Should a hard drive make noise? The hard drive is noisy, is this normal? If not, what should I do? Reducing hard drive rattling using the WinAAM program

Many users have noticed noise while working at the computer. It can be created by either a cooler, a video card, or a hard drive. However, the noise from the hard drive is different from other sounds that come from the system unit or the bottom of the laptop. The noise of the hard drive is more like a crackling sound. It appears when you copy large files or play a game. If previously your PC worked stably and there were no extraneous noises, but now your hard drive is cracking, you should copy the entire important information and check.

Getting rid of hard drive crackling

If your hard drive is cracking, there are two ways to fix this problem:

• Reduced speed of head positioning (as they crack);
• Reliable fixation of the hard drive inside the system unit.

Each hard drive has an option such as Automatic Acoustic Management. It is responsible for the rotation speed of the magnetic heads of the hard drive. It is impossible to change its parameters and reduce the speed of data reading using normal settings. A special program is required. You can find many of these on the Internet. QuietHDD software is popular. However, it is worth warning that by reducing the speed of rotation of the heads, the speed of reading information decreases. The disk starts to work slower. This is a negative factor. Here you have to choose: speed or a working hard drive.

We remove hard drive crackling using quietHDD in the following way. Download and run the utility as Administrator.

Open the “AAM Settings” tab. Move the sliders to the minimum position, reduce from 256 to 128 revolutions. Then click “Accept” and “Ok”.

So that every time before you start using programs and applications, you do not have to launch this utility, it is worth adding it to the system startup.

If you are the owner of a PC and not a laptop, the hard drive must be securely secured in the system unit. You can do this in three ways:

1. Fastening with bolts. Often the hard drive is secured with only two bolts, although there are more connectors. In the “sled” the disk “feels” freely and because of this it creates crackling and noise. It is worth stretching the device and securely securing the hard drive to all the bolts.

1. Use of gaskets. Soft rubberized pads dampen noise and vibration. You can buy them or cut them yourself and install them at the point where the disk comes into contact with the system unit. However, the material should not be too large so as to interfere with the ventilation of the disc.

1. Mounting using twisted pair. Typically, 3-4 small pieces of wire are used for this purpose and secured as if the disk were located in a slide. However, in this case it will be difficult to move the body. There is a risk of damaging the device.

Using the above methods, you can fix the hard drive so that it does not create noise or crack.

According to statistics, after about 6 years everyone stops working second HDD, but practice shows that after 2-3 years in work hard drive malfunctions may occur. One of the common problems is when the drive cracks or even beeps. Even if this was noticed only once, certain measures should be taken to protect against possible data loss.

A working hard drive should not have any extraneous sounds during operation. It makes some hum-like noise when writing or reading information. For example, when downloading files, running programs in the background, updating, launching games, applications, etc. There should be no knocks, clicks, squeaks or crackles.

If the user observes sounds unusual for the hard drive, it is very important to find out the cause of their occurrence.

Checking the status of the hard drive

Often, a user who runs the HDD status diagnostic utility can hear clicks made by the device. This is not dangerous, since in this way the drive can simply mark the so-called bad sectors.

If the rest of the time there are no clicks or other sounds, the operating system is working stably and the speed of the HDD itself has not dropped, then there is no reason to worry.

Switching to power saving mode

If you have turned on the power saving mode, and when the system goes into it you hear clicks from the hard drive, then this is normal. If you disable the corresponding settings, clicks will no longer appear.

Power outages

Power surges can also cause the hard drive to click, and if the problem is not observed the rest of the time, then everything is fine with the drive. Laptop users may also experience various non-standard HDD sounds when running on battery power. If the clicking noise disappears when you connect the laptop to the network, then the battery may be faulty and should be replaced with a new one.

Overheat

For various reasons, the hard drive may overheat, and a sign of this condition will be various non-standard sounds that it makes. How can you tell if a disk is overheating? This usually happens under load, for example during games or long-term recording on the HDD.

