HDDs and noise

[nikogian]

Hi,
I have a wd 100eb hdd. I got the drive a couple of months ago. The first thing I noticed when I installed the drive was that it was very silent. Now all of a sudden it became noisy. The sound it produces is high pitched and really annoying: it is exactly the sound my old quantum fireball 6.4 produced. So what can be wrong? Do all hdds become noisy as they become old? Or is it something else?
Thanks for your help,
nikogian

[MaxVal]

No hard disk should suddenly become noisy!
You should open the case and see if some other part is causing the noise. If your are hearing anything more than a subdued whine from the disk, I would suggest you immediately contact WD and insist on having it replaced!
MAX

[SSonnentag]

I'd recommend backing up any crucial files you may have on your new drive. I have seen drives that become suddenly noise die off completely rapidly and without any further warning. I have also seen one instance of an extremely noisy drive go on running for years (still running by the way) without any noticable adverse effects. I'd play it safe, however, and back it up and go for an RMA number.

Shawn