So I just got a WD Black 4TB, and when I plugged it in and booted it started making a weird clicking/knocking Noise. It does that for roughly 10 seconds then its just a click every 5 seconds which seems to be PWL - “Preventive Wear Leveling” so nothing Unusual. Since I still found the Sound at boot a bit weird, I downloaded the Diagnostics Tool from the WD Website (DLGDIAG). When starting the Quick Test it makes a very unnerving sound for roughly 2 seconds which stops for 5 seconds and then continues for another 11 seconds (A similar Noise occurs at the start of the extended Test which I cancelled since it seems to take ages). After that, it’s just the regular clicking from PWL. The Quick Test passes and S.M.A.R.T doesn’t show any issues. I’ve done a bit of research and read that WD Blacks tend to be a bit noisy but couldn’t find anything on weird sounds at boot and at the beginning of the Quick Test.
Quick Test Results:
Test Option: QUICK TEST
Model Number: WDC WD4004FZWX-00GBGB0
Unit Serial Number: K4HA08YB
Firmware Number: 81.H0A81
Capacity: 4000.79 GB
SMART Status: PASS
Test Result: PASS
Test Time: 16:02:59, August 03, 2018
Here are two recordings I did with my phone at roughly the same distance:
At 0:14 - 0:16 You can hear the scratching(?) and then again at 0:21 - 0:32 after that it’s just the PWL. The sound at 1:25 is just me accidentally knocking my phone on my case.
The Drive was ordered from the Official WD Site and the Box didn’t Display any signs of being dropped hard or similar. Is the Noise completely normal or should I send it back?
Hello Alex,
Thank you for the response. I looked into doing an RMA, but since it says I might not get a new drive, I opened a Support Case as I would prefer getting a new drive as a replacement for my drive that is new.
Hi
Not the first WD drive i have bought (the first being a 2TB WD Green)
had no issues with it and even just bought a WD Green SSD for my laptop,
I have had my 4TB Black for quite a few mounts but with UNI i haven’t had time to copy things across until now,
i am hearing the periodic click and the hum of the drive spinning but i am also getting the very loud noise found in the second clip that Siti Schu posted.
i know i have had the drive for a while but kept it safely in its box, just opened today and the sound makes me worry whether i should use it to replace my almost full drives or not, most of it would be for my Steam library to take some load off the WD Green but i dont want to move it all that could take a hour or so just to lose it.
I purchased it through Amazon if that makes a difference
I opened the Support Case and they suggested me to return it and get a new one. I’d see if yours can be returned to Amazon and hope the new one you get doesn’t have that noise.
the message i get on My Amazon order page states that it isn’t eligible for product support, and its a huge shame i dont know when i’ll have time to try and sort my drives again, it was also allot of money for a student so if i get no support from WD its going to make a very expencive paperweight.
i’d like to get some sort of confirmation from WD before i file for an RMA as i realy cant afford much in the way of shipping right now
