"Chirping" noise every 3-5 seconds

Starting two days ago, a strange chirping sound seems to be coming from my iMac at 3-5 second intervals. I checked the HDD diagnostics and it appears to be functioning correctly (according to DiskWarrior). I know this is a very general issue, but any suggestions as to what it may be? Is it something I should have looked at?

Azeroth, I know what you are talking about. It's a repetitive clinking/chirping sound caused by the hard drive head parking whilst idle (power saving). I didn't have it with my former MBP/Fujitsu 7200, but my new MBP (Hitachi 7200) was driving me nuts with this sound. Plus it wears the hard drive out, ironically.
There is no way to fix this through System Preferences. Unchecking "Put the hard disks to sleep when possible" has no effect, nor does pushing the slider to never sleep.
The fix is unfortunately a little long winded but it works, and I'm ecstatic. Here it is:
Hard drive behaviour must be modified at a lower level, i.e. power management.
hdapm is the answer.
1) Enable root user: Open Directory Utility located in Application » Utilities. You may have to unlock Directory Utility to make changes. Once it's unlocked, go to Edit » Enable Root User, and then type in a password for your root user. Now logout and there will be an option for Other user. Log in as "root" and use your root user password.
2) Create usr/local/bin folder :
/usr/local/bin doesn't exist by default. You have to create it.
To create the folder (if it doesn't exist already) and open a Finder window:
In the terminal... (Utilities/Terminal) enter these 3 commands in succession
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/bin
cd /usr/local/bin
open .
3) Download hdapm, a command line utility for hard drive power management, here: http://mckinlay.net.nz/hdapm/
4) Drag and drop hdapm executable into usr/local/bin and hdam.plist into Library/LaunchDaemons (to enable hdapm to run at every startup)
Reboot. Your hard drive is now running at maximum power settings.
FIXED! NO MORE CLINKING/CHIRPING NOISES
Disable root user

Similar Messages

  • My brand new iMac 21,5" is producing a clicking noise every 2-3 seconds. Someone had this before?

    Hi everyone,
    i bought my iMac about 2 weeks ago and today i recognized that it produces a noise every 2 to 3 seconds which sounds like clicking a mouse. As far as I can locate it it has to come from the lower left corner of the case.
    Any ideas what this could be?
    Thanks and best regards,
    seelschen

    How did you get on with this problem?
    I am having same issue and found a post recommending Volitan's SMART software. The result I got was "FAILING"
    Olly

  • Chirping noise every 2 seconds, mute stops it!

    Today I noticed that my MacBook Pro has suddenly started sounding like there's a small bird trapped inside it.
    At first I thought I could hear birds outside but it's too rythmical, with a chirping sound made about every 2 seconds. It's coming from the MacBook and appears to be equally loud through each speaker.
    I don't think that it's due to the fan or the drive as it's coming from the speakers AND it stops when I mute the volume.
    Any ideas what this could be? I really can't afford to have my machine die on me right now and am rather worried!
    Thanks for any help.
    Robert

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    No idea what this is, but it might not hurt to run some diagnostic tests. You could run the extended version of the Apple Hardware test and see if anything shows up in the form of an error code.
    You could also run this utility:
    http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/32454
    You can download the demo and run it several times for free. It will give you a comprehensive view of the physical health of your hard drive.
    I wonder if the speaker is picking up a sound from the drive or the fan and magnifying it. If you mute the volume, can you still hear the sound faintly?
    Good luck!

  • Chirping Noise

    My iPod touch is making chirping noises every once in a while. Is this the new mail alert, perhaps? Or is it somethiing else?
    Dan

    Same here. Turns out it is the mail notification sound (took me a while to figure out what was going on, and it drove me nuts).
    Alas, you cannot turn it off under 2.0 that I can tell. Under the previous version there was a separate setting for each app under sounds. Now there is just On or Off.

  • Soft Chirping noise 3-5 times per second

    I've had my Macbook since 2009, and since this morning it's been making a chirping noise, possibly from the optical disk drive, roughly 4 times per second. It stops for about a second every 10 minutes, but other than that it has been repetitively chirping all day. I haven't dropped it or anything like that. Please help!

    take it in for service.  It is very difficult to diagnose a sound without having the mac present.  That's like someone asking "my car is making a chirping noise, what's wrong?" without the car infront of the mechanic (just making this comparison because I was a mechanic and people would call us on the phone and ask questions like that) it's difficult to tell.  It could be anything..and needs to be diagnosed properly in person.

  • My iPhone 4S won't turn on it's been off for two days now. I tried charging it but it makes a noise every 8 seconds,holding the buttons down and also plugging it to a computer. I need help on what to do or if anybody can tell me what's wrong with my phone

    My iPhone 4S won't turn on it's been off for two days now. I tried charging it but it makes a noise every 8 seconds,holding the buttons down and also plugging it to a computer. I need help on what to do or if anybody can tell me what's wrong with my phone

    Yes ive tried a different charger and it also nothing shows when i plug it in just makes a noise

  • Empty disk drive makes beep noise every 30 seconds

    My disk drive makes a beep noise every 30 seconds. There is nothing in it. It sounds like it is looking for a disk or something, but the constant noise is irritating after awhile.

    call the company that repaired it.  this is abnormal behavior and they need to correct it, especially since you state it was just replaced.

