Is my new HDD dying/defective?

By Doomsayeragain
in Hardware Hangout

 Share

Recommended Posts

Neowinian

Doomsayeragain

Posted
Posted

One month ago I bought WD60EFPX disk and installed it into UGREEN US222 enclosure, ran SMARTS test + read/write test with Victoria. Everything was looking good so I started filling it up with content till I had 1.5 TB free space left.

Two days ago on a quiet night I noticed that it sounds a bit too loud for my liking and as if it's working harder just to read files, as in I'd just open a folder/file and would hear HDD clacking. I redid the SMART tests and Victoria read test (all came back great), the disk itself also seems to be working perfectly fine, but I'm somewhat paranoid (and very nervous since it's my only storage and I can't just backup the files willy nilly) and maybe it was always sounding like that and I just didn't notice, so I'd really appreciate if someone could tell me if it the sounds are normal or not.

Recorded during unpacking a zip file on said HDD - please turn up the sound (sorry for bad mic)

And this was recorded while running a short SMART self-test with Kitfox, this is definitely not normal, right? What is causing these sounds?

 

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1465365-is-my-new-hdd-dyingdefective/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

Mindovermaster Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted

I think you're just being paranoid. HDDs always make sounds, as they have moving parts. That doesn't sound like a bad sound.

As long as SMART isn't seeing any faults, I wouldn't worry about it.

As I was always taught, have your files always in 3 places. In your system, and a backup on separate drive stocked up on the shelf, and one away from your house, cloud or a friends house.

  • Steven P., xrobwx71 and Doomsayeragain
  • Like 3
Neowinian

Doomsayeragain

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 12/04/2026 at 02:29, Mindovermaster said:

I think you're just being paranoid. HDDs always make sounds, as they have moving parts. That doesn't sound like a bad sound.

As long as SMART isn't seeing any faults, I wouldn't worry about it.

As I was always taught, have your files always in 3 places. In your system, and a backup on separate drive stocked up on the shelf, and one away from your house, cloud or a friends house.

Even the second video's sound? It sounds like a grinder, I don't even know what could possibly make that sound normally.

Grand Master

Mindovermaster Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted
On 11/04/2026 at 18:57, Doomsayeragain said:

Even the second video's sound? It sounds like a grinder, I don't even know what could possibly make that sound normally.

Your stomach? :laugh: 

Grand Master

Steven P. Administrators

Posted
  • Administrators
Posted

I think it has more to do with the enclosure if it is too loud. I can't see in the second video if the HDD is in the enclosure or not (too dark).

Outside of the enclosure is also going to be loud, normally HDDs are built inside computers or an enclosure which absorbs some of the sound HDDs make.

If the S.M.A.R.T test passed, then it is not dying.

  • xrobwx71, Rigby and Doomsayeragain
  • Like 3
Neowinian

Doomsayeragain

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
On 12/04/2026 at 13:03, Steven P. said:

I think it has more to do with the enclosure if it is too loud. I can't see in the second video if the HDD is in the enclosure or not (too dark).

Outside of the enclosure is also going to be loud, normally HDDs are built inside computers or an enclosure which absorbs some of the sound HDDs make.

If the S.M.A.R.T test passed, then it is not dying.

Yeah, sorry, forgot to add - it's in UGREEN US222 enclosure always.
I don't mind the noise itself or the loudness of NAS drives, I'm just afraid that it shouldn't be making THOSE particular noises, it sounds like a grindstone and not like the usual popcorn machine.

SMART is seeing no faults, neither short nor extended, but I was told that SMART is VERY unreliable when it comes to predicting failure so that's why I'm panicking.

Grand Master

Steven P. Administrators

Posted
  • Administrators
Posted
On 12/04/2026 at 14:45, Doomsayeragain said:

SMART is seeing no faults, neither short nor extended, but I was told that SMART is VERY unreliable when it comes to predicting failure so that's why I'm panicking.

I am pretty sure WD has their own disk checking tool, yeah they do here: https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/51537/~/download%2C-install%2C-test-drive-and-erase-using-western-digital-kitfox

Can't get better than that 😛 

Neowinian

Doomsayeragain

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 12/04/2026 at 19:55, Steven P. said:

I am pretty sure WD has their own disk checking tool, yeah they do here: https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/51537/~/download%2C-install%2C-test-drive-and-erase-using-western-digital-kitfox

Can't get better than that 😛 

Yeah I know, the sound I linked was happening during short SMART test using that very same tool you linked.

