I think that users, especially those who are not the first day at the computer, pay attention to suspicious noises from the computer (laptop). Noise hard disk, usually differs from other noises (resembles a crackling) and occurs when it is intensively downloaded - for example, you copy a large file or download information from a torrent. This noise is annoying to many, and in this article I would like to tell you how you can reduce the level of such crackling.
By the way, right at the beginning I would like to say the following. Not all models make noise hard drives.
If your device was not noisy before, but now it's the beginning - I recommend it to you. In addition, when there is noise that has never happened before, the first thing to do is to copy the entire important information to other media, this could be a bad sign.
If you have always had such a noise in the form of a crack - this means that this is the usual work of your hard disk, because it is still a mechanical device and magnetic disks are constantly rotating in it. There are two methods of dealing with such noise: fixing or fixing the hard disk in the device case so that there is no vibration and resonance; the second method is to decrease the speed of positioning of the readheads (they just crack).
1. How can you fix hDD in the system unit?
By the way, if you have a laptop, then you can go straight to the second part of the article. The fact is that in a laptop, as a rule, nothing can be invented, tk. the devices inside the case are very compact and you can't put any gaskets.
If you have a regular system unit, there are three main options that are used in such cases.
1) Firmly fix the hard drive in the case system unit... Sometimes, the hard drive is not even bolted to the mount, it just sits on a "slide", because of this, noise is emitted during operation. Check if it is well fixed, stretch the bolts, often, if it is attached, then not on all the bolts.
2) Special soft pads can be used to dampen vibration and thereby suppress noise. By the way, such gaskets can be made by yourself, from some piece of rubber. The only thing is, do not make them too large - they should not interfere with the ventilation around the hard drive enclosure. It is enough that these gaskets will be at the points of contact between the hard drive and the case of the system unit.
3) You can hang the hard drive inside the case, for example, on network cable (twisted pair). Usually, small 4 pieces of wire are used and fastened with them so that the hard drive is located in the same way as if it was fixed on a slide. The only thing, with such a mount, you need to be very careful: move the system unit carefully and without sudden movements - otherwise you risk hitting the hard drive, and the blows for it end in failure (especially when the device is turned on).
2.Reduction of crackling and noise due to the speed of positioning of the block with heads (Automatic Acoustic Management)
There is one option in the hard disk, which by default does not appear anywhere - you can change it only with the help of special utilities. It's about Automatic Acoustic Management (or AAM for short).
If you do not go into complex technical details, then the point is to reduce the speed of movement of the heads, thereby reducing crackling and noise. But at the same time, the speed of the hard disk is also reduced. But, in this case, you will extend the life of the hard disk by an order of magnitude! Therefore, the choice is yours - either noise and high speed of work, or reduction of noise level and more long work your disk.
By the way, I want to say that by reducing the noise on my acer laptop - I could not estimate the speed of work "by eye" - it works the same way as before!
So. For regulation and adjustment of AAM - there is special utilities (I talked about one of them in). This is a simple and convenient utility - quietHDD ().
You need to run it as administrator. Then go to the AAM Settings section and move the sliders from 256 to 128. After that, click Apply for the settings to take effect. Actually, after that, you should immediately notice a decrease in cod.
By the way, so that every time you turn on the computer not to run this utility again, add it to startup. For Windows 2000, XP, 7, Vista - you can just copy the utility shortcut in the "Start" menu to the "Startup" folder.
That's all. Good luck to everyone, and, most importantly, quiet operation. 😛
Typical question
Hello.
I recently bought a laptop and only after a while noticed that when I download a file, turn on the laptop, or copy information from disk to disk, the disk starts to crack. The sound is not strong, but extremely unpleasant.
The store said that everything was in order with the disc, it should be so, but doubts remained in my soul ...
If I knew that this model is so noisy, I would stop at another one ... Tell me what can be done to reduce the noise when the disk is loaded?
Hello.
Crackling crackling strife. In general, a hard disk drive (HDD) is a mechanical device, and any HDD makes a noise during operation. True, with one disc it is barely perceptible and practically inaudible, while with the other it can be somewhat annoying. In addition, in addition to the "working" noise (which should be), an extraneous noise (indicating a problem) may appear: knocking, strong grinding, clicks, etc.
