High pitched whistling!
 

Bit of help please. I got me a new "cordless" mouse last week and a second hard drive. A few hours after installing both, I started to get an internittent high pitched "radio" type of whistle (it crackles as well), thinking that it was the cordless mouse not liking the cordless phone or wireless router on the desk, I disconnected it. I still get the high pitched whistle :eek: Anyone got any ideas? Could it be the HDD spinning itself to death? I will try and unplug it and see if that makes a difference, but any help would be appreciated :)

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Check every fan in your case, processor, case fans, power supply, they're normally the culprit, could be the HDD too, I've an old 40 gig WD drive that makes a horrible whistling sound, stick your ear in the case and try and isolate it.

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Thanks for the quick response. It doesn't sound like a fan, I nutted the desk 5 times just getting under it ! (Tower case, on the floor!) It doesn't help having a cold and my ears are bunged up! Can't hear much (apart from the whistling!) Couldn't hear the wife offering to bring up a beer!! :eek: And now I have 15 dogs barking at the front door :eek: :eek:

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Heh, you're best waiting until you can hear before trying again :D 15 dogs at your door? Are you living in a house made of Pedigree Chum or something?

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

No, it's the whistling I can't hear! (hahaha) Typical, the minute I manage to get under the desk, the whistling stops...... hang on, there it goes again :eek:

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Reminds me of the uplighter in my living room, flickers then turns itself off .. as soon as I get up to find out whats wrong it comes back on and stay's on.

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Spooky!! :eek:

Just disconnected NEW HDD, no whistling........yet! Could be the reason.....I'll give it another 10 minutes. Cheers for the help :)

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

I'd take the HDD back and get it swapped out, aim for a different model if you can.

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

did it play a certain tune?

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

If its a new hdd & its whistling then its developing a fault already, definately get it replaced. What make & model is it?

Oh yes, try it with just the power lead plugged into it (not the data cable) for a while, just to ensure that it still does it, so that you can do the same at the suppliers if they get shirty.

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

It could also be your power supply complaining under the strain!

I suggest you try the HDD drive in a mates computer (whistle will follow drive if it's faulty) AND try your own PC with as much other stuff unplugged as possible (whistling should stop if it's the PSU).

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

It's fitted with a 400 watt PSU and I removed the 3rd optical drive (which had not complained!) before fitting the new HDD. I sit here in silence, so it has to be the drive :( If I could just find the receipt! It's only been a week and I have lost it already :mad:

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

It's a Seagate Barracuda 80Gb, 7200 rpm. I have a 40Gb Seagate fitted to the wife's PC and that is ok! The other in mine is a 80Gb Western Digital, and my daughters is a 60Gb Maxtor. No problems with them..... :) Just one of those things..... :confused:

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

If you can't find the receipt then it'll probably be covered by the manufacturers warranty anyway. Check out the Seagate site. You just need to tap in the serial number of the drive and it'll tell you if it's in warranty. If I remember correctly, you would then need to send the drive to the service centre - in Belgium!

http://www.seagate.com/support/service/index.html

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

If it's a week old then wherever you bought it from will replace it, legally you don't need a receipt as they will be able to trace the order.

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

buying a hard drive these days is a bit of a risk :( short while ago all manufactires put IDE drives warrenty to a year as they know they cock up :(


for my self and my work i have seen way to many drives go tits up normally a quick format will give it a new lease of life for another 6 months but its no way to run a pc :(

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Hmm....my Seagate hard drive has started to develop a whining noise whilst working too - and this one is only about a month or so old. It's not a ST380023A is it?

It is really starting to get annoying, especially as I bought this drive for it's "super quietness" as this computer is in the bedroom and switched on 24/7. I suspect it is due to the way it is mounted - as it is mounted vertically in the case (blame packard bell for that - bunch of tits who can't design the interior of cases properly :rolleyes: ). Is yours like this?

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Hi, the model number of mine is ST380011A. It is mounted horizontally in a cooled bay (I have 2 drives fitted in the same bay, with their own cooling fan blowing across them) I put it all together myself from my own spec. The drive(s) are quiet - apart from the suspect noise. I have more of a hum from the 6 fans inside the case!

I put it all back together tonight to take off my data before returning it to the shop (I found the receipt!) - Not a sound!??? :confused: I'll run it for an hour or so to see if it starts again. It didn't take long to start before (within minutes of boot up)

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Nearly 30 minutes without a sound! has it gone??? Knowing my luck, this silent period would occur again when it is at the shop being checked out!!

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

Nearly 3 hours after boot up and it whistles for the first time tonight! This time I had the case open (tower) and "touched" the suspect drive as it wailed. It stopped! I thought that the screws in the bay might be loose (you know, vibration and 7200 rpm, resonance that sort of thing) tightened the screw and it got worse; loosened it and silence!!!!! This is going to bug me........

Re: High pitched whistling!
 

The usual cause of a whistle or screech from a hard disk is the earthing spring contact that rubs against the rotating axle, to prevent static build-up. Sometimes the rubbing sets up a resonance in the contact, creating the screech.