Hearing a faint clicking sound when i put my ear really close to my laptop

[ichigo1000]

Is this faint sound normal for the hard drive? It is a small sound, i dont even think i should say its a click.
Additional details:
The sound sounds a little like a quiet clock ticking.
But it isnt going in a pattern

 

[lp231]

Hard drives does make a click sound when it's being used, to be on the safe side, back up your data before it's too late.

 

[ichigo1000]

Hard drives does make a click sound when it's being used, to be on the safe side, back up your data before it's too late.

I searched on youtube on clicking hard drives, the sound was nothing like mine. For me,i can hear the small sound if i put my ear close to my laptops keyboard. Is this normal? It is also not going in a pattern.
Edit: Also, how do i backup my data if i dont have another hard drive?

 

[ratedk]

It may not be a bad thing. Many new ones will make the same/similar sound.

Here's one taken apart and recorded in slow motion.
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=3owqvmMf6No

The clicking noise could be a sign of failure if it has just started making noise. However, running a SMART test on the drive will give you a solid answer on if the drive is failing or not.

If it is failing, you can also back up to blank CD/DVD's, thumbdrives, dropbox, etc...

 

[ichigo1000]

It may not be a bad thing. Many new ones will make the same/similar sound.

Here's one taken apart and recorded in slow motion.
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=3owqvmMf6No

The clicking noise could be a sign of failure if it has just started making noise. However, running a SMART test on the drive will give you a solid answer on if the drive is failing or not.

If it is failing, you can also back up to blank CD/DVD's, thumbdrives, dropbox, etc...

Yup, yesterday i watched that video too, it has the same sound, but does the sound go in a pattern? Is it normal for it to still have sound even if i am not doing anything, but on chrome?
Also, how do i test my drive? Incase, how do i backup my data, i dont have another hard drive.

 

[ratedk]

The pattern just depends on what information is being requested from the HDD. If you've been surfing for bad hard drives, then yes, the pattern of a bad drive will usually sound like a clock constantly ticking.

If you haven't experienced any other problems (i.e. random lockups or unresponsiveness, failure to load), I wouldn't assume the HDD is going bad.

If you want to be sure run a SMART test, you'll want to download a diagnostics disc called Hirens. See this thread:
http/www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1848034/reset-toshiba-factory-settings.html

 

[ichigo1000]

The pattern just depends on what information is being requested from the HDD. If you've been surfing for bad hard drives, then yes, the pattern of a bad drive will usually sound like a clock constantly ticking.

If you haven't experienced any other problems (i.e. random lockups or unresponsiveness, failure to load), I wouldn't assume the HDD is going bad.

If you want to be sure run a SMART test, you'll want to download a diagnostics disc called Hirens. See this thread:
http/www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1848034/reset-toshiba-factory-settings.html

The performance is just fine, it doesnt sound like a clock ticking, i just didnt know how to describe the sound. It sounds like the slow mo video you showed me. Is it ormal for the hard drive to still have this sound when i am not doing anything but surfing on the web?
What do i do after downloading hirens?

 

[ratedk]

YES. Just surfing the web uses the HDD. I can see every banner add/button/picture from every webpage you've ever visited by going through your browsers temp files.
A good reason to clear the temp files every once in a while. The files are usually very small and don't take up much space, but after a year or two can consume gigabytes worth of HDD space.

 

[ichigo1000]

YES. Just surfing the web uses the HDD. I can see every banner add/button/picture from every webpage you've ever visited by going through your browsers temp files.
A good reason to clear the temp files every once in a while. The files are usually very small and don't take up much space, but after a year or two can consume gigabytes worth of HDD space.

Yeah, i run CCleaner everyone once in a while , like a week or so.
What if you idle on the web and programs, will it still have the sound?
Also, if you close every program and just do nothing, will there still be sound?

 

[ratedk]

Yes. If the computer is on, the HDD can be active at any point and time.

 

[ichigo1000]

Yes. If the computer is on, the HDD can be active at any point and time.

Okay then, probably that sound is normal, i was freaked out, now i can stop worrying thanks