Hard Drive Question

Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four years
(original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever. Recently I've
noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only), there is a
mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond that, no performance hit or
anything suspicious that I can detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable part - can
it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing it? (I have an
identical new one hand for just such a contingency).

It *may* be nothing, but any new noises, especially from the hard drive, are worth
being concerned about.

If your BIOS setup has an option to turn on SMART monitoring, do so. It may not
detect anything even if there is a problem, but on the other hand it may note and
report an early warning.

Since you have an identical new drive on hand, temporarily connect it as slave (you
don't even have to put it in the hard drive cage....just lay it on the desk) and
clone the old drive to the new so it is ready, and your system and data are backed
up.

I suggest you check the hard drive by running the diagnostics from the
manufacturer's web site.
Quantum/Maxtor PowerMax:
http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/powermax.htm
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Maxtor_Powermax_d1386.html

It will test the drive and also read the SMART data. It is quite possible that the
drive will test OK, and SMART will not detect a problem, and yet there may be a
mechanical problem starting with the drive, causing the noise.

Open the case, put your finger on the hard drive and start the computer. Do you
feel a vibration from the drive when you hear the noise, verifying that it is the
drive making the noise? If you have access to a mechanic's stethoscope, use that to
listen.

Were it mine and I was sure the drive was the origin of the noise, and I already had
a replacement, I would have already swapped it out.

canned
If you don't know what brand the drive is, you can download the limited-use free
edition of OnTrack Data Advisor from this location:
http://www.ontrack.com/freesoftware/#dataadvisor

When you click the download link on that page for Data Advisor 5.0 Free edition, you
will be taken to a page to register with the OnTrack site, then you will be able to
download the diskette creator file.

The downloads are diskette creators. They are to be run once from a working Windows
system and will guide you through the process of extracting the Data Advisor onto a
3.5" floppy disk.

Download and Use Instructions:
http://www.ontrack.com/dataadvisor/downloadinfo.asp

Hard Drive Diagnostic Programs by Vendor:

OnTrack Data Advisor:
http://www.ontrack.com/freesoftware/#dataadvisor
IBM/Hitachi Drive Fitness Test:
http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools:
http://support.wdc.com/download/
Quantum/Maxtor PowerMax:
http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/powermax.htm
Seagate SeaTools:
http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/index.html
Download:
http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/B7a.html
http://www.seagate.com/support/seato...toold_reg.html
/canned
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Shell/User, A+
http://dts-l.org/
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Roger Fink" wrote in message
...
Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four years
(original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever. Recently I've
noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only), there is a
mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond that, no performance hit or
anything suspicious that I can detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable part - can
it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing it? (I have an
identical new one hand for just such a contingency).

"Roger Fink" wrote:

Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four years
(original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever. Recently I've
noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only), there is a
mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond that, no performance hit or
anything suspicious that I can detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable part - can
it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing it? (I have an
identical new one hand for just such a contingency).

I'd guess that it's an indication that the drive is beginning to have
problems. How long it will be until it actually dies I have no idea.
It could be months or weeks or years.

No, a hard drive cannot be serviced. They are made to such close
tolerances that merely opening the case will admit enough dust (unless
done in a clean room, which your neighborhood repair shop doesn't
have) to cause a head crash.

--
Tim Slattery
MS MVP(DTS)

Thanks Glen. I used the Ontrack program once before, on your suggestion in
fact. I recall it being safer than the Maxtor (you suggested trying one or
the other), although I don't remember if they covered exactly the same
territory (btw the results were negative). It's the heating season up here
in "botched joke" country. I've got a grounding glove and have installed or
replaced quite a few things in the box, but I don't feel too adventurous on
this one, and given the downside I also don't think making suppositions
about how bad the problem is is a good idea either. I'll probably decide to
take it to the shop to swap in the replacement drive, but in any case I
won't let it slide.

glee wrote:
It *may* be nothing, but any new noises, especially from the hard
drive, are worth being concerned about.

If your BIOS setup has an option to turn on SMART monitoring, do so.
It may not detect anything even if there is a problem, but on the
other hand it may note and report an early warning.

Since you have an identical new drive on hand, temporarily connect it
as slave (you don't even have to put it in the hard drive
cage....just lay it on the desk) and clone the old drive to the new
so it is ready, and your system and data are backed up.

I suggest you check the hard drive by running the diagnostics from the
manufacturer's web site.
Quantum/Maxtor PowerMax:
http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/powermax.htm
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Maxtor_Powermax_d1386.html

It will test the drive and also read the SMART data. It is quite
possible that the drive will test OK, and SMART will not detect a
problem, and yet there may be a mechanical problem starting with the
drive, causing the noise.

Open the case, put your finger on the hard drive and start the
computer. Do you feel a vibration from the drive when you hear the
noise, verifying that it is the drive making the noise? If you have
access to a mechanic's stethoscope, use that to listen.