In this case, it is necessary to measure the temperature of the drive. This can be done using the HWMonitor or AIDA64 programs.

Other signs of overheating include freezing of programs or the entire OS, a sudden reboot, or a complete shutdown of the PC.

Let's look at the main reasons for increased HDD temperature and ways to eliminate it:

Damage to servo markings

At the production stage, servo marks are recorded on the HDD, which are necessary to synchronize the rotation of the disks and correct positioning of the heads. Servo marks are rays that start from the center of the disk itself and are located at the same distance from each other. Each of these tags stores its number, its place in the synchronization chain and other information. This is necessary for stable rotation of the disk and accurate determination of its areas.

A servo marking is a collection of servo marks, and when it is damaged, some area of ​​the HDD cannot be read. The device will try to read the information, and this process will be accompanied not only by long delays in the system, but also by a loud knock. In this case, the disk head knocks, which tries to contact the damaged servo tag.

This is a very complex and serious failure in which the HDD can work, but not 100%. The damage can be corrected only with the help of a servowriter, that is low level formatting. Unfortunately, there are no programs for this that offer a real “low level format”. Any such utility can only create the appearance of low-level formatting. The thing is that the formatting itself at a low level is carried out by a special device (servowriter) that applies servo markings. As is already clear, no program can perform the same function.

Cable deformation or faulty connector

In some cases, the culprit for clicking sounds may be the cable through which the drive is connected. Check its physical integrity - whether it is broken, whether both plugs are held tightly. If possible, replace the cable with a new one and check the quality of operation.

Also inspect the connectors for dust and debris. If possible, connect the hard drive cable to a different connector on the motherboard.

Incorrect hard drive position

Sometimes the problem lies simply in the incorrect installation of the disk. It must be bolted very tightly and positioned exclusively horizontally. If you place the device at an angle or do not secure it, the head may catch during operation and make sounds such as clicks.

By the way, if there are several disks, then it is best to mount them at a distance from each other. This will help them cool better and eliminate the possible appearance of sounds.

Physical breakdown

A hard drive is a very fragile device, and it is afraid of any impacts such as falls, shocks, strong shocks, vibrations. This is especially true for laptop owners - mobile computers Due to the negligence of users, stationary ones are more likely to fall, hit, withstand heavy weights, shaking and other unfavorable conditions. One day this may lead to the drive breaking. Typically, in this case, the disk heads break, and a specialist can repair them.

Ordinary HDDs that are not subject to any manipulation can also fail. All it takes is a particle of dust to get inside the device under the writing head and it can cause squeaking or other sounds.

The problem can be determined by the nature of the sounds made by the hard drive. Of course, this does not replace a qualified examination and diagnosis, but it may be useful:

• Damage to the HDD head - several clicks are heard, after which the device begins to work slower. Also, sounds that continue for some time may occur with a certain periodicity;
• The spindle is faulty - the disk starts to start, but in the end this process is interrupted;
• Bad sectors - perhaps there are unreadable areas on the disk (at the physical level that cannot be eliminated using software methods).

What to do if clicks cannot be eliminated on your own

In some cases, the user cannot not only get rid of clicks, but also diagnose their cause. There are only two options on how to proceed:

1. Buying a new HDD. If the problematic hard drive is still working, then you can try to clone the system with all user files. Essentially, you will only replace the media itself, and all your files and OS will work as before.

   If this is not yet possible, you can at least save the most important data to other sources of information storage: USB flash, cloud storage, external HDD and etc.

2. Contact a specialist. Repair physical damage hard drives very expensive and usually doesn't make sense. Especially when it comes to standard hard drives (installed in the PC at the time of purchase) or purchased independently for little money.

   However, if there is very important information on the disk, then a specialist will help you “get” it and copy it to a new HDD. If there is a pronounced problem of clicking and other sounds, it is recommended to contact professionals who can recover data using hardware and software systems. Independent actions can only aggravate the situation and lead to complete loss of files and documents.

We have analyzed the main problems due to which HDD may click. In practice, everything is very individual, and in your case a non-standard problem may arise, for example, a jammed engine.

