"Deathstar" 60gxp 40GB

It has just started with its clilcking sound... it seems to be on and
off..... THE DRIVE IS STILL WORKING..... when another computer becomes
available to day i will be backing everything up over network to the another
drive.

I have been snooping around on some message boards and they have told me
that a firmware update may help. something to do with the drive head hanging
about generating heat. then writing data to the wrong groove on the platter?
producing errors. the firmware keeps the drive head active during idle times
(or something).

The windows information thing says it needs a firmware update to a45a. I d/l
the update and ran the bootdisk which then told me that it wasn't needed!?!
i currently have the a46a. - surely this is a more current firmware than the
one i was suggested to upgrade to?

I know there is probably nothing i can do but is there anything i could
persue? And what are the bestways to backup all the data and be easy to
recover it later onto a fresh drive?? (i am currently doing a microsoft
backup over the network to another computer as i have no spare harddisks)
Alex

"Alex Marsden" <just_grassNO RemoveThis @SPAMhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:btbel2$526$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk...
 > It has just started with its clilcking sound... it seems to be on and
 > off..... THE DRIVE IS STILL WORKING..... when another computer becomes
 > available to day i will be backing everything up over network to the
another
 > drive.
 >
 > I have been snooping around on some message boards and they have told me
 > that a firmware update may help. something to do with the drive head
hanging
 > about generating heat. then writing data to the wrong groove on the
platter?
 > producing errors. the firmware keeps the drive head active during idle
times
 > (or something).
 >
 > The windows information thing says it needs a firmware update to a45a. I
d/l
 > the update and ran the bootdisk which then told me that it wasn't
needed!?!
 > i currently have the a46a. - surely this is a more current firmware than
the
 > one i was suggested to upgrade to?

I read on the Hitachi site that the message that the/an update wasn't needed
was the utilities way of saying it completed successfully. Among the
dumbest messages i've seen. I've got a couple GXP 75's and ran the utility
on each.

 >
 > I know there is probably nothing i can do but is there anything i could
 > persue? And what are the bestways to backup all the data and be easy to
 > recover it later onto a fresh drive?? (i am currently doing a microsoft
 > backup over the network to another computer as i have no spare harddisks)
 > Alex
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->