Hard Disk Noise

Hi,
I can hear a soft shooshing sound coming from the left side of my MacBook. I am pretty sure it is the hard drive. I can sometimes also feel a slight vibration on the left side also. It is not the clicking sound I normally associate with disk access. It is not the fans, I ran the hardware test off the install DVD and heard what they sound like.
The sound is not bad, but my previous 15" Al PowerBook was totally silent, so I am wondering if anyone else's drive is making this sound, or if I should be concerned. I have a 100 gig fujitsu drive.
Thanks,
Bill
MBP 2.0G/Mac mini/PowerBook G4 1.5GHz 15-inch/iBook G3 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

It is a week 10. No inverter buzz, only a slight processor whine that I have to put my ear on the keyboard to hear. Maybe it is masked by the white noise from the hard drive
MacBook Pro 2GHz Mac OS X (10.4.5) Mac mini/PowerBook G4 1.5GHz 15-inch/iBook G3

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How to stop hard disk noise on T61

Hello everyone,
I have a T61 and everything works well except the hard disk which is constantly working. The result is a gentle noise on the bottom right
of laptop, always present. I used to have a T42 which when configured on XP to turn off hard disk (through power management), completly turned it off. I could then read or write long open files with a completly silent laptop (used tpfancontrol for controling fan, but this is not the problem here) until I save document or explcitly trigger the hdd (a completly silent laptop is a delight!).
The noise of the present T61 is bearable, a kind of a whisper, but once it stops it gets really better for your ears. My problem is that the power manager (set to turn off disk after 3 minutes) works, but something is constantly accessing the hard disk, which prevents the power manager to turn the HDD off. So, sometimes it happens that after 3 minutes the HDD stops, and a hsort time latter, say 15 seconds, it turns on again because "something" used the hdd.
The worse is that, most of the time, the hdd is triggered prior to the 3 minutes, so that it keeps always running!!
I can see this as the hdd green light flashes.
This is always the case, with or without internet, AC or DC.
I tried to stop some services (including indexing), but I stopped looking because of the number of services to check!
How do I know what service/program is being written on hdd at the specific time where I notice it, or makes it work, such that I can possibly disable it?
This is maybe a XP SP§ issue I think, but I think many here have noticed this constant activity on lenovo´ T61?
Any advice on possible strategy to find out who write what on the hdd or other solution?
I really plan to fix this problem because the T61 as it is now is really good (with however minor problems),
and i think many of us should benefit from this issue..
xtex
Message Edited by xtex on 09-01-2008 10:55 AM
T61, UZ2AQGE 2.5 Ghz, XP Pro SP3
T400s, NSF20UK, 2.4 GHz, SSD 128 GB, Vista B

I would say it´s quite impossible on newer systems, to get the harddrive off for more than a few seconds.
Many user have tried that, but no one had success.
Another, but little dirty, possibility is, to take some piece of rubber or something and put it under the palm rest where the hdd is.
But beware, there is a little hole in hdd that have to be open to get some air.
This dirty trick will lower the permanent sound of your hdd.
Greets.
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MacBook Pro hard disk noise, froze and wont boot

I was using my MacBook Pro and it froze at the same time I could hear the hard drive cracking. The following are guesses because of the sounds I was hearing: While the hard disk made cracking noises, it would stop spining. Then it started to spin again and another crack would stop the spining.
I held down the power button to shut down and now it wont boot. I can hear the same type of noises I described before.
Thanks for the help

Based on your comments, your HDD is dead. Get a new one, larger and faster if can afford it and swap in your MBP. You will have to reinstall your OS and I hope you have a back up of your data.
Caio.

Macbook Pro Late 2008 Unibody - Hard disk noise

Hello world
This is my first thread.
You will excuse me by I'm not english...
I have a MBP, default but 7,200 HD optional. The Mac is ok but it has a problem: the hard disk sound like a fan with a "tic" sometime. If I put the fans@1,000 I not hear them, the only sound it's the HD (maybe...), if I push the part of the MBP over the HD the noise stop. In this part, under the HD, the black rubber pad (one of four...) isn't at level, don't touch the table ! So, I push over the HD, at dx of touchpad and the HD noise stops !
Anybody with this problem ?
Thnaks

