WD Blue 1TB Squeak

WD Internal Drives Desktop & Mobile Drives
1

I purchased a WD Blue 1TB drive recently and noticed that it makes a loud squeak every time it goes idle or the PC shuts down. I returned it and got a replacement from the store I purchased it, and the replacement drive makes the exact same sound. I’ve seen a ton of comments on numerous sites that all note a squeaking sound, but there is a lot of conflicting information regarding if this is normal or if it is abnormal.

I’d also like to note that I’ve read the response given by staff to most of these comments that note what noises are normal from WD Drives. It doesn’t sound like a click. It doesn’t sound like a whirl. It doesn’t sound like grinding or beeping. It sounds like the squeak of a mouse or rat. It happens once, each time the drive goes into idle mode or the PC is shut off.

Honestly, I just want to know if I have to drive down to the store again and just return the drive and go with a different brand, or if this is normal.

2

Hi @Averath,

Please refer to the article How To Tell If The Noise or Sound An Internal Drive Makes is Normal:
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16309

Please refer to the link below to test the drive using WD Dashboard:

Title: Testing a drive for problems using Western Digital Dashboard
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/31759

3

Unfortunately, I read through that support link and installed the Western Digital Dashboard before I made my initial post here. The Dashboard claims that the drive is fine. As for the article:

Is a mouse-like squeak a “normal” sound? It doesn’t sound like a grinding noise, or a beeping noise, or a clicking noise. It sounds like if you had a pet mouse and it squeaked.

I know it is the Hard Drive, because when I removed the hard drive from my tower, the sound ceased. I’m also quite certain that it doesn’t involve the other two troubleshooting and solutions sections, because it only occurs when the drive goes idle or the computer shuts off. The drive sounds normal when it spins up.

4

Hi @Averath,

I appreciate that you have performed the troubleshooting steps.

For more information, please contact the WD Technical Support team for best assistance and troubleshooting:
https://support-en.wd.com/app/ask