Member Avatar for brynFlew

i am fixing a computer and backed up files on the drive then reinstalled the os, after the reinstall the harddrive started to make a clicking noise and wont boot, is this drive broken now? all i did was reinstall the os and take a few files off. am i going to have to tell the person their harddrive is toast?

Thanks


prety sure it is cant read using an sata to usb cant detetct in bios.

Edited by brynFlew because: n/a
  • 4 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 110 Views
  • 4 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by benmar

Dani AI

Generated

As described and as , and have observed, the symptoms point toward a hardware failure. Before accepting replacement, follow a short, non‑destructive checklist to confirm and to try a safe data rescue if the drive is intermittently visible.

First, non‑invasive checks: power the drive directly inside a desktop (avoid USB bridges for diagnostics), swap SATA and power cables and try another SATA port or another PC. Do a quick visual inspection of the PCB for burned components or loose connectors. If the drive is ever enumerated by the system, read SMART data (do not write to the disk) to capture health info:

sudo smartctl -a /dev/sdX

If the drive becomes visible even intermittently, image it immediately to a separate disk using GNU ddrescue so you preserve the current state and avoid further harm. A common two‑pass workflow is:

sudo ddrescue -f -n /dev/sdX /mnt/backup/drive-image.img /mnt/backup/ddrescue.log
sudo ddrescue -d -r3 /dev/sdX /mnt/backup/drive-image.img /mnt/backup/ddrescue.log

The first pass copies readable data quickly; the second attempts controlled retries on bad areas. See GNU ddrescue for details: GNU ddrescue.

Cautions: avoid opening the drive, trying the “freezer trick,” or repeatedly power‑cycling a mechanically failing unit — those actions often make recovery harder. Swapping PCBs is not a reliable home fix on modern drives because of model‑specific adaptive data. If the data is critical or the drive never enumerates, contact a professional data‑recovery service. For background on this failure mode and recovery strategies, see the discussion at Click of death — Wikipedia.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for faroukmuhammad

The HDD might be dead with a probability of 85%. It also depends on the age of the HDD too which may also increase the percentage.

Member Avatar for dimsums

Sadly the clicking sound is the sound of death for most hard drives, yes, customer will have to get a new one.

Member Avatar for benmar

you have to say the truth that the HDD is dead already, sound like that 99% HDD dead...

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.