My MacBook pro I got last week makes random clicking noises..

I recently got a MacBook Pro for my 18th birthday present. I turned it on and it started making random clicking noises. It doesn't do it consistently but very randomly and at weird times. Nothing in particular triggers the noise but I'm not quite sure what to do. Help?

It sounds as if your heads are bumping up against the platters. You shouldn't be hearing it and it may be an indication of drive failure. If you haven't already done so, get an external hard drive and make backups of your hard drive using Time Machine or your backup method of choice. Then take it into your local Apple Store and have them run diagnostics. Don't attempt to use Disk Utility or any other utility to repair it.
Good luck,
Clinton

Similar Messages

  • My 2012 MacBook Pro fell and it now makes a clicking noise and shows a grey screen on startup. I'm afraid the hard drive is damaged. Is their anyway to still back up my hard drive even if it doesn't turn on all the way?

    So my late 2012 MacBook Pro was sitting on my desk when the desk collapsed. The computer fell with it and I was quite scared at the moment, but thankfully I opened it up and it worked perfectly fine again.
    I was later watching a YouTube video and pressed the back button. The screen then froze, and I could not force quit safari. Then this weird clicking noise started to happen. It was coming from the right of the trackpad. That's when I decided to force shutdown the computer with the power button.
    I let it sit and then decided to turn it back on. The clicking noise then came back and there was just a blank screen on the boot up. Eventually a grey folder with a question mark started flashing on the screen. That was all it did so I decided to turn it off again.
    I'm going to take it into the Apple store ASAP, but I'm curious if my hard drive is damaged and if I will need a new one, which would erase everything on my Mac. So I was wondering if there is anyway to back up the hard driver even if it doesn't boot up all the way, or turn on the computer all the way.
    P.S. I have never backed up my hard drive so I wouldn't know what to do.

    You may have damaged the HDD which is located in that spot. I would take it in for service.

  • On startup MacBook pro 2008 shows white screen, makes 3 clicking noises, then light at front flashes 3 times at intervals. Help?

    On startup a blank white screen shows after startup tone and followed by 3 clicks from the speakers. The light at the front of the computer then flashes 3 times at intervals. Startup doesn't progress past this point. I've attempted to put it into safe mode but no luck. Any help?

    Hard drive failure.

  • Is there a reason that Skype quit workin on my macbook pro in the last week?  Microsoft went their messenger to it, so is there something there?

    I have a macbook pro, in the last week, i have lost the use of skype. is there a reason? has it something to do with Microsoft setting their msn up there?

    Well, running on a 2006 model.  I did not have a startup disc.  Initially, it booted up on original software in 2006.  Since then, I've upgraded to 10.6 via a box set.  And, since then I think I popped it up to lion. 
    All I have on a disc is snow leopard.  And, I can't get farther than the setup screen due to hard drive.  I'm taking to a apple authorized repair store right now.  We'll see what they tell me .  I'm just going to weigh the cost of repair vs. buying new.
    Another bad, stupid thing is I had no means of backing up my stuff.  So, I might have lost things like music, vids, etc.  we'll see if they can recover.  If the cost is too much for repair I might just forget it and start over with a new system.  Just not sure at this point.

  • Macbook Pro is slow/laggy and makes a weird noise

    Hello members,
    I have a Mid-2010 Macbook Pro running Mountain Lion with all the latest updates. Everything was fine until 3 days back, when it started acting up. Moving the cursor was extremely laggy, and starting up any application takes forever. I also noticed a weird noise, more like a phone pulse dial, coming from the front. It repeats itself every 3 seconds, so I first thought it must be the HDD failing. But I have run all sorts of hardware tests but every test seems to infer that the HDD is working fine. Is it possible that the HDD is failing even though it doesn't show up on any test? The Apple store nearest to me is more than a 3 hour drive away, so it's almost impossible to go there in person. Can anyone please help? Thanks in advance.

    I suggest you start with these user tip articles:
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3353
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3521
    Ciao.

  • I just bought a used Macbook Pro. How do I make the changes to make it personal. Example the iTunes comes up as the old user and I have to have his password to make changes on the laptop. Can you make any suggestions?

    I just bought a used Macbook Pro. How do I make the changes to make it personal. Example the iTunes comes up as the old user and I have to have his password to make changes on the laptop. Can you make any suggestions?
    Also I cant make a right click on the pad. Is that normal?

