Fan borked? Making funny noises when it starts spinning up

All -
I'm fairly certain I have to take my PB in for service, but I'd like to verify that first, since my warranty expired two months ago.
For the past two weeks or so, every time I start up a video-intensive application (such as world of warcraft), the fan quickly spins up to high power. That's normal - but it's been making a high pitched buzzing sound that is definitely not normal. It originates in the upper left corner, at about the top of the speaker (which I disabled to verify it). Further, I run multiple desktops, and if I leave the game open but switch to another desktop (using Desktop Manager .5.3), the noise generally subsides in 10-20 seconds. This makes me think it's some sort of fan attached to the video card...? Comments? Thoughts?
Thanks,
Lance

I'm having the same issue, also due to World of Warcraft. I'm used to the fan being loud, but the high pitch sound you mention is definitely not normal. Honestly, it scared me so badly the first time I heard it, I think I actually jumped in my seat a bit. This was about a week ago.
I'm away at college, so with no means of fixing the problem at the moment, I started playing the game at the lowest settings possible (800x600 res, colors at 16-bit instead of 24, etc) That seemed to tame the beast, but only for a short time. In the past two days, I've attempted to start up, low settings as usual, but within a literal minute or two, the fan powers up and the strange sound begins.
I'm still trying to determine how I should go about solving this, (or if the problem is even rooted in the fan itself) whether it be via apple, or on my own, since my warranty also ended about 2 months ago, and I don't have Applecare.
It looks like you posted this a few weeks ago, Corbets... if you see this topic again, I'd appreciate it if you could reply with any information you gathered and/or how you went about fixing the problem... if you have yet.
Thanks,
Pam
Also, if anyone else happens across this topic, how much free advice and/or help can I get if I walk in to my local Mac store with my above problem... before they decide I need to start forking over some cash? I'm a bit nervous in that respect. As I mentioned, I'm currently away at college, and I try to save where I can.
PowerBook G4 15" Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Similar Messages

G5 starts making Electric noise when Open Safari

hi guys
my mac is making electrical cracking when i start up Safari, and i even get the spinning beach ball. It's only with Safari.. Other apps and web browsers don't cause this.
By the way , the cracking i'm referring is similar to when the computer normally starts up and loads the dektop.

Hey thanks,
It seems to have worked. I reseted safari . Well at first even with restarting i was still getting crack sounds but i restarted again and safari seems smoother and i didn't hear the crack sounds

CD / DVD drive making funny noises....

Not the most tech savvy of posts I know, but when I insert a DVD disc into my drive, it just whirrrs, and clicks, and after about a minute, spits it out.
Any ideas??
Thanks
MArk

The drive is making funny noises because it's trying to read the disk. If it can't read the disk, it will spit it back out. Try wiping the disk from the center out with a cloth to remove any fingerprints. Hope this helps!

My time capsule cannot connect to my system and I get an error msg -6753. I also get a clicking noise when I start up. I've tried every thing from re setting, un plugging and re setting but nothing works. Anybody have the same problem ?

my time capsule cannot connect to my system and I get an error msg -6753. I also get a clicking noise when I start up. I've tried every thing from re setting, un plugging and re setting but nothing works. Anybody have the same problem ?

A "clicking noise" is often a sign that a hard drive is malfunctioning. Suggest that you power down the device and take it to an Apple store to have them take a look, or contact Customer Service at Apple for instructions.

Canon S120 making funny sounds when moving it around (in automatic mode)

Hi everyone,
I have a little question for those owning the Canon S120.
I just bought it and I noticed that my camera is making funny sounds when I move it around. Those sounds seem to occur more often when I'm in the automatic mode. If I don't move the camera, it doesn't make any sound, but as soon as I move it, it does a little "toc-toc" sound (hard to describe, it's like the camera is adjusting something automatically when it moves). It seems to come from inside the camera and not from outside. I have owned my Canon cameras before and this is the first time I notice that.
Has anyone else noticed that?
If so, is it "normal" or have I received a defective unit?
Thanks for your help!

