hard drive?

[thunderbt3]

Hey guys, every morning when i turn my computer on, does POST then theres usually a little pause before it starts XP but these last couple of days, right after it POSTs and before it starts XP, in that little time that it pauses, i hear a CLICK then the whole system restarts. im thinkin its the Hard drive going bad, ive had a WD go bad on me and this is one is a Maxtor

[Bovon]

It certainly could be a drive failing...I have not used WD drives in several years..they had a bad batch of drives and instead of being upfront with their customers that tried to BS their way thru it...they durn near folded. I have used Maxtors ever since...but, yes..Maxtors also fail...as all of them do sometimes.

There is also the possibility that your motherboard has some of those defective capacitors installed..they will keep a board from booting properly...unil they die, and the board no longer boots.. I have never heard of a clicking sound coming from a motherboard with bad caps, however.

[jmichna]

Open the side panel and then boot... use a rolled up piece of construction/stiff paper as a "stethescope" and listen carefully to the HD for that clicking sound. Re bad capacitors, they usually bulge a bit or leak. Inspect your mobo's caps with a strong flashlight and a magnifying glass and look for bulges/leaks.