The hard drive is the key component of the computer that stores information. Recently, more and more users are abandoning HDDs in favor of faster SSDs, but their cost still does not allow many to place all the necessary information on solid-state drives.
Why hard drives make noise
It is generally accepted that the cooler is the noisiest component of a desktop computer and laptop. However, if the cooling system is well thought out, the operation of the coolers may be almost inaudible.
The next element of the system unit in terms of the level of emitted noise is HDD... During operation, mechanical heads move inside the device, which read information from magnetic disks, which leads to noise. Sometimes the hard drive starts to crack and make noise so much that it causes discomfort when working at a computer.
Noise level hard disk depends on many factors: the speed of its operation, age and condition, body materials and build quality, as well as some others. Accordingly, it is possible to distinguish software and hardware methods for reducing the noise level of the hard disk during operation.
How to Hardware Reduce Hard Drive Noise During Operation
Generally, the older the hard drive, the louder it becomes. This is due to the wear and tear of its elements, and a strong crack from the drive indicates its imminent failure. However, if there are no plans to replace the hard drive yet, you can vibration-isolate it in the computer case. There are two options for how to do this:
Another option for solving the problem with the noisy operation of computer components is to replace the case with an option that has good sound insulation.
How to programmatically reduce hard drive noise during operation
If your hard drive is cracking, buzzing or knocking a lot during operation, you can try to fix this programmatically. As mentioned above, during the operation of a hard disk, mechanical heads move inside it, which look for information on magnetic disks. Accordingly, there are two ways to reduce the noise from their movement:
Important: Please note that reducing the noise level of a hard disk implies a decrease in the speed of movement of the head, respectively, a decrease in the speed of the drive. However, in ordinary user tasks, such a decrease is almost imperceptible.
Like any other pet, the computer publishes its own. The squeak at boot, the hum of the coolers of the power supply, processor and video card, the crackling of the hard disk - everything lets you know that this "organism" is alive. When everything is normal, the level of these noises does not cause discomfort, but there is probably nothing more annoying when bursting hard drive, creaks, squeaks - few have the patience to survive this.
In principle, it is impossible to completely get rid of the sounds emitted by the hard drive, since this device contains mechanical components that move in contact with each other, which means they are noisy. Unlike silent solid-state drives, a hard drive consists of magnetic disks, on which the information read by the magnetic heads is stored. Most of the noise occurs when the magnetic head moves over the surface of the plate.
The level and nature of the noise emitted by the hard drive depends on the case material, assembly features and the quality of the components, and of course - the age of the hard drive itself. An important component in the overall noise level of a computer is the case of the system unit. Made of ample metal, the precision-fit and well-assembled case is unlikely to be irritated by the constant noise, especially if the hard drive and other mechanical parts are mounted on sound-absorbing pads. Conversely, a poorly assembled lightweight and thin-walled case with poorly fitted elements will serve as a resonator and only amplify the sounds made by the hard drive.
Also, with age, the noise level from the hard drive tends to increase due to increasing wear and tear and physical depletion of parts in motion.
Considering all of the above factors, you can outline a list of possible measures to reduce the noise level of a hard drive:
- Make additional noise and vibration isolation of the hard drive, install it on sound-absorbing pads.
- Carry out (this will reduce the number of movements of the magnetic head for a certain period of time, but this measure is temporary and will need to be repeated periodically).
- Adjust AAM to the minimum noise level.
- Replace the hard drive with a new one with a deliberately lower noise level. Read on.
Since everything is more or less clear with the first two positions of this list, and the last point implies significant financial costs due to problems with the hard drive, we will consider the third point in more detail.
Reducing the crackle of the hard drive using WinAAM
All hard drives with ATA and especially SATA interfaces have in their settings a tool for controlling the level of noise emitted - Automatic Acoustic Management (abbreviated AAM). The principle of operation of this option is based on reducing the speed of movement of the magnetic heads, and, accordingly, the level of noise produced is reduced. It will not be difficult to guess that this also reduces the performance of the hard disk, but here everything is very individual for each user, everyone has a different arrangement of priorities. But you should not set yourself up too critically to this tool in advance, you may not even pay attention to changes in the speed of the hard drive, but you will definitely get rid of the annoying crackle.
Since the AAM option is disabled by default, and for greater ease of operation, we will resort to using a small, specially written utility WinAAM. I must say right away that this tool is completely free and does not require installation, it can work directly from the archive, which is available on. After starting this program, in the very first dialog, do not touch the security settings and click "Continue".
In the next window on top, we see a message about the disabled noise control and therefore click on the "Quiet / Standard (128)" button.
The utility will configure the hard drive accordingly and shut down automatically. Having started it again and clicking on the "Continue" button, and then on "Check", we can observe a window with information about the movements of the magnetic head of the hard drive and draw a conclusion about the noise level with new parameters - indeed, the work of the hard disk has become much quieter.
Why does the hard drive crack?
