ISight Making Clicking Noise and Locking Up Computer

I have an iSight that worked perfectly for about a month. Recently it seems to work well when I first start iChat, but after only a few minutes the image locks and the camera starts making a clicking noise. The green light goes on and off. Sometimes the image will start again, and sometimes it does not. It also often seems to lock the entire application (either Skype or iChat). I have to completely turn off the computer and re-start. Also, I can't turn on the computer with my iSight plugged in. I have tried both fire-wire ports, don't have any other devices connected by firewire. I do have a wireless router I put in place, but can't remember if any of the problems seemed to start when I put this in or not. Any suggestions are appreciated. I bought the camera on eBay, but it came still wrapped in plastic with all original packaging. It appeared to be brand new. Thanks for any thoughts!!!

You're welcome, kerk7
Your M8817LL/C iSight is at least a couple of years newer than my iSight. My old "Rev A" has never failed in daily use, and it is still working fine. Click here if you want more info about model visions.
Yes, other cameras will work. For instance, I used my Firewire-equipped DV camcorder for my first couple of months of "iChatting." If you have a camcorder with a Firewire cable, disconnect all other Firewire devices, plug the camcorder in, and try it with iSight. My camcorder was not nearly so handy as my iSight, and I was nervous about dropping the camcorder or using it up video chatting instead of making video recordings, but it worked fine, and the image quality was great.
Because you are using OS X 10.4.10, the new "UVC" webcams will work without additional driver software (for compatible applications.) Note that applications like iMovie that require Firewire DV input signals from external cameras will NOT work with these UVC cams. Check the System Requirements of each software application you will use for compatibility info. If you plan to use your webcam with iMovie or other Firewire-only apps, you may want to get your iSight repaired (if it can be) or buy one of the available alternative Firewire cams. If you really want a UVC cam instead, you could record your movie/video clips using some compatible application that can make movie or video clips and then import the clips into your iMovie project for processing.
You ask for "thoughts."
(1) When shopping, remember that significantly cheaper cameras likely have fewer features than iSight. Many do not auto focus. Some do not automatically adjust lighting. Some do not have microphones, so, depending upon which Mac you use, you may need to buy a separate mic. Check carefully for features that are important to you.
(2) Some very low-priced cams may give lower quality images. See John Kennedy's "Cameras and Image Quality", the Sat - October 30, 2004, blog for a comparison. Although new external iSights are no longer available from Apple, the image quality of external iSight shown in the comparison should be representative of current high-quality web cams.
(3) Any but the lowest-cost webcams should give an adequate quality image, but remember that your husband will be the one looking at the image from the camera you buy. If your Mac is portable, the best way to determine which cameras offer an image "good enough" for your needs is to take your Mac along when you shop. Ask the retailer to demonstrate the camera on your computer with the software application you will use. The preview function of your software will let you judge the quality the actual image from a particular camera as well as demonstrate to you that the camera model is compatible with your software. If you use a desktop Mac, ask the retailer to demonstrate the camera on one of his Macs with the same Mac OS and software applications that you plan to use.
EZ Jim
PowerBook 1.67 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.10) G5 DP 1.8 External iSight

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HT1363 ipod making clicking noise and won't work

Ipod making clicking noise and won't work. Display see apple store. We live in a rural area so one is not close!

OK, I have the 30G w/video and it does that too. I've had it a year with no problems. My husband went on the treadmill with it a couple days ago and after a few songs it froze. I did the whole regime of toggling and pressing menu/select button, I put in on my Bose speaker/charger and it switched to very low battery warning. When I took it off to move to computer it said to connect to computer and use restore (in a few languages). I connected and it recognized it and I did restore and after a few minutes screen came up saying it could NOT restore. Then ipod was unrecognized and then ipod screen gave me the very sad little ipod picture with the support web site. At that point it began making the clicking nose - morris code does describe it but I was invisioning a little nano sprite in there with a chisel!!So, same as you, I go there and it's like a maze trying to find help!! Of course my warranty was up exactly 6 weeks ago!! I tried linking through all the stuff like finding a service provider in my area, contact the "knowledge base" etc., and I can't get anyone! Now what are we gonna do?

