Loud optical drive - is this normal?

On my base 13 inch MBP the optical drive sounds pretty loud and i was wondering if this is normal.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1723
it sounds exactly like that

As long as it has no trouble reading or writing discs, I wouldn't worry about it.
See though my FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/cdrfailure.html
if you start running into issues.
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Similar Messages

  • The HUGE noise on spinning optical drive. is it normal?

    I just got a new 2.33 macbook pro 2 days ago...at first, I tried to use optical drive for opening CD and I heard the huge noise came out... before I ask apple support to fix this problem, I want to make sure it is not the normal and there must be something wrong. Any idea?

    Hello All, I have a early 2008 Macbook 4.1, with a 2.1 Ghz, 4G ram, and a 7200 RPM HD, and I am also frequently between 60-85 deg C. (140 - 185 deg F.)
    My fans runs between 1800 rpm up to 6200 at higher CPU temps.
    Sometimes I wonder if running the Macbooks wifi, bluetooth, and an external 24" monitor, increases the interior temp?
    I have had on occasion, doing some encoding with a slew of programs running, had the temp up to 96 deg C (205 deg F), and it still was running fine, mind you I was freaking out.
    But when I checked on the Intel site for max CPU temp for my model processor T8300, it said that it was 105 deg C as the maximum. 105 deg C converts to which is 221 deg F.
    I figure that they must have some kind of CPU shutdown/slowdown mechanism so if it gets too hot.
    And if it doesn't, my 3 year AppleCare will have to deal with it.
    I am more interested in the Hard Drive temp, since if that cooks, there goes my "restore plan" into action. But it generally stays around 90 - 100 deg F.
    My buddy has an iMac, and it runs between 70-100 deg F. Go figure, it's cold as ice
    Just thought I would share my 2 cents worth, IAN...

  • Loud optical drive on Portege

    Is there any way to configure the *optical drive* on the Portege notebook to emit *less noise* when in use? Is the noise to do with the _speed_ at which it is spinning the CD / DVD?
    How do we configure the spinning speed (i.e. 12x, 8x, 4x) to reduce the noise?

    Unfortunately there is no way to fully control CD speed.
    The only you can try is the Toshiba Acoustic Silencer. This tool allows to reduce CD speed to 2x.
    You can download it from Toshiba support page http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com for your Portege Model.

  • HT1338 As soon as I switch on my Mac book Pro, I get a sound from the optical drive.Is it normal??

    It is a 13" MAC book pro bought about a month back.

    In addition to checking system preferences/sound/output and selecting built in if that does not work, make sure volume is up and mute not checked.
    You can try the following, Take a set of headphones and plug theim in and out several times (there is a micro switch that sometimes gets stuck)
    Go to applications>utilities>Audio MIDI set up, see if you can select built in there, make sure volume is uo mute not checked.
    Try a NVRAM/PRAM reset:
    Power off, power back on holding the following keys   OPTION + COMMAND + P + R
    Continue to hold these keys till you hear the start chime 2 times, then release,reboot

  • Adjusting Optical Drive Speed

    I've recently moved over from windows and am enjoying the mac experience. Every now and then though I come across things which I knew how do in windows but don't know how to achieve in OS X. One of those things was the ability in windows (through 3rd party apps) to manage the speed of the optical drive. This control of the optical drive allowed you to listen to audio cd's or watch dvds without the very distracting noise of an optical drive spinning at high speed.
    This request might seem odd to some but one of the appeals of OS X was the ability to turn the computer into a media centre - for a reasonable price, unlike the stupid price of vista ultimate. But the nosiy optical drive somewhat tarnishes this experience.

