got everything back on it but for the last few weeks it has started freezing up often and the drive itself is clicking at times. I've read that the clicking means it's failing. Is there anything else that could cause the clicking sound? He is planning to just go ahead and replace it again but I want to be sure there isn't something else that could be causing the problem before he does. We've run Dskchk and every scan or utility we could think of. Dskchk found and fixed a LOT of errors (it took 8-10 hours) and it worked okay for a while but the problems have started back. We did run a hard drive test that we had downloaded and it didn't seem to find any problems plus the disk is very new but I suppose it could just be a lemon. So, does the clicking sound definitely mean it's failing?

 

With the help of your son - if needed - we need the information requested in the sticky notice at the top of this forum:
When asking for support please tell us about your computer!

Apart from the Windows built in hard drive tester ('Check Disk'), the manufacturer of the hard drive is also likely to have a free drive testing tool, and there are freeware programs here:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/mg/sortname/hard_disk_drive_(hdd)_tools.html

 

It's a custom built computer. He is running Windows 7 home 64 bit. His hard drive is Seagate BarraCuda ES.2 ST31000340NS. It has 8 GB of ram and a tri-core AMD processor.

 

Apart from running Windows 7 Disk Check, you should also use the Seagate testing tool for that model - you can find that on their website.
You can also use one of the freeware programs linked to earlier.

When you get the results, if you need further assistance then attach text files or readable clear screenshots of them here.
If the results show a bad drive and it is within warranty you can get a replacement.

 

Do you mean "chkdsk" for "check disk"? I recommend running it with the /r switch. That is, from an elevated command prompt (run as Administrator), enter chkdsk /r for the most thorough test. And yes, this can take many hours.

It might mean it is failing but what it really means is the read/write (R/W) arm is banging against the end-stops while seeking some data. It could just mean there is some data corruption on the drive, not that the drive itself is failing. However, if chkdsk finds more errors after fixing previous errors, that would sure suggest a failing drive.

I would also ensure the system has been scanned for malware.

 

They've been advised to do that already in two posts above. Reading the whole thread is best.

 

Max, Plodr gave the direct link, not the multi-link that you offered, as Paula320 came bck with the manuufacturer.
I would say that I have found that when errors keep coming up, that the hard drive has some damaged sectors, and if it is in a hard drive that was purchased as new, then it will carry a manufacturers warrenty, and I found Seagate replacement to be excellent , and pretty quick.
I also found that the best way, for me , was to use mini-partition Wizard
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/minitool_partition_wizard_home_edition.html
This has a disk checking tool that you can actually see where the bad sectors are. Tthey show up in red square in a 'window' that Partition Wizard runs, and if there are several of these, you can decide if it is worth keeping, or, replacing.
Also, using this tool, if the red squares are within aa close group,and there are a clear green sqaures afterwards, it is possible to format, and create two, or, more partitions, , and by-passing the bad sectors (usually in the first30/40gb of the drive, but can be anywhere) What I suggest, if this shows to be the cse, is what I have described in another thread-
With Partition Wizard, create the first partition to be slightly larger tha the bad sectors,and a second as for all the rest. You can hide that first partition with Partition Wizard,and just re-install on the remainder. I had one like that that worked for quite soome time, and found replacement when I ccould afford to.

 

Great I'll leave it to you

 

It's O.K Max, just that the post was from someone with imited knowledge , and the link you provided was good for someone with a little technicle savvy to work from, but the Seagate link was easier for a newbe to go to, and use.

 

Not by my reading of it. The OP was back and read both of the links to Seagate. If they had problems they would have said.
But as I say I'm happy to leave it to you now.

 

As Digerati said- but, personally, I have never found a clicking hard drive that would last very long- and even partitioning it may not work the way I suggested -be lucky.

 

I agree. Typically, a clicking drive is most often an indication of a failing drive. But if the clicking goes away after check disk, and later check disk checks find no more errors, the problem was more likely just corruption, not drive (hardware) failure. If this were an old drive, I would be more inclined to agree with drive failure. But this is a new drive. That said, "new" does not suggest, by any means, a product cannot fail prematurely.

 

I agree with Digerati that clicking noise of hard drive states to the failure of a hard drive. Also, would like to advise you that if this is a new hard drive, then I think “Replacement” should be the better option; else, the very first thing you should do before anything is, take a backup of all your data from that hard drive so that it will not again lead you to the issue of a Data Loss.

Please share the present status so that we will help you out.

Cheers!

 

Well the OP has never returned since they read the original advice that was given, and if they had difficulty putting there known HD model number in the link I provided they would have asked. I tend not to treat every person requesting help as if they are a numbskull but I completely agree with your right to that option of doing it. It has nothing to do with common courtesy (as someone whose manners and helpfulness are always impeccable) which of course must be demanded when paying for something.