Making weird noise and won't go into disc mode and all kinds of icons

after having many problems, i managed to get my ipod into disc mode and format it. However, i'm still having similar problems. When i turn it on, it goes on normally but when i connect it to my computer it freezes it. When i try to restart the ipod while connected to the computer, i get the battery is discharged icon, or sometimes the sick icon first and then the discharged icon, and i'm not able to put it into disc mode. After i get the icons, the only way i can get it to start again is to toggle the hold switch many times (took me awhile to figure this out..). Also, the ipod makes a weird repeated disc noise sometimes when its connected or if i'm starting it. If i try to restart the ipod without it being connected to the computer, i get the sick icon until i toggle the hold switch. can anybody help? thanks!
actually, i've managed to get it into disc mode, but it just makes the repeated weird noise nonstop and it doesn't let me open any programs on my computer so i can't format it.

Hello,
If a sad iPod icon or an exclamation point and folder icon appears on your iPod’s screen, or with sounds of clicking or HD whirring, it is usually the sign of a hard drive problem and you have the power to do something about it now. Your silver bullet of resolving your iPod issue – is to restore your iPod to factory settings.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983
If you're having trouble, try these steps at different levels one at a time until the issue is resolved. These steps will often whip your iPod back into shape.
Make sure you do all the following “TRYs”
A. Try to wait 30 minutes while iPod is charging.
B. Try another FireWire or USB through Dock Connector cable.
C. Try another FireWire or USB port on your computer .
D. Try to disconnect all devices from your computer's FireWire and USB ports.
E. Try to download and install the latest version of iPod software and iTunes
http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
F. Try these five steps (known as the five Rs) and it would conquer most iPod issues.
http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/
G. Try to put the iPod into Disk Mode if it fails to appear on the desktop
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651
If none of these steps address the issue, you may need to go to Intermediate level listed below in logical order. Check from the top of the lists to see if that is what keeping iPod from appearing on your computer in order for doing the Restore.
Intermediate Level
A. Try to connect your iPod with another computer with the iPod updater pre-installed.
B. Still can’t see your iPod, put it in Disk Mode and connect with a computer, instead of doing a Restore on iPod Updater. Go and format the iPod instead.
For Mac computer
1. Open the disk utility, hope your iPod appears there (left hand side), highlight it
2. Go to Tab “Partition”, click either “Delete” or “Partition”, if fails, skip this step and go to 3
3. Go to Tab “Erase” , choose Volume Format as “MAC OS Extended (Journaled), and click Erase, again if fails, skip it and go to 4
4. Same as step 3, but open the “Security Options....” and choose “Zero Out Data” before click Erase. It will take 1 to 2 hours to complete.
5. Eject your iPod and do a Reset
6. Open the iPod Updater and click “Restore”
For Window computer
Go to folder “My Computer”
Hope you can see your iPod there and right click on the iPod
Choose “Format”. Ensure the settings are at “Default” and that “Quick Format” is not checked
Now select “Format”
Eject your iPod and do a Reset
Open the iPod Updater and click “Restore”
In case you do not manage to do a “Format” on a window computer, try to use some 3rd party disk utility software, e.g.“Partition Magic”.
C. Windows users having trouble with their iPods should locate a Mac user. In many cases when an iPod won't show up on a PC that it will show up on the Mac. Then it can be restored. When the PC user returns to his computer the iPod will be recognized by the PC, reformatted for the PC, and usable again. By the way, it works in reverse too. A Mac user often can get his iPod back by connecting it to a PC and restoring it.
Tips
a. It does not matter whether the format is completed or not, the key is to erase (or partly) the corrupted firmware files on the Hard Drive of the iPod. After that, when the iPod re-connected with a computer, it will be recognized as an fresh external hard drive, it will show up on the iPod updater.
b. It is not a difficult issue for a Mac user to find a window base computer, for a PC user, if they can’t find any Mac user, they can go to a nearest Apple Shop for a favor.
c. You may need to switch around the PC and Mac, try to do several attempts between “Format” and “Restore”
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2364921&#2364921
Advance Level
A. Diagnostic mode solution
If you have tried trouble shooting your iPod to no avail after all the steps above, chances are your iPod has a hardware problem. The iPod's built-in Diagnostic Mode is a quick and easy way to determine if you have a "bad" iPod.
You need to restart your iPod before putting it into Diagnostic Mode. Check that your hold switch is off by sliding the switch away from the headphone jack. Toggle it on and off to be safe.
Press and hold the following combination of buttons simultaneously for approximately 10 seconds to reset the iPod.
iPod 1G to 3G: "Menu" and "Play/Pause"
iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Menu" and "Select"
