I have a brand new WD 2TB Black and right out of the box it’s making this odd noise when I shut off the computer. Other than the noise on shut down the HDD is making the normal sounds a HDD should make.
It seems like a LOT of people have this same issue with these drives. I’ve owned WD HDDs in the past and I found them to be reliable and all of the other drives I’ve owned I have never ever heard this sound before.
Two weeks ago I bought some WD Black 2TB drives from Amazon UK and I also get the EXACT same noise as yourself upon shut-down on all of them.
With so many others also having this exact same issue, there is either something seriously wrong with the Western Digital manufacturing process, or it is by design and there is nothing wrong with these drives. I created a support case with Western Digital to give them the opportunity to clarify things, but they have made no effort to get back to me.
It seems that Western Digital are are failing to address what is clearly a widespread issue if so many people are reporting it. A short message of clarification as to whether this is a feature or a fault would go a long way to restoring some confidence in their drives.
I will not RMA them to Western Digital only to receive refurbished drives, nor will I play hunt the quiet hard drive by exchanging them with Amazon UK. If I have not had a satisfactory response from Western Digital Support in the near future, I will be returning all of them to Amazon UK for a full refund.
Hi Gekco - I got exactly the same results as yourself.
The Firmware, Capacity on all my drives is exactly the same as yours and multiple SMART tests (Quick and Extended) all PASS.
I am convinced that there is nothing wrong with these drives. However, unless Western Digital are prepared to back them up and give us some confidence, then I will be returning all of them to Amazon UK for a full refund.
The longer this goes on the more I think this will never be answered… I put in my support case 3 days ago, no answer. Made this forum post 3 days ago, no answer from WD at all…
WD, it’s obvious you’ve already lost a few customers over this drive noise and it seems like you will lose more over this drive noise. Myself, I can careless about the noise IF it’s supposed to be there and it doesn’t damage my drive. If the noise ISN’T supposed to be there then why does it seem like every replacement drive people get the drive makes the same noise?
My dad has another 2TB WD Black drive WD2002FAEX and I have WD2003FZEX. His drive doesn’t make this noise when he shuts down his computer. So what did you guys add to the newer model that makes it create this sound?
I did get a response from Western Digital Support, and after a few emails back and forth (they also looked at this thread) they advised me to either return the drives to Amazon UK for a full refund or to RMA them to WD and they would replace them.
Considering that every WD 2TB drive I have bought has this problem, many others are also having the exact same problem and finally a recommendation from WD to return the drives tells me that the drive is definitely faulty and that this a very widespread problem.
So I will be returning all of them to Amazon for full refunds, but I will not be getting another Western Digital drive. I would also advise anyone else to do the same.
I had a batch of 2TB WD Black which were all manufactured in July 2017 - all made this exact noise.
I also had a batch of 2TB WD Gold which were all manufactured in October 2017 - all made this exact noise.
I cannot believe that all of these disks are defective. There must be a sensible explanation for it. But as Western Digital refused to confirm that they were satisfactory, they were finally all returned to Amazon UK for a full refund.
There can only be two explanations as far as I see it at the moment:
1.WD have a serious manufacturing issue that they are refusing to admit publicly,
or,
2.WD Support are without technical knowledge and the limit of their assistance is pointing you to a page of known noises or pointing you to the RMA page.
If either of the above are correct, then that is a pretty poor showing from WD. However, if I am wrong and anyone (even WD Support themselves) has any other suggestions, then please let’s hear them.
Any reply/more info on this problem?
It’s ridiculous that WD doesn’t say anything on this matter with tons of people everywhere asking the same question over and over again.
There are people that have bought 2 WD black + 2 WD Gold 10TB that cost a fortune a nobody answer.
Moreover, the Gold model is for datacenter and the top notch of WD: aren’t we customers of these enterprise disks worth a f… reply ?!!
I have 2 Gold HDDs and both with the same noise. Both made 5 dec 2017 and bought few days ago. Just like someone else said,
or the WD support is made of chinese 11 years old babies that only made copy/paste
or WD is no more able to make HDD and no one is working properly
or this is by design, and nothing to worry about (especially because my 2 drives are super fast and 0 errors)
Whatever the case SAY SOMETHING SERIOUS!
Saying nothing is worst than saying “Guys, we’ve sold tons and tond of bad drives that will explode in your face very soon and you’re office will go on fire”.
And the RMA is not a good reply, especially because I’ve not found yet a single guy that have solved the problem with the RMA: the returned disk has always the same noise in any case I’ve read of.
I can’t believe this situation, it’s surreal! Recap:
Tons of people with this shutdown noise
No reply from WD other than useless copy/paste
Those who accept to send the disk for repair have back a disk that makes the same noise and it’s also a refurbished one that will last less that the original.
Is this is a joke?.. something like “You’ve been framed”?
As someone familiar with tech communities, it’s interesting to see discussions about Western Digital products. If you’re experiencing odd noises on shutdown with your WD 2TB Black, reaching out to Western Digital support might be beneficial. They’re known for their reliable products, and their customer service team is usually great at providing assistance and solutions to ensure the best performance from your WD devices.
