Clicking Noise issue *resolved*

it immd. stopped after this tweak. Thanks!

 

Hi,
I have same "click" problem on my MSI GX610 laptop with 250GB WD Scorpio (WD2500BEVS). I tried solve it with NHC and that HDD Max Performance trick, but when I switch to Max. Performance in Advanced Power Management select button, I get Error Message - "Error during the writing of the Physical Drive 0 Standby Time registers!". I tried hdparm too, but same problem with different error message. Some advice please?

Sorry for my english.
Thanks!

 

Maybe this has been asked already... but I can't see this program setting as being good for the life of my hard drive. Any word on this?

 

From what I've read, switching into and out of this power management state as often as it does (which is the default state of the drive and causes the clicking) might not be a good thing for the hardware. There was a slashdot article a while back about how linux is "killing" hard-drives or something. Turns out it was just this feature and it applies to Windows too, but it really wasn't the OS's fault.

 

I can deal with a small amount of clicking then... I'd rather not have my drive die on me.

 

Ok, I may be mistaken here but I see some conflicting posts here. Your hard drive will die if it keeps making clicking noise where the OS is trying to park its head only to be woken up by some process, repeatedly. If you use NHC to put your drive into maximum performance mode, there is no head parking done and there is no clicking, which is good for your hard drive because it is not moving the head constantly anymore. Only disadvantage is that your hard drive runs in max power mode and consumes more battery.

Is that understanding incorrect?

 

No you have it backwards!

I was saying the default power management mode (that causes the clicking) is probably not a good thing in the long-term. Hence turning off the click would likely be better. Don't quote me as I don't have a detailed knowledge of the insides of a hard-drive, but here's some extra info:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/acpi-support/+bug/59695/comments/232

There are other implications mentioned in the link.

 

Ok, I got it now.

 

Let's start off here:

This primarily concerns laptops, that feature a HDD with a certain power-saving feature. The clicking/tocking sound is created by the drive heads parking. A feature that is saving battery life and your data in the case of an unexpected increase in acceleration (like a fall from the desk). If you have the kind of noise described in many posts in this thread then this solution will provide you with a nearly quiet HDD.

As for your DVD drive problems, it's a known fact that 1530's have extremely loud DVD drives. Either get it exchanged or buy your own drive. Maybe set the speed of your drive to low with a 3rd party app.

good luck

 

NHC does a particularly good job at getting rid of noise generated by a certain power-saving feature of certain drives. This by all means wasn't a solution for all drives out there. Maybe you should try hitachi's own app for acoustics/performance management. Can be downloaded from their site, although I can't guarantee that it'll work with your model.

 

You can check form firmware upgrades at samsung's site, but I barely ever see any updates, especially for notebook drives. As for the "sound", it really depends on what kind of sound it is. NHC should help with most acoustic/performance problems that are derived form the power-saving feature in seagate drives (and some other manufacturers). You could try hdparm and check if it helps.

 

Now linux handles hardware a bit differently..but that's another story. I never really encountered this issue, so I'd personally recommend using NHC if you're running a 32bit OS. I don't think there is a firmware update available, but you can check over at seagates site.

 

Please check if WD has their own app for acoustics/performance management. As it seems that your drive doesn't support the specification used in NHC. Maybe it's too "new". Same applies to hdparm.

 

I am trying to use hdparm to fix the clicking, but for some reason I am getting a "permission denied" error. Any suggestions?

 

run as administrator

 

You are a total star Deadsimple!!! I searched for ages trying to find a way to trigger a script when my laptop wakes up from sleep mode. Then I found your post.. Brilliant work. I've put this in place and it's working like a charm.

Going to check out auto-it as well now as it looks like it could be a great tool for automation etc..

Now that HDParm is in place and I've got the Rightmark CPU Clock tool running on Vista x64, my little 1330 is lovely and quiet (only the odd noise from time to time from the CPU which is fine).

Also managed to make the Toshiba LED display look much better by playing with the NVidia settings.. Alot nicer to work on..

All this tweaking to get the perfect laptop.. lol..

