Humming sort of noise from computer hard drive

[jackcar]

There is a humming noise coming  from my PC (Lenovo). Have localised it to the hard drive. When I remove the computer from it's desk and stand it on carpet the noise becomes almost inaudible. (Just placing a hand on the tower increases the noise a little.)
What would be my best option(s) at present?
 The noise only becomes annoying after the pc has been on for an hour or so, and then just gets louder as time moves on. 

posted by:  jackcar

[patio]

Are you sure it's the HDD ? ? Use a pencil and touch the drive with your ear to the end of the pencil...

If it is what i use are felt washers between the HDD and case over each mounting screw...
Hope you isolate it

[Geek-9pm]

Patio...Did y0u just tell the OP he has a loose screw?

[Salmon Trout]

I have had a couple of PCs like this... both of them were Shuttle small factor PCs on a steel desk. In each the sound seemed to be because the metal case was resonating ("drumming") from vibrations caused mainly by fans and hard drives. I tried rubber washers under the hard drive mounting screws, and rubber feet under the cases, It could be changed or stopped by moving the case slightly or placing a hand or an object such as a book on top of the case. One was cured by standing it on a sheet of polystyrene foam like you get in delivery boxes. I never did get the other to quieten down, I suspect the CPU fan bearing was starting to wear. Some vans I have seen had 'anti-drum bars' welded to the inner sides of the cargo space to stop the whole thing thrumming at certain engine speeds.

[jackcar]

Thanks for replies.  Will have a look inside pc tower tomorrow and perhaps try some felt washers and
hard sponge/polystyrene sheet under the tower. Have just turned PC on, noise still there until I removed
it from computer desk and stood it on the floor carpet, which silenced it! Resonance appear's to be a
large part of the problem.
It's not so much the noise I am concerned about, more the cause. If the hdd should pack up I would lose
everything on it. The pc has been running silently for two years and this problem just started a few days
ago. Is the hdd likely to:  carry on working for some time yet, or pack up suddenly. (probably no answer to this question).   
It is the hard drive, I held pencil to it.




























is

[Geek-9pm]

Here is a suggestion. You can buy an enclosure that has its own power supply. It can hold a drive like the lone in the computer.  Now buy a hard drive . Get one that will fit the enclosure or the  computer.

The plan is to "clone" the drive in the computer onto the one in the external enclosure.  Once you have got a perfect "clone", swap the drives. After that you will have a new drive in the computer and the old drive in the external enclosure.

That should be a good solution to the problem.
Otherwise, replacing hard drive bearings is not a Do-It-Yourself project. 

[patio]

Geek i've seen perfectly fine new HDD's make noise in poorly designed or budget cases...that's why i suggested trying the physical fixes 1st which cost next to nothing.

Nothing proves his HDD bearings are failing as of yet.

[Geek-9pm]

Reference:
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2480866/computer-hardware/40-different-sounds-of-failing-hard-drives.html

[Salmon Trout]

It stops when he puts the case on a carpet. That says case resonance to me. It could run fine for years.