500GB Passport Essential - clicking noise

WD External and Portable SSD Portable SSD
1

Have only had this drive about a week and recently it started doing a reapeated clicking sound (and flashing on and off of the small power light) when the computer is turned off.  Turn the computer on, clicking goes away.

XP also having trouble recognizing it at startup.  If I unplug the drive and plug it back in, XP will recognize it right away.

Any ideas?

If I can’t get these fixed, I guess I will just return it and go for another brand.

2

Your question shows multiple issues on your system. If you’re using front USB connections on a desktop, switch to rear ports as most of the front USB ports are not capable of providing adequate DC power to start your external drive. (Pen drives and older drives may still work on front USB)

Some motherboards supply +5 Volts standby  to all USB ports when they soft off. This is to aid wakeup requirement in standby modes. This +5V DC supply is inadequate to spin up your drive so it will start clicking. This is bad for your drive. Make sure to disconnect your drive before soft shutdown or switch off your PC from AC socket.

XP issue is that your Passport may have a virtual CD inbuilt and it may be interfering with your bootup sequence.

3

Thanks for the information.

The drive is already plugged into a rear USB and it still clicks when computer is off.

As far as not being recognized, I never had this problem with my previous WD external.  Why would it do it now?

4

hi, the click noise when the system is off as mabkay said is because the computer is only providing a bit of the power that the device would need to work, and thats why  its clicking, like he told you before, disconnect the device from the cable because that could damage your external.

5

OK , thanks.

To have to do that every time I turn the computer off is just ridiculous.

I will just return it and find a desktop drive with separate power.