 

wonderful! now it sounds like a normal hard drive! now obnoxious clicking, hope it stays that way... and just for clarification... this does not harm any part of your computer, just lowers your battery power?

 

Just read through the thread. Short answer: yes, it only lowers battery life.

 

First of all, congratulations to Cyanize and other contributors in this thread, which I read from A to Z!

I used to use NHC to downclock my Pentium-M when I had it and it worked great.
However, I now have a D630 with C2D and I have this horrible "click sound" issue.

I could install NHC as it seems to be an answer to this problem, but:
--> there hasn't been any update of NHC at the end of 2007 unlike expected
--> Max performance lowers battery life (probably 1/2 hour lost) as the HDD will consume more power
--> more heat
--> possibly lower life expectancy for the HDD
--> no more free fall protection
--> NHC requires to be run as Administrator (which not every user can/wants)

I see that many people have this problem with many different hard drive brands (mine is a Samsung). Therefore, I believe it should be Dell's responsibility to find a solution for us.

It therefore sincerely invite you to register on Dell IdeaStorm and to promote the idea I have posted on this issue.

Thanks for your support, and I hope we get a valid solution soon.

Regards,
C.

 

Well it turns out I was making a simple mistake - and the clicking is gone for good. Once I understand how to use the script by dead simple I make a more complete guide for people with the Inspiron 1525.

I am click free and proud lol.

 

ya its not working for me anymore as well..ever since i upgraded to sp1.. hd parm dosen't seem to work too..
i hope nhc comes out with sp1 compatable version soon.. tried everythin other than replacing the hard drive..

 

I am using Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 and NHC 2.0 prerelease personal edition.

Here are my issues:
1) Windows blocks the program when I boot up the computer. Is there a workaround for this?
2) When it does load, the screen brightness goes to its lowest setting. The screen shots I have seen are from the professional version and not the personal edition of NHC. How do I fix this on the personal version?

 

for me, when my laptop first starts up this noise is almost constant. eventually, it will happen every 1 or 2 seconds, but its not that audible when there are noises in the background. so...i'm wondering if i should return my m1530 for another one. what are the chances that i'll get one without the "clicking" noise.

 

First off I want to clarify someones post above .. they said a "certain feature" is causing the clicking.

That feature is called "Advanced Power Management" and it is a two digit hex value within your hard drive.
-When set to 1 (0x01), the HD will park the head and actually spin down whenever its not being used in order to save energy. This is the same state the HD goes to when "turn hard drive off after X minutes" activates (that setting is in the vista advanced power control panel area). This HD state is VERYGood for your battery, VERYGood for temperature management, but BAD in terms of HD life (and Bad for speed, it will lag for a moment as it spins back up and the head takes off).
-When set to 127 (0x7F) the HD will ONLY park its head when its not being used, but continue on spinning (THIS IS THE CLICK WE HEAR AND THE DEFAULT SETTING FOR THE DRIVE, vista, dell's laptops, ... whatever)
-When set to 254 (0xFE), you are telling the HD not to use ANY APM features.. no click, no spin down, nothing. (But it will still spin down/land the head when the vista "turn hard drive off after X minutes" setting tells it to.)
-There is also a custom setting 192, but I am not sure what it does if anything .. it probably depends on your HD.
-Some HD's also let you use values other than just these 4 for various other power saving states.

MY confusion came from another feature built into most HD's called AAM or "Advanced Acoustic Management" .. which is a completely different two character hex address that tells the HD how much noise is acceptable. It sets the balance between head movements and speed. More head movements means more speed but more noise (performance setting). And the opposite (quiet). This is the same value that is changed via the HD Acoustic setting in the Dell BIOS, and this setting does NOT contribute to the click we are hearing .. so feel free to experiment between quiet and performance to see which one you like better. I have mine on performance and don't find it noisy at all (AT LEAST COMPARED TO THAT CLICK )

Finally .. why are you guys still using NHC??? I know I dont like bloatware, and running a program 24/7 (or having to start it then close it) is not something I fancy!!