    Your first going to have to remove all your personal data off the machine to a external storage drive, do not use TimeMachine when it asks as this will copy the entire drive and is unnecessary at this time (also takes too long).
    You need to drag and drop copy your personal data folders (Music, Pictures, Movies etc) to a external storage drive, once done, unmount and disconnect this drive.
    Most commonly used backup methods
    Next your going to follow the Zero Erase and install method for your OS X version, either 10.6 or 10.7, here
    How to reinstall just OS X or erase/install OS X
    10.7 requires your AppleID and password to install, so make sure to have that ready.
    Once you reboot your into the real setup of OS X, which will require your name etc, so it's now your machine.
    Install your programs, iLife package is only free for the owner of the machine.
    If you have the 10.6 machine specific disks, then it's on there.
    If your using 10.7, then you'll have to purchase it from the App Store.
    Last, return your files from the storage drive, consider setting up a TimeMachine or clone on the external drive.

  • While trying to instal Mountain Lion OS on my macbook pro, I got the error message that my HD was damaged and it reverted to my Lion OS. Why does this happen? I bought the OS online through the app store

    While trying to instal Mountain Lion OS on my macbook pro, I got the error message that my HD was damaged and it reverted to my Lion OS. Why does this happen? I bought the OS online through the app store.

    The Mountain Lion installer looks at your internal drive to make certain that it's error-free before continuing installation. You should have an application named "Install OS X Mountain Lion.app" in your Applications folder now so you shouldn't have to download it again. Do this...
    Boot to your Lion recovery partition by holding down both the Command and the R keys while booting. Open Disk Utility from the Recovery partition and select your hard drive (usually named "Macintosh HD" unless you've renamed it) and click on Verify Disk. If you come up with any errors, click on Repair Disk. At the end of the cycle you will get a message that the disk was successfully repaired or a message that the hard drive could not be repaired.
    If you're able to repair the disk, just reboot as normal and open the "Install OS X Mountain Lion.app" and the installation will proceed. If Disk Utility was unable to repair the disk, you need to get to your local Apple Store as soon as possible so that they can see if the disk is salvageable or beyond repair.
    Good luck,
    Clinton

  • One of my macbook pro 15" got hardware locked, One of my macbook pro 15" got hardware locked

    One of my macbook pro 15" got hardware locked, One of my macbook pro 15" got hardware locked

    Hi. I'm not trying to rush things, you may have a different problem, but your issue looks quite familiar to me. I recently had a problem with the discrete graphics card (the Radeon GPU) due to overheating, all because a faulty application of the thermal compound in the factory.
    In my case, the problem started slowly and intermittently, a few days after a gaming session (Quake 3) of about three hours (at the moment, I didn't realized that could be linked to the problem).
    This issue is being actively discussed in another threads in this forum, but so far there's enough evidence that it's been causing similar problems for 2011 MBPs owners: screen corruption, black/blue screens, and in some cases, a total inability to boot. Some of the threads I'm talking about:
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/13150366#13150366
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/21110132#21110132
    So far, and since the problem seems to affect only the discrete GPU (that's why you can boot in safe mode) a possible solution is to disable it by removing some extensions which prevent OS X from loading the Radeon drivers. This post describing the process (there are different files involved depending of your GPU version, so make sure you are moving the right ones):
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/22521574#22521574
    In the case your discrete GPU survived and is not permanently damaged, I personally had success by changing the thermal compound myself, which completely fixed the problem (at least for now). I've posted about it here:
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/22630561#22630561
    I hope you can find a solution, believe me I know the feeling when you see your expensive machine turning into a brick and it *****.
    Good luck!

  • My MacBook Pro was stolen last night. I need the serial number. It is not showing up on my devices list. My iPads and iPhones are. I have used it to to sync my phones and pads as well having it registered with apple. Any thoughts? Thanks

    My MacBook Pro was stolen last night. I need the serial number. It is not showing up on my devices list. My iPads and iPhones are. I have used it to to sync my phones and pads as well having it registered with apple. Any thoughts? Thanks

    Click here: https://supportprofile.apple.com/MySupportProfile.do
    SIgn in with your Apple ID, the same one you used to access this support forum.
    Hopefully, you will see a list of all the devices you registered with your Apple ID, including their serial numbers. Let me know how this works out.
    Edit to add: If you enabled "find my imac" on your Pro, you ought to be able to remotely lock it, or even wipe its memory. Click http://www.icloud.com/ sign in with your Apple ID and click the big green "find my iPhone" icon (nevermind the name, it will find all your devices provided they're running Lion or iOS 5).
    Then file a police report and nail the b*****d.

  • My macbook pro recently got swiped and I lost all my data, problem is, just before it was swiped I set up my new iphone 5 which transferred all my photos and music over which is no longer on the computer. What will happen to my phone if I plug it in?

    My macbook pro recently got swiped and I lost all my data, problem is, just before it was swiped I set up my new iphone 5 which transferred all my photos and music over which is no longer on the computer. What will happen to my phone if I plug it in?

