Loud Hard Drive

[Nitro89]

How do I fix the problem of a loud hard drive on the Dell Dimension 3100c its just really loud when loading even the smallest of things?

[Richard_G]

Replace it......

[classfour]

FYI: I thought the Dell 4700 at work had a HDD going bad. Really sounded like it, when you'd be loading XP, running MS Office programs; it'd be making grinding noises. Turned out to be the CPU Fan crapping out!

Unhook the HDD, boot up and see if you still hear any strange or loud noises.

If so, then it's likely the HDD.

[Nitro89]

I think its still on warranty, should Dell be able to replace the hard drive?

[BabyGonzo]

yes

[Nitro89]

Its only when it loads it doesn't sound like a broken fan, its like loud loading sounds, I am pretty sure its the hard drive, anyone else know for sure?

[jman98]

I think its still on warranty, should Dell be able to replace the hard drive?

Unplug the drive from both the IDE or SATA chain and power and attempt to boot the PC. Of course the boot will fail, but if you hear the sound, it's probably the fan. If you don't hear the sound, it's probably the drive. Of course you could always open the case while it's powered on and use your ears to determine what's making the sound.

Dell should be able to replace the drive, but do note that probably they will not attempt to copy the contents of your current drive to the new one. I can't say for sure, but I wouldn't count on it. If you care, you ask them to attempt to do so and maybe they will.

[Nitro89]

I just got my PC back from PC world, they replaced the hard drive and its quite load too, is there any way of fixing it at all, I don't want my pc gone for another month

[classfour]

Depending on the service plan you have: Dell will either send you another hard drive, or send a tech to your home to install one. Phone tech support.

FYI: I've worked on computers for 15 years, and was extremely surprised to find the "failing hard drive" was the CPU fan. It did sound just like a hard drive crapping out.

Did you even test my theory? Did you even crack the case on the thing?

[Richard_G]

Look in Device manager and see what sort of hard drive it is. Some of the IBM/Hitachi Deskstar drives are very noisy. Usually they whistle though but can often clatter quite a bit. I changed one as it sounded like there was a jet engine running in the corner of the room all the time. It was still working perfectly though.