Open the MBP. Place it on a towel so you can slide it around easily and not scratch it. Take a #00 Phillips driver and take the bottom cover off. 3 of the screws will be longer than the rest. Inspect the interior for anything that may be loose.
The other option is to take it to an Apple store genius bar and have them do it.
Ciao.

My ipad keypad make a loud snap noise when I start to type. It's not the regular click sound it sounds like an electric snap and it just started to happen. It only snaps when I type the first letter

My ipad keypad makes a loud snap noise when I start to type. It's not the regular click sound it sounds like an electric snap and it just started to happen. It only snaps when I type the first letter
Ipad only about 2 months old. 64gb cellular
Has anyone had this problem?

in the future, buy this, this is what the Pros use:
for drops, accidents, spills, loss, or theft, purchase a TYPE of insurance called "inland marine insurance"
roughly $30 per year for a device(s) with 0 deductible, used same for over 20 years, same insurance the pros use on their portable devices.
very cheap, very useful insurance, most people dont know about same.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_marine_insurance

My dvd player is making rollercoaster noises when he is empty

My dvd player is making rollercoaster noises when he is empty

Hello, not much you can do, but a couple of things to try...
Have you done a PRAM reset, CMD+Option+p+r...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
In fact, do 3 in a row, takes a bit of time.
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

My fan is making a noise

My fan is making a noise - any ideas?

Does it sound as though it is just running faster than usual? You may be able to resolve that easily enough by restarting your MacBook Air.
If it persists then an SMC reset is indicated:
Resetting the SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own
Shut down the computer.
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
Press the power button to turn on the computer.
Sounds of mechanical interference or impending failure should only be fixed by Apple or an authorized service shop.

Fan is making grinding noises, had it checked out, but it's still as noisy as ever?

So my Macbook Pro (from late 2011) has been making very loud grinding noises coming from the left fan for about a month now. Sometimes it's more subtle, but usually it's very loud even when applications aren't even open. As soon as I start up my laptop, without fail, the grinding begins. It's at its worst when I'm watching Netflix, but it's always loud regardless to the point where it's hard to hear the audio from videos.
I finally took my laptop to the Genius Bar today and had a guy look at it. He said that the left fan was blocked and he cleaned it out for me. He handed me back my laptop and said the test he ran said it was good. So I thought, great! I didn't have to pay for a new fan!
Well I just got home, turned on my laptop, and the grinding is as noisy as ever. It's like nothing had been done at all. I really wish I had tested turning on my laptop in the store before I left, but I was so happy that it was just dust buildup that I left thinking everything would be fine
Do you guys think this is a sign that the fan has to be replaced? I'll probably end up going back to the store this week, but I'm hoping maybe there's something I can do (if at all possible--i'm not that good with hardware though) because replacing the fan will probably be expensive for me.

Hello rosetoots, Welcome to the forums
I saw your post about your Deskjet 3520 making noises when it feeds paper. I have a document that I would like you to see and follow the instructions for cleaning the rollers. I am hoping this will help the noise issue!
Solution three: Clean the paper feed rollers: An 'Out of Paper' Message Displays on the Control Pane...
Please let me know if you need further help!
Regards,
R a i n b o w 7000I work on behalf of HP
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" at the bottom of this post to say
“Thanks” for helping!
Click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution!

Macbook pro making buzzing noises when using google chrome

I have had a Macbook Pro for at least 3 years. I have always used Google Chrome(in fact as I am writing this it began making this noise while using Safari) to use Google Drive to work on my homework to do other things as well since I find it easiest to use for school. Recently my computer has started making a very loud buzzing noise near the fan areas when I use Google Chrome and it worries me. It had that problem before, but when I took it in before I thought the problem had been fixed. Now 2 years later it is making that noise again and it only goes away when I put my computer to sleep. I am unsure as to what to do about it and it worries me because it is getting to the point where I can't even use my computer to work on it.
Please help or give some advice on what to do.

