Hardware My harddrive makes clicking noises

[Johnal Khow]

Hi, I suddenly noticed clicking sounds from my laptop hard drive after updating to windows 10. my drive is only 2 months old also my laptop is still fully functioning. Should I be worried?

 

[Zanoab]

Clicking isn't normal and is generally the first sign that the drive will die at any time. Start backing up important data.

It could also be a different kind of "clicking" noise but you should still be backing up your data regularly.

 

[Johnal Khow]

Can anyone suggest a brand for a replacement hard drive?

 

[raystriker]

Can anyone suggest a brand for a replacement hard drive?

Choose whatever you like- Seagate, WD etc
I usually go to pcpartpicker and see the best cost of GB/USD ratio and the highly rated ones.

 

[mgrev]

Get a wd caviar blue or a seagate barracuda

 

[the_randomizer]

Western Digital all the way. Seagate is kinda meh IMHO.

 

[nero99]

Get a SSD. You'll never have this problem again.

 

[J-Machine]

HGST had the lowest failure rate last I checked but WD is also a good brand.

 

[Originality]

Laptop drives and portable drives are prone to failing at nearly any time depending on how you treat them. If they're kept stationary in a well ventilated area, they can last 2-3 years or more. If you move them around a lot, especially when they're working, then they can quickly wear out and develop problems. If this is the reason your current drive is making the "click of death", then just be weary that even a new drive may eventually do the same thing.

Solid state drives however do not have this problem, so no matter how much you move or shake the laptop, a SSD will not be affected.

For HDD brands, it's pretty much a 3 legged race between Seagate, WD and Toshiba. Seagate are the most popular, but ever since they acquired Maxtor I've seen Seagate drives fail more than any other. WD are good, if slightly pricier, although reviews are generally mixed about them (but I've not seen many of them fail myself). Toshiba are nothing special and tend to be favoured by OEMs because of how cheap they can be found, and fall into the "it works" category. Samsung were my favourite, however they no longer make HDDs and instead focus on making the best SSDs.

If you decide to get a SSD to replace your HDD, Samsung are the best, Crucial are a good balance between price and features, and Sandisk are often one of the cheapest SSDs that have OK performance (definitely not the worst). Sandisk often go on sales, and in the last Black Friday sale I picked up 3 to upgrade the laptops of my parents and two friends. They all work so much faster now compared to the HDDs they previously had.

 

[Deleted User]

If the drive only 2 months old, shouldn't it still have warranty?
What brand are using btw?

 

[jDSX]

I would check it out with HD sentinel or some other kind of SMART software and look out for "relocated sector count" if it's there then it's time to get a new drive.

I'd go get a SSD for a replacement.