The Apple logo will appear and you should feel the hard drive spinning up. Press and hold the following sequence of buttons:
iPod 1G to 3G: "REW", "FFW" and "Select"
iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Back" and "Select"
You will hear an audible chirp sound (3G models and higher) and the Apple logo should appear backwards. You are now in Diagnostic Mode. Navigate the list of tests using "REW" and "FFW". The scroll wheel will not function while in diagnostic mode. For further details on Diagnostic mode can be found at http://www.methodshop.com/mp3/ipodsupport/diagnosticmode/
Try to do the 5in1, HDD R/W and HDD scan tests. Some successful cases have been reported after the running the few tests under the Diagnostic mode. In case it does not work in your case, and the scan tests reports show some errors then it proves your iPod has a hardware problem and it needs a repairing service.
B. Format your iPod with a start disk
I have not tried this solution myself, I heard that there were few successful cases that the users managed to get their iPod (you must put your iPod in disk mode before connecting with a computer) mounted by the computer, which was booted by a system startup disk. For Mac, you can use the Disk Utility (on the Tiger OS system disk), for PC user, you can use the window OS system disk. Try to find a way to reformat your iPod, again it does not matter which format (FAT32, NTFS or HFS+) you choose, the key is to erase the corrupted system files on the iPod. Then eject your iPod and do a Reset to switch out from Disk Mode. Reboot your computer at the normal way, connect your iPod back with it, open the iPod updater, and hopefully your iPod will appear there for the Restore.
If none of these steps address the issue, your iPod may need to be repaired.
Consider setting up a mail-in repair for your iPod http://depot.info.apple.com/ipod/
Or visit your local Apple Retail Store http://www.apple.com/retail/
In case your iPod is no longer covered by the warranty and you want to find a second repairing company, you can try iPodResQ at your own risk
http://www.ipodresq.com/index.php
Just in case that you are at the following situation
Your iPod warranty is expired
You don’t want to pay any service charges
You are prepared to buy a new one
You can’t accept the re-sell value of your broken iPod
Rather than leave your iPod as paper-weight or throw it away.
You can try the following, but again, only do it as your last resort and at your own risk.
Warning ! – It may or may not manage to solve your problem, and with a risk that you may further damage your iPod, which end up as an expensive paper weight or you need to pay more higher repairing cost. Therefore, please re-consider again whether you want to try the next level
Last Resort Level
1. . Disconnecting the Hard Drive and battery inside the iPod – Warning !! Your iPod warranty will be waived once you open the iPod.
In Hong Kong there are some electronic shops offering an iPod service for Sad iPod, the first thing they do is to open up the iPod’s case and disconnecting the battery and the Hard Drive from the main board of the iPod. Wait for 5-10 minutes and reconnecting them back. The reason behind which I can think of is to do a fully reset of a processor of the iPod. In case you want do it itself and you believe that you are good on fixing the electronics devices and have experience to deal with small bits of electronic parts, then you can read the following of how to open the iPod case for battery and HDD replacement (with Quicktimes)
http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm?page=Video/directory.html
2.Press the reset button on the Hard Drive inside the iPod – Suggestion from Kill8joy
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2438774#2438774
Have I tried these myself? No, I am afraid to do it myself as I am squeamish about tinkering inside electronic devices, I have few experiences that either I broke the parts (which are normally tiny or fragile) or failed to put the parts back to the main case. Therefore, I agree with suggestion to have it fixed by a Pro.
2. Do a search on Google and some topics on this discussion forum about “Sad iPod”
What should I do with my iPod? Send it or keep it?
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=469080&tstart=0
Strange error on iPod (probably death)
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435160&start=0&tstart=0
Sad Face on iPod for no apparent reason
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=336342&start=0&tstart=0
Meeting the Sad iPod icon
http://askpang.typepad.com/relevanthistory/2004/11/meeting_thesad.html#comment-10519524
Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it?
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2236095#2236095
iPod Photo: unhappy icon + warranty question
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2233746#2233746
4th Gen iPod Users - are we all having the same problem?
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2235623#2235623
Low Battery, and clicking sounds
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2237714#2237714
Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2242018#2242018
Sad iPod solution
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=412033&tstart=0
Re: try to restore ipod and it says "can't mount ipod"
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=443659&tstart=30
iPod making clicking noise and is frozen
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2420150#2420150
I am not suggesting that you should follow as well, but just read them as your reference. You are the person to make the call.

