clicking hard drive in new Dell

[merlyn]

I usually search before posting, but I don't have the time on this one. I've got a new Dell Dimension 600 MHz Celeron with 128 mbs of RAM running Winblows ME from the factory. No problems with Win ME. I installed 'Drake 7.2 and it runs awesome!!! I am using grub for the bootloader with Win ME as default. Everything worked great for a week or so. Now, I have had it start clicking (I believe it's the hard drive- it clicks when the hd led shows activity) only. Won't boot winblows, just goes into this clicking drama. Boots linux fine from grub and floppy. Oh, on installation, I put the MBR on hda (windows partition). Solutions? Ideas? Reformat? Reinstall Winblows, or update linux from the cd to reinstall grub? javascript:%20x()

Thanks, people! I truly appreciate any help on this one.
-Merlyn

Onward through the fog....

[Xsecrets]

my guess would be a bad hard drive, the fact that linux boots would seem to contradict this but it could have had a head crash somwhere in the windows partition and just can't access that. I don't see any way that a software problem could cause a clicking noise.

[ph34r]

I'd get a new drive from Dell. We've got tons of them here (we use only Dell now), and recently got a batch in with bad drives.

[merlyn]

The whole darned computer is brand new- aacckkk!!! It only has maybe 20 hours on it, you would think the hard drive would be good. Is the clicking sound caused by the servos moving the arms, (or whatever they are called), back and forth across the platters, but not knowing where they are supposed to be reading data? Could this, or could this not be caused by a corrupted MBR? I dunno...
-Merlyn

[Craig McPherson]

Turn on S.M.A.R.T. in your BIOS. If it says that your drive fails S.M.A.R.T., return the drive immediately. If it says that it passes, return the drive immediately.

Clicking is never, ever, ever good.

I once had a drive that clicked steadily for six months without actually crashing (sometimes it would sound normal for weeks at a time, and it always passed S.M.A.R.T.), until I finally said "Anybody want a hard drive that'll probably crash anytime now?" and gave it to a friend. I never remembered to check with him and ask how long it lasted after that.

That's the exception, though. You really don't want to keep a clicking drive.

The other hard drive crash I had never clicked (up until the morning when it actually crashed), but it failed S.M.A.R.T. since the very first time I put it in the system, fresh from the manufacturer. I assumed that since it was working correctly and not making any noises, I'd just ignore the fact that it failed S.M.A.R.T.

Whoops.

[Shadoglare]

Originally posted by merlyn:
<STRONG> Solutions? Ideas? Reformat? Reinstall Winblows, or update linux from the cd to reinstall grub?</STRONG>

Have Dell send you a new HD.
Clicking is bad, and I can tell you from experience Dell has had bad luck with HD's lately.

[Derango]

I third the clicking is bad idea. The only sounds a hard drive should be making are the normal access noises...nothing with a click to it ;)

[merlyn]

You guys are no fun.:-) I usually waste days fooling around with things before I throw in the towel and trash them... just kidding. Thanks for the help- I'll get Dell to send a new drive.
-Merlyn