Particular attention should be paid to disc noise when:
- if you start making noise old disk that previously worked without noise (this is an alarming symptom - first of all, immediately make all important files from the disk);
- noise appeared in the form of: knocking, strong clicks, rattling, etc. (all this also indicates a problem with the mechanics);
- if, when a crack appears, the computer starts to freeze, Windows does not respond to your clicks;
- you periodically do not open or read files, the disk makes noise.
All of the above symptoms indicate possible hardware problems with the disk (in most cases), and without replacing it with new disc, the noise cannot be eliminated. Therefore, I recommend that after the backup, look at the SMART readings, check the disk for bad blocks, etc. About checking the disk, I have one small instruction on my blog, the link below.
How to check your hard drive for errors and broken sectors (bad blocks). How to work with Victoria program in DOS and Windows -
If your new disk makes noise - then most likely everything is in order with him, and this is his working noise (although no one excludes marriage or failure of a new disk)... Most often, the problem is that when a user bought a disc (laptop, computer), then in a store (where there is a lot of extraneous noise, music is playing, etc.), he simply did not pay attention to the noise of the disc (and in the store, the disc, like as a rule, you do not load much). And in the house, in the silence of the night, he appreciated all the characteristics of his device.
But since a computer is a technically complex product, it’s easy to change it in a store for another (as you can do with other products). In many cases, you may be refused (there must be a more compelling reason, for example, a malfunction). Further in the article I will give recommendations for eliminating such "working" noise.
Addition!
When buying a new HDD: Please note that the device specifications usually always indicate the noise level of the disk. This parameter is measured in dB.
Of course, the lower it is, the quieter the disc. Comparison plate (to navigate how and what) with noise level resulted below.
To help!
How to choose a hard disk drive (HDD): 6 points to pay attention to -
1) Swap your old HDD for an SSD (or other HDD)
The first tip comes with a material cost. Ideally, to completely eliminate the noise, you need to change the disk. Nowadays, SSD drives are gaining popularity - they have no mechanics, like in HDDs, and therefore during operation they are a priori silent (completely silent!).
In addition, they have several more advantages:
- the speed of work is several times higher (this is the main advantage!), thanks to this, your applications, games, Windows - I will load an order of magnitude faster;
- consume less energy (for example, a laptop will work 10-15% longer without recharging);
- not so much afraid of shaking and vibration (again, a plus for laptops);
- they do not heat up like an HDD.
However, these discs have one drawback: more high price... But it pays off with interest! You can find out the difference in speed between SSD and HDD from one of my articles, the link to it is below.
How to check disk speed: HDD, SSD. Test, determining the difference in speed between SSD and HDD, is it worth switching to solid state drive -
2) Check if there is an application loading the disk up to 100%!
If the disk annoys you with noise not always, but only at moments of heavy load (this can be evidenced, for example, by the LED indicator of the hard disk operation), then try to find out which application is loading it, and then turn it off.
Very often, the disk can be loaded with applications that you do not need. For example, for booting Windows uTorrent downloads with several hundred torrents: while they are all checked, it may take 5-10 minutes! And all this time the disk will be heavily loaded.
The simplest and quick way to find out about applications that load the disk - this is to open the task manager (for Windows 8, 10), and open the resource monitor (this is for Windows 7). Once you recognize the application that is actively working with the disk, try closing it.
To bring up the task manager - press the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
In Windows 8, 10 - open the tab "Performance" and see if the disc is loaded. If loaded, then in the tab "Processes" you can find the program (which is loading it) and close it.
Windows 8-10 - performance (0% disk load)
In Windows 7, in the task manager, you must open the tab "Performance" , then click on the button "Resource Monitor" .
In the resource monitor, open the tab "Disk" : pay attention to the sections "Processes with disk activity" and "Disk activity" .
3) Reduce the speed of positioning the head unit (Automatic Acoustic Management)
IN hard drives there are certain options that, usually, are not mentioned anywhere (we are now talking about Automatic Acoustic Management, often written in abbreviated form AAM). This option allows you to reduce the speed of movement of the heads, and this, in turn, has a positive effect on the noise level (although, besides this, the speed of the disk is somewhat reduced, but "by eye" is imperceptible).
