Clicking Hard Drive Recovery: Recover Data From a Clicking Hard Drive

Does your hard drive go *click* *click* *click* when you attempt to perform any file transfer? Clicking sounds from your hard drive is usually the first indicator of corruption or failure. When you hear those dreaded clicking sounds, you know that data loss is on the cards sooner or later.

Fortunately, you can take fate into your hands and proactively backup data from a clicking hard drive instead of waiting for the inevitable. Additionally, if you are dealing with data loss owing to corruption or file disappearance, we still got you covered. This article highlights what causes hard drives to click and some best practices to recover data successfully.

Recognizing the Click of Death: Common Symptoms of a Clicking Hard Drive

If you’re unsure whether the clicks are abnormal, check out the common precursors that can confirm your suspicions:

• 📢 Click Amplitude: If the clicks you hear are pretty evident and resemble a metal-on-metal screeching, you must take caution. Alternatively, if the clicking sound is loud enough to interrupt a conversation, you’ve got a problem.
• 💻 Boot Impact: If your hard drive makes a clicking noise and won’t boot, it indicates a malfunctioning hard drive. Additionally, if you notice a hard drive clicking noise on startup, you must immediately take action.
• ⏩ Click Frequency: If your hard drive produces a clicking noise at a high frequency (many clicks in a short interval), it’s a problem.

Aside from the auditory aspect of clicking, here are some other symptoms depicting a possible click of death:

• ⌛ Abrupt dips in file transfer speeds: If you notice a sudden and sharp decline in your file transfer speeds, chances are the HDD is on the verge of corruption and could aggravate into a click of death situation.
• ⏱️ Dreadfully long boot times: If the internal HDD causes your laptop or PC to boot very slowly, this could be a possible precursor of the click of death.

Exploring the Root Causes of Clicking Hard Drives and Their Impact on Data Retrieval

What causes a hard drive to emit that monotonous and high-pitched clicking noise?

Clicking Hard Drive Recovery Tips: Dos and Don’ts

You need to act quickly to recover data from a hard drive with clicking noise.

Dos

• Stop all use of the hard drive at once. If you are dealing with an internal HDD, stop using the PC or laptop. Alternatively, limit the usage of your external HDD. Otherwise, the clicking noise can worsen and damage your hard drive – making data recovery impossible.
• Choose a reliable data recovery application. Data recovery tools scan your hard drive for data recovery. As a result, using the right tool can drastically increase your chances of data retrieval.
• Consult a reputable data recovery service center. If you’re dealing with a heavily damaged HDD or the DIY techniques mentioned in this article don’t work or your HDD is heavily damaged, do your research and consult a cost-effective and dependable data recovery service center. Additionally, if your PC does not detect your external hard disk, it’s best to visit a data recovery center.

Don’ts

• Do not knock on the drive. Many make the mistake of thumping or slapping the hard drive to stop the clicking noises.
• Do not place the hard drive inside a freezer. Although you may argue that overheating causes the clicking noise, once the hard drive restores its previous temperature, the clicking noise may worsen.
• Don’t attempt to crack open the drive. Opening a drive is an intricate procedure best suited for industry professionals operating within a clean room environment. Additionally, don’t attempt to transplant the HDD head. This was possible back in the day, but technological advancements have shrunk and fitted multiple components surrounding the HDD head. Attempting to DIY could damage the disk.

How to Recover Data From Clicking Hard Drive

Primarily, there are two techniques to recover data from a clicking hard drive. Regardless of the method, time is of the essence when dealing with an HDD making a clicking noise. Immediately stop using the hard drive, to maximize your chances of data retrieval.

Option A: Recover Data From Hard Drive With Clicking Noise Using Disk Drill

Some frequent HDD models from which users have witnessed the clicking noise include the WD Passport, WD10JMVW, Seagate Barracuda 7200.11, and Toshiba MQ01ABF050. Regardless of the HDD OEM, you can recover data and protect yourself from unforeseen HDD failure or hard drive corruption.

In such situations, to prevent extra stress on your already damaged HDD, you can utilize Disk Drill Data Recovery to perform a complete byte-to-byte backup and secure your data. Sometimes, a corrupted HDD doesn’t permit proper access to its files. Disk Drill can scan your clicking HDD and neatly organize all data in the existing tab (as long as Disk Management on your PC identifies the HDD without the “No media” label).

