Strange "beeps" of external HD

[chip]

Hi guys

Just want to know if someone of you experienced something like this

I arrested my system Windows 7 with the external hd plugged in

It begins to make regular beeps (till the system stops obviously)

What they are ?

Some kind of warning that the hd is still plugged in the computer ?

Never happened something like that

[Retroplay]

Most likely a warning the HDD is dying.

Something like this happened to me years ago.
I had a 160GB Maxtor drive that started to make sounds like a mobile phone (i.e beeps) when I powered on the PC.
I could also hear the drive clicking so had to gently tap my finger on top of the drive to "unstick" the head to eventually pass BIOS POST and boot into XP and save what could be saved from the drive.

[chip]

No, it happened ONLY when i arrested the system with the HD plugged in


I used the hard disk (external) again and it works perfectly


It doesn't do beeps when normally attached to the computer

[chip]

I searched also the Internet for this kind of "situation"

Beeps from the attached hd when computer is arrested

But i found no useful infos

Well it was only a curiosity, it's not a problem really

I only can guess it's a sort of warning that tell the user to unplug the external hd

It makes sense

[lilalurl]

Originally Posted by chip

But i found no useful infos

Well it was only a curiosity, it's not a problem really

I only can guess it's a sort of warning that tell the user to unplug the external hd

Well, if I were you, I'd spend a few minutes sending an email to the manufacturer.

Maybe you will only get a "corporate" answer or a link to their generic FAQs (which you might have already read anyway).

But maybe you will have a useful answer. Better safe than sorry.



Although from the situation you describe (normal system shutdown with the HD plugged in) I don't see a cause for alarm anyway.

[thomas]

Small harddrives usually do beep and sometimes click noises if there is not enough power to spin up.

I suppose that by "arrest" you didn't mean you sent it to jail, but probably you just shut it down, leaving the power cord connected. This might mean the USB connectors remain powered with very low power, not enough to keep the harddrive spinning.

[chip]

Thanks for reply guys


Probably thomas thinked well


Something tied to the power supply that goes from PC to the hd when i "terminated" the system it happened


The beeps then were not actually "beeps" but the harddrive rumours


At least is something like that i can guess

[lilalurl]

Originally Posted by thomas

I suppose that by "arrest" you didn't mean you sent it to jail

Originally Posted by thomas

but probably you just shut it down, leaving the power cord connected. This might mean the USB connectors remain powered with very low power, not enough to keep the harddrive spinning.

I'm curious. Maybe you will know the answer or not, but I always thought that during the whole shutdown process Windows tried to stop all programs and send the same "signal" as it does when you ask for a USB device to be safely unplugged. Perhaps I am mistaken?

[chip]

An additional question


During those strange "beeps" i have damaged the data in the hd in some way ?

[thomas]

I don't think the data is at risk. But the mechanics might. It has to make these beeps somehow and I doubt it has a beeper on board.

[chip]

Thanks thomas

It's strange anyway, since this external hd is used VERY VERY few

[Anubis]

Stupid question - how do you arrest your windows 7.

What kind of external HD this is??

[chip]

External hd is Seagate Expansion plus 1 TB


I shut down the system in the normal way from the menu commands

[chip]

Just found this text on the internet which explain what happened :

"Okay - Seagate solved this one for me. It was the hard drive itself beeping at shutdown. He said the beep is indicating that the drive is not receiving enough power.
Normally you wouldn't hear that beep at shutdown, but some of their drives for whatever reason do beep to indicate a lack of power when your system shuts down -
in that instance when the PC shuts down, the drive detects the lack of power and gives out a short beep. He said it's nothing to worry about."

[nobody]

My external hard drive beeps when the laptop battery is almost finished. In fact it did some hours ago and wake me up lol.

[chip]

Curious thing

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by chip

It was the hard drive itself beeping at shutdown. He said the beep is indicating that the drive is not receiving enough power.

...which is exactly what thomas told you many posts ago:

Originally Posted by thomas

Small harddrives usually do beep and sometimes click noises if there is not enough power to spin up.

[Anubis]

Maybe he is not sure if beeps are just in head... I mean HD head

[chip]

Yep, mystery is solved now

And beeps are actually the spin mechanics that don't work as excepted

I don't think hard disk has a "beeper" device indeed