Clicking Noise issue *resolved*

When you use hdparm to change the HDD acoustic settings, then after reboot it will be again on the default value. But you can use my HDD Acoustic Fix, that I posted 1-2 pages back, that will copy a small *.bat file to your startup menu and when you have hdparm installed, it changes the settings for the HDD itself. So on every start of your system, the clicking noise automatically stops.
There is a problem, when you put your computer to sleep, then it doesn't work automatically, you have run the *.bat file from your startup menu manually.

 

So. I downloaded your fix, and the installer is in a different language...what do i press? >_>

 

Oh, sorry, i thought that WinRAR will make it multilanguage, so press the button on bottom left. The bottom right is Cancel.

btw, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

Hi!
I tried everything which is listed on this forum and nothing works. The NHC sometimes works and sometimes it does not. I don't understand what's happening I also tried hdparm with diferent scripts and fixes but it still does not seem to work. Does anyone have any other ideas, I would most grateful for any solutions!
sorry for my bad English

My laptop is a Dell XPS M1530 with Seagate ST9160821AS running Vista 32bit

 

Did you try the attachment posted here? (post #234)

 

Is this a problem with all of Dell's recent notebooks? I know my Vostro 1500 has it and i've learned to put up with it. If I were to buy another HDD would the problem then go away?

 

Yes I did try this. This only copies two lines of script in the startup directory if I am not mistaken, doesn't it?

The most wierd thing for me is that NHC sometimes works like a charm but sometimes it doesn't do anything

 

I think, that this is brand-independent bug. It's a HDD bug, not Dells.

Yes, it's only the bat file, that is for most users more comfortable than running hdparm, and the correct order each time they turn on thier PC.
But, what OS do you use?? On Vista, there are some problems with NHC, so i reccomend using only hdparm, but in XP NHC should work fine. I think that the problem must be between keyboard and chair (no offence), i tried my fix or NHC on lots of notebook drives (Seagate, Samsung, WD, Hitachi/IBM) and one of them usually helps, or NHC works on XP systems, but my fix with hdparm works every time.

 

This problem between keyboard and chair doesn't know what to do about real problem anymore . I followed the steps you posted, installed hdparm windows x32 (btw I am using Vista 32-bit Home Premium Service pack 1) edition, tried your fix, manually typed in the comands but still nothing seems to work. The only thing that did seemed to help was NHC for abour two times, but there was the problem with the screen brightnes.
What are you settings in BIOS? Quiet, bypass or performance? Can this also effect the hdparm?

 

My setting in BIOS is performance, but it doesn't affect this clicking noise. You say that you have a Seagate drive, so did you tried that bios fix, posted one or two pages back?? Many people find that helpfull, maybe it will work for you too. Otherwise, i don't know what else to do...hdparm, NHC and now this fix for Seagate drives are the only solutions afaik...

 

You may be wrong. I have a clicking 160GB Western Digital hard drive that came with my M1530 and recently upgraded to a Seagate 320GB drive to find that the new one also clicks too. I used the old Western Digital drive as an external hard drive and there is NO clicking sound whatsoever. Odd eh?

This may be a DELL problem!

 

I have an Asus EeePC 1000H together with my Dell Inspiron 1520 and drive that was originally there (some 160GB Seagate with 5400rpm) clicks too. I have it now too as an external HDD (connected via USB) and clicking is gone. This must be because of USB connection - drive keeps rotating and didn't stop until i turn it off by On/Off switch. So there is no HDD-head parking and clicking noise that it makes.
And, again, i've been trying my Acoustic fix on various laptops, as well as on my EeePC and two more Asus notebooks that needed it. So not only Dell

 

I have a 320 GB, WD HDD, in the M1530 and no clicking or anything. Its been fine and normal ever since I got the laptop.

 

^^ Hmmm this is really confusing.

I'm going to try this: put the old WD drive into my HP laptop and run a new Windows Vista on it and see if it clicks in there as well.

 

first, respect for cyanize to take the initiative to start this thread, next thanks for deadsimple to mention hdparm, and finally scorpion to continue to answer ppls questions.

Just a few quick questions about the hdparm solution, is it false to assume that this can be a permanent solution to this clicking problem, i have WD hdd (acer laptop) is there any chance that either acer or wd have provided a permanent solution to this problem (i read a post about 5 pages back about a wd scorpio, wth is a scorpio lol, does that fix work for all wd hdd or only the scorpio), finally just some clarifications about the affect that 254 apm will have on my hdd, will it affect the life span of the hdd?

finally, for the people that have never had this clicking problem, do they have some sort of special patch or something, or is just ur luck if you get a f*d up hdd that makes clicking noises.

