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How to Fix Clicking Hard Drive and Recover Data

Wondershare Recoverit Authors

Jan 27, 2024 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

Hard drives are storage devices that have been in use for many years, although they have now been replaced by other drives (mainly Solid-State Drives), they are still very common. One of the most recognizable problems of the disk is the clicking and beeping sound, which may be related to a malfunction or wears. Here in the post, we will review the possible causes of hard drive clicking and methods to fix a clicking hard drive and regain your lost data. Take a cup of tea and read on.

Reasons for Clicking, Beeping Hard Drive

Q: Lately, I have been hearing a clicking sound from my hard drive. It has been working with no problems; however, I'm a little bit worried. What should I do to stop that sound?

Within the components of a hard disk, there is a disk (magnetic platter) that rotates thousands of times per minute, so it is normal for this movement to generate vibrations. Another part of the hard disk is the magnetic head, which performs the read-and-write function on the magnetic platter. Therefore, sometimes a "click" is heard, mainly because the hard drive is reading and writing data at high speed.

On the other hand, it is not normal that if your hard drive keeps clicking constantly. In the scenario, something serious may be happening like "click of death". You shouldn't go overboard on worrying about it before you know the exact source of the problem.so I am going to list the causes of the hard drive click.

Reasons for Clicking Hard Drive

  1. Insufficient power supply: It may happen that there is not enough energy for your hard drive to work correctly and therefore it produces clicks. Check your connection, your regulator (if you have one), and your power source, it is not uncommon to find an error in these devices, and changing it for a new or functional one will be enough.
  2. The data cable is faulty or incompatible: Occasionally, the cables (SATA / IDE and power) which are connected to the hard drive may be damaged, causing insufficient power to reach the device, causing unstable work. This can cause the magnetic platter to not rotate at the proper speed and therefore you may hear clicks. It can also happen that you have obtained an apocryphal cable or one of dubious origin, which means that it is not of the same quality as the original and has a lack of compatibility with your drive. Try to change the cables of your hard drive, the wear of the original cables may have been the source of the problem.
  3. Physical damages: If your hard drive ever received a blow, even if it was light, it could cause a deviation in the magnetic head, enough for a malfunction. It may sound very exaggerated, but the hard drives are very delicate (specifically the external ones), which, in case of any movement or slight impact, can have problems due to how delicate their components are. This type of incidentals can also generate a slight internal displacement in parts and parts of the hard disk, making it possible, among other things, to hear the clicking sound.
  4. Hardware issues: Hard drives are devices that run on electrical power. This energy comes from the power source, which, in turn, connects to the motherboard. It may be that some hardware component is not working properly (normally the motherboard is the one that affects your hard drive if it is failing) and it is not a problem with the hard drive. Try connecting it on another computer to verify it, in this way you will get an absolute answer if the problem resides on your disk or another device on your computer.

How to Recover Data from the Clicking Hard Drive?

If you have a hard drive that emits click sounds, it may be the background for it to stop working. It is convenient to make a backup. However, if you forget, you can turn to Wondershare Recoverit for help. It can help you retrieve data from hard drive giving a clicking noise. And apart from that, it also supports recovering data from formatted hard drive, crashed computer, Linux or NAS systems, etc. Before attempting to repair the hard drive, it would be better to backup or recover data from the clicking hard drive first. You can download Recoverit and regain the files by following the attached steps.

recoverit feature list

Step 1 Choose a drive to scan

select the clicking hard drive

Once you've installed and opened the software, select the drive where the deleted data was located to start scanning for the lost data.

Step 2 Preview the file

preview the file

It will take a few minutes to complete the scanning process. When it ends, you can select the file to preview the result.

Step 3 Select the files to recover/restore

recover data from clicking hard drive

If there is no problem with the file, now all you have to do is select the folder or folders you want to recover/restore and click on "Recover" to download the file locally.

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How to Fix a Clicking Hard Drive?

If you've got a copy of the data stored on the clicking hard drive, now you can try a few things to make the hard drive works normally.

1 Check the hard drive connection

Previously it was mentioned that probably due to the bad condition of some of the cables it could be the reason for the clicking hard drive. However, this problem may be less delicate; sometimes after some slight movement, the connection of your hard disk can be altered, check well that the cables are correctly connected either to the motherboard or to the USB connection. Even, the accumulation of dust can be a factor for the hard disk to have a malfunction; if so, you should only clean the input ports and this may be enough for you to no longer hear the clicking sound.

2 Put the hard drive upside down

It may sound strange to you, but mounting your disc upside down does not affect its operation at all. Putting your hard drive in this position can help prevent the magnetic head from obstructing the magnetic platter, and you should not be afraid of any secondary repercussions from this adaptation. So, you don't lose anything by trying this method, if it works you will be able to keep your hard drive in this way for as long as necessary.

3 Freeze the hard drive

Have you ever heard about this peculiar method? As exaggerated as it may sound, there have been users who say that freezing your hard drive can help it to work again. According to them, putting it in very cold temperatures increases the conductivity of the semiconductors, and even some pieces or mechanical parts that may have moved slightly can return to their place.

You can take this method as a last option, but it doesn't hurt to try it if you've already attempted to do everything else. Put your hard drive in a sealable plastic bag and keep it in a fridge, freezer, or refrigerator for a few hours; once you take it out, you just need to make sure it's dry, so the colder it is, the better it will probably work. This method will not fix your hard drive, but according to witnesses, it will give you enough time to rescue your data and files.

4 Send the hard drive for repair

This method is the most sensible idea that exists. Sometimes users forget that hard drives can be fixed by specialists. The disadvantage is that sometimes the price to repair it is considerably high because specific auto parts must be obtained and sometimes it is difficult to make the changes.

The most recommended decision is to buy a new disk since sometimes the price of the repair is quite high. However, if you did not have time to recover your information, it may be the only reason where it would be justifiable to invest to repair your disk.

For thoes who want to fix the clicking hard drive, Click How to Repair a Hard Drive Making Noise.

Conclusion

The clicking sound is one of the most characteristic malfunctions of hard drives and this has been associated with severe device denouements. For this reason, it should not be overlooked and it is highly recommended to back up your information immediately in case you have not done so. Fortunately, there is Recoverit software, which can recover information from hard drives, even if it has been affected, does not work correctly or even Windows does not allow access. A few clicks will suffice and your information will be back with you.

Recoverit author

Theo Lucia

chief Editor

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