Click . . . boom

[wmpoag]

when I try to boot up my external, I get a whirr, 1 loud click, additional whirr, 1 loud click and so on. it does this 3 or 4 times, then stops trying to spin. thats bad, isnt it?

 

[Fragrant Coit]

Sounds like the Read Head is cactus.

That basically means a new drive.

If you know what brand HDD is in it, download & run the Diagnostic from the manufacturer - this will probably confirm it is gone.

Is it under Warranty? Most drives have a 3 Yr warranty.

 

[technicalfury42]

That is the noise of the head seeking back, trying to read, giving up, and seeking back, repeat.

You can google for information on freezing the drive to try to recover data in a small time window, however, it will damage the drive so should be used as a last resort only.