hard disk clicks

If a hard drive starts clicking, is it toast? The last thing I did before the hard disk started clicking was to load ms office 2007 onto it. As soon as I loaded the software, the laptop started acting sluggish, and then suddenly it turned off by itself. When I turned the laptop back on, it wouldnt boot to windows 7 and I could hear clicks coming from the hard disk. So now is the hard disk toast?

If the clicking is coming from the hdd this could be bad news. This is commonly referred to as the click of death. If you are able to access the hdd I would back up your important data to an external source of media. I also wouldn't use the hdd any more than is needed till you can run a diagnostics on it.

If you know who the manufacturer is you can go to their web site and download their diagnostic tool. You will need to burn this to a CD in the form of a ISO file so that you can boot from it, you can use a program like Imgburn to make the ISO disc. Once you have made the disc it may be necessary to go into the BIOS to change the boot order so that the CD-ROM is the first device in the boot order and the hdd the second device. Once you boot from the disc run the long test.

I have an old HDD I recently fitted to a PC. It makes quite a noise, clacking away. I'm not sure if it's simply an old HDD with poor mechanics. I ran Speedfan to check the SMART data, run the short test, and the drive checks out fine. Perhaps you should try that or some other utility like the ones from WD or Seagate. However, I don't trust it and only use it for storing data that is replaceable. I mostly use for processing video and the end video gets moved elsewhere when done. You only have the one drive so it's more of an issue for you.

Edit: If you do not regularly defrag the drive, it may be skipping all over the place to find file fragments. Use one of the many free utilities such as Auslogics, Defraggler etc rather than the Windows one.

I have an old HDD I recently fitted to a PC. It makes quite a noise, clacking away. I'm not sure if it's simply an old HDD with poor mechanics. I ran Speedfan to check the SMART data, run the short test, and the drive checks out fine. Perhaps you should try that or some other utility like the ones from WD or Seagate. However, I don't trust it and only use it for storing data that is replaceable. I mostly use for processing video and the end video gets moved elsewhere when done. You only have the one drive so it's more of an issue for you.

Edit: If you do not regularly defrag the drive, it may be skipping all over the place to find file fragments. Use one of the many free utilities such as Auslogics, Defraggler etc rather than the Windows one.

Remember Windows Vista and newer, all defrag the the drives regularly automatically. I really do not think that is the issue.


But my suggestion to OP is that if my hard drive is making that noise, even if it is bad mechanics, I'd spend the 50$ to replace it than be at risk at losing everything. I'd not use that drive until the replacement drive comes, and then do a disk clone. Easiest step to take.

If you cannot disk clone and the drive will not spin up and stop clicking at a constant pace (It must click at a rate, not randomly), then your hard drive is toast and I am sorry.

...Remember Windows Vista and newer, all defrag the the drives regularly automatically. I really do not think that is the issue...

Unless you turned it off along with Windows Update, Windows Firewall, Windows Defender.........

Otherwise, good advice!

...Remember Windows Vista and newer, all defrag the the drives regularly automatically. I really do not think that is the issue...

Unless you turned it off along with Windows Update, Windows Firewall, Windows Defender.........

Otherwise, good advice!

thanks :D