sata drive clunking

philheckler · 09-29-2005, 03:01 PM

Hi ,

Think I'm having some hard drive problems - i get a hollow sounding 'clunk' coming from the pc (hard drive?) at random intervals - at this point all processes on my pc slow down or even freeze. i've managed to temporarily cure this problem numerous times by reseating the sata power and signal cables at the drive end and motherboard end but the problem always creeps back after a week or so ... could this just be a faulty sata cable ? - or is my hard drive on the way out ? Opinions on this will be appreciated....

Regards

Phil

**Barry_R** · 09-29-2005, 03:08 PM

First backup any important files on that drive before it goes belly up permanently.

Make sure your cables are plugged in all the way and not damaged. Inspect the motherboard connector for damage.

Try replacing the cable first. If that does not cure it then consider replacing the drive.

If it is not too old you can RMA it for a new one.

philheckler · 09-29-2005, 03:13 PM

thanks for the advice - a friend of mine tells me that the clunking is caused by the head return solenoid clicking on and off - is this true ?

Phil

**Barry_R** · 09-29-2005, 03:26 PM

Yes it could be pulling the head into the park position.

Sounds like it is losing power.

How old is the Power supply? Name brand or came with case?

Check your power cable and connectors.

**keymaker** · 09-29-2005, 09:32 PM

hey phil,

another thing you can do is to go to the manufacturer's website of your hdd and download the diagnostics utility. then bootup with it, follow the onscreen instructions, and then test your hdd for any bad sectors and errors.

09-29-2005, 03:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
philheckler Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 114 OS: xp My System	sata drive clunking Hi , Think I'm having some hard drive problems - i get a hollow sounding 'clunk' coming from the pc (hard drive?) at random intervals - at this point all processes on my pc slow down or even freeze. i've managed to temporarily cure this problem numerous times by reseating the sata power and signal cables at the drive end and motherboard end but the problem always creeps back after a week or so ... could this just be a faulty sata cable ? - or is my hard drive on the way out ? Opinions on this will be appreciated.... Regards Phil

09-29-2005, 09:32 PM	#5 (permalink)
keymaker Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,154 OS: windows xp	hey phil, another thing you can do is to go to the manufacturer's website of your hdd and download the diagnostics utility. then bootup with it, follow the onscreen instructions, and then test your hdd for any bad sectors and errors. __________________ AVG Spybot SpywareBlaster Adware CCleaner Diskeeper ZoneAlarm

09-29-2005, 03:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
Barry_R TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: California Posts: 700 OS: Win XP Home, Linux Mint My System	First backup any important files on that drive before it goes belly up permanently. Make sure your cables are plugged in all the way and not damaged. Inspect the motherboard connector for damage. Try replacing the cable first. If that does not cure it then consider replacing the drive. If it is not too old you can RMA it for a new one.

09-29-2005, 03:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
philheckler Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 114 OS: xp My System	thanks for the advice - a friend of mine tells me that the clunking is caused by the head return solenoid clicking on and off - is this true ? Phil

09-29-2005, 03:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
Barry_R TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: California Posts: 700 OS: Win XP Home, Linux Mint My System	Yes it could be pulling the head into the park position. Sounds like it is losing power. How old is the Power supply? Name brand or came with case? Check your power cable and connectors.