On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 7:18 PM, Grant <[email protected]> wrote: >>> A desktop Seagate 320GB hard drive of mine sometimes makes a buzzing >>> noise. I ran 'smartctl -t long /dev/sda' and I get: >>> >>> Num Test_Description Status Remaining >>> LifeTime(hours) LBA_of_first_error >>> # 1 Extended offline Completed without error 00% 11740 >>> - >>> >>> Does the noise mean I need to replace the drive, or would >>> smartmontools tell me if there was a problem? >> >> Any weird noises from a hard drive scare me... make a backup as soon >> as possible. In fact I had a 320GB Seagate drive start making funny >> noises recently (but in my case it was the click of doom and the drive >> going offline). >> >> However, in case it's just a weird noise caused by it spinning at just >> the right speed with the heads at just the right place which is >> causing some vibration, you might try adjusting the acoustic settings >> on it with hdparm to see if it makes any difference (if supported, and >> if you dare). Or maybe even re-seat the drive in the case. >> >> The fan on top of my case randomly starts vibrating and makes the most >> awful buzzing noise. If I touch the case in a certain spot it goes >> away (until I remove my finger). :) I usually just give it a couple >> whacks and it stops... but that's probably not a good course to take >> with a hard drive. :) > > I was hoping it was that type of noise but after testing and > reseating, it's some kind of an internal noise. It started a month or > so ago and sometimes it stops. Is there any other type of test I can > do to see if the thing is healthy?
You could try booting SeaTools for DOS from a floppy/CD/USB, it may be able to do more specific tests on your drive than S.M.A.R.T. is capable of. http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools (they used to have a Linux version, but it's old and doesn't support things like SATA...)
