Hi!

The last few days is my harddisk making a clicking noise. Not with a regular interval but very random. Still, it only appears if the harddisk is in use.
I've read some topics about it and lots of people say it is an indication of a failing harddisk. I'm quite sure it is indeed this because yesterday when i was booting my computer I got this message: diskreaderror (i got this message in Dutch so i've translated it a bit for you ). I took out the harddisk and then connected it to another powercable. It worked because the computer booted again but the clicking noise remained.
I'll buy a new harddisk this afternoon to replace this old one as the harddisk for the OS.
I don't want to format the old harddisk yet because i need to save some stuff on it and after that i want tot use it as a temporary place for downloads. Is it possible i can make the OS on it 'lame' so the computer will not boot on this OS but with the OS at the new harddisk. Maybe i can delete some important Windows XP files??? Has anyone an idea?
Thanks!

Robin
(don't mind my English, i'm Dutch so i don't speak it very fluent )

You dont need to mess the files up.All you need to do is get an Os on the new Hd and set the bios to boot from that hard disk.

not even that. Just buy a new hd, install in the place of the old one, install the os, and your new disk is ready. Then just put the old drive in the secondary bay and make it a slave drive. Don't even have to enter bios.

Only problem would be if you have a laptop. Then there is no secondary bay to install the old hd, and you would need a temporary enclosure. Regardless, back your data up asap on the clicking hd, and if you doubt, google "click of death".

thanks,

v

Thanks!
Making the old HD slave is indeed the easiest solution...
Also, I already googled for the clicking sound and i found out about the 'click of death'.
I also read on some Dutch topics that is possible to seal your HD in a bag (one that doesn't let water in) and then put it for 48 hours in a refrigerator. The parts of the HD sould shrink and the clicking sound should disappear?!?!?!
Is there any truth in this or doesn't make it any sens?

Robin
(don't mind my English, i'm Dutch so i don't speak it very fluent )

I've heard of that for hard drives but am VERY wary of it, if there is any slight hint of moisture inside the drive before you freeze it, you put it into the system and this can pretty much destroy the drive in one go with the ice hitting read heads etc

I would definately go r for Gar's advice, get a new drive, disconnect the old one, install the O/S onto the new one and slave the old one to get the data.

gar?

lol...i might not have said it - but as long as it works i'll take the credit!