My Ipod is making weird clicking noises and telling me to contact apple support. what is going on and can I fix it?

So it started out not being about to conect to my computer then, when i changed to usb port, it went to disk mode. when i reset it it started to make odd metalic clicking noises and telling me to contact apple support. I'm freaking out cause i don't know what happened in I think its broken (its also my brothers ). I feel like i have tried everything but don't want to touch it anymore incase it breaks completely!! anybody know whats wrong with it? or possible how I can fix it?

Contact Apple iTunes Support Center as directed in the message.

My laptop is making a clicking noise and I think it's coming from the hard drive. Is this normal?

My laptop is making a clicking noise and I think it's coming from the hard drive. I uploaded audio of the clicking to: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15528211/Memo.m4a. Is this a normal sound or an indication of a problem? Thanks in adance.
Info:
HP Pavilion G6-1b70us - Purchased 2 days ago from Office Max

That is a hard drive clicking. It sounds kind of intermittent like it might be just the hard drive safety system parking the read head on the drive. Do you get a sustained click when you try to boot up? Have you tried the hard drive health test in the BIOS? Just tap F10 as you power up and go into the setup/bios and look for the hard drive self-test and run the long form version and see what you get.
Here is the Service Manual, which is always a good thing to have:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02829479.pdf

HT1363 hi, my ipod classic is making funny clicking noises and is telling me to contact apple support, any help wo uhh ld be appreciated many thanks. mark connolly

Hi my ipod classic has started making funny clicking noises and is telling me to go to apple support, any help would be appreciated
Many thanks
Mark connolly

The hard drive in it has failed and will need to be replaced.

Ipod makes clicking noise and won't be recognized by itunes.

I've had this ipod for about 2-3 years (5th generation 30 GB) and all of a sudden it started making clicking noises when i started it. So i connected it to my computer and all it does is (1). Start up with the Apple Logo (2). Make that clicking noise where it sounds a ticking clock. (3.) Please wait, very low battery. (then it goes forward after) (4). Shows some icon with an ipod with dead eyes ( x.x ), emergency icon and it says www.apple.com/support/ipod. Please answer because i have over thousands of songs and i dont have them on my itunes ( i transfer the songs to my itunes. then my ipod but then i had to reformat it and so the songs on itunes are gone and i have only my ipod)

ive got excatly the same problem, my pod (also had it 3yrs 30gb 5th generation) has started making the clicking noise, i get the apple symbol appear or the sad looking face, im unable to restore it and i think the sad face may mean its a hardware problem from wot ive read on the online support. but i dont know what to do or where to send it to be fixed or if it can be fixed, if you find out how it can be fixed please let me know its doin me head in.

