Western Digital drive making beeping noise

A thread at Hexus here, describes another user's identical problem, and several possible solutions. The final "stop-gap" solution that worked for that user was using the Windows version of hdparm and setting up a batch file to run at startup, since the settings got erased at restart.

Hard disks usually beep when the head moving mechanism is stuck or the drive motor that spins the platters is likewise detained. The 'stuck' can be mechanical or due to a drive electronics failure. Depending on how you want to proceed and how valuable the contents of the data are, there are a few options:

1. Send the disk to recovery experts
2. Apply power for a few seconds, remove power, wait a few sconds and repeat a few times to see whether this frees any stuck parts
3. Power up the disk and give it a moderate thwack with the handle of a fairly large screwdriver on one of the sides (not the top or bottom)
4. Power down the disk and wait for it to cool completely. Place the disk in an freezer bag and seal it, removing as much air as possible. Place the disk in a freezer for about 24 hours, remove disk, reconnect it to the PC and see whether it works - the theory is that cooling down all the parts may unstick things. If this works, you may have a limited amount of time to get the data off before things warm up.

Good luck.