  • My Macbook Air shut down on the screen and is making a beeping noise every second. I tried charging it up unsuccessfully.

    Please help. I was watching netlix last night and my computer just went dark. It began making a beeping noise every second. It would not turn on or all the way off. I tried charging it which changed nothing--not the screen nor the beeping.

    if its continuous it cant be every 3 seconds, logically
    1 beep  = no RAM installed
    2 beeps = incompatible RAM types
    3 beeps = no good banks
    4 beeps = no good boot images in the boot ROM (and/or bad sys config block)
    5 beeps = processor is not usable
    hardware fault regardless.  Still RAM
    dead screen, no SMC reset possible, ergo:
    Contact Apple for appt. for free diagnostics and drop off at your local Apple shop.

  • My MacBook Air is making a noise every 7 seconds for 2 seconds. It started today, and I have had it for almost a year.  It is below the power switch and annoying enough that it is hard to even work with the computer.  Ideas?

    My MacBook Air is making a clicking noise every 7 seconds for 2 seconds. It started today, and I have had the computer for almost a year.  It is below the power switch and annoying enough that it is hard to even work with the computer.  It sounds as if a hard drive is trying to work. No applications running.  Ideas?

    If its a MBA with solid state drive then I would guess its the fan touching something ???. I think it have no other moving parts.

  • HT201210 my phone has stopped working.wont turn on.when plugged into computer makes the charging noise every ten seconds.can i fix it?

    my iphone 4 stopped working.the screen went hazy a few times then white.tried a reset but now screens black and phone makes the charging noise every ten seconds when plugged in. any fixes. oh battery has 3.7volts constant

    i solved this myself.a new digitizer and screen fitted .phone now ok..charging noise was to alert you that the digitizer had a fault

  • Envy 7640 printer chirping noise

    My new printer makes a regular, quiet chirping noise when idle.  It chirps about every 10 seconds.  When I print something it seems to stop for a while.  But it always returns.  Kinda driving me crazy.
    Thanks for your help.

    Please contact HP Support and request a new power supply. The power supply is customer replaceable and can be easily removed by one screw.
    I am in HP employee
    --Say "Thanks" by clicking the Kudos Star in the post that helped you.
    --Please mark the post that solves your problem as "Accepted Solution".....

  • Click-noise every 5-30 sec

    I've had my MacBook 2ghz regular Late 2008, for about 2 weeks and I've started to notice an annoying sound/noise from (I think) the right corner beside the trackpad and the Optical Drive. My guess is the HDD?
    It's actually pretty hard to describe, but it's like a very silent clicking noise coming every 5-30 sec, when using it or not using it (still turned on, though). In my class at day I do not notice it, only at home all alone - not listening to music.
    You only hear it in quiet conditions, but I'm pretty much a perfectionist, and this is starting to bother me when trying to focus on something in silence.
    Is this an fatal error, or normal? I've tried to look around the forum, and found something looking like it, but I do not like installing some unknown software or keeping the HDD on all the time - like to save batterylife (how do you see when the HDD is being "used" or not?)
    Do anyone know this problem, maybe a proper resolve or should i turn it to AppleCare? (Live in DK)
    I really hope someone can help me with this. Thanks in advance