You can change this setting in special utilities, I recommend the following: quietHDD, HDDScan. I will consider the work in both utilities.
quietHDD
A very small utility designed to reduce the acoustic noise of AAM and the APM power consumption mode of the hard drive. It is simple and fast to work with it, an example is below:
Multifunctional program for working with SSD and HDD disks. It will allow you to view SMART, check the disk for bad sectors, find out the temperature of the media, control acoustic noise, energy, etc.
In our case, you need to start the program, then select the hard drive (if you have several of them in the system), and open the "Features / IDE Features" option.
HDDScan - IDE Features
Further in the section Automatic Acoustic Management - set a value between 128 and 254 (by the way, the program recommends 254, but it is far from always optimal). In general, for the minimum noise level - set the value to 128 and press the button SET (install). Thus, you can adjust and find your best option.
Note: Please note that not all drives support this option. In some cases, HDDScan will not allow changing values \u200b\u200bin Automatic Acoustic Managment.
Automatic Acoustic Management
4) Fix the disc securely in the block, eliminate vibrations, put soft gaskets
This advice applies to a regular PC, but if you have a laptop, then almost certainly your hard drive is securely and tightly fixed in the case by the manufacturer (and you can skip this advice).
5) Check for errors and defragment
Well, the last thing I would like to advise is to check for errors and defragment the disk. Crackling - this, of course, will not directly reduce, but it will make your disk more responsive, the speed will increase (which will positively, albeit not much, affect the noise level).
To check your disk for errors and defragment it, open "My computer" ("This computer", "Computer" - depending on the windows versions ) ... Then select desired disk and open it properties (see screenshot below).
By the way, defragmentation and cleaning the disk from garbage can be done in auto mode, there are special utilities for this. The link to the utilities I recommend - see below.
To help!
Best Windows Optimization Software -
Sometimes every PC user can face the problem of extraneous noise in the process of hard disk operation. Winchester is a mechanical structure with rotating discs inside. Reading information from a hard disk is carried out using magnetic heads, which, while moving, create a certain noise. Variety extraneous sounds depends on the model of the hard drive and on the case of the system unit. If the computer case is made of inexpensive materials, inside it is assembled poorly, then unpleasant sounds will be emitted throughout the system unit.
The hard disk stores all the information on the computer. Therefore, you need to take measures to save data as soon as you hear the noise during the operation of the device. Since this is the first "bell" that it may break down soon.
However, sometimes the simple operating state may be accompanied by noise. Here you need to figure out why the hard drive is bursting.
- Replace the hard drive.
- Modify the acoustics level using the AAM option.
- Take measures regarding soundproofing the case or buying a better one.
- Secure the hard drive with soundproofing pads.
- Defragment the disk.
The biggest question is, apparently, the second solution to the problem. Consider what it is.
Reducing noise from the hard drive by means of AAM
Any HDD is characterized by the function of regulating the level of noise generated by it through the built-in Automatic Acoustic Management (AAM) option. Its task is to reduce the noise of the device by decreasing the speed of movement of the heads. But there is one negative factor here: using this option, the speed of the hard drive will automatically drop.
Which of these two options (speed or noise) will create more inconvenience, in which favor to give your preference is up to you. You may not feel the slowdown in hard drive speed, but the annoying noise volume will noticeably decrease. If you do decide to fix the noise issue using AAM, you need to download the WinAAM application. It is available for download and is completely free. He speaks the Russian-language interface and works without the obligatory installation. You can get this program by following the link: http://www.withopf.com/tools/aam/winaam-292.zip.
In the window that appears, click "Continue". Adjusting the security settings is completely useless when getting rid of the noise of the hard drive, so it is better not to touch it.
In the first line, you can read that at this point in time, the noise level control is not activated. Click on the "Quiet / Standard (128)" option to adjust the silent AAM level. Its value can range from 0 to 255. It is noted that only extreme levels have influential abilities, that is, "quietly" or "loudly". Most hard drives do not pay attention to intermediate levels. This is most likely the reason that the WinAAM application allows you to solve the noise problem with a click on one option.