When working with a computer (PC), users often complain about the presence of extraneous noise or crackling. In most cases, noises are caused by the operation of fans (coolers), but the crackle is most likely from the hard drive. Then the question arises: why is the hard drive bursting? There may be several reasons, both a malfunction of the hard drive itself, and poor fastening, fixation of the hard drive inside the computer case, due to which, as a result, extraneous vibrations are created and the hard drive begins to rattle. True, for the sake of fairness, it should be noted that the hard drive actually constantly emits a characteristic noise, and this is quite justified, since the principle of operation of the hard drive is precisely that during the reading of information magnetic heads begin to rotate. This is especially true for old HDDs.
If the noise becomes annoying or it was not there before, but after a while it appeared, then this may also be a sign that the hard drive may soon fail. Also, the fact that the hard drive is possibly faulty may be evidenced by the fact that with the appearance of noise, the computer began to work worse and slower, periodically freezes, gives various errors or does not want to boot at all. Therefore, here you need to seriously think about checking the disk for errors.
Below we will discuss the main reasons why a hard drive is noisy.
The main reasons why a hard drive is bursting
The first reason is poor fixation in the case of the system unit of the hard drive. There is only one way out - just make out system unit and securely mount the hard drive. But it is often impossible to do this because of the cheap case. In this case, one of the most common options among users is to hang the hard drive on pieces of twisted pair cable. All you need to do is pull out the sled on which the hard drive was attached.
The second reason why the hard drive on a laptop and a PC is making noise is the specifics of the operation of a particular drive model. This is his normal mode of operation. True, if such noise greatly interferes, then you can resort to the method of reducing it by reducing the rotation speed of the hard drive heads.
Hard drives have such a function as Automatic Acoustic Management (AAM for short). Its essence lies in the fact that you can reduce the rotation speed of the magnetic heads and, thus, reduce the noise level. But in this case, the hard drive will also be slower to read data. Therefore, here each user decides specifically for himself what is more important for him - the absence of noise or high performance.
This method is implemented by various software tools. There are many such programs on the Internet, so it won't be difficult to find. You can also just enter a request for a bursting hard drive what to do and immediately search system will give out a lot of information and articles, where specific names of programs are mentioned, through which the AAM mechanism can be implemented. The main point of it all software in the fact that there are two numbers 128 and 254. The first is when the hard disk will work quietly, but slower, and the second is fast, but it will make a lot of noise. You can try experimentally to find the optimal value for yourself.
The next most dangerous reason is a hard drive malfunction or a certificate that it will soon need to be replaced or returned for repair.
What to do when the hard drive is noisy due to a malfunction?
When the excessive noise of the drive is associated with its malfunction, then it is imperative to check for errors. We will tell you how to do this in Russian below.
It is recommended to back up all data before checking. It is better for such purposes to purchase an external hard drive that connects to a PC or laptop via USB. The check can be done as regular means the most operating system(OS) Windows XP / 7/8/10 and other software:
1. Checking using standard operating system tools.
The Windows OS family provides such an opportunity as checking the hard drive for errors and their automatic fix... It is enough just to highlight desired disk by using right button mouse and select Properties from the context menu. Then select the Service item and click the Check button. Be sure to check the box next to the items: "Automatically fix errors" and "Check and repair bad sectors". It is advisable that at this time no processes and applications are running on the PC, otherwise the system may give an error that it is impossible to check, since this disc is currently being used by other applications and processes. If errors are found at the end of the check, then it is advisable to carry out additional diagnostics using proprietary utilities from the HDD manufacturer.
2. Checking with the manufacturer's software allows for more advanced diagnostics and has a number of additional tests. Such programs can also be found on the Internet or downloaded from the hard drive manufacturer's website. If, as a result of such a test, problems are also found, then we can conclude that the reason for the excessive noise of the hard drive is its malfunction.
The hard drive has been determined to be defective. Action options
So, as a result of the tests, it was determined: due to the presence of errors, the hard disk makes noise, what to do in such a situation? There are two options here:
- if the warranty period has not expired, then return for warranty repair to the service center;
- if the warranty is over, also carry it to a specialized computer service, but you will have to pay money for repairs.
Perhaps the worst option is when the hard drive is completely out of order and cannot be repaired. In this case, you need to collect money for a new hard drive. This is why it is useful to always have a backup of important data, because no one is immune from such situations.
If before he did not make noise, but now he makes noise - this is not normal. A properly working disk can emit a slight uniform noise / whistle and frequent, not too loud clicks during reading / writing (such a slight uneven rattling, this is the movement of the magnetic heads).
If the disc rattles, vibrates, this is very bad. Most likely, he will not last long. In theory, the reason could be that it is not properly secured (and then it rattles along with your drive bay, the walls of which (the bay) are not strong enough to hold the drive while it is running). I have seen such a mention. But it's hard for me to imagine how fragile, "cardboard" the walls of the mountings must be for this to happen. Except for the case when you installed a 3-inch hard drive in a 5-inch bay in a homemade way (a special adapter mount must be used for this, such a 3-inch bay that fits inside a 5-inch bay). In this case, bounce is just likely.
