Hello! Recently I have started to notice a strange sound coming from my 2TB WD RED WD20EFZX hard drive. It doesn’t appear all the time, maybe once every few minutes, or maybe several times in one minute. It is quite audible in a quiet room, considering that my PC is quiet. What could be the problem and how to fix it? Here is a link to the sound:
You can hear this sound on the 3rd second. I also checked the SMART status, everything is fine with the disk and there are no errors like reallocated sectors and so on. I haven’t seen such sounds before.
Hey everyone! I replaced my hard drive with a newer WD40EFPX 4TB model, and for a couple of weeks, everything seemed quiet. But then I started hearing those sounds again. I’m sure it’s the hard drive because the noise stops when I disconnect it. Is it really possible that a second drive, with a different capacity and from a different batch, has the same issue? Or maybe this isn’t a problem at all? What do you guys think about this? SMART values are OK, no problems or errors at all, no complaints about the hard drive operation.
I use USB enclosures for hard disks as the better models have additional USB ports to allow daisy chaining. This way disk to disk copying is easy. Noise is usually minimal with hard disks but consumer disks may be more prone. USB enclosures can reduce noise as well.
I know, but these sounds occur even when the disk is in use and there is no power outage or sleep mode. For example, I can simply navigate through the folders on the disk and hear this noise, or I can hear it simply when the OS is idle.
Heads move or change position, even for them not be always over the same platters area.
Its add-on function, for overheat avoidance.
All HDD with high density do that.
Hard Disks have very tiny, precision bearings in the motor drive. Sometimes, if the drive is older, one of the bearings can get a tiny dry spot in the lube and can emit a little ‘squeal’; usually intermittent and goes away as fast at it occures. Not a serious issue but if it continues and/or gets louder or lasts longer, consider replacing it at first opportunity. Remember, HD life is 3-5 years, depending…
Hey @Alex, since the SMART values are fine and performance is normal, the sounds you’re hearing are likely due to normal head movements in high-density drives, even during light use. It’s not necessarily a problem. Still, using a USB enclosure or anti-vibration mounts may help reduce noise. Just make sure to keep regular backups, and if the noise worsens, consider checking with WD support.