Finding out on your own what caused the clicking sounds can be very difficult. If you do not have sufficient knowledge and experience, we recommend turning to specialists or purchasing and installing a new hard drive yourself.

Like any other pet, the computer publishes its own. The squeaking sound when loading, the humming of the coolers of the power supply, processor and video card, the crackling of the hard drive - everything lets you know that this “organism” is alive. When everything is normal, the level of these noises does not cause discomfort, but there is probably nothing more annoying when hard drive is cracking, creaks, squeaks - few people have the patience to survive this.

In principle, it is impossible to completely get rid of the sounds made by a hard drive, since this device contains mechanical components that move in contact with each other, and therefore make noise. Unlike silent solid state drives, a hard drive consists of magnetic disks on which information is stored that is read by magnetic heads. Most noise occurs when the magnetic head moves over the surface of the platter.

The level and nature of the noise emitted by the hard drive depends on the case material, assembly features and quality of components, and, of course, the age of the hard drive itself. An important component in the overall noise level of a computer is the case of the system unit. Made from metal of sufficient thickness, a precisely fitted and well-assembled case is unlikely to cause you irritation due to constant noise, especially if the hard drive and other elements containing mechanics are installed on sound-absorbing pads. Conversely, a poorly assembled lightweight and thin-walled case with poorly fitting elements will serve as a resonator and only amplify the sounds made by the hard drive.

Also, with age, the noise level from a hard drive tends to increase due to increasing wear and tear and physical deterioration of parts in motion.

Taking into account all the factors described above, we can sketch out a list of possible measures to reduce the noise level of the hard drive:

• Make additional noise and vibration insulation of the hard drive, install it on sound-absorbing pads.
• Carry out (this will reduce the number of movements of the magnetic head for a certain period of time, but this measure is temporary and will need to be repeated periodically).
• Adjust the AAM to the minimum noise level.
• Replace the hard drive with a new one with a obviously lower noise level. Read.

Since everything is more or less clear with the first two items of this list, and the last item involves significant financial costs due to problems with the hard drive, we will consider the third item in more detail.

Reducing hard drive rattling using the WinAAM program

All hard disks with ATA and especially SATA interfaces, they have in their settings a tool for controlling the level of noise emitted - Automatic Acoustic Management ( abbreviated as AAM). The principle of operation of this option is based on reducing the speed of movement of the magnetic heads, and accordingly, the level of noise produced is reduced. It will not be difficult to guess that this also reduces the performance of the hard drive, but everything here is very individual for each user, everyone has different priorities. But you shouldn’t make yourself too critical of this tool in advance; perhaps you won’t even notice changes in the speed of the hard drive, but you will definitely get rid of the annoying noise.

Since the AAM option is disabled by default, for greater simplicity of the operation we will resort to using a small WinAAM utility written specifically for this purpose. I’ll say right away that this tool is completely free and does not require installation; it can work directly from the archive, which is available via . After launching this program, in the very first dialog, do not touch the security settings and click “Continue”.

In the next window at the top we see a message about noise control being disabled and therefore click on the “Quiet/Standard (128)” button.

The utility will configure the hard drive accordingly and automatically shut down. By running it again and clicking on the “Continue” button and then on “Check”, we can observe a window with information about the movements of the magnetic head of the hard drive and draw a conclusion about the noise level with the new parameters - indeed, the operation of the hard drive has become much quieter.

A hard drive is a storage device that is used in most modern computers and laptops as information storage devices. However, users prefer to copy valuable data to other media or duplicate it in the cloud in case the hard drive fails. One of the first signs of failure is that the hard drive is cracking. What to do if this happens? The following describes the causes of vibrations and how to eliminate them.

What is noise level?

Noise level is a phenomenon that can be described as the sound produced by a mechanical structure during operation. This vibration includes two components: spindle (aerodynamic) noise and positioning noise. In total, the level of sound reproduced by the hard drive should be twenty-six decibels. If the noise of the component is not covered by the operation of the coolers and is clearly audible, this is a reason to wonder whether everything is in order with the device.