I'm really relieved that i dont have to bare that annoying clicking sound anymore, but im still under warranty to exchange/refund my laptop, you think i should exchange and hope the next one doesnt have problems or just stick it out with the hdparm solution? thanks again!

btw running:
acer aspire 8930, windows vista home premium x64

 

Well, about the hdparm...i hope that this is not the permanently solution, i hope that Dell, or WD, or *someone* will release some "patch" that works with 100% success. But until then, the hdparm (or NHC if you're running XP) is the best possible solution. As you are asking on possible damage to your drive, the answer is no, it cannot damage your drive, hdparm setting only cause that your hard drive keeps spinning all time, so it should affect only your battery time - drive is still spinning. There is that utility from WD, mentioned few pages back, but when i wanted to try it, it doesn't work, or, to be more specific, it doesn't need to work - the HDD's firmware looks like it's already patched, but you should try it, backup all your important data (it shouldn't harm them, but you never know) and boot it from external FDD or USB stick. If your laptop is still under warranty as you say, it should be ok even if it damage your drive, you should get a replacement.
Those who are not affected by this clicking problem, I think they have only luck, or maybe they are running some applications that occupy their drive so much that it has no time to spin down and click.
So, that's it...if you have any other question feel free to ask

 

^^ I have tried the Seagate firmware upgrade from Dell with no luck! I have only one solution left--hdparm. I have installed hdparm for Windows on my computer, but I have no idea how to use it. Can someone enlighten me? Thanks in advance.

 

So, download my fix that i posted few pages back, and unpack it with WinRAR or something and then copy the HDD Acoustic.bat file to your startup menu. This will set the power management of disk to 254 on every start, which means that there shouldn't be any clicking no more.

 

I tried it. The .bat file can be seen running during startup at a glimpse of an eye and dissapears, but my hard drive is still making noises. Thanks anyways.

 

Hmm...that's bad...have you tried NHC?? You have in your sig that you're running XP x64 so it can works without any problems on your system...but i guess you did...so now i really don't know what should help...

 

Thanks Scorpion, I did the whole hdparm/acoustic thing and my comp. doesn't click as much...I think... Anyway, doesn't hurt, but is there any way to verify that the performance is set to 254 apart from listening (I don't really trust my ears on this one) Thanks. Good Job.

 

I think you only need to fall back on your ears...there shouldn't be any performance difference between apm set to 254 or default. So if it clicks something is wrong, if it's quiet everything is ok

 

Okay so my situation: Dell sends me a replacement laptop for my Inspiron which burned out and stopped turning on. Replacement is a Studio 1535....hard drive is WD2500BEVS....OS is Vista, 32-bit home premium. I've read basically every post in this thread...and I have no idea what to do. Clicking noise comes every minute- every few minutes. Who can help me....I've never used scripts, hdparm etc. so step by step instructions would be great! I'd appreciate help!

 

navchehl: Don't worry, it's simple.
1. Download and install hdparm for windows ( download here)
2. Go few pages back, where is my post with HDD Acoustic Fix for Windows Vista 32bit. (There is fix from me two-three pages back, but that's for x64, you must go more pages back. If you can't find it, write me here and i re-post it)
3. Unpack and run my HDD Acoustic Fix, it's a simple *.bat file, it starts a script for hdparm every time you start your computer, so the clicking should be gone. But if you wake your computer from sleep, you must run it manually, it's very simple too, that my fix is copied in your startup menu, so only click on it, you may notice a command-line window that says that the Acoustic Power Management (APM) has been set to 254, which means no clicking. (You also may notice this command-line window during the startup, so don't worry about some spyware or anything like that, it's only this my fix ).
So, that's it, hope this helps

 

Scorpion...I downloaded and installed hdparm, and i downloaded your HDD acoustic file, but its in a different language so I couldn't really do anything with it...any help with this?

EDIT: I searched again and saw that you advised someone to hit the bottom left button....after I do this though, another screen comes up and I don't know what its asking me for. The buttons on the bottom of this new screen say something to the effect of "Ano(a)", "Ano vletky", "Premenova", "Nie" etc....which do I choose, what is this asking me for and do I need to do anything after like open hdparm or whatever. Again, the more specific you are, the better...thanks!

