9/7     Hi, I have a Hitachi 80 GB drive.  It's begun failing.  The five
        minutes after a cold boot it's fine.  Then it starts clicking a bit,
        but gets worse over time; after half an hour, it is choking for 1-5
        seconds on random sectors every 10-30 seconds.  When I run Drive
        Fitness Check, it reports bad sectors but nothing else.  Can I return
        it?  I'm hoping someone knows to save me the trouble calling tech
        support.  I've returned two dead drives to Hitachi without calling
        before, but those were easy.  Thanks.
        \_ Return it with a description of the problem.  What's the worst they
           could do?  Tell you "It sort-of works!"?
           \_ I'm afraid they'll say, "Bad sectors mean it hasn't failed yet."
              But thanks, this is probably what I'll do.  I am wondering if
              I should also write:  "If it doesn't qualify, please don't send
              it back." -op
        \_ Drop the drive on the ground a couple times.  You should have no
           trouble returning it then.
           \_ Although I know above is a joke, I understand they have "ways"
              of determining whether it's user damage. (damage to external
              casing, i.e., hammer marks)
              \_ While it's running and reading/writing, shake it like mad.
                 \_ Like a Poloroid?
        \_ had the exact same problem with my WD drive. Turns out that when
           it gets really hot (after 30 min) it starts to do the exact same
           thing. Try to cool it down using a fan, back it up, then return
           or exchange it.