I solved the heat-issue in Windows Vist32 (tested and worked!)
This should also work in XP, XP64 and VISTA 64 although not tested.
Goto the Nvidia website and download the latest notebook drivers (http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook_drivers.html).
Uninstall your old notebook drivers through device-manager and restart.
Now install the Nvidia notebook drivers you just downloaded and restart.
*NOW THE IMPORTANT PART!!!*
After numerous hours of testing i found out that installing new Nvdia display drivers overwrite some Nvidia chipset drivers. This causes your fans not spinning at all under heavy GPU load.
*THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE BECAUSE TEMPERATURES CAN EASILY PASS 100 degrees celsius.*
Now for the fix in four easy steps!
1. Under Windows insert your MacOS original install-disc (the one with the bootcamp drivers)
2. Choose to explore the Bootcamp folder.
3. Now open the drivers folder and browse to the Nvidia folder.
4. Now install the package called nvidiachipset. These come in all flavors (XP, XP64, VISTA, VISTA64) choose the correct version for your OS.
After installation a reboot is not even necessary. Start your favorite game and notice the extreme humming of your speeding fans! Should sound like music!
*So remember. Every time you update your graphics drivers A REINSTALL OF THE CHIPSET DRIVERS FOR YOUR UNIBODY MBP MUST BE DONE!! If you don't the fans won't come up under heavy load which will result in a BUSTED GPU!!!*
Message was edited by: geethreeforce

Hard disk noise on i3 27" iMac

I must said that I'm disappointed in Apple. I'm used to have perfect products from Apple. My 1TB Hard drive Seagate Barracuda (ST31000528AS) is as noise as i should espect from some PC but not from Apple. As I live in Serbia and we don't have Apple store, and prices for Apple products are double as they are in US, I have noone to complain as this is in sotre where I bought my iMac "normal".
I will open my iMac, buy an SSD and change this disk, but this shouldn't be happening to new computer that is payed 1800E or 2600$.

Noupe, in the store which is Apple reseller for Serbia, found thata hard drive is working properly and have all functionality. Noise is bigger then usually but that does not meen that i could use warranty for changing disk. However, i could buy bigger hard drive or SSD at there's shop and thay would install it for me. Problem is taht they are too much expensive and i have no other solution but to try out other parts in next 12 months and then, when warranty is over, i will change drive myself (on the iFixIt is a tutorial).
After all, this is not that much problem of Apple but is for my stupid country with no laws to protect customers. In store where i bought this i will not buy anything else ever again.

Clicking noise from hard disk

Hello forum,
one more hard disk noise problem. My new MPB arrived two days ago and I immediately noticed a clicking noise that is presumably emitted by the hard disk. I've got the basic 250GB model, so it's unrelated to the 500GB noise. The sound occurs quite regularly every 20sec or so, but only when the disk is inactive. The system doesn't freeze. The noise appears regardless whether the disk power saving feature is enabled or not. Here is an amplified version of the sound without the normal background noise (fan, hard disk):
http://www.filefactory.com/file/ah25f1h/n/ClickingNoise_wav
I've learned that clicking noises are a certain sign of hard disk failure. So should I return it immediately and ask for a replacement?
Regards

MKG4 wrote:
It sounds like you've got two clicking noises happening back to back, correct? I have the new 250GB drive as well (5400 RPM) and I'm hearing a periodic click similar to the second one in your clip.
I can hear only the second click, too. Only if I mute the background noise and amplify my recording, I hear the first one. Could you perhaps take a record of the sound that your MBP makes so that we can compare the sounds?
Haven't noticed any other problems with the drive, though. Is yours a Fujitsu? Mine is, and according to their web site, "if the drive is idle it will automatically move the heads periodically to prevent lubricant migration." I'm wondering if that's what the noise is.
Interesting. Mine is a Fujitsu, too, and perhaps the two noises come from the disk head starting and parking.
Actually, it sounds a lot like the 500GB noise, except without the beep. I've seen very few, if any, issues with the 250GB drive, but I'm holding out hope that a fix may come along at some point.
I agree. Currently the sound doesn't seem to be harmful, but one never knows.

Sometimes my hard disk makes a low crackling sound. Anything I should be worried about?

I have a Pavillion DV6 6121tx, with a 5400 RPM 640GB hard drive. I bought this laptop 3 months ago, and recently sometimes i notice a low crackling sound coming. I guess it would be coming from the hard drive only.
Should i take it to Customer Service Center?
I did do a check to see any errors by using TuneUp Disk Doctor.
Say "Thanks" by clicking the Kudos Star in the post that helped you.
Please mark the post that solves your problem as "Accepted Solution"

Firstly thank you for your reply.
Indeed, a hard disk noise is not normal and just mean the end of his life. But I know this sound well because my other computers also crack and for some of it, it's unbearable. Yet they make it since long, this has never been otherwise, and their hard disk always go good.
My problem is that the noise appeared suddenly, for an unknown reason, and according to all the software I've tested, he's always fine.
In your opinion, when I will format my hard disk to install Windows 7, it could have an effect?
Otherwise, as a last resort, I would see the service after sale of my store and then we'll see ...
Sorry for the many mistakes ...