After adjusting the noise level, the application will close. Reopen it, select "Continue", then "Check".
A window will open showing the disordered movement of the read head.
At this moment you will have the opportunity to hear the process of the hard drive with the updated AAM option. The difference is huge. In order to compare with the previous state of the hard drive, press the parameter "Loud (254)". This action will speed up the hard drive and return the previous noise volume.
Mechanical methods of getting rid of HDD noise
When using the application to get rid of the noise, you need to manually solve the problem.
- First, check the hard drive fixation quality. The winchester must be firmly fixed and firmly held on the grooves, all the bolts must be sufficiently tightened.
- Consider which parts of the HDD are mechanically touching the computer case. At the joints it is necessary to install special gaskets with an insulation function. You can slightly move the hard drive mounting basket so that the part does not come into contact with the computer case. Doing so can help reduce noise.
- If it is possible to change the location of the hard drive, do it. It is necessary to strive to ensure that the vibration of the hard drive does not transfer to the case.
If you cannot reduce the noise in this way, contact technical support.
Hello, friends! What to do, if the hard drive is noisy (crackling)? If there was no cod before, but now it has appeared, then it is better to immediately save important data, since this is not a good sign. Then, diagnose the HDD special program from the manufacturer. I tell and show how to do this. If there was a crackling or noise before, you just did not pay attention to it, then it is normal. For example, when I calmed down, at the beginning, I could not hear the hard disk. But, over time, as 2 fans remained in the system (in and in the standard cooling system), these sounds became clearer and began to annoy. We will consider how to reduce them in this article.
As we said in the article, there are two sources of noise from the HDD:
- From rotating magnetic disks
- From the impact of the block with heads on the travel stop
There is nothing we can do about the noise from the rotation of the disks. Unless, just buy it. But with the blows of the block of heads, as with the source of the main noise, it is possible and necessary to fight. Also, vibrations arise from the shock and if they are not damped, then the situation will worsen.
There are several options for solving our problem.
- Secure your hard drive firmly in
- Make vibration-damping HDD mounts in the case
The first option is perfect for those who have high-quality cases made of good, thick steel. The second option should work for everyone. In my case, with a cheap case, hanging the hard drive on 4 pieces worked great. It was necessary to remove the sled in which the HDD was attached to the basket and free up space for hanging. Who has no place, i.e. the hard drive is bolted to the case, you can try to put it vertically and hang it in the same way. Some people hang the hard drive under the optical drive. There are more places there and it is more convenient to hang up, but there is not very much with cooling. Therefore, I recommend hanging it directly in the hard drive cage.
Those. the main task is to prevent vibrations from the hard drive from getting to. If you chose the first option (to firmly screw the HDD to the case), then it would be appropriate to calculate the places where the resonance occurs and glue them with electrical tape. I didn’t get it myself, but I read a lot and didn’t seem to work out badly. Usually these are the attachment points for the side covers.
The third option, which we will consider in detail, is the use of AAM
Using Automatic Acoustic Management to Reduce HDD Noise
Automatic Acoustic Management - automatic control drive noise.
In addition to this function, hard drive manufacturers use special shock-absorbing pads that effectively suppress crackling. This is not always enough for everyone. And if not enough, you need to use AAM. This function controls the positioning speed of the head block. You can set a numeric value from 128 to 254. Than more number the higher the speed and, accordingly, the greater the vibration and, as a consequence, the noise.
There are many programs for managing AAM. Of the simplest I can recommend WinAAM. There you can only set two positions 128 or 254. That is, either quietly and slowly, or loudly and quickly.
We will use the HDDScan program, which allows you to set any value from 128 to 254, and thus you can flexibly adjust the noise level from your own.
You can download the program from the official website
Run HDDScan.exe
The main window of the program looks like this
The button in the center opens the main menu of the program. Select the item Features\u003e IDE Features (if you have a hard disk with SCSI interface - SCSI Features)
In the window that opens, we are interested in the Automatic Acoustic Management section. Here you can see the current value of Current - 128 and the recommended value - Recommended - 254. recommend setting for maximum performance.
