Is your hard drive suddenly making a clicking sound? Don’t ignore it—this could be a serious warning sign. At Five Star Data Recovery, we focus on getting data back from drives with mechanical issues. This includes the annoying hard drive clicking sound. If your drive has started clicking, ticking, or making repeated noises when powered on, power it down immediately. A clicking hard drive can get worse quickly. The longer it runs, the harder and more costly it is to recover your data.
When you hear a clicking hard disk drive, you’re likely hearing the read/write head trying to find data, but failing. Instead of reading the correct track, it keeps resetting and trying again, causing a rhythmic “click-click-click” sound.
People commonly refer to this issue as the click of death, and it represents one of the most serious symptoms a drive can show. In most cases, it’s a mechanical failure—something inside the drive is either broken or misaligned.
A hard drive making clicking noise usually signals internal damage. Some of the most common causes include:
Regardless of the cause, if your HDD is clicking, it’s best to stop using it immediately to prevent further damage.
We understand—you want your data back fast, and DIY videos make it look simple. But opening a drive or running software on a damaged disk often causes more harm than good.
Here’s why you should avoid DIY recovery on a clicking hard disk drive:
At Five Star Data Recovery, we use advanced tools and a certified cleanroom to safely recover data from physically damaged drives—including those with head crashes and hard drive clicking symptoms.
We start by evaluating your drive in our lab. If it’s clicking, we’ll perform non-invasive tests to confirm the type of failure and estimate the chance of recovery.
If internal repair is needed, we open the drive in our certified cleanroom. Our engineers inspect the heads, platters, PCB, and other components.
We may replace damaged parts (like the read/write heads) using donor drives with matching firmware and parts.
Once the drive is stable, we create a full disk image. This lets us extract data without relying on the original, unstable hardware.
We verify your recovered files and transfer them to a new drive that you provide or purchase from us.
No Data, No Charge — If we can’t recover your data, you don’t pay.
If your hdd is clicking, follow these steps immediately
Do not power on the drive again until a qualified data recovery professional has properly diagnosed it.
Avoid opening the drive or tapping on it to stop the sound.
Do not attempt to use any data recovery software on a hard drive that clicks.
Time is critical. The longer a failing drive runs, the worse the damage can get.
We recover data from all brands and models affected by hard drive clicking, including:
Whether it’s an internal desktop HDD or an external portable drive, we have the tools and experience to help.
Your data is private—and we treat it that way. All recoveries are performed in our secure Glendale, CA lab. We never outsource your device, and we permanently delete recovered data after delivery.
My drive was clicking like crazy and wouldn’t mount. Five Star recovered 12 years of family photos. I’m beyond grateful.
Ana T
Pasadena
I heard a hard drive clicking noise and panicked. These guys explained everything clearly, fixed it fast, and saved my client data
Jason B
Los Angeles
If your hard drive is making a clicking noise, don’t wait. The sooner we look at it, the better your chances of a full recovery. We’re here to help you safely and professionally recover what matters most.
Your clicking hard disk drive might be failing, but you can still save your data.
Lab Hours
Mon – Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
Lab Hours
Mon – Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
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