My hard drive is making a noise I've never heard it make before. It sounds like it's spinning about 10x faster than normal.
It comes in waves, starting out silent.... getting louder until it's noticeably loud... then quieting off, only to start up again SEVERAL times.

It eventually stops as the computer is left on for at least a half hour.

The trouble is, I have no idea what this is...
Thoughts like: 'is it normal?', 'can it be corrected?', 'should I get a new hd and transfer the files? if so, how long do I have?', etc. have been running through my mind for as long as this has been happening. Some enlightenment would be nice.

The symptoms could be due to failing spindle bearings or spindle motor. I suggest getting a new drive and copy an image of the old drive while it is still alive. I don't think there is any cost-effective repair of hard drives, since repair of a hard drive must be done in a clean-room environment and may require special tools and techniques.

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reido@my-deja.com

Friends don't let friends install Windows ME

You need to take IMMEDIATE action!! If it is the hard drive, it's not normal and it can't be corrected. I'll assume you're confident that you have isloated the noise and confirmed that it is for sure the HD. If not, start up with the case open and make sure it's not one of the fans -- they're a lot cheaper than a new HD. One other thing to check is the CD-ROM drive. Some of them can be noisy when they spin up, especially if you have a disk in there when you start up. If the hard drive is the culprit, you will need to get another. Most new drives come with software to transfer your files, but I'd advise using your system as little as possible until you're ready to make the swap. Check your warranty; some manufacturers offer three years.

Well, thanks for the warning.. I had checked it out earlier to make sure it wasn't a fan or something like that. Plus, it's about 5 years old now and I need to upgrade anyway.
(it seems a 1.5 Gig drive isn't worth it's weight in paper anymore)


BTW: Reid, I like your signature.

Are you certain it's the Hard Drive?......The sound you describe sounds more like the newer CD Rom's spinning up to speed to me.....I would follow Tj's post and open er up to make sure what's causing the noise.

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"As hard as a rock & dumb as a brick"...Windows CEMeNT

[This message has been edited by Randy_tx (edited 03-15-2001).]