 

Ahh...I'm sorry about this, i really have to do something with it...in the meantime, you can use this:
1. Download attachment
2. Unrar/unzip it somewhere
3. Open start-menu -> all programs -> right click on the "Startup" and choose "Open All Users"
4. Copy the *.bat file to the startup folder and that's all
Next time when you reboot your computer it will run this file and your drive stops clicking

 

Hi,

I tried hdparm with your script.
i have a seagate ST9320421ASG 320GB
doesnt work vista 32.

do i have to do anything to set the parameters to a standard mode, like it was before? or is it sufficient to remove the script and the programm and then restart?
i have a thinkpad.
dell provided for their systems a ,modified firmware, do you think it also works mit my thinkpad, same hdd, but different laptop?

here is the link: http://support.dell.com/support/dow...1&impid=-1&formatcnt=2&libid=41&fileid=289385

does anyone have experiences ? or are you guys all dell users?

mfg knorst

 

Hi, I have recently bought a WD Scorpio Drive (WD1600BEVE). Im experiencing the same clicking noises when the drive excessively parks and unparks the heads. Also, I have another problem during low data access. The drive spins discretely. It is the most unbearable noise. So, I came through the temporary fix of setting the APM to 254 (the least aggressive mode of apm). Actually, I found this solution on some ubuntu forum. So, after trying the solution. It worked like a charm. No noises at all (except for normal data access clicking). So, Im satisfied with the drive. I have noticed 3 degrees increase in the temperature but I think it is not much. Though, I was worried about this temp fix. So, I contacted WD Technical Support using the mail system. This is what I received yesterday:

Code:

WD Technical Support:
changing the apm may make the drive more susceptible to damage, the drive was designed to park it's head for durability and life.

So, now im kind of worried about the drive. Also, I would like to mention that I use the laptop most of the day. So, it is online most of the time.

What do you think guys. Should I stop using the apm fix and start wearing ear pads ?

 

I just wanted to chime-in on this thread as a Mac user. Many Apple Mac laptop computers also suffer from this HDD clicking issue. I have written extensively on this particular subject from an OS X/Mac point of view. If anyone is interested, you can read about it on my blog, which has many links to help solve this particular issue.

http://dougitdesign.com/blog_12_08.html

I actually think this HDD clicking happens to more laptop computers that we think–the sound is just audible enough for only the discerning listener to hear. Many folks are simply too unaware of their surroundings ,and all the small sounds they make, to notice!

This clicking HDD issue seems to transcend all types of OS's, all types of computers and all types of HDD's....

 

^^ Very nice blog. I am having this same issue with two hard drives (previous and current) on my laptop. I can't believe these "new" drives are being so retarded.

 

I think, that you should try it...according to Dell's instructions for installing, this is Seagate's utility, not Dell's, they're only provide it for their customers. But I take no responsibility if you damage your drive...

It's interesting that they didn't forward you to their fix on their support pages...(btw, for me that their fix didn't work, it said that i already have the newest firmware), but I'm really confused right now, first they release a firmware-fix to stop clicking (and what else should help than stop parking HDD heads) and now they say, that it's not recommended to set APM to this value?? ?? I think, that I'm going to have a small "chat" with WD's tech. support

Nice blog
And, yeah, you're right, this isn't only Dell's fault, like I said before, many other drives and PCs suffer from this issue. I don't have any experiences with Macs, so I don't know what should help you (if your drive still clicks)...for windows, there is NHC or hdparm that usually works, for linux you can use hdparm too, but i never worked on Mac, so I don't know what tools it have...

 

Actually, I have tried the fix too. It gave me the same message. I have already written a very bad words in survey on the drive (after marking the question solved). Right now, im using the hdparm fix cause I cannot stand the noise. I could not program 3 lines of code with the noise. I was going craazy. I hope they fix this problem soon.

 

Hi Scorpion,

and @hanime:

for the st9320421ASG Momentus drive 7200.3 320gb
if you set the value of the akustik power management via hdparm on 255 it stops every clicking noise, that might disturb you!!!
but you have to use right click to hdparm and also the hdd acoustic.bat and open or run as an administrator.

I dont know why for the seagate its the value 255 which stops the clicking issue but maybe scorpion knows anything about that??? or do you think i can damage my drive with this value. because i don't really know what im doing!

knorst

 

Hi, I must say, that Seagate drives surprises me one after another On my EeePC's Seagate drive and my girlfriend's latop Seagate drive works great value 254, now you say that for you it's the value 255...interesting...and for that hdd acoustic and hdparm thing, you don't have to run them as an administrator when you have UAC turned off (and i think that most of people have it off)

 

In regards to HDParm:

I can make the .bat file and it works nicely. however, it needs admin rights to run and i don't know how to make sure it runs as admin on start up. at the moment i have to activate it manually.