In a nutshell, Disk Drill can help you secure your data, restore access to existing files and retrieve deleted files from a clicking hard drive.

Here’s how you can use Disk Drill to recover data from your clicking hard drive:

1. Download, install and launch Disk Drill.
2. Navigate to the Drive Backup option under Extra Tools. Select your hard drive and click on Byte-to-byte backup.
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   I’m performing a byte-to-byte backup on my flash drive for this illustration. The procedure is identical for a clicking internal laptop hard disk or an external HDD.

3. Specify the target destination, and click OK. Wait for the backup to complete.
4. Head over to Disk Drill’s home page by clicking the home button. Navigate to Storage Devices > Attach disk image.
5. Select the newly created disk image, and click on Open.
6. Now, select the mounted image of your hard disk, and click Search for lost data.
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   With this command, you are scanning the disk image of your clicking hard disk. As a result, you do not inflict any additional stress on the clicking hard disk by scanning. At this stage, you can even eject the clicking hard disk (if external) to avoid any operations on it. Alternatively, if you are dealing with an internal hard drive, it’s best to copy the raw image onto another PC, and then you can perform the upcoming data recovery solution.

7. Wait for the scan to terminate, and click on Review found items.
8. You can refine the scan results of your clicking hard drive by typing in a specific file type in the top right-hand corner and clicking Enter. For this demonstration, I attempted to find a lost fff file.
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   The preview feature is handy for revealing important file attributes like the last modified date and file path. To pull up the preview panel, hover over a file and click the eye icon. Alternatively, click on a file type under scan results to refine results based on a broader filter.

   

9. Click on Existing to reveal all folders and files currently residing in your clicking HDD.
10. Select the files you want to recover from the clicking hard drive and click Recover. Specify the destination for saving the recovered data, and click Next.
11. Click on show recovered data in Explorer to directly navigate to the retrieved files from your clicking hard drive.

Option B: Contact a Data Recovery Service for Click of Death Hard Drive Recovery

If you suspect significant damage to your clicking hard drive, it’s best to consult a data recovery service center. Data recovery specialists in such centers use fine tools to open your clicking hard drive and fix the hard drive head. Moreover, data recovery service centers have clean room environments free from debris and air pollutants to keep the inside core of your clicking hard drive pure.

Is it Possible to Fix Clicking Hard Drive Using DIY Methods?

Yes, it’s possible to repair a clicking hard drive if you’re a seasoned professional with hands-on experience dealing with malfunctioning hard drives.

Here are some basic connection fixes you could attempt to fix a clicking hard drive:

Troubleshoot the connecting cable

For an external HDD, inspect the connecting cable. If you suspect any damage, try reconnecting the HDD using a new cable.

Inspect the power cable

For internal HDDs, check if you are dealing with a loosened power cable. Try unplugging and replugging the power cable to the HDD, and then connect it to your PC.

Ensure Drive-Cable Compatibility

Insufficient power could result in random clicking noises if you attempt to connect a USB 3.0 external HDD using a USB 2.0 cable.

If the above preliminary troubleshooting tips didn’t work, you could try a DIY approach of manually relieving the hard disk head.

Advanced DIY Technique | For Professionals

Here’s a DIY method to fix the clicking noise on your HDD:

1. Use a specialized T6 TORX or a related screwdriver set to unscrew the internal clicking HDD from your PC or laptop. Exercise extreme caution because the plotter sits right beneath the HDD cover.
2. Usually, the HDD screws remain hidden under the HDD OEM label. Remove the label to reveal the screws.
3. Now, you need to manually relocate the disk head from the platter to the correct landing zone (usually an orange-colored area)
4. Finally, reassemble the HDD with all the correct screws, and connect it to your PC or laptop. If you cannot locate the screws or are relatively new to DIY hard disk hacks, it’s best to consult a data recovery center that can salvage your precious data and even attempt to fix the clicking hard drive.

FAQ

Conclusion

A clicking hard drive usually depicts early signs of HDD corruption and failure. While there are some DIY techniques for fixing a clicking hard drive, it’s best to consult a data recovery center. As soon as you encounter clicking noises on your HDD, stop using the HDD and attempt to create a backup and recover data using data recovery software.