    It is normal for the fans to run, they're there to cool down your machine by >>passing air over parts that heat up, they should be extremely quiet so you >>cannot hear them unless you have extremely sensitive hearing. 3500 RPM is >>extremely fast though so it indicates something else might be going on.
    I am noticing the optical fan running quite high. And this is with normal usage. Web surfing, file manager lookups, nothing much else. However, I notice the optical fan speed climbing and getting louder. It will get up to approx. 5000rpms. This i can confirm because I am running hardware monitor and this is what is is showing.
    So my question is this. Are the iMacs supposed to be relatively quiet for normal processing? When I say quiet, quiet so that you cannot hear the fans? I can understand a graphics intensive/watching movie causing them to get louder but other than that should they not be relatively noiseless?
    Maybe some of you techies out there can reply with telling me what an iMac should be running at. (wrt fan speeds/temps). I would like to know how far off the norm my iMac is.
    Thanks again and I look forward to your replies.
    ....Bruce
    Message was edited by: BGmail

  • Optical Drive-Strange noises

    Whenever I try to put a disk into my optical drive, it works normally, but thers a weird snapping noise, like some sort of motor is winding too tight, and snapping back. The drive runs normally, and ive had no problem with the drive, im just wondering if this sound is normal or not. I've noticed that my friends Macbook Pro dosnt make this noise.

    Can you tell us what tests, Luke, and exactly how you managed this?
    My MacBook also makes loud strange clicking noises when a CD or DVD is inserted.
    What worries me is that they're just not healthy sounds for an optical drive to make (unless one is feeding a house brick into them).
    Can it really be 'normal', or have just some of us got faulty drives which will cease to work, tantalisingly just after our free Applecare has expired?
    Has anyone got a MacBook that takes discs in silently?

  • One of the screws connecting the optical drive is a manufacturer defect

    Hi, one day I decided to take a look at the back of my MacBook Pro, I discovered that one of the screws connecting the optical drive bay is dead..will apple fix this?( I have the apple care )
    Thanks.

    Actually I doubt they will fix it. First there is no reason for you as the user to be fooling with the screws that hold the optical drive in. That is not a User Replaceable part and voids the warranty if you remove the optical drive. Second if the optical drive works there is no reason to take any of the screws out that hold it in as that only need to be done if the optical drive fails. Once the optical drive fails and need to be replaced then Apple will deal with it at that time, whether the replcement is done under warranty or at your expense. Until that time I seriously doubt they will take the time and effort to replace one screw that doesn't cause any problems to the functioning of the computer and optical drive itself and normally can't be seen unless the bottom is taken off.
    But no harm in asking.

  • How to load OS if optical drive not working

    Hi, I'm just thinking ahead to deal with a possible crisis as sometimes I work in remote areas of Asia. Is the only way to load the complete Mac OS onto a machine via the DVD install disc or via a lengthy download? I'm probably revealing the depth of my ignorance here, - but can you not somehow copy the install disc onto an external drive and load it that way, or does it not work like that?
    My current superdrive will no longer burn disks but is still managing to read them, but if this facility too fails when I'm in the middle of nowhere how can I reinstall the OS should this become necessary?
    I suppose I could carry an additional external optical drive for this contingency but much easier if its possible from a drive.
    A stop-gap measure would be to use a bootable backup of the machine that I have on an external hard drive but that does not solve the whole issue.
    thanks
    Simon

    Hi there, can you explain in more detail how to install Leopard from the disk image of the Leopard install DVD that I got Disk Utility to create please?
    With the actual disk you just hold down c and it forces the machine to boot from the disk, I dont understand how to get the machine to boot from the disk image when it is not appearing as a bootable volume. If I click the disk image it gives me the option to restart and begin installation, if I agree to this it restarts the machine but just as normal, from whatever startup disk is already selected - it does not restart from the disk image.
    Sorry if I am being dim,
    Simon
    I have it on a separate volume of an external HD, another volume of this HD contains a bootable SuperDuper backup.

  • Optical Drive Noise when Playing CD

    One out of every 2 or 3 music CDs I play is accompanied a by buzzing and vibrating of the optical drive. Most of the time it is bearable, but every so often the noise is very excessive.
    My previous Mini (2005) did the same thing, and all Macs I have used in the past 10 years or so seem to have loud, vibrating optical drive noise of some kind when installing software from a CD or reading a CDR.
    Any suggestions? Or, am I expecting too much when I'd just like to listen to a CD while I work?
    Thanks

    Desterodo is correct. The optical drive check is normal and is desirable, as you wouldn't be able to start up from a DVD unless the presence of the disc can be verified.
    Yes, you could make it stop. By opening the computer and removing the optical drive. But the cure would be much worse than the disease.
    Be content, my friend. The optical drive check isn't very loud, and only lasts a second each time it happens.:-)

