Drive gets noisy when idle...

[Serath]

Heya, I have a really old WD Caviar Blue 250 GiB drive in my system, it's been holding up well, CrystalDiskInfo says it's in good shape and all but it's doing something annoying when not used, making a buzzing noise...

 

I suppose the drive goes sort of idle when not used for a while, at least I think so because when I browse the drive the noise suddenly disappears for a while. I'm not sure if this can be answered with a definitive yes or no but might this be a sign that the drive could stop working anytime soon? It has been doing this for more than a year actually but it's performance stays normal.

[Freowin]

Maybe it's just the head moving back and forth to search for your data's sectors or its a sign that it's on the way out. Better back it up just to be safe. Short periodic sounds are okay as it *is* a mechanical drive. But prolonged sounds may indicate that there's something wrong. Best of luck!

[SaladFingers]

Most likely coil whine. Nothing to worry about, apart from the sound it makes. You said it does it when idle, which makes sense because then there could be excess power that it doesn't need, which is a very common reason of coil whining. Also sounds like a buzz.

[xgn]

I have the same issue. I dont think there is a sane way to fix it. I did order a new one to replace it. 90% full anyway.

[Chronos5618]

It doesn't sound like there is too much to worry about, but just incase, I would back up. Then it doesn't matter nearly as much if it does go in the end.