Were it mine and I was sure the drive was the origin of the noise,
and I already had a replacement, I would have already swapped it out.

canned
If you don't know what brand the drive is, you can download the
limited-use free edition of OnTrack Data Advisor from this location:
http://www.ontrack.com/freesoftware/#dataadvisor

When you click the download link on that page for Data Advisor 5.0
Free edition, you will be taken to a page to register with the
OnTrack site, then you will be able to download the diskette creator
file.

The downloads are diskette creators. They are to be run once from a
working Windows system and will guide you through the process of
extracting the Data Advisor onto a
3.5" floppy disk.

Download and Use Instructions:
http://www.ontrack.com/dataadvisor/downloadinfo.asp

Hard Drive Diagnostic Programs by Vendor:

OnTrack Data Advisor:
http://www.ontrack.com/freesoftware/#dataadvisor
IBM/Hitachi Drive Fitness Test:
http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools:
http://support.wdc.com/download/
Quantum/Maxtor PowerMax:
http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/powermax.htm
Seagate SeaTools:
http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/index.html
Download:
http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/B7a.html
http://www.seagate.com/support/seato...toold_reg.html
/canned

"Roger Fink" wrote in message
...
Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four years
(original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever. Recently I've
noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only), there is a
mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond that, no
performance hit or anything suspicious that I can detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable part
- can
it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing it? (I have an
identical new one hand for just such a contingency).

Tim Slattery wrote:
"Roger Fink" wrote:

Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four years
(original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever. Recently I've
noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only), there is a
mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond that, no
performance hit or anything suspicious that I can detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable part
- can it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing it? (I
have an identical new one hand for just such a contingency).

I'd guess that it's an indication that the drive is beginning to have
problems. How long it will be until it actually dies I have no idea.
It could be months or weeks or years.

No, a hard drive cannot be serviced. They are made to such close
tolerances that merely opening the case will admit enough dust (unless
done in a clean room, which your neighborhood repair shop doesn't
have) to cause a head crash.

Well, thanks for not laughing, at least in public. As I mentioned above I'm
inclined to let the shop do it, although the economics of repair work on an
older machine is questionable, and there won't be a guarantee on the hard
drive. The only other moving part is a CD-RW, and it's more or less new.
Ultimately, to get the thing back without any reconfiguration work to do is
still the better choice, IMO. Thanks.

Roger Fink wrote:
Tim Slattery wrote:
"Roger Fink" wrote:

Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four years
(original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever. Recently
I've noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only), there
is a mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond that, no
performance hit or anything suspicious that I can detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable part
- can it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing it? (I
have an identical new one hand for just such a contingency).

I'd guess that it's an indication that the drive is beginning to have
problems. How long it will be until it actually dies I have no idea.
It could be months or weeks or years.

No, a hard drive cannot be serviced. They are made to such close
tolerances that merely opening the case will admit enough dust
(unless done in a clean room, which your neighborhood repair shop
doesn't
have) to cause a head crash.

Well, thanks for not laughing, at least in public. As I mentioned
above I'm inclined to let the shop do it, although the economics of
repair work on an older machine is questionable, and there won't be a
guarantee on the hard drive. The only other moving part is a CD-RW,
and it's more or less new. Ultimately, to get the thing back without
any reconfiguration work to do is still the better choice, IMO.
Thanks.

Question (really): If I had XP installed and had to replace the hard drive,
and had the documentation, would it be a certainty that Microsoft would
reactivate the OS?

"Almost certainty." Depends on a few different factors. I'd guess that 99%+
of the time you'd have no problem. If you do, then contact MS Support, or
post to an XP group for assistance. See:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302878/en-us

--

Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Roger Fink" wrote in message
...
Roger Fink wrote:
Tim Slattery wrote:
"Roger Fink" wrote:

Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four years
(original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever. Recently
I've noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only), there
is a mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond that, no
performance hit or anything suspicious that I can detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable part
- can it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing it? (I
have an identical new one hand for just such a contingency).

I'd guess that it's an indication that the drive is beginning to have
problems. How long it will be until it actually dies I have no idea.
It could be months or weeks or years.

No, a hard drive cannot be serviced. They are made to such close
tolerances that merely opening the case will admit enough dust
(unless done in a clean room, which your neighborhood repair shop
doesn't
have) to cause a head crash.

Well, thanks for not laughing, at least in public. As I mentioned
above I'm inclined to let the shop do it, although the economics of
repair work on an older machine is questionable, and there won't be a
guarantee on the hard drive. The only other moving part is a CD-RW,
and it's more or less new. Ultimately, to get the thing back without
any reconfiguration work to do is still the better choice, IMO.
Thanks.

Question (really): If I had XP installed and had to replace the hard
drive,
and had the documentation, would it be a certainty that Microsoft would
reactivate the OS?

OK thanks (not that I was considering it).