If you follow the dead simple guide posted by deadsimple (ha), you won't have to use NHC or even worry about setting APM to 254 everytime .. it will be done automatically for you!

I only recommend those who THINK They are suffering from the click, to first download NHC to see if setting APM to 254 cures the problem. If so , your HD is NOT dying, it is just trying to save energy and protect your data (and was set to 127 before you messed with it). Then you can uninstall NHC and explore using hdparm.

My solution is simple ... I have downloaded the hdparm.exe app , and wrote a simple bat file with two lines
@echo off
"C:\Program Files\hdparm\bin\hdparm.exe" -B 254 hda

The first line makes the window not show anything and the second one runs the command that sets the HD back to "disable APM", preventing the clicking.
This solution leaves my computer using the default 127 head-parking annoying-click-generating APM setting to potentially save my data if I were to drop my laptop. But whenever I can't stand the clicking ... I just run the bat file via a quicklaunch shortcut and *poof* the click is gone until next reboot, hibernate, or standby. I find this the best compromise as I am sometimes mobile and do not want to risk my data going byebye when I drop the laptop and the head crashes destroying my HD.

<<< TIP: did you know that your quick launch buttons are numbered in vista?! See the first one? Press windowskey + 1 on your keyboard and it will run it. Same for the icon to its right with winkey + 2! you're welcome >>>

In newer, more expensive drives .. there is actually a G-force sensor, usually an accelerometer, that will ONLY park the head when it senses the laptop is in a freefall .. avoiding this annoying problem altogether. I think Western Digital (or dell, or vista?) is just using this 127 option as default to say that its HD's (or computers, or OS) use less energy overall.. and in most laptops you won't hear the parking noise or notice it. But the M1530 has that thin aluminum plate above the HD, and its a thin laptop in itself... making the click VERY audible to some. Also, not all drives support the feature , and not all will be set to it as default.

That will be all for me, this was getting long.. hope I helped some of you.

Now I am going to post this hdparm.exe solution on the various other forums where I have continuely BEGGED for someone, ANYONE, to relieve me of that TORTUROUS clicking sound (i'm very happy right now)

 

wait so if i get the 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive Free Fall Sensor instead of my 200GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive it will bypass the sound problem altogether?

 

Well, it COULD. Really the free fall sensor just makes the drive PARK right before it hits the gorund .. whereas my head-parking is primarily to save energy ... the drive doesnt know when it is going to hit so its really a 50/50 chance that the heads will be parked at the time of impact.

If that free-fall sensor drive still "parks heads when idle" when set to 127 power mode, it will still do the same thing and probably make the same noise. But that noise in the different drive may not even be annoying to you , in your laptop and environment, like it is for me in my quiet home and office.

Also .. we dont know WHAT is setting it to 127 .. whether it is the drive's default, the OS setting it upon boot, or the BIOS ... i have no idea. So getting a different drive might not even make a difference! who knows. Try it!!

But you can always just shut off APM if you get the clicking .. and your data will still be safe. For me , if i shut off APM then I'm risking a head crash!


So in either case, TRY IT!

 

haha thanks, but only the possibility that exchanging it MIGHT fix it < the hassle of returning it and waiting for a new one. btw have there ever been other cases like this, where a driver update could possibly fix everything? im not talking specifically about the hd, but just any other problem on notebooks. or would it have to be inevitably replaced to stop the clicking noise. i know a driver update would be an unlikely miracle, but even if there's the slightest chance, im willing to wait it out.

 

No way .. since the problem IS software it is entirely possible that a driver or other update could be issued to address it. The best chance of that happening is if the issue is within the Dell BIOS.

Less of a chance if its in Vista itself, and even less of a chance if it is just within the hard drive (they don't even make drivers for Hard drives most of the time)

Even though there is a chance and possibilitiy .. I dont thin kit is likely. The clicking is an intended feature .. well not the clicking itself but the benefits of it; longer battery life (hard drive uses less power) and better data protection.

The idea on dellideastorm.com only received a puny 210 points though .. compared to some ideas with well over 100,000 points. So .. an update will be extremely unlikely. Who cares though, just use that hdparm app and fix it if it bothers you!

