[Fixed] External Hard Drive Clicking And Not Showing up

Of course, you hope the sound isn't serious, but when have strange noises delivered good news? That clicking indicates that something is amiss with your hard disk. Worst case scenario, it's attempting to warn you about a crash and the coming blue screen of death. As a result, identifying the underlying reason as soon as possible is critical for triaging the problem and taking necessary action.

Why is my external hard drive clicking and not showing up?

While there are various reasons for hard drive clicking, the noise is mainly produced by the actuator arm, a physical component of the device that allows the hard drive to spin. In a typical hard drive, the disk head moves smoothly. However, if there is a malfunction, the movement can become erratic, forcing the controller to return to its home position - it is this repeated bumping that causes the click.

🦾 1. Physical harm
If the hard drive is knocked, dropped, exposed to magnetic fields, or exposed to moist or hot situations, it may be damaged. The hard disk will likely need to be replaced, but get professional guidance first to avoid losing any data in the process.

🔨 2. Misaligned drive heads
If the hard disk is not handled with utmost care, the read/write heads and spindle arms may become misaligned. As the disk spins, the actuator arm cannot complete a smooth motion, resulting in a clicking sound.

😩 3. Service area issues
The service region is a section of the hard drive that stores crucial manufacturer data needed for HDD operation. If the hard drive experiences a module reading error or is destroyed, the actuator arm will travel back and forth in an attempt to locate the data, producing the clicking noise.

😥 4. Wear and tear
Hard disk is a tangible piece of technology with moving elements that are susceptible to failure. Those parts, like a car or a washing machine, will degrade over time as a result of natural wear. A hard disk has an average lifespan of 3-4 years.

🔌 5. Power issues
Insufficient power due to a faulty power supply unit can result in hard drive clicking sounds. This can easily recognized by utilizing a different power supply. Furthermore, power surges and electrical storms might cause the hard drive to fail.

Fix external hard drive clicking and not showing up

Hard drive clicking is considered a sign of a failing hard drive. So, how to fix a clicking external hard drive? If you are facing the problem, check the state of your hard drive first.

1. Hard drive clicking yet still working (accessible)

2. Hard drive clicking but not detected

If your clicking hard disk is still accessible, try the first way to extract data from your drive first. If the drive is not identified or recognized, go to the rest solutions to resolve this issue.

Solution 1. Recover data from clicking hard drive when it’s accessible

Some users find their clicking external hard drive can be detected but with no files show up, then, it’s better to recover your data from it to another well-running disk as soon as possible.

You can try AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery which is a powerful and user-friendly tool designed to retrieve lost data from damaged or corrupted hard drives efficiently in Windows 11/10/8/7 and Server. Known for its intuitive interface and robust recovery algorithms, it ensures quick and accurate results, making it a top choice for both novices and professionals.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data is lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool starts to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first to find your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovery to end.

Solution 2. Change clicking hard drive connection

The most common reason of a clicking hard drive is an insufficient power supply; however, replacing the USB port can help in some circumstances. A broken or incompatible connection cable can also result in a disk clicking issue.

Step 1. Check if the connection cable is broken. If yes, purchase a new cable and reconnect the clicking (external) hard drive to your computer.

Step 2. Check if the power cable is loosened. If yes, unplug and replug the power cable, connect it to your computer and the drive tightly.

Step 3. Check if you are using a compatible drive. If you connect a USB.30 external drive via a USB 2.0 cable, the drive may not be recognized and even make clicking noises.

Step 4. Connect the external hard drive to another computer. If the drive still keeps clicking on your computer, try to connect it to another computer.

Step 5. Take the hard drive out of the disk enclosure and connect it to the PC as an external disk.

Solution 3. Replace the clicking hard drive

When a hard disk overheats, you may notice a clicking sound emanating from the computer. Freezing your hard drive can help to cool down your device while also shrinking the components inside to free up those that are stuck or locked.

Step 1. Open your computer or laptop case, clear all the dust on the fan.

Step 2. Add an extra fan to your computer and cool down the drive.

Step 3. Stop using the computer and wait for the drive to cool down.

Once the hard drive works again, back up your data or recover data from the hard drive immediately.

Step 4. If the hard drive is too old, purchase a new drive and replace the old one.

The disk cloning function of AOMEI Partition Assistant can help you safely extract all your important data on the failing hard drive without reinstalling or losing personal settings. It is designed to facilitate the replacement of a hard drive on Windows, Connect the new hard drive to the computer through the USB port and ensure that it is correctly detected. You can Connect the new hard drive to the computer through the USB port and ensure that it is correctly detected.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, click the "Clone" main tab and select "Clone Disk". (You can also right-click the Disk you want to clone and select the "Clone Disk" tool to run disk clone.)

Step 2. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk and click "Next".

Step 3. Select the destination disk to put the data of the source disk on, and then click "Next".

Step 4. Then, you will enter the Confirm interface where you can check the source and destination disk. After all is set, you can click the "Confirm" button to continue.

In lower left corner of the window, you can click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk. There are three options for you:

• Clone without resizing partitions: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk as the original partition size. It is available when the target disk is larger than the source disk. If it is smaller, this option will be grayed out.
• Fit partitions to entire disk: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk and take up its full capacity according to the original partition size proportion.
• Edit partitions on this disk: you can change every partition size on the target disk as you need.

After finishing the adjustment, please click "Save".

Step 5. You can preview the disk cloning operating by viewing the "Pending Operations". To commit the "Pending Operations", please click "Apply" and "Proceed".

Step 6. The cloning process will start and you can check the cloning process.

After cloning everything from the old hard drive to the new one, you can shut down the computer and install the new disk for replacement.

Solution 4. Send clicking hard drive for repair

If the clicking sound persists, it may indicate hardware difficulties, such as a broken head reader or damaged hard drive components. In this instance, you may require assistance from hard drive repair professionals to repair the clicking hard disk and recover data from it.

Step 1. Send the defective hard drive for a replacement if it's still under warranty. If the clicking hard drive is beyond repair, switching to a new one is the only choice for you.

Step 2. Contact the support team of your hard drive manufacturer for help.

Step 3. Take the clicking hard drive to a local hard disk repair center.

The specialists can replace the control board if there is an electrical failure or replace the disk head if it is weak or damaged.

To sum up

When you find your external hard drive clicking and not showing up, if it's accessible, remember to quickly extract your data or replace a new disk. if you can't save your disk, you can also ask professional services to have a try. AOMEI FastReocvery will recover your data on a new location and AOMEI Partition Assistant is a versatile tool for users who want to efficiently manage disk space resources and fix drive issues, you can check more from the comparison mage.