My iMac OSX 10.6 makes grinding noises.

My iMac makes loud humming/grinding noises whether or not I'm doing anything on it.  Is this normal?

That's a sound of a failing boot hard drive which is typical in iMac's as they overheat easily.
Backup just your users files off the machine as soon as possible and take the iMac to authorized apple repair.
Most commonly used backup methods

Similar Messages

  • Mini Freezes and Makes Grinding Noises

    Hey All,
    This is something that has been a continuous problem with my Mini for the past few months. Whenever I connect it to a computer, it will freeze for about 30 seconds before beggining its update. Whenever I select a song to play, it will freeze for about a minute, make strange grinding and clicking noises before skipping to the next song. There are also constant pauses during playback before it continues normally. I can't skip songs normally either as it freezes again.
    This problem seemed to start to occur after I dropped my iPod off my bed (less than 45cm) so I somehow doubt that could've triggered this, but anything is possible, so hey.
    I have tried reformatting the Mini, restoring it, updating software etc numerous times to no avail. Is all hope lost, or can it still be fixed?
    Thanks in advance,
    Blake
    iPod Mini   Windows XP  

    The sad thing is that all hard drives will eventually fail--it's just a mechanical system that will wear over time and eventually break down. The good news is that they can be replaced--even by you if you are up to it. Or there are many places that will do it for you. A bigger disaster would be logic board failure, which is way more expensive to replace.
    You might be interested in http://www.ifixit.com/, which has instructions for replacing the hard drive yourself among other things. It's not trivial to do and it's easy to mess up, but you can learn how your computer is put together and what it might take to learn how to work on it yourself.
    In the meantime, a new computer would probably be a good idea. Once you're back in business, you can decide what to do with the iBook. If it's only the hard drive, it may well be worth fixing and upgrading with a bigger hard drive. If you want to do this, you can post back with a new topic and there will be plenty of people to advise you.
    Good luck!

  • DVD drive won't play brand new store bought DVDs - makes grinding noise

    I just bought my iMac last September and it was going great until the last month or so. First it started making noises when I inserted a new DVD and was slow to start, but it still worked. Then it started taking longer and sometimes rejecting the disc once - I'd re-insert and it'd be fine. Later it started rejecting more than once before it would play and now it seems to have stopped altogether and generally won't play any DVDs. I do watch a lot of movies, but even with a little more than average use it still seems a bit ridiculous that the drive would die or burn out in less than one year, right?? Has anyone else had this issue and/or resolved this issue? I'm new to Macs and haven't had to call the service people before but have heard others say they've had issues with the store service - should I call AppleCare instead? Any suggestions/tips/help would be appreciated. Thx.

    It happens. Just be lucky it's still under warranty and give Apple Care a call.
    George

  • My macbook pro is probably only 2 months old and there is a buzzing/grinding noise coming from the left side of the laptop every time I open it.  It may buzz 5 times in a span of 30 seconds then not make the noise the remaining time that it is open.

    My macbook pro is probably only 2 months old and there is a buzzing/grinding noise coming from the left side of the laptop every time I open it.  It may buzz 5 times in a span of 30 seconds then not make the noise the remaining time that it is open.  I have read that it may have to do with my fan or HD.  I am under apple care for a good amount of time but am wondering if this is a mjor issue.  I would not be able to get to an apple care center in the near future due to being at school.  Should I be worried or will it last by the time I am home in 2 months.

    Sounds like the disk in your MBP is accessing data on wake up
    If you are still concerned you can take it into the Apple Store where they can hear it to be sure
    Allan

  • IMac stuck and make laud noise....

    IMac stuck and make laud noise, when I try to do some heavy work on the Imac like converting HD file H264 to proRes and importing my pics to the Iphoto and more, the IMac just stuck and and make loops of laud noise, nothing help till I shut it off by holding the power button.
    what to do? this isnt normal, and I think the Mac getting too hot, but I am not sure its my first time using a mac and I am not sure I did the right choice any more.
    for years people told me I should move to a Mac, cause its more loyal, but it seems I have so much problems with it, not just this one here but all the rest are pinuts comparing to this big problem I have that it's stuck.

    Try rebooting it by holding the Lock button and the Home button at the same time for about 10 seconds until the Apple logo shows up on the screen.
    This usually works when your device is frozen

  • Imac makes loud noises almost gurgling  sound?

    imac makes loud noises almost gurgling  sound?

    Does the gurgling stop when you mute the sound? In other words, is it coming from the speakers? If so, see below.
    Bubbling water sound
    Imac makes this bubbling sound
    Noises

  • Are the macs supposed to make a grinding noise when its starting up?