 

hey Ryaske.. a newbie here.. can you tell me how to create bat file?? also is it possible for me to run it at start up??

 

Surely it is very simple!
1) open notepad.
2) copy and paste the lines I typed above
3) when you save it, change the very bottom of the save window from "Text File (.txt)" to "All Files (*.*)". Then type whatever name you want , but with the extension .bat. I.e. "hd quiet.bat" without the quotes

Save it in any location you want.

Double click the file, you should see it pop up for a nanosecond and then disappear. Your click is now gone until next reboot/restart/hibernate!

If you want this scrip to start up at boot, just drag and drop the script into the Startup folder in your start menu .. that will create a shortcut that points to the original faile (which will remain where it was). You could also hold down the SHIFT key while your drag the file, which will move it entirely instead of create the shortcut. Anything in the Startup folder will run when your computer starts.

If you want it to run whenever you resume from standby or hibernate also .. you should use deadsimple's solution above.

If you want to learn more about batch files (they are very powerful) .. click this link which runs a search on google:
creating batch files

Happy to help!!

 

hey thanx.. i'm a newbie but i love experimenting.. and the steps u mentioned above were exactly wat i did!! ... much thanx anywayz..

 

I am confused. How do I use HDparm.

What is it that I have to type into the window exactly to get rid of the clicking?

 

Well, you could easily read the last few pages of this thread and find out for yourself!

 

I have read most of this thread MULTIPLE times. I run HDpharm and i type in
hdparm -M 254 hda and I get hda: Permission denied

 

well read it again but this time more carefully. You are using the wrong switch

 

Instead of talking down to me, perhaps you could have actually answered the problem I had since my computer literacy is only at a 5th grade level while yours is obviously PHD worthy.

 

I tried typing hdparm.exe -B 254 hda and I get permission denied.
hdparm -B 254 /dev/hda = denied

 

Make a shortcut to cmd on your desktop, right-click it, and choose to run as administrator.

 

Thank you! Solved my clicking HD instantly!

 

WoW,

can't believe this thread is still alive. I though this problem didn't exist anymore with HDparm. And the hdparm solution has been explained by several people in this thread. (although I just run HDparm from the registry instead of *.bat file)

Anyone still reading this please understand a few things:
NHC was never 100% compatible with Vista, some of it's features didn't work before and certainly don't work after SP1. (like dynamic switching and underclocking...especially with santa rosa and c2d)

HDparm is an app/command ported from the linux OS to enable the same APM functionality for your HDD as NHC.

Some HDD manufacturers offer their own APM apps
which you can download and use the same way as NHC/HDparm.


And finally please read this thread carefully and only post a question if your problem is new. Thanks

 

I received my Vostro 1500 with XP yesterday, it's making the clicking sound. Glad to know it's not anything to send back to Dell about.

My question was: how much effect does this tweak have battery life?

 

So I recently just bought an HP Compaq too, I tried the original NHC idea from when this thread first started, but still I heard the click, and the little light blinked. Anyhow, I was wondering if someone could explain this to me a little more since Im not too good at scripting, please. BTW if it helps, the click comes from the far left side of the laptop.

How do you compile a script? Do I copy the script into notepad and make a *.bat file, or..?

I think its just a busted HDD. I havent heard the best things about HP laptops, this one just keeps clicking, I tried the original idea, I tried the idea of making that *.bat with the 2 lines and it still clicks, I might just have to pay to get it fixed, which is a drag because I just got this thing last week and the first night I had it, I had to turn the damn thing off because all I heard every 5 seconds was a click.

 

Just bought a Dell Inspiron 1525 w/ Vista and heard the clicking noise every few seconds. The NHC utility solved it, though there is the dimmed LCD screen effect. I will probably try the HDparm when I can summon the energy.

I went to my hard drive's website (Western Digital), and I think I found a download of theirs that claims to fix the problem:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc...p_li=&p_faqid=1414&p_created=1138984716&p_sp=

Unfortunately, to use it you have to boot to a floppy disk. Of course I don't have floppy disk drive. This is the only "official" manufacturer's solution that I have come across.

