Hard drive (free) diagnostic software?

[Paul_R]

Hi all,

I have two 500GB internal hard drives in my PC but recently one of the drives (at least I think it's the drives) has started 'clicking' on start-up and occasionally whilst in use. I'm worried this may be a sign that one of the drives may be on it's way out!

I remember reading other threads regarding free diagnostic software being downloaded from the web but for the life of me can't seem to locate the threads even though I have tried the search facility. Can anyone point me in the right direction with regard to free software so I can at least try and identify if there is a problem and with which drive? The drives are made by Seagate and I have downloaded software from their site but most of the tests don't seem to work for some reason!

The PC is running Vista and is a Dell XPS 420 series. Having checked the warranty it seems I bought the computer in March 2008! Why is it that when something goes wrong it's just out of warranty? Having said that, I'm sure I extended the warranty to 3 years so there shouldn't be a problem getting it replaced etc. Mind you, some of you may remember that I had a bit of chew when first purchasing the computer as the drives were set-up for RAID (as requested but later changed my mind) and the two drives were replaced a few days after I purchased the computer.

Any pointers / advice would be most welcome. Thanks,

[Malcolm_Stewart]

I assume you've got all your data backed up. That's got to be your first priority - you can then diagnose your HDDs at leisure.

[FujiSigmaNolta]

I would say, backup ASAP if you haven't already. Clicking is more often than not a mechanical fault already made or in the making, no need for diagnostics there. Backup while your hard drive still reads files.

Good luck.

[john_g]

I think you're probably looking for a utility like PassMark DiskCheckup , which monitors the SMART (Self Monitoring Analysis & Reporting Technology) attributes of a hard disk and is free for personal use.

[Paul_R]

Hi Malcolm,

Yep, all data backed up. The second internal drive is used as a back up for the C drive and I also back up to an external drive.

[AGW]

If its making obvious noises that it didnt used to make, what good is a diagnostic going to do? You cant really open it up and give it a squirt of WD40. Perhaps try a re-format or a full defrag to see if it goes back to normal? I would have lost faith in the drive and be looking for a replacement.

Graeme

[BigWill]

If its making obvious noises that it didnt used to make, what good is a diagnostic going to do? You cant really open it up and give it a squirt of WD40. Perhaps try a re-format or a full defrag to see if it goes back to normal? I would have lost faith in the drive and be looking for a replacement.

Graeme

Yep,I'd go along with Graeme and fujiSig......whathisface.....................sound s like it's a mechanical/hardware problem which no amount of diagnostics will fix so I'd be looking to simply replace the drive.

BigWill

[Paul_R]

I think you're probably looking for a utility like PassMark DiskCheckup , which monitors the SMART (Self Monitoring Analysis & Reporting Technology) attributes of a hard disk and is free for personal use.

Thanks for the link. I'll have a look at that now.....yep, that's what I was looking for. Thanks for that

[Paul_R]

BigWill, Graeme, Luis

Thanks for the replies. I hear what you are saying but the reasoning behind me wanting to run diagnostic checks is so that, hopefully, when I contact Dell I can have something more detailed to tell them rather than just saying my drive is clicking! At the end of the day that's exactly what I may well end up having to say but let's see. No harm in checking. Plus, it might not even be the HD?

[BigWill]

"when I contact Dell I can have something more detailed to tell them rather than just saying my drive is clicking!" "Plus, it might not even be the HD?".................have you got death watch beetle by any chance? (The Dell boffins will probably ask you that anyway!)

BigWill

[Paul_R]

"when I contact Dell I can have something more detailed to tell them rather than just saying my drive is clicking!" "Plus, it might not even be the HD?".................have you got death watch beetle by any chance? (The Dell boffins will probably ask you that anyway!)

BigWill

You never know, BigWill

[Ian_A]

... when I contact Dell ...

Ask TFC to put in a good word for you ...

[Paul_R]

... when I contact Dell ...