Clicking noise and freezing during updating

Hello everyone, if anyone could help with the following problem i'd be more than grateful. my ipod recently wouldnt connect to windows and started making a clicking noise. to try an resolve this i have reset and restored. I thought this would solve the problem. However, when ipod is updating it seems to freeze, stop updating and clicking noise starts. the following message appears
the specified I/O operation on E: was not completed before the time out period expired.
the only way i can disconnect is to shut the computer down. My playlists appear but with no songs.
this is my 2nd ipod (clicking noise also happened so ipod was replaced in warranty) which is now out of warranty. I think my hard drive might be giving up? These discussions are my last hope! Do I buy a new ipod (possibly for the same thing to happen)? or is it worth getting it serviced? Does anyone out there have any ideas?

Even i have a Ipod with a click wheel and is behaving similarly.
Once i connect it to the PC (using USB) it shows the "Do Not Disconnect" sign forever and even iTunes does not recognize it, the hard disk is making some clicking noise and after some time windows returns timeout error "The specified I/O operation on E: was not completed before the time out period expired" !!
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Thanks

Help! Why is Macbook not starting, making clicking sounds, and rejecting install disk??

I was working on my Macbook (OS 10.4.11) when the screen froze. I forced a shutdown. When I try to power it up again, I get a blank screen (not sure if gray or blue; looks sort of in between) and hear clicking noises. Eventually, a flashing question mark appears.
I found a post on this problem that said the hard drive was looking for instructions to start up (hence the clicking noises) and an Apple article about possible solutions, <http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440>, but none of the steps worked.
I then booted up again, inserted Install Disk 1 for Tiger, and forced a shutdown again so that I could boot up with "C" held down see if I could solve the problem from the Uilities menu on the Install Disk. However, when I pressed the power button to start up again, the computer just spit out the Install Disk (even with "C" held down).
Can anyone tell me (1) what the problem seems to be with the computer and/or the CD drive; (2) whether a low-tech type like me might be able to fix it if I can get the Install Disk to run, or whether I just have to take it to my local Mac shop? The computer is no longer under warranty, so getting it repaired will probably be expensive.
Thanks so much for any good advice out there!

Invalid Sibling Link > Invalid Sibling Link: Apple Support Communities
You may need Disk Warrior ...

Powerbook making clicking sound and running slow

I have had my powerbook for 3 years. Just recently it started running very slow and spinning beach ball comes up alot. There is a clicking sound coming from the top left corner of the keyboard by the speaker. When the clicking starts is when the beach ball comes up. It doesn't happen all the time. This occurs about every couple of minutes and then goes away. Once the clicking noise goes away the computer runs fine. I have ran disk utility, onyx and techtools (no errors have come up). Nothing has seemed to fix the problem. Can anyone give me some advice on what might be the problem. Thanks for your help.

Welcome to the Apple discussions.
That sounds like a hard drive possibly beginning to fail. However, it's located on the left side under the palm rest. In the upper left corner of the keyboard, the only moving part is a fan, however, if that were doing something odd it shouldn't cause the beachball to come up, which leads me to think it's a hard drive issue. Next time you hear the ticking, see if it could be coming from under the left palm rest area.
So, ensure that your important data is backed up, and do it regularly, if not doing that already. Assuming it is your hard drive, you can either live with it, or replace the hard drive. (Don't know if you have Applecare, since you said your system is 3 years old). You may have a 4200rpm drive in there today, with 5400rpm being mainstream today, and 7200rpm the faster option. Sizes go up to 160GB in 5400rpm and 100GB in 7200rpm. Seagates come with a 5 year warranty versus 3 year for most other drives.
If you're handy, you can do the replacment yourself or an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple can do it. If Apple or AASP does the replacement, make sure they write on the service order that you want your old hard drive returned to you. Recently, there was a person who was surprised to find that Apple may retain the drive as a trade in on the replacement drive. Also, if it were me, I would specify I want a new drive and not a refurbished drive.