    I never used icloud before so there is no data to back up from. I just spoke  to the apple store and they said that if I do plug it in, all the data will be swiped....is there a program I can use to transfer my data from my phone to computer without loosing it all ???
    Renee

  • When installing Maverick on my 17" Macbook pro I got the message that my HD is damaged and can't be repaired. I now can't restart without simply repeating the attempt to install Maverick and thereby returning to the same message. How do I abort install

    When installing Maverick on my 17" Macbook pro I got the message that my HD was damaged and couldn't be repaired. (not good news!!) I now can't restart without returning  to the Maverick setup and therefore returning to the same message. How do I abort the Maverick installation so that I can try to return to the previous OS so that I can try to recover/repair the HD

    I have the same problem with my 2008 MacBook. Repair disk from disk utility says it was successful but the installer thinks it's groundhog day after a reboot. I also tried fsck -fy after booting in to a command mode and it came back clean but again the installer gives the same error message. It seems like a bit is stuck somewhere indicating my HD is bad when it isn't.
    I had the latest version of Mountain Lion and have applied every upgrade up to then without issue.
    Anyone find a solution yet without having to erase the entire disk and staring over?
    Attached is a screen shot of the error.

  • I have an iphone 4s that i got last week and i set it up just using the phone. today my dad restored it as my mothers iphone so i lost all of my data. I tried to restore it as my original phone i had but i exited out of itunes and now my phone wont showup

    I have an iphone 4s that i got last week and i set it up just using the phone. today my dad restored it as my mothers iphone so i lost all of my data. I tried to restore it as my original phone i had but i exited out of itunes and now my phone wont showup in itunes or on my computer

    Did you fail to import them to your computer before restoring?
    Not good.
    They are likely gone.
    You can try restoring from backup.

  • Is it possible to connect my 2008 black macbook, to my new 2014 macbook pro retina display screen to make a dual monitor. If this is possible what cables would I need to buy?

    Is it possible to connect my 2008 black macbook, to my new 2014 macbook pro retina display screen to make a dual monitor. If this is possible what cables would I need to buy?

    You can try using Screen Sharing in the Sharing preferences. Or try a third-party utility such as ScreenRecycler.

  • I downloaded Mountain Lion in my  i have macbook pro retina display last month.  but I don't get airplay the option on my macbook.  I went to display preferences, but the airplay is not available.  What is the next step?

    I downloaded Mountain Lion in my  i have macbook pro retina display last month.  but I don't get airplay the option on my macbook.  I went to display preferences, but the airplay is not available.  What is the next step?

    You also need:
    Apple TV (2nd or 3rd generation) with software update v5.0 or later.

  • I just bought a brand new macbook pro with retina one week ago and have used it twice. I noticed that I now have a scratch on the screen a small one yet a scratch. You can't feel it yet you can see a tiny black dot then what appears to be a small scratch.

    i Just bought a new macbook pro with retina a week ago and used it twice, now it appears i have a tiny black dot on the screen with a nice tiny scatch. Will apple fix my screen since it is only a week old?

    Have a good night down there in that 70-80 degree weather. I just shovelled my driveway earlier. Ugh.
    "grass is always greener on the other side"
    how about Geckos that crawl in at night and like to jump on your face while you sleep
    Eeeek
    they look at you in your own home like "wassup, what are you doin here?"
    most here want snow,             nothing says the holidays like sunburn and heat stroke.

Maybe you are looking for

  • Flowing Graphics in a Text Frame

    I am a new user of InDesign who recently inherited a user manual in which all the text is contained in text boxes rather than page columns. It's not a long book, about 33 pages, but the graphics don't flow with the text. Anytime you add or remove tex

  • How to get Mail to recognize "Dad"?

    In my Address Book, I have my father marked down as his real name. How can I get Mail to automatically fill his e-mail address in a new message when I type in "Dad" without deleting his name, or do I just replace his name with Dad?

  • Total landed cost in MM pricing

    i cant understand how system is calculating the Total landed cost it is showing 20,310.40 Can anyone pls check ZBP0     Basic Price                 100.00      INR     1     KG     10,000.00 ZJDV     Discount quantity                          INR    

  • Finder does not show flash drive but it is mounted.

    After reformatting a drive to FAT it was automounted to the /Volumes directory. I checked and it is there with all of the content there. Disk Utility also is telling me that it was mounted. The weird part is that the Finder does not have the drive in

  • Good Receipt under Quality inspection

    Hello Expert Once the good receipt is done it should go to Quality inspection and then to Un restirected. I have done certain check mark in Material master under quality management tab, even after it is moving to un restricted at the time of GR. Than