Possible to reduce HDD seek noise?

Hi I was wondering if it was possible to reduce the HDD seek noise (aka the "clickty" sound). I've read threads that say it's possible to put it in quite mode through the BIOS but I didn't find any such option. Is it not possible on asus laptops or am I missing something?

 

Download Notebook Hardware Control and choose Harddrive in the top tab (first you may have to go to the last one and show details or something)- then choose the option "No Spin Up or Spin Down" something like that... The program is free and will also manage temps.

 

I see "Without Spin Down(128)" , "Enable Spin Down(1)" and "Max Preformance(254)". Tried all 3 and non of them seemed to make a difference. What exactly does that option do?

I also tried setting the "Acoustic Management" to quite but that didn't seem to make a difference.

Also is it a problem that the program is showing my HD temp's at 0 degrees?

 

NHC isn't reading your HDD temp, and there are reported problems with the software functioning properly under Vista.

NHC's SpinDown options are less likely to affect seek dB, and if NHC isn't reading the HDD temp then it likely isn't sending the acoustic commands properly either. Sometimes BIOS settings can set acoustic management, but I don't think Asus puts that into theirs. If you don't find it in there you can always try your HDD manufacturer's website to look for a utility there; else, you're probably going to have to live with it or buy a new HDD that's quieter .

 

A quieter HDD is always an option. 250gb WD I cant even hear it unless i put my ear next to it while its outside of the laptop... while its inside forget it 100% silent for me.

 

Yep, NHC is issuey and I'd say don't use it in Vista and with newer laptops.

Your HDD is probably a Hitachi, those are usually noisier. I agree with ClearSkies for the rest.

 

I second that

I have 2 WD 250 in my laptop and i cannot hear a thing

regards

John.

 

I did a little searching around and found a program called "Feature Tool" on the Hitachi website that allows for acoustic management of their HDD. Only problem is it's a dos based program and I need to boot it up when my computer first starts.

Here's the link: http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm

Was going to give it a try but I don't know how exactly to make a bootable CD/USB with that program on it.

 

you probably have to burn the iso as an image (should be a separate option for that in your burning program). then change your boot order so that cd drive is first....you usually do this by entering your bios.

 

Thanks ejl, simply burning the image to the CD worked.

I ran the program and adjusted the acoustic level. It ran a bunch of random seeks and as I adjusted the acoustic setting I could see the effect it had on my performance. I could see very little difference between the lowest and highest setting performance wise, so I just set it to quietest.

It also had several other options to play around with such as power management. Really good program for hitachi HDD owners since the Asus BIOS apparently doesn't have any of those features built in.

 

I can with WDC WD2500BEVS-75UST0 on Studio 1535.
NHC works under Vista and on "Max Preformance(254)" - it is quiet.