IMac Making Strange Noise

Over the past few weeks, my year and a half old iMac9,1 has been making a strange sound. It's kind of like a clicking/buzzing/whirling noise. It's coming from the lower right corner of the computer. I can't tell if it's the fan or something else. It doesn't sound much like a fan. I've tried resetting the SMC, but that hasn't worked. It hasn't affected my computer speed...yet. The sound starts the second i wake it up and stops the second i put it in sleep mode. It gets louder and softer as I use the computer, and sometimes will stop for a little while. I'm just trying to figure out of this is something serious or not. I'm hoping this is something that can be fixed at my house, so i don't have to lug the thing to a Genius bar. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
According to iStat the fans are running at:
Optical Drive 1348 rpm
Hard Drive 1599 rpm
CPU Fan 1198 rpm

I have exactly the same problem, - this seems to be an issue of the first revision of these early 2009 iMac9,1 series.
Reseting SMC and every other doesn't help anything. Fortunately my iMac is under Apple-Care warranty.
It was now for three times in repair, - at last they changed the mainboard / logicboard. This has worked for a while (4 weeks). But now it started to make heavy noise again.
All very frustrating... Seems to be the harder issue than the infamous "iMac vertical line" symptom at the 17" iMac. If you have no Apple-Care you can throw the iMac away, - the repair cost will be more than $1000.-
Well, will bring the iMac a fourth time to repair, - will see what's happen...

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PLEASE HELP: iMac making strange noise

Hello guys, can you please tell me why my iMac is making this noise? And what I should do about it! My iMac has become quite slow since i started to notice the noice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QliQFP9Ctw0

From the recording it sounds like the disk is on its last legs.
I am going say that your disk is going bad.
Back up your data now.
How old is your Mac?
Allan

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Bump

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My iMac is a 20'' Intel based. I got it early 2007, it was the generation right before they released the 24''.
I am running all the latest updates that I can find/am aware of.
My iMac is making beeping noises. The kind that come from inside the computer, alerting me about something bad happening to my hardware. It is NOT beeping at me during start up. It beeps 3 different tones at me. Not all 3 every time, but overall it will beep 3 different tones at me. There is no order as to how many beeps or what tones. The noise seems to be coming from the bottom left hand corner of the computer, if you were facing it like you were using it.
While I understand that something in the computer is failing or flailing, I cannot find any documentation or even forum posts on this topic. Every single place I search always yields pages about the 3 beep RAM notification at start up. This is very frustrating and not helpful.
Can anyone give me any more info about what is failing in my computer? Or at least stop my search and assure me that its something I will have to send it in for?
It makes the beeps the whole time it is running. Anytime a new webpage is loading, anytime I bring up my dashboard, anytime I open up a new finder window. Pretty much anytime the computer has to do anything. It isn't beeping as I type this post, but as soon as I click 'Post Message' it will beep at me.
I just reset PRAM or whatever it is they suggest you reset. I have reseated my RAM.
I am going crazy and need some help.
Message was edited by: SubcutaneousPhat

Run Apple Hardware Test (AHT) on your machine, it is on the original DVD that came with your computer or you can access it by holding down the "D" key when starting your Mac.

Macbook freezing, running slowly, and making strange noises

Hi. Just today my wife's MB froze while doing nothing more than playing music in iTunes. She had to leave so just closed the lid. When I opened the lid later, it came back from sleep eventually (playing the music), but was making an odd clicking noise. It sounded like it was coming from the upper right side under the keyboard. It didn't sound like the noises the optical drive usually makes, and there was no disc in it.
I left it charging, and when she came back to use it later, found that it was running really slow, taking forever to open applications (prolonged spinning pizza of death), and still making that strange noise. She restarted it twice, and the same thing occured after a reboot?
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The same thing happened to my notebook last night, and I did some research. Apparently one of the reader arms in the harddrive separates from the drive and swings loose, digging gouges in the magnetic disk.
If it still boots, make sure you get all your un-backed-up information off of it before it crashes.
Mine is dead, and the only thing Apple can do is replace the drive.

My macbook (2009) keeps making strange noises. What to do?

Yesterday, my macbook started to make strange noises. A little scratchy noise. Like there's somthing wrong with the Fan or something.
I called Apple Support, but they told me i had to reset the SMC and PRAM/NVRAM. I triend, but the noise is still there.
Does anyone know what to do?? Is it bad?
Its a really annoying sound.