I am grateful to the experts here for the solutions, but I am equally amazed that such an obvious and annoying problem first made it to the market, and then that the manufacturers failed to release a fix.

 

Hmmm, I have a WD drive too. And I am no longer using NHC because I am using RMClock for undervolting (I found that NHC and RMClock don't play nice together). I don't have a floppy either. But I would think we can extract those files, and put them on a bootable thumbdrive.

Let me work on this and I will let you know what I find.

 

I have had a Samsung R60 plus for a couple of weeks, and read this thread with interest as I get intermittent clicking (often two sets of three, followed by a more "chirpy" click. Sometimes nothing for ages). I'm sure it's the power settings described. I have Vista, and tried the NHC program. This didn't work, so I uninstalled it.

I tried Ryaske's solution on page 18, downloading the most recent hpdarm, and putting the two lines into command prompt. Though it appeared to change the power management setting (according to the CDM), the clicking didn't stop. What's worse though is that loading the hdparm started the NHC program which I had supposedly uninstalled, with the usual dimming of the monitor.

I uninstalled the hdparm, but now on start up NHC starts automatically, which not only dims the screen (which I can change but not ideal) but makes start up take longer. It's nowhere to be found on the Change and Uninstall Programs list, which seems a bit strange.

I would be quite happy with the amount of clicking I've got if I could just get rid of the NHC, which is not well adapted to Vista (as well as apparently hanging around when you thought you'd uninstalled it).

As for the initial problem, there seems to be nothing in the BIOS to change Power settings for the HDD, and nothing particularly on the Samsung website to download. (The HDD is Samsung HM160HI.) As I don't take it out much, it'd be nice just to able to turn off this setting when the clicking kicks off.

Any good suggestions would be appreciated - especially to help to understand the situation with the NHC. Thanks.

Edit - I've used Windows Defender to prevent it running at start up, which is great - would still be interesting to hear anyone's take.

Samsung R60 Plus Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 1.83 GHz 2GB RAM 160GB Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1

 

Hi everyone,

I just recieved my XPS M1530 but i found a ticking sound pretty annoying, it is from my hard drive but i dont know if it is the same thing as the problem in this thread..

It does it once in a while, and when it does, it sounds like a bunch of papers being crumbled together, you know what kind of sound im talking about? the Xxxhhsshhhshhh...

Anyways, it happens once in a while and i just wanna know if it is normal or not..

Thanks!

 

I am failing to get HDparm to resolve the parking issue. If someone could explain what I am doing wrong it would be very helpful. (the NHC did solve the problem, but would prefer HDparm since it is so much less hassle)

My steps:

1. Downloaded HDparm exe file from link given by deadsimple
2. installed it to C:\Windows
3. Copied deadsimple's script into notepad, saved as a .bat file
4. clicked on file, it opened to a black screen for split second then closed
5. found Startup folder under All Programs and put the file in there

I think it runs at startup because the black screen pops up for a sec, but the clicking sound remains until I run NHC again. I assume merely having NHC on my cpu would not be interfering?
I guess one thing that I am unsure of is that I think deadsimple refers to an exe file that results from the script... knowing nothing about this stuff not sure if I am misinterpreting.

(Edit: I also tried the simpler script:
@echo off
"C:\Windows\bin\hdparm.exe" -B 254 hda
in the same manner with no luck)

 

i just put it all in a windows shortcut:

of course my windows version is in spanish, but the important thing is the path with the hdparm command.

then i put it in start folder in programs , and leave a copy somewhere for when i come back from sleep/hibernate

no need to even install NHC hich i find intrusive and annoying.
you should test before this if its working of course, but if NHC worked, this should work too. its doing the same thing. but maybe your solution is another

 

Thanks, I will give this a shot as soon as I am finished reformatting my laptop.

 

Just heard back from Western Digital. Turns out their fix (see my above post) works if you boot *only* to a floppy disk drive (can't use CD or any other hardware).

Not exactly the most helpful solution in the world. How many laptop users have a floppy disk drive these days?