  • Long boot time when there's a disc in the optical drive

    Windows 7 waits for the DVD-ROM drive to spin the disc when I have a CD in the Optical Drive.
    This causes Windows 7 to take much longer to boot when I have a CD in the drive, because it takes about 10 seconds until the DVD drive starts to spin the CD.
    Is there a way to make Windows 7 not spin up the dvdrom drive on boot?
    Thanks
    http://peteroy.blogspot.com/

    Hi,
    Try to reset the BIOS to default settings, then check how it works.
    Alex Zhao
    TechNet Community Support

  • Can I install a SSD on an optical drive in a HP Envy Phoenix

    I just purchased a customized HP ENVY Phoenix Desktop - 810-350se CTO with a Raid 5 configuration (3 x 2 TB), but I noticed and researched that it seems that is better to have a SSD installed to have your computer access data faster, of course, I want to use it for the OS installed on it.  So I have two questions?
    1.) Can I change the configuration so I can add an SSD on a optical drive? (This will be the 4th drive). Since I am already using 3 HDD on a Raid 5 configuration and there wouldn't be any more space left, I am assuming that I can only use an empty optical drive space and install an SSD?
    2.) Is there a limitation of how many drives and capacity HDD can be installed on the motherboard? 
    My proposed solution is to keep the 3 HDD and install a  4th drive (SSD) on the optical drive and use it for the OS (Windows 8.1).
    Any suggestions and/or recommendations is highly appreciated it.
    Thank you.
    3rd Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4960X processor
    •4TB 7200 RPM SATA 6G RAID Hard Drive
    This question was solved.
    View Solution.

    Hi,
    Your PC is already using a Windows 8 boot loader and if you load the SSD in UEFI mode then you will add another Windows 8 boot loader to the eligible boot device menu.  This will lead to confusion.  I would suggest that you avoid this situation by trying the following procedure:
    Be sure to create the external HP recovery media
    Install the SSD on port 1 or 2
    Disable secure boot in the BIOS and switch to legacy mode
    Boot into the Intel OPROM and rebuild the RAID 5 array
    Boot back into the BIOS and enable UEFI mode
    Boot the external HP recover media and load the SSD (SSD recommended size is 240 GB or larger)
    Once you are up and running then go into Disk Management and format the RAID array as GPT
    The above procedure may or may not work but it's what I would first try.
    HP DV9700, t9300, Nvidia 8600, 4GB, Crucial C300 128GB SSD
    HP Photosmart Premium C309G, HP Photosmart 6520
    HP Touchpad, HP Chromebook 11
    Custom i7-4770k,Z-87, 8GB, Vertex 3 SSD, Samsung EVO SSD, Corsair HX650,GTX 760
    Custom i7-4790k,Z-97, 16GB, Vertex 3 SSD, Plextor M.2 SSD, Samsung EVO SSD, Corsair HX650, GTX 660TI
    Windows 7/8 UEFI/Legacy mode, MBR/GPT

  • Optical Drive Accesses for No Apparent Reason

    I have a new HP Pavilion dv7 laptop with Windows 7 64-bit OS. My question concerns accesses to the optical drive for no apparent reason. While it seems reasonable that when booting up the system the firmware will check the optical drive to see if there is a startup CD in it I do not understand other apparent attempts to access the optical drive. For example, after bootup and running within Windows 7 I attempt to play a mp3 music file residing on the hard disk I can hear the optical drive being accessed. Specifically, I double click on a mp3 file on my hard disk but before the music player application pops up I hear several clicks and clacks as the computer checks the optical drive for a disk...I assume. Is there a setup file someone where this kind of activity is enabled? IMHO, the computer should not be attempting to check the optical dirve  when attempting to play a mp3 file on the HD.
    Another scenario I've noticed is during the logon process. Specifically, as the computer boots up there is a typical click-clack of the optical drive as the firmware checks to see if there is a startup CD in the drive. Next, Windows 7 in up and running but sitting on the user logon screen. When I type my password to log onto my account I hear more click-clack accesses to the optical drive. This may be a typical thing for Windows 7...I'm not sure as I'm new to Windows 7. However, the description I gave above concerning playing of mp3 music seems odd.
    The sound I hear is definitely not the hard disk.  It is the same sound that the optical drive makes if you open the drive and close it without inserting a disk.  That is, the laser tracking motor moving the laser pickup from the outer edge to the inner edge and back to check to see if a CD or DVD is sitting in the drive.  Playing an mp3 music file residing on the hard disk causes this to happen.  It only happens once when starting up the music player.