You can set the desired value by entering a number in the Current field or by setting it using the slider. To make the settings take effect, press Set.
All. Now you can select any value for the optimal balance of speed and silence.
Some hard drives do not support Automatic Acoustic Management
There is also the Advanced Power Management function, which allows you to save energy by reducing the engine speed or stopping completely at the time of inactivity. It turns out that you can still control the speed of movement of the magnetic plates, at least at the time of downtime. But this is not verified information. If someone used it, please write down the results. Everyone will be interested.
Conclusion
To reduce noise and crackling from the hard drive, manufacturers use special shock-absorbing pads. They certainly help, but I want more. Therefore, there are two ways:
- Prevent vibrations from the hard drive from jumping over to, (and if they get there by anyone, prevent them from resonating)
- Use Automatic Acoustic Management
Feels like the efficiency of the first method is colossal. It seems that the hard drive is working in a pillow and the crackling sound from it is heard only if you listen strongly. Naturally, the greatest effect can be achieved using both methods. In my case, for the sake of silence, I would gladly sacrifice performance.
Like any other pet, the computer publishes its own. The squeak at boot, the hum of the coolers of the power supply, processor and video card, the crackling of the hard drive - everything makes you know that this "organism" is alive. When everything is normal, the level of these noises does not cause discomfort, but there is probably nothing more annoying when bursting hard drive, creaks, squeaks - few people have enough patience to survive this.
In principle, it is impossible to completely get rid of the sounds made by hard disk, since this device contains mechanical components that move in contact with each other, which means they are noisy. Unlike silent solid-state drives, a hard drive consists of magnetic disks, on which the information read by the magnetic heads is stored. Most of the noise occurs during the movement of the magnetic head over the surface of the plate.
The level and nature of the noise emitted by the hard drive depends on the case material, assembly features and the quality of the components, and of course - the age of the hard drive itself. An important component in the overall noise level of a computer is the case of the system unit. Made of ample metal, the precision-fit and well-assembled case is unlikely to be irritated by the constant noise, especially if the hard drive and other mechanical parts are mounted on sound-absorbing pads. Conversely, a poorly assembled lightweight and thin-walled case with poorly fitted elements will serve as a resonator and only amplify the sounds made by the hard drive.
Also, with age, the noise level from the hard drive tends to increase due to increasing wear and tear and physical depletion of parts in motion.
Considering all the factors described above, you can outline a list of possible measures to reduce the noise level of a hard drive:
- Make additional noise and vibration isolation of the hard drive, install it on sound-absorbing pads.
- Carry out (this will reduce the number of movements of the magnetic head for a certain period of time, but this measure is temporary and will need to be repeated periodically).
- Adjust AAM to the minimum noise level.
- Replace the hard drive with a new one with obviously more low level noise. Read on.
Since everything is more or less clear with the first two positions of this list, and the last point implies significant financial costs due to problems with the hard drive, we will consider the third point in more detail.
Reducing the crackle of the hard drive using the WinAAM program
All hard disks with ATA and even more so SATA interfaces, they have in their settings a tool for controlling the level of noise emitted - Automatic Acoustic Management (abbreviated AAM). The principle of operation of this option is based on reducing the speed of movement of the magnetic heads, and, accordingly, the level of noise produced is reduced. It will not be difficult to guess that this also reduces the performance of the hard disk, but here everything is very individual for each user, everyone has a different arrangement of priorities. But you should not set yourself up too critically to this tool in advance, you may not even pay attention to changes in the speed of the hard drive, but you will definitely get rid of the annoying crackle.
Since the AAM option is disabled by default and for greater ease of operation, we will resort to using a small, specially written utility WinAAM. I must say right away that this tool is completely free and does not require installation, it can work directly from the archive, which is available on. After starting this program, in the very first dialog, do not touch the security settings and click "Continue".
In the next window on top, we see a message about the disabled noise control and therefore click on the "Quiet / Standard (128)" button.
The utility will configure the hard drive accordingly and shut down automatically. By running it again and clicking on the "Continue" button, and then on "Check", we can observe a window with information about the movements of the magnetic head of the hard drive and draw a conclusion about the noise level with new parameters - indeed work hard the disc has become much quieter.