If it's not about the mount, then (discarding all the super-exotic options that happen once in a million) the disk is faulty. If it's under warranty, change it. If it clearly rattles (not evenly buzzing, namely rattling), this is a malfunction, so they must change. If the disc is out of warranty, then you can no longer count on it. Back up all your important data and be prepared for the fact that he could die at any time. When my hard drive began to make a suspicious noise, I immediately bought a new one, rewrote all the important information on it, and old disk put it in the closet (in case you forgot to rewrite some important information).
You can also check the state ("health") of the disk (this information is collected by the disk itself during operation, the technology is called S.M.A.R.T. or SMART). It contains information about the number of different errors during the disk operation (a small number of errors is completely normal). To display this information, you will most likely need a special program. I cannot suggest a convenient program (if you know English, you can search for hdd health check). However, caution should be exercised. If the disk is out of order, prolonged active disk operation during an in-depth check (not just showing statistics collected by SMART, but testing disk performance) may turn out to be that drop that will lead to a sharp deterioration in the disk's condition.
If the disc is just a little noisy, then this is the noise from the drive (motor) (or maybe the bearings). Considering that the disc spins at about 10,000 rpm, it is quite expected that it is slightly noisy.
I have an old computer at work. Several times today I have heard some kind of vibration. Toist something rattled in the system unit. Since the system is open, I looked in there, listened, something was really buzzing, it looked like vibration, it would buzz a couple of times and continue to work. What is it buzzing, I can’t figure it out, but I have Vord turned on and during its operation the cooler buzzes very much, the sound is like a ringing sound. And in the morning, after turning on and loading the computer, for some reason, we rebooted ourselves. Moreover, I did not include anything on it. What could it be, I would like to know. I save everything that I type on the computer in the Word to a USB flash drive. But this is after the end of the working day. But now I will probably save everything on a USB flash drive after vibration of the hard drive. Since my work computer is likely to break down soon.
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I think that users, especially those who are not the first day at the computer, pay attention to suspicious noises from the computer (laptop). Hard disk noise usually differs from other noises (resembles a crackling) and occurs when it is heavily loaded - for example, you copy a large file or download information from a torrent. This noise is annoying to many, and in this article I would like to tell you how you can reduce the level of such crackling.
By the way, right at the beginning I would like to say the following. Not all hard drive models make noise.
If your device was not noisy before, but now it's the beginning - I recommend it to you. In addition, when noise appears that has never existed before - first of all, do not forget to copy all important information to other media, this can be a bad sign.
If you have always had such a noise in the form of a crack- this means that this is the usual work of your hard disk, because it is still a mechanical device and magnetic disks are constantly rotating in it. There are two methods of dealing with such noise: fixing or fixing the hard disk in the device case so that there is no vibration and resonance; the second method is to decrease the speed of positioning of the readheads (they just crack).
1. How can you fix the hard drive in the system unit?
By the way, if you have a laptop, you can skip straight to the second part of the article. The fact is that in a laptop, as a rule, nothing can be invented, tk. the devices inside the case are very compact and you can't put any gaskets.
If you have a regular system unit, there are three main options that are used in such cases.
1) Firmly fix the hard drive in the case of the system unit. Sometimes, the hard drive is not even bolted to the mount, it just sits on a "slide", because of this, noise is emitted during operation. Check if it is well fixed, stretch the bolts, often, if it is attached, then not on all the bolts.
2) Special soft pads can be used to dampen vibration and thereby suppress noise. By the way, such gaskets can be made by yourself, from some piece of rubber. The only thing is, do not make them too large - they should not obstruct the ventilation around the hard drive enclosure. It is enough that these gaskets will be at the points of contact between the hard drive and the case of the system unit.
3) You can hang the hard drive inside the case, for example, on network cable(twisted pair). Usually, small 4 pieces of wire are used and fastened with them so that the hard drive is located in the same way as if it was fixed on a slide. The only thing, with such a mount, you need to be very careful: move the system unit carefully and without sudden movements - otherwise you risk hitting the hard drive, and the blows for it end in failure (especially when the device is turned on).
2.Reduction of crackling and noise due to the speed of positioning of the block with heads (Automatic Acoustic Management)
There is one option in the hard disk that does not appear anywhere by default - you can change it only with the help of special utilities. It's about Automatic Acoustic Management (or AAM for short).
If you do not go into complex technical details, then the point is to reduce the speed of movement of the heads, thereby reducing crackling and noise. But at the same time, the speed of the hard disk is also reduced. But, in this case, you will extend the life of the hard disk by an order of magnitude! Therefore, the choice is yours - either noise and high speed, or lower noise levels and longer operation of your disk.
By the way, I want to say that having reduced the noise on my Acer laptop - I could not estimate the speed of work "by eye" - it works the same as before!
So. To regulate and configure AAM, there are special utilities (I talked about one of them in). This is a simple and convenient utility - quietHDD ().
You need to run it as administrator. Then go to the AAM Settings section and move the sliders from 256 to 128. After that, click Apply for the settings to take effect. Actually, after that, you should immediately notice a decrease in cod.
By the way, so that every time you turn on the computer you do not run this utility again - add it to startup. For Windows 2000, XP, 7, Vista - you can just copy the utility shortcut in the "Start" menu to the "Startup" folder.
This is actually all. Good luck to everyone, and, most importantly, quiet operation. 😛