    http://www.dougitdesign.com/blog.html
    11.25.08: Does your hard drive (HDD) ever sound like little mice are playing table tennis inside of it? Or, why your notebook computer's HDD is pre-programmed for quick failure.
    My most recent and fresh complaint with Apple has to do with an annoying clicking sound coming from the hard drive (HDD) of my early 2008 Macbook. This is not to be confused with a much louder and constant clicking sound of a soon-to-fail HDD. This is a more subtile, yet annoying click that is most obvious when the computer is not under heavy processing use. I just purchased this product directly from Apple as a refurbished unit. Although the machine is technically a refurb., it is actually completely new, at least the HDD was, as that is easy to check. This "click" sound is yet another example of when a "bug" is actually considered a "feature."
    It turns out that this "clicking" is part of a "power management system" that functions to save energy and, more importantly, generate less heat. For every "click" what is happening is the heads of the HDD are parking, and the disk platters begin to stop spinning. But then the HDD's heads quickly unpark, and then park again, and then unpark, and sometimes this happens every couple of seconds and becomes very annoying. It is most especially annoying when using a notebook computer in a very quiet setting. The click(s) can sound just like a ping pong ball being dropped on a hard surface.
    This problem is most recognizable when one's computer does not have many applications in use, and is sitting in a fairly idle state, like when one is trying to read from a website through a browser, and not doing much else that will tax the CPU and the HDD. It is when the computer is in this state that the HDD manufacturer's (or is it Apple's/*nix's) power management system and the Operating system seem to not get along too well, and then come the click, click, clicks. What is most bizarre to me is that the clicks are somewhat random, at least to my limited knowledge. Sometimes, in what appear to be similar computer-use situations, there will be clicks, and sometimes no clicks.
    This problem actually occurs on all Operating Systems based on Unix/Linux, including the Mac OS. As far as Windows is concerned, many say this problem does not exist, and some say it does. The folks who say that Windows Vista is not plagued with this problem claim it is because the OS accesses the HDD so very often, like every 4 seconds at a minimum, the HDD's aggressive power management scheme never has a chance to kick-in and sleep the HDD and park the heads. Whereas the Mac OS Leopard 10.5 may access, or touch, the HDD every 8 seconds at the least, allowing the HDD's over aggressive power management to sleep the drive (hence park the heads, and make an audible "click") every few seconds. The same seems to apply to open source distros of Linux, however they seem to be on top of a fix. Maybe this is because the average linux user is quite computer-saavy, unlike today's average Mac user.
    This issue is not just about an annoying noise emitting from the HDD, all those clicks might be drastically shortening the life of the HDD. To computer geeks each one of those annoying ping-pong ball sounding clicks is known as a "LoadCycleCount" and every HDD manufactured has a limited number of allowable load cycle counts before the HDD fails! My particular drive will fail at around 600,000 load cycle counts. that number may seem high, but considering that the HDD in question is already at 22,731 "clicks" or load cycle counts (this number is easily ascertainable with the use of specific software) in under one month's use, well, do the math. My HDD is pre-programmed to fail in 2 years. Many people have reported a much higher rate of accumulated "clicks" than my HDD has. I have an old external 80 gig firewire HDD that is running strong after 8 years of use!
    The big mystery here is who is to blame? It is either the OS manufacturers, i.e. Apple, Windows, Ubuntu, or we need to look at the manufacturers of the HDD's themselves. I actually think they both are to share the blame.
    There are numerous forum threads running all over the web about this issue. Here are links to some of the best: (there are also many great threads at Apple's support forums, however Apple will not allow me to create a working link to those threads. Bad Apple, bad.)
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=591503
    http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-258751.html
    null

  • My computer asks to shut down every 5-7 seconds

    My macbook air asks me around every 5-10 seconds if I would liek to shut down my computer. It only turns on when plugged into the adapter and no light appears. No charge is taken in and there is a fan noise.

    Reset the System Management Controller (SMC).
    If there's no improvement, make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.
    Back up all data on the internal drive(s) before you hand over your computer to anyone. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional — ask if you need guidance.
    If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to an empty drive from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.
    Keeping your confidential data secure during hardware repair
    *An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.

  • T60p - Chirping noise with CPU power management

    I've bought a T60p which produces a chirping noise when running on battery. The high frequency noise is disturbing when working with the device, especially in silent surroundings.
    I've already contacted the Lenovo Support and they advised me to turn off CPU power management in the BIOS which indeed removes the noise. However, the cost is a significantly reduced battery time.
    First the Lenovo guys offered me a high capacity battery to compensate the shorter run time but then they refused and stated that my computer "works as designed" and that "Lenovo doesn't accept warranty".
    I can't believe that this is true. IBM and the ThinkPads have been recognized for their excellent quality and customer service for many years. That's why I bought a TP despite it was way more expensive than other Notebooks. Is Lenovo really not interested in keeping the excellent reputation that IBM formerly had? I'd be very interested in a statement of a Lenovo official on this issue...

    > every CD/C2D processor makes this noise regardless of notebook manufacturer.
    Nope, not every. There are C2D ThinkPads and other manufacturer notebooks without this defect. Sometimes noise level is higher, sometimes lower, sometimes completely silent if you are lucky enough...
    amaso, I have the same problem on my brand new T60p, and found a better solution. Try to download RMClock and disable PopUp mode in CPU advanced settings. This eliminated the noise for me and power management still is working.

  • Envy 7640 makes chirping noise, as does replacement

    Sorry for the RANT!
    Bought Envy 7640 and noticed audible chirping noise from power unit. Researched forums etc and found it is a common problem. Contacted HP support (very hard to find) and spent hour explaining to agent including links to forums/youtube of noise etc etc.
    No problem he says - send you a new power unit
    Are you sure as this doesnt appear to solve the problem say I
    Oh yes says agent this will work.
    Complete new printer arrives and problem is exactly the same.
    I now have to waste more time getting UPS to pick up a second printer - what a complete and utter waste of my time and HP money
    Dont see i have a choice but to take the printer back to the shop and buy another brand, cancel the ink package and start again.
    Can i find the support contact details again - can i ****
    Unless anyone can help me on this forum i will NEVER EVER go near another HP product as long as my arse points the floor

    I have brought your issue to the attention of an appropriate team within HP.
    They will likely request information from you in order to look up your case details or product serial number.
    Please look for a private message from an identified HP contact.
    Additionally, keep in mind not to publicly post serial numbers and case details.
    If you are unfamiliar with how the Forum's private message capability works, this post has instructions.
    Also our technical support is reached at 800-474-6836. If you live outside the US/Canada Region, please click the link below to get the support number for your region. http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-phone-assist.html
    Aardvark1
    I work on behalf of HP
    Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
    Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Maybe you are looking for