Hey everyone, I need help. But first, let me emphasize the fact that I'm a noob and have a very limited knowledge of hard drives and computers for that matter.

Okay, so here's the scenario:

I had a laptop hdd made by Seagate. It was a ST9100824A model. After almost 2 and a half years, the drive went bad and I tested it using SeaTools and basically returned it to Seagate. The warranty is for 5 years, so I was covered (and still am for the replacement drive). Well, they sent me the same type of drive back (Momentus 5400.2 model ST9100824A), but it wasn't the original one I sent them for repair, obviously.

So everything was okay for a couple of months, until now. After a couple of Windows Updates, the drive started beeping and my computer started freezing. Note here, yes, the drive is beeping/clicking, whatever you want to call it, and not the mainboard from the laptop! Anyway, so whatever I tried to do, the drive would beep. Here is my diagnosis:

1. Does it beep at startup? Yes, it beeps whether in Windows or not and system freezes here and there and takes forever to load.
2. Ubuntu Live CD -- with hdd present -- still beeps and system freezes and takes forever to load.
3. Ubuntu Live CD -- without hdd present -- works fine.
4. SeaTools Diagnostics CD for DOS -- freezes on all tests (Acoustic, Short, and Long Tests).
5. Put hdd in my friend's Dell Inspiron 1300 laptop -- WORKED FINE -- which means it must have been something with my laptop IDE cable...

Thinking that it was a faulty IDE cable in my laptop (yes, my laptop has a ribbon cable, Asus Part: http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=4371), I went and purchased this: http://www.lextec.com/images/dx_rib276_lg.jpg
It's a USB to SATA / IDE 3.5in / IDE 2.5in HDD Adapter. Okay, continuing with my diagnosis...

6. Using the Lex Tec adapter, plugged hdd into my laptop via USB port -- still beeps!
7. Thinking it may be something to do with my mainboard, plugged hdd into a desktop computer via USB adapter -- still beeps!
8. Put hdd back into my friend's Dell laptop and ran SeaTools -- passed the short test, and was half-way through the long test and canceled it (friend needed his laptop back).
9. Put hdd back into my friend's Dell laptop again and installed Ubuntu on the hdd and erased the old partitions -- after using Ubuntu for about 3 hours without any beeps, it started beeping again and freezing!

What I wanted to do next was put the hdd in my friend's Dell laptop and low-level format it, but that takes like 12 hours and he can't lend me it for that long obviously, we're both students.

Right now, I'm at home and have access to a desktop, so I'm going to plug it in via USB again, see if it works, otherwise I'll use the adapter to plug it in via the 3.5in IDE or SATA interfaces on the desktop. Hopefully, it works, and I'll be able to use the HDDScan tool v3.1 on it. If I get it to plug in via the 3.5in IDE or SATA interface, I'll run diagnostics on it and low-level format it. But, even then, I have a feeling its going to start beeping on me again. I think it's a mechanical failure, but it makes NO SENSE to me why it will work in my friend's laptop and not mine!?

Thanks in advance!

Hello,

I think, i know the answer.
This is the power supply.
Your drive is sensitive for the 5V, and your laptop have a little less than 5V.
So, if you use the USB enclosure, the same 0.1-0.3V missing on the cable....
If you put the hdd to your desktop PC with the 2.5" -> 3.5" converter, the result depends again on your PS on the PC.
But you have a biiiig chance, it will work well.

Try to repair the laptop, or buy another manuf/model drive....

Regards,
Janos

Hey Janos,

Thank you for your quick response!

You're saying that it is the power supply on my laptop? That may be it because my power supply does go on and off sometimes, it definitely is damaged. But, at the same time, I have an external usb Western Digital 2.5in hdd (160gb My Passport) that works fine and doesn't beep at all. Wouldn't it also beep if it was a problem with my power supply?

Unfortunately, I thought the converter would let me go from 2.5in to 3.5in IDE, but it only lets you output via USB, so I can't test it on my desktop that way.

If I can isolate the problem to originating from the drive, I'll be comfortable sending it back to Seagate (they charge you if it turns out the drive is not defective). The only thing holding me back from doing that is the fact that the drive works flawlessly in my friend's laptop.

I'm now going to plug in a 3.5in hdd into the converter thing I have and test it to make sure the converter is not faulty!

Oh, I forgot to mention that the USB adapter comes with 2 USB outputs (as shown in the photo link above) for hard drives that require more power, yet this doesn't solve my problem...

Thanks again Janos, I think you're onto something though still because I was reading elsewhere and came across a similar answer.