    Hi There,
    What is the media application you have in the computer? Such as Intervideo windvd. cyberlink  etc…
    Few applications keep checking the media even though these applications are not in use. Fixes for such applications are posted on respective support websites, you may want to check and update. or if you do not wish to use such applications you can try un-installing these applications and verify the functionality.
    Hope it helps.
    Thank you,
    Waseem – HP 2LS
    **Click the KUDOS star on the left to say 'Thanks'**
    Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.
    Regards,
    WW
    “I am an HP Employee“
    ***** Click the KUDOS star on the left to say 'Thanks'**
    Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem***

  • OPTICAL DRIVE SUDDENLY NOT AVAILABLE

    Hi -
    Hope Paul reads this post and has time to respond....
    Well, from 1 day to the next this NICE HP tower (running Window 7 PRO - factory installed) has decided it does NOT want to deal in ANY WAY with the factory installed OPTICAL DRIVE.
    Computer specs:
       > S/N: [Personal Information Removed]
       > P/N: XX093AV
    Optical drive specs:
       > Model name:  DVD Writer
       > Model #: TS-H653
       > S/N: [Personal Information Removed]
    Attempted solution:
       - Removed it from this computer, connected it another computer = WORKED.
       - Went to HP Support site, used software there to determine prcise model of this computer, clicked link to Software section of HP's site, looked for updates or drivers for the OPTICAL DRIVE in this computer = NOTHING.
    Hmmmm.
    What to do... What to do....??????
    Device (Optical Drive) seems to work, just NOT IN THIS COMPUITER...... :-(
    Maybe you'll be able to tell me what to do to fix this unusual issue, eh, Paul.
    Thanks - in advance.
    Patrick
    This question was solved.
    View Solution.

    Paul -
    Sorry for the delay in get'n back to you on the optical drive issue.
    Turns out NONE of the attempts to fix it worked. The drive is GOOD. Connected it another computer = worked. Put it back in the original HP = doesn't see it.
    FIX = provided client with an EXTERNAL USB DVD/RW drive. Worked perfectly.
    Client happy. Patrick happy. Paul ---- hope he's happy too.
    Ciou
    Patrick

  • Blind USB Optical Drives

    Folks,
    I have two, new Apple USB Superdrives.
    One was purchased for a MacBook Air. It worked for a week, now nothing.
    The system sees it, however no icon appears on the desktop & it will not accept a disc.
    The second was purchased for a newer iMac with a broken internal optical drive.
    This one never worked, but current situation is identical to the one above.
    Any suggestions are more than welcome.
    Regards,
    Jack

    Some external drives don't even work well with Windows, when they were designed for Windows!
    Hence, it stands to reason that not all will work with the Mac as well. I know my Dell external DVD drive won't work on my Mac, but my Toshiba external drive works without a hitch.
    I bought the Apple external Superdrive, for subjective personal reasons, when I could jsut use my Toshiba drive. It works great (the Apple one), and it looks great too. I'd suggest you just follow Mr Galt's advice.

  • OS10 support for Magneto-Optical drives

    Hello,
    I've got OS10.3 on my G3 and I'd like to replace my zip100 with a Fujitsu Magneto-Optical Drive; does this OS support this hardware?
    (Fujitsu's site doesn't seem to mention the Apple OS in the supported OS's for this type of device.)
    Thanks.
    G3 B&W, 1024mbRAM, 28gbHDDx3   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   In the computer garage also Wintel machine and AMD Linux machine.

    Mad Russian, welcome to the discussions.
    If Fujitsu doesn't make mention of Mac OSX compatability, you would be better to find one that does to avoid the headaches of tring to get it to work.
    There are several good Internal and Externals that have all the latest in burning capabilitys including Dual Layar..
    Lacie, I-Omega, are just 2 of many I suggest you go to there sites and have a peek....Don

Maybe you are looking for