# Tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic.... Not my clock, my hard drive! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2004, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-not-my-clock-my-hard-drive/234130 "2004-03-13T22:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-not-my-clock-my-hard-drive/234130/1 "2004-03-13T22:38:42Z")
I just got a new HD, first new HD I have ever owned (yay me!). It is a little faster than my previous one, and a LOT bigger. Went from 4200 to 5400 and from 4 to 40 gigs. It is a Hitatchi 5K80 2,5" presently residing in an IBM Thinkpad, x21. I have had it in about 2 days now. It has started saying tictictictictictictictictictictictictictictictictictictictictic after being on for a while, I asked IBM if the x21 could handle 5400 before I bought it, and the guy told me that I didn’t need to worry about heat considerations (he sounded a little TOO unconcerned, but anyhow…). So, what is the problem here do you think? And what are my options? Cooling isn’t much of an option as it is a laptop. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-not-my-clock-my-hard-drive/234130/2 "2004-03-14T16:43:37Z")
A one time bump, go on you know you want to tell me 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-not-my-clock-my-hard-drive/234130/3 "2004-03-14T16:49:47Z")
Why do you think that it’s a temperature problem? Hard drives making a ticking sound could be a very bad thing. Backup anything that you can’t live without. Haj ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-not-my-clock-my-hard-drive/234130/4 "2004-03-14T17:45:33Z")
Just an idea… Check your BIOS settings and/or update your BIOS if possible. When I installed a second hard drive in my PC I had all sorts of trouble because I had a really funky BIOS version. When trying to work around the problems, at one point one of the drives started making a constant tick, tick, tick which didn’t sound like a good thing. Since I couldn’t find an updated BIOS for my computer I ended up getting a PCI adapter card for the new drive. No funky noises anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-not-my-clock-my-hard-drive/234130/5 "2004-03-14T21:40:13Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Why do you think that it’s a temperature problem? Not sure, somone mentioned before that theirs was ticking because of heating issues? How do you mean “very bad thing”? I don’t have anything to back up, only got the HD two days ago roughly. I can look into the BIOS question, would like to hear other suggestions too though. Could it take a little time for it to “settle in” since it is new? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-not-my-clock-my-hard-drive/234130/6 "2004-03-14T21:43:38Z")
Download and run the [Hitachi Drive Fitness Test](http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm). If it fails, return the drive under warranty. ---
**Author:** ![Lachrymose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@Lachrymose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lachrymose)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-not-my-clock-my-hard-drive/234130/7 "2004-03-15T00:09:53Z")
The only time I hear my dard disks clicking is when they’re about to die - the infamous ‘click of death.’