    I just bought my macbook pro today! When i turn on the mac it makes a grinding noise by the pad on the right side. Is this normal?

    The hard drive is located under the right palmrest and, no, it shouldn't be making any sort of grinding noise. Take it back to your Apple Store and have them hear it. Normally, if the hard drive is dying, you may hear a chirping noise, but no grinding noise!
    Good luck,
    Clinton

  • Inserted dvd makes grinding click click noise but wont start trick to eject

    Hi,
    I inserted the dvd for a Myst game I just bought, the drive kept making this awful click/grinding noises but would not read the dvd, then I had to trick the drive by inserting a business card while pressing eject to get the dvd out. I wanted to make certain if it was the drive or the dvd so I tried my OS Leopard install dvd and the same thing happened with that one.. Is it because my mac is a few years old?
    I hope someone can help me with this issue. I really want to play my game
    Thank you all!

    Apple Portables: Troubleshooting the slot load optical disc drive

  • Anyone know how to make an iMac, OSX 10.8.1, System Settings modifier file?

    I am working on an iMac, OSX 10.8.1, and would like to have a file that, when it runs, sets the mouse tracking speed at 7 (assuming that the far left of the bar is 0), deselects 'natural scroll direction,' and, in Mission Control, deselects 'show dashboard as a space.' It needs to be something that can be run from a USB drive, as I will be using it on a computer system that resets itself daily. While I have some (basic, Windows and Fedora oriented) programming knowledge, I am unfamiliar with the Mac OS coding environment and scripting languages. Does anyone here know how to do this, or where I should look for someone who does?

    ^^EDIT^^
    System admins updated iMac to OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4).

  • Grinding noise on DVD/CD player on iMac

    I just inserted a DVD into my DVD/CD player. It started making a really loud grinding noise. Now the DVD is stuck and the CD/DVD player is not working. I tried doing a force eject of the DVD through Terminal, but the command is not working. Any idea how to fix this?

    An external burner will only show up if you insert a CD or DVD - plug in the drive, insert a DVD and see if it shows.
    As for "download"- what exactly are you talking about?

  • Strange grinding noise

    I have a Rev. A G5 Imac 20" with 1gig of ram running 10.4.6. I have noticed over the past 2-3 days a sort of grinding noise(that is the best way I can describe it) that revs up and then revs down just as quickly as it appears. It almost sounds like a fan is not balanced in its housing or something. The noise is very sporatic but at the same time it is very unnerving. It occurs regardless of cpu usage and if the fans are running fast under heavy use. The volume of the noise does not change if the screen is dimmer or brightened. Anyone have any ideas?
    Thanks

    Hi W M R,
    An SMU reset can certainly help with some forms of erratic fan behviour (reving up and down inappropriately, spinning continuously at high speed, etc). It does not seem likely to fix a "grinding noise", though.
    On the other hand, excessive dirt on one of the fans could well produce this sort of sound. (The fans are "cage style" fans, built somewhat like a paddlesteamer wheel, and could well make such a sound if dirt builds up between the "paddles" and the cage, or if the dirt puts the whole fan out of balance).
    Opening it up will provide you with an opportunity to see if this seems to be the problem. The "First Generation" and "ALS" models are very easy to open.
    To give you some idea of the likelihood of dirty fans being an issue, I've cleaned mine twice within the first twelve months of ownership, with a reduction in noise levels on each occasion.
    Cheers
    Rod

  • Acmcneill1ug 14, 2014 7:16 AM I have IMac OSX 10.9.4, 4GB,Processor 3.06 with Intell2Duo. I would like to check for Malware. I run a TechTool Pro 6 every month and that comes up great. When check how much memory I am using, with only Safar

    Acmcneill1ug 14, 2014 7:16 AM
    I have IMac OSX 10.9.4, 4GB,Processor 3.06 with Intell2Duo. I would like to check for Malware. I run a TechTool Pro 6 every month and that comes up great.
    When check how much memory I am using, with only Safari open I am using 3.9 and more of her 4.0 memory. She is very. very slow in processing. I had 4000
    trash to clean out and it took her over an hour to expel. Also for some reason Safari will not allow me to click on a link, in my G-mail, and let it go to the page.
    It has a sign saying a pop-up blocker is on and will not let me do it. I must open the stamp to look at my e-mails and if I have redirected link now I can do it.
    I have not changed my preferences so where is this pop-up blocker?
    I have looked at preferences on Safari and Google, which I do not understand Google, and do not see where this blocker could be.
    Malware is something I want to make sure is not on my computer. Tech Tool Pro 6 is all I know of and it does not detect Malware.
    Help.
    Ceil

    Try Thomas Reed's Adware removal tool. He posts extensively in the communities.
    Malware Guide - Adware
    Malware Discussion

  • New T500 Grinding Noise from Hard Drive

    My brand new T500 Hard Drive makes off and on very faint grinding noise. The grinding happens for 6 times and then goes away for 5-10 seconds and then happens again and so on.
    Is this normal or is my new hard drive defective, and should I ask Lenovo for a replacement hard drive? 
    I ran the lenovo hard drive diagnostic tool and it did not find any issues.