Grand Master

goretsky Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted

Hello,


Can you attach the hard disk drive directly to your computer via SATA and then re-run the tests without the intervening USB enclosure?  Are the results any different if you perform the test that way?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

  • Doomsayeragain
  • Like 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Report: Microsoft to use AWS to help GitHub deal with a major surge in demand

      By atleeit · Posted

      Good news for Amazon.
    • Nearly half of American adults now use AI, but concerns are also growing

      By atleeit · Posted

      I use it by choice but only for specific tasks that I have forgotten and it's quicker to ask then spend time wasted finding a decent answer on Google or coding a certain language. I prefer to use it. I do think that as it gets integrated into everything, when we eventually fully rely on it, I'm talking new gens not older gens like me, that we won't think for ourselves, I mean we will become lazy thinkers, lazy logical answer to problem which will go badly. But if we don't become fully dependant, we might be OK but I don't think personally we are going to be OK, not for the newer generations. Unless they advance in that space to the next level of intelligence where it can work out its own problems and create ideas for itself.
    • Millions of users to benefit from Windows 11's new performance boost on Adobe Photoshop

      By cyberhash · Posted

      Pity the article on MS website gives no indication when said "20%" performance gains will actually be rolled out to users.
    • Microsoft explains why PowerToys 0.100.0 is faster and slimmer, there are new features too

      By matthiew · Posted

      I just looked on my computer and there are settings and log files for utilities I have never even turned on!
    • O&O ShutUp10 3.1.1104

      By Copernic · Posted

      O&O ShutUp10 3.1.1104 by Razvan Serea O&O ShutUp10 offers a simple yet effective way to take control of your Windows privacy. It provides access to almost 50 privacy-related tweaks, most of them hidden or not easily accessible to the average computer users. Using a very simple interface, you decide how Windows 10/11 should respect your privacy by deciding which unwanted functions should be deactivated. Using ShutUp10 you can easily disable Windows Defender, turn off telemetry, disable peer-to-peer updates, turn off Wi-Fi Sense, disable automatic Windows updates, turn off and reset Cortana and more. ShutUp10 allows you to create a System Restore point before you apply any changes, so that you can revert your system at any time if you run into problems. O&O ShutUp10 is entirely free and does not have to be installed – it can be simply run directly and immediately on your PC. And it will not install or download retrospectively unwanted or unnecessary software, like so many other programs do these days! O&O ShutUp10 Free and Premium The latest version brings O&O ShutUp10 Premium, expanding the app’s long-standing privacy controls with automatic enforcement of user-defined settings. Instead of manually rechecking options after every Windows update, users can set their preferred privacy configuration once—or apply recommended settings in a single click—and the tool continuously monitors them in the background. If Windows 10 or 11 re-enables disabled features or introduces new data collection paths, Premium restores the chosen settings automatically without user intervention. The free version remains available and fully functional for manual adjustments, offering the same core privacy controls for Windows. However, the Premium tier is aimed at users who want long-term, hands-off protection, adding automatic reapplication after updates, ongoing monitoring, and optional notifications to ensure privacy settings remain consistent over time. O&O ShutUp10 3.1.1104 changelog: Added “Show Differences” button in the overview panel “Don’t show again” option for the restore point prompt Ctrl+F keyboard shortcut for search/filter functionality Detection and linking of system-wide and user-specific setting associations Automatic search while typing PREM: Option to preserve notification counters and timestamps across application restarts PREM: Reset blocked settings button in the Settings dialog PREM: Informational message when no settings are blocked PREM: Update check can also be triggered from the menu PREM: Notification deduplication and activity log summary feature Improved L005 “Disable Windows Location Service”: Version-specific split (up to Windows 11 23H2) and new variant for Windows 11 24H2+ L001 (Disable Location): Added Night Light warning to the description in all languages Search now detects setting IDs even when ID display is disabled and offers to enable it Detection and removal of Copilot/AI desktop apps in RecallTerminator Optimized High DPI support PREM: Reset button is now only enabled when blocked items exist – setting IDs are shown in the confirmation dialog PREM: Updated tray icons with higher-resolution versions PREM: Activity Log timestamps now use localized date and time formats PREM: Tray icon status now uses OK/Warning indicators and localized tooltips PREM: Recall folder detection switched to service-based detection PREM: Copilot uninstallation now provides UI feedback and improved verification Fixed Description text was not displayed correctly for the last item and disappeared when clicking the scrollbar Crash when clicking a search result heading or the […] button PREM: Installation path is now correctly preserved during upgrades PREM: Tray icon was not reliably removed when exiting the application PREM: Main window was not displayed correctly in single-instance mode PREM: Incorrect display of the & symbol in tray icon tooltips on Windows 10 PREM: Fixed notification flooding after sleep/standby PREM: Dashboard was not refreshed after applying recommended settings during onboarding PREM: Progress bar was not reset after deleting Recall folders PREM: Fixed service startup failures PREM: Fixed incorrect drift detection when Automatic Protection was disabled PREM: Notifications now correctly count all deviating settings when protection is enabled PREM: Registration Wizard was shown after sleep/standby despite a valid license Download: O&O ShutUp10 3.1.1104 | 76.4 MB (Freeware) Download: O&O ShutUp10 32-bit | ARM64 View: O&O ShutUp10 Home Page | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      Vincian earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • First Post
      Jocimo earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      suprememobiles48 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Windows Guy earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      Prasann earned a badge
      One Month Later

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      545
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      165
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      86
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      65
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      64
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!