Clicking noise on a dead hard drive

[TJM]

One of my Maxtor 160GB drives just crapped out on me. When I boot up the
PC, all I can hear is a repetitive clicking noise coming from the drive.

What is this clicking? Does it mean serious damage with no hope of repair,
or something that be easily fixed? The drive is still covered under
warranty.

What causes hard drives to fail? I had a thermistor attached to this drive
and it never got above 100F. Maybe a weird surge in the power supply?

 

[Paul]

The only mention of "clicking" coming from a hard drive like that in
regards to hard drives I've ever heard about is the notorious "click of
death", for whatever it's worth.

And yes, a power surge can damage a hard drive.

 

[DaveW]

Unfortunately Maxtor's have a higher than average failure rate. Might I
recommend getting a WD. And, no, the clicking slound is not something
that's easily fixed.

 

[BP]

The only mention of "clicking" coming from a hard drive like that in
regards to hard drives I've ever heard about is the notorious "click of
death", for whatever it's worth.

And yes, a power surge can damage a hard drive.

The "click of death" normally refered to Zip drives for years. You'd hear
the clicks of death shortly before the drive failed.
I've heard HDs click when the spindle arm hits the side of the casing when
the last partition is too large when formatting. I bet the spindle arm has
"come off the rails".

 

[corfie9688]

I had the same problem with a Maxtor, still under warantee. I took
the HD out and replaced it. The next day I called Maxtor Tech
Support, and he said he had to hear the clicking before I could send
it back. So I reinstalled it, turned PC on and it worked just fine.

BG

 

[~Aart]

tap it with a screw driver handle a few times.

 

[Rick Maninov]

tap it with a screw driver handle a few times.

or stick it in the freezer overnight.