LenovoEmc px4-300d loud hard disk

I have a strange issue with the px4-300d. When it is set up with a storage pool only with no volumes, it is very quiet. But as soon as I create a volume, it starts making a very regular and loud, clicking hard disk noise. It's as if it's seeking or writing constantly. The system has 4 2tb drives in a RAID 5 configuration and I'm trying to set up a volume that fills the total amount of space. I also have another identical px4 and it works normally with no noise with the same type of configuration. What's up?
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi Fluxley,
What firmware are you running on the device? Any loud or clicking noise coming from the hard drive is never a good thing. It may indicate a failing or malfunctioning hard drive. How long have you had this device? Are there any error messages on the event log? If the device is still covered by the warranty, I would recommend contacting technical support to have them troubleshoot the device and replace the hard drive if necessary.
Have questions and need answers?
Search the database for answers to FAQ's, software/driver downloads, tutorials, news, features and more!
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Noise from hard disk when stressed

Hi all,
I experienced a scratching noise coming from the hard disk (?) when the computer is stressed (e.g. iWeb, Photoshop, etc.).
I checked the CPU usage and the fan rpm but the noise continues even though the fan is swirling very low and the CPU is at its minimum value so I think it is a hard disk related issue.
Has anyone already experienced (and solved) the same problem?
MacBook 2.6 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Hi all,
I experienced a scratching noise coming from the hard disk (?) when the computer is stressed (e.g. iWeb, Photoshop, etc.).
I checked the CPU usage and the fan rpm but the noise continues even though the fan is swirling very low and the CPU is at its minimum value so I think it is a hard disk related issue.
Has anyone already experienced (and solved) the same problem?
MacBook 2.6 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Noise from hard disk

Hi, everyone.
I bought a new mackbook pro in this Jan. Recently, I hear some not continuously noise from hard disk, especially when i open a file in hard disk or verify the hard disk. Is something wrong with my hard disk?
Thanks

This hard disk clicking is a know problem for many laptops. If you search it on Google, you will find a lot of discussions about it in the Unbuntu Linux forums. In most cases, it is due to the Advanced Power Management (APM) feature of notebook hard drives. The default APM settings of these drives are aggressive so as to extend notebook battery life. As a consequence, the HD tries to park its actuator head to the ramp whenever it judges the system as idle. However, OS X or some third-party applications may access the hard disk quite often, resulting in a park/unpark cycle every few seconds.
Every of these cycles is counted as one load/unload cycle. Most notebook drives support up to 600,000 load/unload cycles. If a hard drive parks its head every few seconds, it may shorten its life by "using up" the cycles more quickly.
I had the same problem on my Powerbook with a Hitachi Travelstar 5K160 80GB PATA drive. I heard the frequent clicking sound right after I installed it into the laptop. The SMART status appeared to be Verified, and there was no problem with the drive itself. After searching on Google and Hitachi web site, I found the causes and solved the problem using the Hitachi Feature Tool. For other HD brands, I have no experience at all.
Basically, Travelstar 5K160 drives have three idle modes, from which a user can set one as the deepest idle state:
1) Active Idle: the actuator head is parked near the center of the disk, and power usage is 45-55% less than performance level. Recovery time to active mode is about 20ms.
2) Low Power Idle: this is usually the factory default idle mode. The head is UNLOADED to the ramp and the power consumption is 60-65% less than the performance level. Recovery time is about 300ms.
3) Low RPM idle: in this idle mode, the hard disk will spin down to a lower RPM speed. More power is saved but recovery time is much longer. (I can hear the disk spin down and spin up again a few times per minute. There is also a lag in system reaction time.)
To get rid of the hard disk clicking, you need to set Active Idle as the deepest APM idle mode. To do it on a Hitachi hard disk, you need Hitachi Feature Tool, and a Windows laptop with the same HD interface as your drive (PATA or SATA). Sadly, the feature tool is only for Windows and Linux.
You can download Hitachi Feature Tool 2.10 as an ISO image here: http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#FeatureTool and burn it into a bootable CD. The userguide of the tool is available on the same page.
Then, take out your hard drive from your Macbook and install it into a Windows laptop. Boot the machine using the Feature Tool bootable CD. Choose "Change Advanced Power Mode" from the drop-down menu.
The default value is 128 (Low Power Idle). Just increase the value toward Performance, until you see the APM mode over the value bar becomes Active Idle (starting from 192). Click OK and Exit the feature tool. Switch off the Windows laptop and take out the hard disk. Install it into your Macbook. You will not hear the clicking sound again when system is idle. The lowest APM mode will be Active Idle and hence the drive will not park its head to the ramp during operions.
If your hard drive is a Hitachi Travelstar 5K160, you can find the 5K160 specifications version 1.1 from Hitachi web site. On page 69 of the document, it explains the APM idle modes. On page 145 about the register values of the APM modes.
To set Active Idle as the deepest idle mode may adversely affect battery life. (I haven't yet tested it myself) However, there seem not to be a big difference than the Low Power Idle, according to the datasheet of 5K160. For this model, power consumption of Active Idle is 0.8W, while that of Low Power Idle is 0.6W, on average.
Hope this is helpful.