    Fortunately Dell has released firmware update DE17 for the following Seagate models that seems to work for my Lenovo:
    ST9120411ASG
    ST9160411ASG
    ST9200423ASG
    ST9250421ASG
    ST9320421ASG
    ST980411ASG
    http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R211337&SystemID=P...
    Save the download to your desktop, then extract the files. Save image of ISO file thru Roxio cd maker to a CD. Shut down the pc, restart, F1, goto startup and select CD0  drive, hit F10 

  • My iMac OSX keep shutting down

    My iMac OSX keep shutting down randomly. It goes to a black screen to a blue screen and then shuts off. I have to unplug and replug it in to get it going again. It's happening everyday... has anyone had this problem and if so what did you do to fix it?

    Clean Install of Snow Leopard
    Be sure to make a backup first because the following procedure will erase
    the drive and everything on it.
         1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
             with your computer.  Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
             After the chime press and hold down the  "C" key.  Release the key when you see
             a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
         2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue
             button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
             After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
             size.)  Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.  Set the number of
             partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, set the format type to Mac
             OS Extended (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Partition button.
         3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed
             with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
         4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
             Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
             username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
             Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
             install of OS X.  You can now begin the update process by opening Software
             Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.
    Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

  • Trying to veiw videos from a website that requires me to download firefox and silverlight.My imac osx 10.5.8 will now download firefox. firfx tells me my mac is not compatible with ffox Please help me ?  Thank you

    trying to veiw videos from a website that requires me to download firefox and silverlight.My imac osx 10.5.8 will now download firefox. firfx tells me my mac is not compatible with ffox Please help me ?  Thank you

    There is a version of Firefox 4 available for PPC Macs:
    TenFourFox 4.0.1 Firefox 4 For PowerPC Browser Released
    Version 4.0.1 of TenFour Fox, FloodGap's port of Firefox 4 for Power PC
    Macs that supports both Mac oS X 10.4 and 10.5. has been released.
    Mozilla.org dropped support for OS 10.5 after Firefox 3.6 and for Power
    PC with the fourth beta of Firefox 4.
    TenFourFox uses almost all the same code as Firefox 4 and has nearly all
    the same features, including faster JavaScript, WebM video, and HTML 5
    and CSS 3 support, as well as new and emerging Web features, but with
    the code needed to keep your Power Mac functional and fast. Out of beta
    and it's ready for action, versiob 4.0.1 is a performance, security and
    stability update incorporating Mozilla's Firefox 4.0.1 plus AltiVec acceler
    -ation for WebM and browser graphics, and G5 JavaScript acceleration.
    For more information, visit:
    http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/
    Source: from http://www.applelinks.com - posted April 25, 2011)
    Now for the intersting bit: TenFourFox, like Firefox, does not support most plug-ins. Unless you are prone to headaches (in which case don't) you can read about that here:
    http://code.google.com/p/tenfourfox/wiki/PluginsNoLongerSupported
    But there is a workaround!
    Open TenFourFox and type in the address bar: about:config (no spaces) and click return. This gives you a warning that it might harm the application. Ignore that and click on 'I'll be careful, I promise' and you get the config file that you can edit - with great care.
    Look/search (scroll down) for: tenfourfox.plugins.enabled
    Set it to true. (Double click it to toggle it)
    Now close TenFourFox, open it again, and Flash will now work, as it now uses the plug-ins that Safari has stored.
    With SilverLight, Microsoft attempted to create their own version of what a replacement for Flash could be - but not to universal acclaim. You can read more about it here:
    http://silverlight.net/
    So, if you go to any sites that have been designed for this new Silverlight stuff, you can download the plug-in from here (but make certain that you are downloading SilverLight v.1.0 for OS X (10.4.8 upwards) if you are using a PPC Mac, but even this will not work with Safari 4. Version 2 only works with Intel Macs and does work with Safari 4/5. The solution is to download and install the latest version of Flip4Mac, which now includes a Silverlight component:
    http://dynamic.telestream.net/downloads/download-flip4macwmv.htm
    But the latest news is that Microsoft will probably abandon Silverlight in favour of HTML5:
    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/10/29/apples_ios_pushes_microsoft_to_dia l_down_silverlight_for_html5.html  and
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11673384

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