It could be the fan.....or the hard drive.....this is a link to a data recovery firm that has posted the various sounds made by failing hard drives.......
datacent.com/hard_drive_sounds.php
......make sure your data is backed now in case the hard drive is failing.....

2.8GHz 24" iMac Making Weird Noises

It started out sounding exactly like a cricket. When I first heard it, that's what I thought it was. It would start soft and grow louder, then softer again and fade out. Now the sound has the same pattern, but it's evolved into a full-fledged rattle/clicking sound and has a cyclical pulse to it. Hard to explain. It's fairly loud and VERY annoying. It happens every minute or two and lasts for about 20 seconds. Any ideas?
This is my 2nd Mac w/ problems immediately or very soon afterward...2 out of 2. Just lucky I guess, right?

Does the system run normally? Open up Disk Utility, select your drive on the left and look at the info listed at the bottom for SMART status. Also Verify the Disk.
It could be one of the fans making the noise. Possible rubbing up against something else inside. Either way you'll have to put a call in to Apple support to have it repaired.
George

Why is my iMac making this noise?

Everytime that I do something, my iMac makes this noise. Its anoyying can I fix it? I have an imac with an intel core 2 duo 3.06 ghz processor with 2gb of ram a 500 gb hard drive and an nvidia geforce 8800 gs 512 mb graphics card and i have snow leopard 10.6.3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r80l0NQjz8
Message was edited by: Joann123

Hi Joann123
That sure sounds like the Hard Drive accessing data, some are noisier than others.
For example: the original 160GB Seagate Barracuda that came in my Early 2006 Core Duo sounded about the same. After using it in the iMac for 3 years I took it out and put it into an External drive, another year later it still sounds the same but works just fine as an extra backup drive for my music and photos.
I don't think that it is going to fail tomorrow, but if it really bothers you that much backup to be safe and by all means contact Apple as explained by those that have replied in your other thread.
Dennis

Mac Mini making strange noises through external speakers

I am experiencing a strange problem with my mac mini and my external speakers. I have two different sets of speakers and the problem occurs with both so I don't think its the speakers as I have never had any problems with them on my other computers. The Mini will make strange gurgling and hissing noises through the speakers at seemingly idle cpu times. Under heavy loads I get the gurgle occasionally but it seems more prevalent at idle times. After playing around with it I have noticed a direct correlation with my wireless connection and the noise. If the mini drops the network, which it does from time to time, I get the noises but if I disable airport then they stop. Have any other mini users experienced this? It's harmless but rather annoying because my mini is set up in my dorm room and we often have music playing and when I go to sleep I hear these weird noises.
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There are other possible causes too of course. Even a cordless phone in the same vicinity is capable of generating RF interference - but then stories of people listening to radio stations breaking through into phone lines, and even when opening oven doors are legion - and often true.
In the case of an Airport network, where the user has control over transmission power levels and frequency, a bit of tinkering with the two can resolve many FR interference issues. Incidentally, if you're interested (given your general technical background) a number of very informative sources on RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) are published for and by the amateur radio fraternity.

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Whenever I insert my Sims 3 disc (haven't tried with other discs) my drive does one of the following:
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iiiiitsacoolguy wrote:
Whenever I insert my Sims 3 disc (haven't tried with other discs)
Try another disc and see what happens. Or is the Sims 3 disc stuck? If it is, try this to eject it:
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Ipod touch making strange noises

My ipod touch (4th gen) is making a clicking/grinding noise when I am listening to pandora and try to go into the bump app. Is this a problem with the pandora or bump app or my ipod? Is it a hard drive problem? What can I do to fix this? I already tried restarting the ipod several times, sounds still occurs. But it ONLY occurs when I'm listening the the Pandora app and enter the Bump app (which turns off pandora) then I press play (on my headphones) and the noise is back. I'm really confused, what should I do?

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I need help with my iPod. It's making strange noises. Can I get some help?

I just got this brand new 160gb from the Apple Store. When I got home, I put all of my music and tv shows on it. When I started to use it, it started to make a buzzing noise, then a clicking noise, and then a noise that sounds like "pewwww" like it's powering down.
I was wondering if putting all that music and stuff on was too fast too soon. The "Genius" at the Apple store said it was a problem with the hard drive.
Thank you in advance.

I believe them. I was just wondering if the noises are something that will eventually go away with use. Something else I wanted to know is if putting ALL my music and other media on the iPod at one time is what did it.

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http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983

IMac Making Strange Noise

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