Any way to stop new MacBook Pro hard disk from making loud noise??

I received a brand new MacBook Pro today, and I thought everything was fine. However, when I went to use it in a very quiet room late at night, I noticed an almost unbearable noise coming from the right side of the trackpad. From reading previous discussions, I realize that it is likely the hard disk which is making the noise, and a design flaw makes the noise seem louder.
For other people who have the same problem, is there anything that can be done to make the noise go away?

You can return it for a replacement within 14 days of purchase.

Weird noise out of the hard disk

So, as i was listening to the music throgh earphones, i could hear a noise of the harddisk. It sounds like an old G3 apple laptop did.
It sounds like it's blending something, the sound is so Extra-terestrial-science-fictional.
You can hear the hard disk change songs and you can hear the hard disk turning around from a good distance.
you can hear it very good while charging.
impressive though.
Is it normal? Is it OK?
tnx.m.

I've had that message appear when I connect my car charger sometimes. And it's the car charger they sell at the AT&T store made specifically for iPhones. It doesn't do it every time, just once in awhile.
I've never had it just appear out of the blue, though.

Hard disk access noise

Hi all, I just bought the DL2100 and additionally two new REDs 3TB each (RAID 1 configuration). NAS is really quiet idle, however every time I access files (read/write/stream) there is a ton of noise caused by the hard disks. Is this normal? I also have an external disk on the USB port. Absolutely quiet even during access. But the REDs spin and work even when I stream off the external HD. Seems to be somthing wrong What is your experience? Thanks in advance!Jimmy

Hey Mike, I am talking about regular access and seek sound/noise. No weird other sounds.However, I think the hard disks are way too loud! (WD REDs expected to be quiet). I have a lot of old external and internal hard drives - not one is nearly as loud as my new REDs. Maybe I'm spoiled from my SSDs, I don't know. But seriously, the DL2100 should work pretty silent, regardless of file transfers, streaming, etc. Could also be a problem of the whole NAS construction, I don't know. Is there any hardware/software setting for "automatic acoustic management" for the HDs or the NAS system? Thank you!

I bought my mac few weeks ago and the hard disk of my mac is making annoying noises and loud too. I know my hard disk is broken but how does it break it???

-How my hard disk is broken
-Does this happen to all mac products mainly?
-what can i do in the future to prevent the problem from happening again

Direct you to the proper forum for MacBook :
MacBook Series Forums
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks?view=discussions
http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro
Mac OS X Forum
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os?view=discussions
This forum deals with a desktop/tower 65lb Mac Pro
http://www.apple.com/support/macpro

Hard Disks making funny noises

Dear Folks, got an odd problem.
Two weeks ago I was running two SATA HDisks - My Primary one being the SAMSUNG below and secondary being a Maxtor. The Maxtor started making this strange intermittent buzzing sound - it is discrete but because my desktop is right beside me I sensed it. It kind of when like this> bzzz .... bzzz ... bzzz ... bzzz after every two secs.
SO i thought it was the driver, Now I just bought a WesterDigital hard drive and lone behold it is doing EXACTLY the same thing. It can't be two fault Hard Disks in a row - especially since the Maxtor worked fine before my new build.
Any ideas?

Quote from: Bas on 09-August-08, 19:43:58
Run the manufacturer testing tools.
If a harddisk is going bad, then it slow down your system to almost a halt.
It could simply be swapping of your harddisk making that sound, Windows does access the harddisk a lot, even when you do nothing.
I ran Western Digital's Data LifeGuard Diagnostics (Quick and Extended test). They both came up as a "PASS" - no more information than that.
What I don't understand is that it is the same problem with my MAXTOR and Wester Digital HD. That can't be coincidence surely?

Hard Disk Noise

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