WD Elements with permanent access noise in idle [ Edited ]

[-fwn-]

I posted a new thread in the Mac externals forum, not knowing this thread was here.

I have exactly the same problem with a new MyBook Elite 1.5TB w/ the latest firmware. Even when disconnected from the computer and powered up, the drive makes this read/write noise after a few seconds. It lasts till the 10 min sleep timer kicks in. This started after copying some 200GB to the disk - when it was empty it didn't do it.

For interests sake, my WD Caviar 80GB circa 2004 also does this, although it seems to behave after a few "resets" - i.e. opening a folder to stop the idle read/write noise.

Hence, this is not a new problem... I don't know why the engineers need sample serials or drives, they can take a random selection of drives from any time period and see for themselves. Also, this doesn't appear to have anything to do with the actual enclosure... It's the WD drives inside. That's why desktop users have the same problems with some internal drives.

Any news on the topic? All I want to know: Is it normal? Is it shortening the drive lifespan? If the answers to that is yes and no respectively, then I don't care about the slight noise.

Update: And it's stopped doing it now. After access, the heads park after 8s as a Green disk does, and then it stays silent. Previously the heads would unpark after another few seconds. So: Do the drives perform a self monitor test after copying large amounts of data? Was it merely checking that 200GBs I copied last night? I suspect no-one knows the answers to these questions.

Update 2: And it's back. Sigh.

Update 3: And BTW, what's the point of parking the heads after 8 seconds (a Green drive feature) only to unpark them 5 seconds later to do 'drive maintenance' or whatever, if that's the case?

[HAL2005]

From the start of the threat in Dez. 2009 we get no funded technical explanation from WD concerning this behaviour.

All engineers are reading and nobody is responding.

The only information we got is that the drives do a kind of "housekeeping" (looking for bad sektors, checking the data). WD say they can not follow our points and actually they do a test of several drives from people of the forum.

Hopefully they will post the results...

I myself have an old 160GB drive which does the permanent writing. too. Therefore i assume that it is special for WD drives and is a feature since a few years. To a certain percent it might me a good thing, but here people report a permanent writing at full load without any stop. In my opinion the self check puts itself in the foreground which leads to noise and short lifetime and anti-trust of the user.

Contrary to this most user don't note this because WD drives itself are very silent drives and you will not hear it, if you use a WD drive internally. Maybe it is only one charge of drives and not all, maybe it is a feature (WD do not advertise), maybe its faulty firmware, who knows... .

We should give it a chance and wait for their response.

HAL

[FruitLooPs]

Hi guys, i've got exactly the same issue.

1TB WD Elements external drive, quiet as a mouse when not in use. Then it used to make heavy read/write sounds for a couple of minutes, and now it's just the same as you guys - unless i'm seeking data from the drive then all I hear is the buzzing read/write constantly.

This happens on my win7 64bit machine, and even when plugged into my Samsung LCD TV (I went into my living room 2 days ago, and noticed the drive making the constant read noise so I unplugged it - and just tried on my computer today and it persists)

There is most definitely a problem, I hope it's just a firmware issue rather than a design fault. I can put forward my serial number via PM if necessary - I'm in New Zealand.

[SuBByDew]

I have a similar problem but mine has a clicking noise. Windows still makes the recognized sound when I turn it on but it doesn't come up in my computer or even disk manager. It just keeps clicking then slows down and stops spinning and then starts again. It just keeps going on and on and on.

It would be great if we could get some answers soon

here is a vid of what noise mine makes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z9wCcFab7I

Help Help Help

[timproof]

Stubby,

Read back a few pages in this post and you will see that there is no point at all posting in here if you want technical support or useful support of any kind.

This forum is for people to discuss how Great WD is and to ignore that there could actually be a major ongoing flaw in a major line of HDD's that are still happily being sold as working useful drives.

I recommend that you contact the vendor you bought the drive from, and ask for your money back. Then go buy a Seagate or Samsung to replace it.

Peace.....

[Bill_S]

It's possible that you're not getting enough power to the drive.  If you have a power adapter plugged into a power strip, I'd try plugging it straight into the wall to see if that helps. 

[petshop]

---

SuBByDew wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z9wCcFab7I

---

Your noise is very different from what this thread is about, so this is the wrong place.

But before you make another thread: the noise is widely known and a sure sign that your drive is dead. Each time you switch it on now will reduce the chance for specialists to get the data back out. Most people don't want to pay for that and just get a new one.

[hahahafr2]

Hi,

I bought a 640GB Caviar SE16 and from time to time when no process is accessing the drive, it does this buzzing very loud noise, I just signed up on this forum to say that there's clearly an issue with this "idle buzzing noise".

Although, on this drive, the problem don't seem as bad as the one reported here, my hdd only does this buzzing loud noise like twice per day. But if I don't open the defragmenter and start to defragment (write accessing the drive), the drive seems to be doing that forever.

It really freaks me out because this noise is something new. On the numerous website where you can listen to "broken" hdd sounds no one are even close to this sound. This is not a clicking nor claping noise.

[SuperDre]

I also have this problem a long time, I have it with 2 1TB essentials which are bought about a few months between and with different shops. Now I just received a DELL (windows 7 x64) which has a WDC WD5000AAKS internal (also only drive), and only the first days it was 'quite', but since I'm done installing all programs (a few days later) it is making this noise constantly (except when there is real disc access).. It is running firmware 05.01D5 (according to WD Lifeguard).

My collegue has also the same PC (arrived the same day as mine), it also has a WDC WD5000AAKS (haven't checked the firmware), but it seems that PC is still quite.. We're propably gonna ask DELL for a new drive, after which we will send the original back to them..

I'm also hessitant to buy any more WD drives because of this problem as it is the third drive I have this problem with, and if it's the third drive (which so much difference in time/suppliers), it surely is a common problem.. If this is said as being an acceptable noise level, then I'm certainly not gonna buy any WD-drives anymore as I don't find this noiselevel acceptable..

[SuperDre]

Just got home, and checked the firmwares on the 2 1TB essentials..

WDC WD10EADS-00M2B0:  firmware 01.00A01

WDC WD10EACS-00D6B0:  firmware 01.00A01

So both are on a version 1 firmware, so it might be something else...