Macbook airport connection drops and locks my computer

So... I think my problem tops them all. Ive done alot of searching and ive found no topic relative to mine.
- My intel macbook has an airport extreme that can succesfully connect to my schools network or my girlfriends network or my network at home. However...
Many times a day... as soon as i make my connection active by going on a web browser.
My Airport drops connection and locks my computer... only the mouse is avaliable, but
anything else i try to click.. i end up with the spinning beach ball. Only solution i can find
thus far is to force shutdown my computer and restart... Now i cant do a PRAM reset or
start up in safe mode. I dont know how to solve this...
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My problem is a variation on yours.
I don't lose the airport connection at all. I can connect to my Airport Extreme base station and surf the Internet without a any hassle. I can see the other computers connected to said AEBS. Network drives are mountable.
HOWEVER, as soon as I start to transfer a file or folder from or to a mounted network drive, the transfer hangs. The only solution is to power-off Airport to get the Mac to acknowledge losing connection to the network drive. Otherwise I would continue to stare enlessly at a frozen progress bar.
Hopefully 10.5.2 will address the issue.

Tecra M10-12M - clicking noises and slight stuttering

I have a strange but serious sound problem with my Tecra M10-12M from December 2008.
It started occurring a month or two ago and behaves like this:
After restarting Vista Professional the sound is perfect.
I use my computer all day long, then put it in Sleep mode at night. The problem starts with occasional clicking noises and slight stuttering, then gradually gets worse. After 3 to 4 days the PC becomes impossible to listen to or use with Skype.
I'm a competent IT person and have tried to systematically close down all applications, services and processes to see if I could find an offender that caused the problem. I didn't and I have also checked that I have the latest drivers for the Realtek High Definition Audio (with EC). I also tried disabling all enhancements in the sound properties.
The only thing that helps is restarting. The sound is then perfect again right away and for a few days.
A good sample of this phenomenon can be found at http://www.netwv.net/Sound.mp3. Though the example comes from Skype, note that this is not a Skype related problem. But Skype is an important tool for me and this problem really completely disables my PC when it comes to using Skype and listening to other sound.
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>The only thing that helps is restarting. The sound is then perfect again right away and for a few days.
Hm thats strange seems its not a sound driver issues as you updated the sound driver as well.
Im not quite sure what could cause this clicking noise when using the Skype
Maybe you should to reinstall the Skype too.
If this will not help then you should clean the OS using the CCLeaner. This tool is for free and cleans the registry and OS.
But if you will still notice the sound issue then you should check if new OS installation would help.
For this you should use the Toshiba recovery disk!

Camera making clicking noise!

I bought my droid incredible a little less than a week ago and it has suddenly started making clicking noises when i open the camera. It clicks when the camera is opened, when i take a picture and even when i delete a picture. is this normal

It is a selection you can choose to alter from your handset. Its called:
Enabling or disabling audible selection
These are the steps below to stop the clicking noise. Follow the instructions here;
Press HOME > MENU, and then tap
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My macbook air is making crazy noise and crazy heat.

It's been only one year since I bought this laptop but it's been making crazy noise and crazy heat since few months ago.
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What's the problem of my MBA 2011 11"?
It also laggs a lot. Is it time to replace my MBA?

First action to take in this situation is to fully backup your data, possibly a clone.
Take the computer to an Apple store to have it checked out.
Best.

My 4th gen classic makes a continuous whirring and clicking noise and is not recognised on iTunes. Any ideas?

My 4th gen classic makes a continuous whirring and clicking noise and is not recognised on iTunes. Any ideas?

That could be a clear sign of a damaged hard disk. Can you try and force the iPod into Disk Mode and then connect it to iTunes so you can attempt a restore or even a low level reformat of the iPod's HD/file system.
Putting iPod into Disk Mode
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ISight Making Clicking Noise and Locking Up Computer

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