 

thnx a lot guys .. i started banging my head to my refurb xps m1330 until i read this thread .. u guys rock !!!!!
but this samsung drive still sux

 

well,

after contacting seagate, they told me, that disabling the power management on my st932421asg would reduce the lifespan! also i can see that the drive becomes warmer with the b- 255 command (switches power management off!)!

additional information: the advanced power management has nothing to do with head parking or load cycle count!

the clicking is more a spin up sound or calibrating sound

knorst

 

I just bought a 500GB WD5000BEVT. The drive is super quiet, I actually cannot hear or feel when the heads park. But I did notice the Load Cycles increasing way too fast, but the hdparm method fixed it. I am just wondering if anyone found a more permanent way to fix this, rather than having to run the hdparm script all the time? I tried the WD firmware updater tool posted, but it says my drive does not need upgrading.

What are your guys' thought on this wearing out the drive? After setting the APM to 254, my drive seems to be running hotter now. About 4C-ish higher on average.

 

someone tried these with success???
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t23010.html

 

Hi everyone.

I just came across this problem last night. I have an HP G7000 laptop (2 months old). At first I thought it was the fan, but the noise is too inconsistent to be that.

I installed the NHC tool, thing is though, it doesn't let me change the
Acoustic Management - I can't click on the arrow. I changed all the other things suggested, but i'm still getting the noise.

You guys really know what your talking about and i'd really appreciate some advice.

 

Hi, have you tried hdparm with my fix?? (posted few pages back)
In NHC you can't change the acoustic management because you're probably have your HDD set to AHCI mode, then NHC seems not to be working.
And what OS do you have on your laptop?? Because in Vista is better to use hdparm with my fix instead of NHC, NHC is better for XP.

 

Thanks for getting back to me. I'm still looking for hdparm.

Ahh that must be why then.

My OS is Vista Home Premium. I've just downloaded your HDD Acousticx64.

I'll look for the hdparm now.

 

Ok, I installed hdparm, ran HDD acosticx64 - choose HDD Acoustic from start-up, restarted. It's still clicking though.

Do I have to open up the laptop and take a look at the inside of it? It's very strange.

 

I have installed hdparm + the fix, I'm using XP, there's no ticking since.

 

Do you run it as an administrator - do you have NHC turned off?? This should help. Else I really don't know, some drives are imune against any fixes

 

Let's summarize, because I am not sure which one is considered to be the FINAL solution for the noise:
1. hdpar or NHC, depending on the OS software
or
2. firmware update?

I have Seagate ST9200420ASG and I have the some noise problem. I have tried different combination of Power Savings plans and BIOS settings for Performance, still the noise does not disappear. What I can achieve is to hear it every 10 seconds or every few minutes ...
The laptop is Dell XPS M1330 ... I already had the motherboard replaced because of the nVidia failure issue L-)

My Model Number is not on the list of firmware update on Seagate website.

I suppose the hdparm solution will be the only one? Can anyone summarize this 34 pages post (I had time to read about 15 pages out of 35 ...)?

Anyway I still have 2 years remaining from my Dell Home Support / Next Business Day -O I was amazed, I called on Monday for the nVidia failure and they've replaced the mother board Tuesday, the next day ... which means today ) and I am planning to call and ask for a Hard Drive replace ...

 

Well, as you have writen, there are these two solutions. Firmware update is for a very few models from Seagate, so if your drive isn't mentioned in the list, you probably don't have to update your firmware (that's what says Seagate). But we both know, that you do, but unfortunately there is no firmware for your drive. So the only solution left is the hdparm and my fix (posted few pages back). This should be something that will work for you and should stop the clicking. You can try to replace your drive, but i think that the result will be the same - you'll get drive that clicks.

 

For Seagate ST9320421ASG and ST9320421AS clicking noise issue SOLVED by firmaware update... see my post here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4823391&postcount=35

 

Take a look at this

http://xenomorph.net/misc-and-old-stuff/clicking-hard-drives/

It solved my clicking problem (lenovo U330 WD2500BEVS) perfectly. A much better solution than NHC.

 

I have managed to fixed my problem, here is what I did:

1. Call Dell tech support and tell them you have a clicking drive, they will run diagnostics with you over the phone. If they determine your drive is faulty they will send you a new one.

2. I received the new drive and the same clicking noise came back, I called dell to ask for another one. Upon running the tests with the tech we found it was not the drive this time. We actually took out the drive and ran some tests, sounds crazy.

3. Determined that the clicking noise was coming from under the left side of the keyboard around the XPS logo, the heatsink assembly.

4. Dell sent out a replacement heatsink/fan assembly and tech came to my house to install free of charge.

5. Hopefully everything is fixed (knocks on wood), the clicking noise has not come back so far.