Gary S. Terhune wrote:
"Almost certainty." Depends on a few different factors. I'd guess
that 99%+ of the time you'd have no problem. If you do, then contact
MS Support, or post to an XP group for assistance. See:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302878/en-us


"Roger Fink" wrote in message
...
Roger Fink wrote:
Tim Slattery wrote:
"Roger Fink" wrote:

Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four
years (original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever.
Recently
I've noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only), there
is a mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond that, no
performance hit or anything suspicious that I can detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable
part - can it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing
it? (I have an identical new one hand for just such a
contingency).

I'd guess that it's an indication that the drive is beginning to
have problems. How long it will be until it actually dies I have
no idea. It could be months or weeks or years.

No, a hard drive cannot be serviced. They are made to such close
tolerances that merely opening the case will admit enough dust
(unless done in a clean room, which your neighborhood repair shop
doesn't
have) to cause a head crash.

Well, thanks for not laughing, at least in public. As I mentioned
above I'm inclined to let the shop do it, although the economics of
repair work on an older machine is questionable, and there won't be
a guarantee on the hard drive. The only other moving part is a
CD-RW,
and it's more or less new. Ultimately, to get the thing back without
any reconfiguration work to do is still the better choice, IMO.
Thanks.

Question (really): If I had XP installed and had to replace the hard
drive,
and had the documentation, would it be a certainty that Microsoft
would reactivate the OS?

btw, I nearly fell out of the chair when I clicked on the that Shakespeare
insult kit. I've since lost all my friends, but it's been worth it.

Roger Fink wrote:
OK thanks (not that I was considering it).

Gary S. Terhune wrote:
"Almost certainty." Depends on a few different factors. I'd guess
that 99%+ of the time you'd have no problem. If you do, then contact
MS Support, or post to an XP group for assistance. See:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302878/en-us


"Roger Fink" wrote in message
...
Roger Fink wrote:
Tim Slattery wrote:
"Roger Fink" wrote:

Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four
years (original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever.
Recently
I've noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only),
there is a mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond
that, no performance hit or anything suspicious that I can
detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable
part - can it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing
it? (I have an identical new one hand for just such a
contingency).

I'd guess that it's an indication that the drive is beginning to
have problems. How long it will be until it actually dies I have
no idea. It could be months or weeks or years.

No, a hard drive cannot be serviced. They are made to such close
tolerances that merely opening the case will admit enough dust
(unless done in a clean room, which your neighborhood repair shop
doesn't
have) to cause a head crash.

Well, thanks for not laughing, at least in public. As I mentioned
above I'm inclined to let the shop do it, although the economics of
repair work on an older machine is questionable, and there won't be
a guarantee on the hard drive. The only other moving part is a
CD-RW,
and it's more or less new. Ultimately, to get the thing back
without any reconfiguration work to do is still the better choice,
IMO. Thanks.

Question (really): If I had XP installed and had to replace the hard
drive,
and had the documentation, would it be a certainty that Microsoft
would reactivate the OS?

LOL!

--

Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Roger Fink" wrote in message
...
btw, I nearly fell out of the chair when I clicked on the that Shakespeare
insult kit. I've since lost all my friends, but it's been worth it.

Roger Fink wrote:
OK thanks (not that I was considering it).

Gary S. Terhune wrote:
"Almost certainty." Depends on a few different factors. I'd guess
that 99%+ of the time you'd have no problem. If you do, then contact
MS Support, or post to an XP group for assistance. See:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302878/en-us


"Roger Fink" wrote in message
...
Roger Fink wrote:
Tim Slattery wrote:
"Roger Fink" wrote:

Don't laugh at this.

I've been using the same Maxtor 30GB hard drive for about four
years (original part, white box) with no problems whatsoever.
Recently
I've noticed that when it first kicks in on a reboot (only),
there is a mechanical noise - a short little squeak. Beyond
that, no performance hit or anything suspicious that I can
detect.

Is this indicative of near-term trouble? Is the HD a servicable
part - can it be spot lubed? Is it time to think about replacing
it? (I have an identical new one hand for just such a
contingency).

I'd guess that it's an indication that the drive is beginning to
have problems. How long it will be until it actually dies I have
no idea. It could be months or weeks or years.

No, a hard drive cannot be serviced. They are made to such close
tolerances that merely opening the case will admit enough dust
(unless done in a clean room, which your neighborhood repair shop
doesn't
have) to cause a head crash.

Well, thanks for not laughing, at least in public. As I mentioned
above I'm inclined to let the shop do it, although the economics of
repair work on an older machine is questionable, and there won't be
a guarantee on the hard drive. The only other moving part is a
CD-RW,
and it's more or less new. Ultimately, to get the thing back
without any reconfiguration work to do is still the better choice,
IMO. Thanks.

Question (really): If I had XP installed and had to replace the hard
drive,
and had the documentation, would it be a certainty that Microsoft
would reactivate the OS?