Ask TFC to put in a good word for you ...

I take it he works for them? Wasn't aware of that, erm, Dear Mr TFC

[Ian_A]

... when I contact Dell ...

Ask TFC to put in a good word for you ...

I take it he works for them? Wasn't aware of that, erm, Dear Mr TFC

He, er, has a line of communication going on with them ...

[Paul_R]

... when I contact Dell ...

Ask TFC to put in a good word for you ...

I take it he works for them? Wasn't aware of that, erm, Dear Mr TFC

He, er, has a line of communication going on with them ...

Ahh, like that eh?

[Paul_R]

I think you're probably looking for a utility like PassMark DiskCheckup , which monitors the SMART (Self Monitoring Analysis & Reporting Technology) attributes of a hard disk and is free for personal use.

Thanks for the link. I'll have a look at that now.....yep, that's what I was looking for. Thanks for that

Just a quick update.

I have ran various diagnostic software but nothing stating that there were any issues with either of the internal drives.

I have been in contact with Dell support via email and have carried out two 'checks' as asked to do by their support team. The first was a basic drive diagnostic check which resulted in no error messages being shown but, interestingly, the second test was to set the hard drive acoustic to 'quiet' from within the BIOS settings. Having done this the 'clicking' was no more and so I think this shows that the clicking is in fact emanating from one of the two drives. I am now waiting for their reply as to the way forward.

[Paul_R]

Hi All,

A further update received from the Dell technician. Since I turned off the hard drive acoustic via the BIOS settings (as requested by Dell) the clicking is no longer audible. This would suggest it is coming from one of the hard drives. However, the Dell technician suggests the problem has now been resolved because I can't here the clicking anymore and there were no error reports following the 'basic' diagnostic software checks (which I carried out and reported back to them). The reply i received is below but where they say '...and there were error reported', I presume they mean '....and there were no errors reported' as that was the outcome of the diagnostic checks I carried out on their behalf.

I would be interested in other people's thoughts on this before I reply to Dell. I'm not particularly happy that one or both of the drives is clicking as the majority of people I have spoken to see this as an early warning that the drive is going to fail. However, as the (basic) diagnostic checks report no errors, I'm not too sure if I can 'force' them to change the drive/s. What would others do in this situation?

Dell reply:

Since I am a Hardware Technician, my expertise lies with the Hardware of your Dell System. We ran diagnostic on the harddrive and there were error reported. However as DELl technician we advice all our customer to back up data on a frequent basis so that they do not loose any of their important data from the harddrive. However, in future if you face any concerns or have any issues please feel free to contact us.

Regards, Paul.

[BigWill]

I dunno Paul, I would personally read that as they did find errors reported (as in the report of the clicking noise...........not the diagnostic test?) and that their answer was "to back up your data" Like you needed them to tell you the flipping obvious! I can see now why Myk's hair has started to turn grey with the issues he's had with Dell! Either way, I'd get them to clarify that point first before proceeding any further with trying to resolve your problem. Good luck, I think you're gonna need it with this one..................especially if their "tech guy" happens to be residing in Delhi!

BigWill

[Paul_R]

That's partly the problem I think, explanation lost in translation! I'll email back and ask thenm to clarify. Wish me luck

[Paul_R]

Well, latest reply from Dell:

The hard drive does not require any replacement since the diagnostic on the hard drive reported no error message and there was no clicking sound reported from the hard drive. Please do not worry; currently your system is working fine with no issue. However, in future if you face any concerns or have any issues please feel free to contact us.

Am I missing something here? If the hard drive acoustic has been turned off via the BIOS, doesn't that mean that the clicking is coming from the hard drive? If the acoustic is turned off then obviously I won't hear anything but surely that doesn't mean that because I can't here the clicking the drive is now fine? What if I turn the acoustic back on and the clicking returns? Does that then mean the drive is faulty again or is he saying that the clicking is from another part of the PC as opposed to the drive? Confused