| Hard Drive Failure?Generally a clicking sound coming | | | | decline the offer.) After CHKDSK finishes, restart |
| from your hard drive is a Bad Omen. It could be a | | | | your computer normally and see if the dreaded click |
| harbinger of horrific hardware happenings, so my | | | | of doom returns. If so, the drive is most likely |
| immediate advice is "BACKUP YOUR HARD DRIVE!" | | | | damaged, and should be replaced as soon as possible. |
| as soon as possible. If the drive fails, you're out of | | | | If you decide to purchase a new computer, see |
| luck. In fact, even if you don't suspect a problem | | | | Copying Old Hard Drive to New PC for help with |
| with your hard drive, it's wise to make regular | | | | transferring your files.Are You On The Level?But |
| backups so you can survive a hard drive failure with | | | | before you trash your troublesome drive, you should |
| only minimal inconvenience.See my article Backing Up | | | | try one more thing... Some hard drives are very |
| Your Files to learn about backup strategies, hardware | | | | sensitive to non-level surfaces, and will not function |
| and software. And if you're curious about which hard | | | | properly if they're sitting on a slant. Shut down your |
| drives noises you should be concerned about, listen | | | | computer, make sure your system unit is on a flat |
| to these clicking sounds made by dying hard | | | | surface (use a level to make sure), and then restart. |
| drives.Scan Your DriveOn Windows XP, you can | | | | I was all set to give up on an older computer that |
| check your hard drive for errors by running the | | | | was doing the click/whir routine, but I noticed it |
| CHKDSK utility. Restart your computer and hold | | | | wasn't sitting on a level surface. As soon as I fixed |
| down the Ctrl key while it's booting up. When you | | | | that, the problem was gone!That clicking sound MAY |
| see the option to start your system in Safe Mode, | | | | signal impending hard drive failure, but keep in mind |
| select it and continue. Click the Start button, then | | | | you don't always get such a warning. So play it safe... |
| click Run, then type CHKDSK C: /F /R then press | | | | back up your files on a regular basis.BOB RANKIN... is |
| Enter. The /R option tells CHKDSK to scan for bad | | | | a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys |
| disk sectors, and the /F option means to fix any | | | | exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his |
| errors found. (On a Windows 98 system, use the | | | | experience with others. His work has appeared in |
| SCANDISK command instead of CHKDSK.)If CHKDSK | | | | ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is |
| offers to "convert lost chains to files", recover lost | | | | publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, |
| data, or fix something else, you should accept. (If | | | | author of several computer books, and creator of |
| CHKDSK tries to sell you a cheap Rolex, politely | | | | the website. |