This is not the clicking noise when the hard drive is in Idle mode like I saw in other posts here....I just got this HD 2 weeks ago...it is the7200.9 300G with 16M buffer...I noticed (since I got it) that the drive does a clicking noise every once and while when it is active (spining, seeking...etc)...It does not do this noise when it is Idle or something...almsot only when it is envolved in a intensve activity (you hear the drive spining for seconds and then the cliking noise follow). The noise is sharp and very sort (<1s) and it happens every now and then....not parmenalty...I was thinkning it has to do with flsuhing the buffer or something but it is just a guess. no more...I may be completeing wrong...and I am just wiondering if this noise is normal or not ? is it an indication of a malfucntion ? has anybody face such noise ? shall I send it for repair exchange before an eventual crash (still under warranty)...one thing is this HD is made in China (look at the post warning HD barracuda made in China)...

I'd check the power supply (and power cable). And then I'd send it for replacement

So are you saying it is ABNORMAL that the drive makes this clicking noise ? I talked to a seagate tech support guy and he said hard drives do click and could be normal but he coudnt tell ftom my description if this is a defect or not!!!

Clicking sound is not normal, and therefore is abnormal...
It may be caused by:
- bad power supply/power connectors
- defective drive

mmm...I'll check the power supply...my second slave hard drive (whcih was my primary master before I got this one) was connected to the same power supply and never did this noise (barracuda 7200.5)...I was wondering how the power supply could be bhind this mechanical clincing noise...it sounds like the head of the HD is moving from once and a while!...anyways thanks for your help maysoft

It can be and it is pretty common... When your power connector is weak or when your power supply costs <$25

By the way, if you post your SMART, then it will be much more clear what is wrong...

Here are teh S.M.A.R.T attributes as requested..what do you think ?
Model : ST3300622A
Firmware : 3.AAH

S.M.A.R.T. attributes

Att Description Value Worst RAW Thresh
001 Raw Read Error Rate 119 099 00000C467C15 006
003 Spin Up Time 089 086 000000000000 000
004 Start/Stop Count 100 100 00000000002A 020
005 Reallocation Sector Count 100 100 000000000000 036
007 Seek Error Rate 074 060 000001B48950 030
009 PowerOn Hours Count 100 100 00000000018B 000
010 Spin Retry Count 100 100 000000000000 097
012 Device Power Cycle Count 100 100 00000000002C 020
187 Unknown Attribute 100 100 000000000000 000
189 Unknown Attribute 100 100 000000000000 000
190 HDA Temperature 052 047 48°C 045
194 Temperature 048 053 48°C 000
195 Hardware ECC Recovered 102 061 000005A35353 000
197 Current Pending Sector Count 100 100 000000000000 000
198 Uncorrectable Sector Count 100 100 000000000000 000
199 UltraDMA CRC Error Count 200 200 000000000000 000
200 Write Error Rate 100 253 000000000000 000
202 Data Address Mark Errors 100 253 000000000000 000

I do not see any problem with the drive from this smart... so it is most likely power issues. It still could be the HDD, some sort of 'hidden' defect or something.

yes thanks maysoft...i still did not check my ppwer supply connectors...I will do the test and see (may be put the drive on another computer). If the clicking is still there and will probabby send it back to seagate

It's got the same SMART attribute degrading problem, both the Raw Read Error Rate and the Seek Error Rate, the raw data isn't at all zeroes!

Also, does it sound like the old HDDs when flushing the cache?

Loud seeking is un-Seagate-like. Western Digitals were the ones that usually sound like that, especially Caviars from the 1990s.

Intersesting to know..thanks!..I guess I will have no choice left but to return it to Seagte and ask for replacement...I hope they will honor my 5 years warranty because i have no bill since i bought it through ebay!

to answer your questions:

The sound is a clicking one...it does not happen offen...only from once and a while...when I hear the HD spinning a lot (for example closing a heavy application such as word...)...I hear one sharp and short clickingg sound (one or sometimes tow clicks)....as if the head or someting moving (it is a mechnical noise anyways for sure)...

so again it is not the seeking noise..the spinning sound seems ok..it is just a cliking sound that hapens "inside" a "heavy spinning activity"...again it is one (sometimes 2 ) clicks no more!!!

What do you think ? should I just go ahead with contacting seagate for warranty ? shoudl I mention the chinease batch issue and ask for a replacement form a different batch ?...would you think i may face a pb returing it w/ no bill?

But at least my Seagate Barracuda HDDs were quiet.

RJARRRPCGP
I do not see here "Smart degrading problem" at all... Values you mentioned should be what they are.

I tried to record the noise (.wav file of 6M)..if anyone is interested to hear what this clicking noise looks like give me your email and I will ship it...I was doing a HD normal scan to try reporduing the noise....

Maysoft: I did change the connector...noise is still there!..it is always possible that my power supply is behind the noise...howeever my old Barracuda never did it and it is not doing now neither as a secondary salve HD!

Can you upload it to Filekeeper?
FTP server: ftp://ftp.filekeeper.org
FTP login:
FTP password: demo123

Yes Maysoft thanks. I just did upload it. The file is click.wav!..please let me know what the sounds suggests...again I was doing a quick scan on the HD...thats why you will hear a continuous white noise and in the middle of course you will hear the cliks..2 times

I believe this is the right file
http://www.filekeeper.org/download/demo/click.wav

Almost impossible to hear anything... Those 'clicks' do not sound like clicks from HDD... If you could put a mic right on the HDD then it will be probably more clear whats going on ...

Ohh yes those clicks were the ones I was talking about...The MIC was right in front of the HDD (case open)...I tried to do better recording but I coudnt..unfortunalty that was the best I could do...As I mentioned the clicks were sporadic not permanent...so what you hear as a click is the one from the HDD....

Thanks

I just never heard such sounds... (but i've "heard" thousands of drives)
So I am not sure what to suggest. Sorry...

thanks Maysoft...I knew that because the noise was not reporducible 100% of the time it would be quiet difficlut to dignose the issue. I decided to work with it as is and if somthing really abd happens I will just try to send to back for repair under warranty (and hope their will honor it w/out bill)...again I apreciate your quick replies!