How to determine the source of the crackling noise?

The hard drive does not always crack when it signals its deplorable condition. A certain level of noise may well be the operating mode of the device, but if the situation with the annoying sound becomes problematic, then it is still worth disassembling system unit. To get to the insides, you need to unscrew the mounting bolts and remove the housing cover.

During repair work, you need to take care of your safety. Better be careful with electrical wires. When disassembling the computer, it is a good idea to completely disconnect the device and ground it.

What are the causes of excessive noise?

To determine the nature of the problem, you need to start the processor and listen to the sounds. It's possible that the reason for the excessive noise level is not that the hard drive is cracking. It all depends on the features of the computer assembly and the quality of its components. The source of the reproduced sound can be a powerful video card fan or a cooler that is simply dirty. If this is the problem, then you should clean the fan from dust.

The likelihood of unwanted vibrations also depends on the type of housing. If the system unit has thick enough walls, it will not let in any extraneous sounds and will provide proper comfort; a thin-walled case, on the contrary, will resonate the noise emitted. But what should you do if the hard drive in your computer is cracking, and not other components?

Why does the hard drive make excessive noise?

The essence of the problem lies in the fact that it is the special magnetic components that produce noise when rotating. In a sense, this is a completely normal workflow. But why does the hard drive crack if no unusual noise has been observed before? It is an uncharacteristic sound that may indicate a malfunction in the hard drive.

In addition, any device has its own service life. With prolonged use of the part, the hard drive wears out, which is accompanied by a characteristic cracking noise. In this case, it is necessary to copy all the data from the computer as soon as possible and replace the broken part. However, there are also less radical measures.

How to test a hard drive?

One of the first aid methods for bad hard drive sectors is to block them using special programs. If your hard drive is cracking, then, firstly, you can try using two types of complexes:

1. Acronis. The most common program of this kind, which has a number of necessary functions. The main one is the creation backup from damaged storage media.
2. Victoria. Using the program you can check the hard drive. If problem areas are found during testing, Victoria will remember them and automatically block them.

How to reduce noise using programs?

You can try to reduce the noise level of your hard drive using software methods. In this case, AAM or HDDscan programs will be useful.

The first program, the essence of which is to control speed work hard disk will automatically make the necessary settings. It is quite possible that if the hard drive is cracking, then you should simply slow down its speed, because the faster the magnetic elements rotate, the louder the device operates. A noticeable disadvantage of this program is that it may not recognize the storage medium.

The second program - HDDscan - is free from this drawback. The principle of operation of HDDscan is absolutely the same as that of AAM, but an additional advantage is the ability to test the hard drive and select SMART parameters.

How to reduce noise manually?

Mechanical noise reduction is only suitable for desktop computer, only the software method should be used with laptops.

There are quite a few options for manually fixing the problem. Often a hard drive cracks during operation not only because of its malfunction, but the reason may be that its case is poorly attached. You should make sure that all elements of the fastening structure are in the grooves and the bolts are not loose. To further seal the connections between the parts of the hard drive and the computer, insulating gaskets are used, that is, the joints can simply be taped with insulating tape, which will ensure that the hard drive mounting basket does not have direct contact. This method Quite effective in combating excessive chatter.

Another way to deal with intrusive sound is to change the location of the structural elements or the hard drive itself. This can only be done if the volume of the housing allows this movement. The main goal in this case is to achieve minimal contact between the hard drive and the case. Thus, you should ensure the most reliable static position of the hard drive.

There are craftsmen who achieve the location of the hard drive even when using strong and thick wires or wires. With the help of such improvised materials, it is possible to achieve a complete absence of vibration transmission to metal parts.

Design and technological methods for reducing vibrations include the use of noise absorption devices, which help eliminate the consequences, but not the cause of hard drive crackling. These measures are in any case only temporary. If the problem is truly critical, it is better to secure the information and make a complete replacement of hard disk.