[ILUG] why did KDE H/W(-plugin?) thingie start accessing my CD(-RW) drive?

[Aine Douglas]

On 8/23/06, Brian Foster <blf at blf.utvinternet.ie> wrote:
>  it's reasonably certain this is a new phenomena, as I should
>  have heard it before.  (however, I need not have noticed the
>  access LED lighting up before due to the position of the kit;
>  ergo, if the clicking wasn't very loud at first, it may have
>  been drowned out by fan noise and so I wouldn't hear it?)
>  what I don't know is exactly when it started, but would guess
>  it was probably in the last c.24 hours.

Maybe your system always accessed the hardrive and its the clicking
thats new. Drives don't usually click until they're dying. Its the
read arm knocking off the spindle. Its quite distinctive and is really
the only drive access that could be referred to as clicking.

If you've heard the sound before you'll never forget it, but if its
your first time hearing it, I'd be inclined to backup and prepare for
disaster.

Hard drive reads should be slow during the clicking, and best disaster
recovery results can be had with a deskfan blowing in to keep the
drive cool, or powering down overnight to cool and trying again
tomorrow.

Aine.