Single click followed by freeze

[Acidis]

Hello,

I've been having problems with my hard drives. During computer operation (boot up or use) I sometimes will hear a hard drive "click" which is followed by the computer freeze.

When it initially occured, I thought my hard drive was dying.

I was still able to boot if I tried multiple times until I did not hear the "click" and it would run for a while without freezes until the next "click". The computer would run without a problem for a long period of time. Days. If I shut down the computer I would have a high chance of getting a "click" during boot up.

Anyway, I replaces the drive I had with another drive from the same manufacturer. It was a Western Digital 500GB drive. Couple of months later, I started getting the same problem. During this time I had switched from Windows XP to Windows Vista.

At this point I thought I just got unlucky with two unreliable drives. So, I got a Seagate 750GB drive. Two weeks later, the same problem. I don't hear the same type of "click" but I do hear some short noise from the drive which is followed by the same computer freeze.

So, I guess the problem is not with the drives. But what could it be? Is it the power supply? Is it the mother board? How could I identify what the problem might be? Replacing a motherboard is too expensive so I'd like to identify the problem so I can replace the problem part only.

I've had the system for a while and don't remember all the exact specs. Here is what I know:

Motherboard: ASUS PC-DL Deluxe with 2.8GHz processors.
Power supply: Enermax. I searched for its number CNS13438-Z and came up with 220W.
Hard drive: Seagate 750GB internal
DVD-RW: internal
Video card: GeForce 7800 GS

Thank you for any help.

 

[mailpup]

I would double check the wattage of your power supply. 220W is too low for your system, in my opinion. Open the case and see if you can see the sticker on the side of the power supply. If not on the side, it might be on the top in which case you would have to remove the psu to see it. If it really is 220W, you need a better one.

A bare minimum would be 350W but you should give it more headroom with a 450W or better.

 

[Acidis]

Here is a picture of the label. I see both 220W and 431W on the label. Don't know which number is the correct one. Although my searches on the manufacturer number turned up 220W.

If it's 220W, what power supply should I get for the motherboard that I have? I see the recommended wattage but do I need a standard ATX power supply and what brands are considered reliable?

Thanks again.

 

[mailpup]

431W is the total watts but with only 15 amps on the very important +12V rail, your power supply is inadequate. ATX is the form factor you want. Good brands include but are not limited to the following: Antec, FSB (Fortran), Seasonic, Sparkle, Enermax, Corsair, OCZ, PC Power & Cooling, Mushkin or Silverstone to name some.

 

[Acidis]

Thanks for your help.

I could not use my computer in the last few days because it would freeze up either during boot up or after logging in to Windows with the same single click-like sound from the hard drive.

I had ordered Enermax ELT500AWT and it just arrived. Installed it, booted up. So far no problems.

Let's hope the power supply does not go up in smoke as many users are reporting. I picked this power supply because it had the fewest complaints about it burning up.

Thanks again.

 

[mailpup]

Very good. You're welcome.