Open the bottom and use a can of compressed air and clean out your fan for dust and possible plastics stuck near fan blade. It will help and if needed replace fan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu6tKVqdgGI

Problem with my iPod classic 160gb - making funny noises, and no download

Hi, At the same point every time i try to put music on my ipod classic 160gb, it begins to make a funny noise, and itunes and the ipod freezes. I have to disconnect it unproperly, and the message "The ipod disk could not be read from or written to", but my old music still remains. So i tried to restore the ipod on my macbook, but i still have the problem.
This is the 4th Ipod classic 160gb i have had, and there has been a harddisk problem with all of them, so this could be the problem, but the funny click-clack sound is new to this one.
Anybody in here have experience with such kind of problems?
Hope to get the problem solved soon.
Oliver Nash, DK.

Unfortunately, when a hard drive starts clicking that means it's going bad. The mechanism is having trouble reading the drive. Since the iPod is mostly just a harddrive and a battery I have a feeling that this is your problem.
watch this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMm6c3fr-fU
about 25ss in is where the clicking starts. If it sounds like that, but softer and more muffled since it is a smaller drive that is being enclosed then I think you might be SOL. Maybe if you're iPod is still under warranty you can get a credit and go for a touch and avoid moving parts all together?

Tecra A2: HDD making funny noises crashing laptop

Today, I turned on my laptop, got into windows, started working when my laptop made a funny noise, like a whoosh kinda noise, n thn my pc froze! i rebooted, but the same thing happened this time on the windows log in screen, i kept rebooting trying to make it work...until it didn't boot n now it just sits on toshiba screen before boot.
The HD LED no longer comes on and i'm stuck on the menu. I opened up my laptop n looked at the hardrive (tho did not touch cos i didn't wanna break it!) n its not loose or anything..but now i can't make it boot, i've tried the recovery cd which i can sometimes get into tho it doesn't seem to work!
Please can soemone tell me how to fix it, preferabley without sending it to Toshiba.

Hi Paul,
It sounds as if your hard drive has failed. Check in your BIOS during the initial POST to see if the drive is being correctly recognised.
You can try to restore the hard drive from the recovery CD (just boot from the recovery CD and follow the on-screen prompts) but this will erase all of your personal data and any programs that you may have installed and return your notebook to its original condition.
If you still have problems then I think you will need to replace the hard drive and re-install your system.
regards,

Cooling fan is making irritating noise

my cooling fan has resently been making alot of noise
i tried cleaning dust of it but then it wouldnt stop
i then found the fan was kinda loose and when pushed on the outside and moved, it would make the same noise rubbing against the bottom of the heatsink
is there a way to fix this

Well, since you didn't really give the actual model, I can only speculate that it's the wire interfering with the fan. The Ti XXXX 8x retail series have a TopTech Cooler and the housing that holds the fan has a metal clip that's supposed to keep the wire from touching the blades. It doesn't work that well and sometimes you have to fiddle with the wire to get it to clear the blades. It will often happen after handling or cleaning the assemby.

Why does my macbook make a funny noise when I open it?

After my macbook pro has been on the charger for some time & I open it up, it will make a funny noise & the screen will be blue with a bar on it. Takes a little bit before I can use it, Does anyone know what is wrong?

rjwalker105 wrote:
I quit all applications & close the lid. I usually use the charger all time. If I leave it unplugged from the charger, it will not do this. It will make a whirring noise & the screen will be blue over my background, will have a bar on it like it is loading. Then will finally let me use the curser after a few seconds. Only had the macbook for about 4 months. It started doing this about 2 month after I bought it.
If you are still under warranty and/or have AppleCare, call them. Let them deal w/it.
Before calling them, try the following first:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411 Apple Portables: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379 Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM

My CD drive keeps making strange noises when macbook first turns on or wakes from sleep

Any ideas?

It started a few months ago, but I got the macbook about 3 years ago. It seems that it doesn't make noises when there is a disc inserted, but when it's empty it does (very embarrassing in a quiet library!) - it's almost like it's satisfied when full of food, but it rumbles when it's hungry. Any ideas?

Fan borked? Making funny noises when it starts spinning up

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for