Question Mark clicking noise from internal seagate HDD

this morning, my six months old MacBook black (2.16Ghz) screen froze. After force to reboot, my MacBook will not boot anymore while hearing a repeated clicking noise from the hard drive.
I tried Disk Utilities from Original Install Disk but the internal HDD is not recognized.
Then run the Apple Hardware Test, 01 Error found with these code; 4SNS/1/40000000:TB0T.
I don't know what that means.
Boot up MB from Data Rescue II boot CD, still the internal HDD cannot be found.
I know that the internal HDD is not completely dead because I still hear a repeated clicking noise from the hard drive. Is there any ways to recover data from the drive?
Someone suggested me to create "image" out of the hdd by using "dd" command under Terminal.
Would it be possible?
I have Apple OEM (Seagate) *ST9160821AS Momentus 5400.3 160gb.*
Any suggestions? Thanks!

I've had my share of hard drive failures, and that repeated clicking sound is a telltale sign. Yours is not the infamous Firmware 7.01 drive which were all of the Seagate Momentus 5400.2 series. Sounds like a simple random crash. Unfortunately, these things happen.
You might be able to recover it yourself. If you can't, any repeated efforts to do it yourself could reduce your chances of recovering data if there's something like a failed head.
If your data is that valuable, you might want to bring it to a data recovery service. Most will give an estimate and only charge if they can recover data. Their services will typically be very expensive - around the cost of a new MacBook.

Similar Messages

Clicking noise from a laptop HDD

I'll give you a link for a dead topic in which a user explaines a problem similar to mine: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=39450
I'll also write some similar stuff here.
It's been almost two years or so since I get these now-and-then clicks from the hard disk drive. Some say that the noise is produced when the head is parking. But the noise here comes when the disk performs a read or write too. Also comes when it's idle, sometimes.
Here are some of the "stats" for the drive.
APM_level = 254 (hdparm -B, also tried 255, but it feels the same (maybe the drive doesn't support a full APM off?)
smartctl info:
Model Family: Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 series
Device Model: HTS541060G9SA00
Serial Number: MPBCL5XGK9GSJT
Firmware Version: MB3OC60P
User Capacity: 60,022,480,896 bytes
Device is: In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]
ATA Version is: 7
ATA Standard is: ATA/ATAPI-7 T13 1532D revision 1
Local Time is: Thu Jan 6 11:45:05 2011 CET
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled
smartctl -H:
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED
SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate 0x000b 100 100 062 Pre-fail Always - 0
2 Throughput_Performance 0x0005 100 100 040 Pre-fail Offline - 2844
3 Spin_Up_Time 0x0007 253 100 033 Pre-fail Always - 1
4 Start_Stop_Count 0x0012 096 096 000 Old_age Always - 6408
5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct 0x0033 100 100 005 Pre-fail Always - 33 (0, 4)
7 Seek_Error_Rate 0x000b 100 100 067 Pre-fail Always - 0
8 Seek_Time_Performance 0x0005 100 100 040 Pre-fail Offline - 0
9 Power_On_Hours 0x0012 063 063 000 Old_age Always - 16461
10 Spin_Retry_Count 0x0013 100 100 060 Pre-fail Always - 0
12 Power_Cycle_Count 0x0032 098 098 000 Old_age Always - 3695
191 G-Sense_Error_Rate 0x000a 100 094 000 Old_age Always - 0
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032 100 100 000 Old_age Always - 143
193 Load_Cycle_Count 0x0012 054 054 000 Old_age Always - 469554
194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 189 080 000 Old_age Always - 29 (Lifetime Min/Max 2/68)
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032 100 100 000 Old_age Always - 3
197 Current_Pending_Sector 0x0022 100 100 000 Old_age Always - 0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable 0x0008 100 100 000 Old_age Offline - 0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count 0x000a 200 253 000 Old_age Always - 0
SMART Error Log Version: 1
No Errors Logged
I guess that the "Load_Cycle_Count" is still in "boundaries" of 600000, so it's ok. (although the HDD is 5+ years old).
Should I switch to hdparm -B 255 and test further, even though the clicks apear anyway?
(I'm also considering to buy a new drive soon, definitely an SSD, since this one is probably dying.)
Cheers!

@op - on an older machine, I have bad sectors that need to be repaired:
# smartctl --all /dev/sda
smartctl 5.40 2010-10-16 r3189 [i686-pc-linux-gnu] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-10 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net
=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Model Family: Western Digital Caviar Blue EIDE family
Device Model: WDC WD5000AAKB-00H8A0
Serial Number: WD-WCBSYA357420
Firmware Version: 05.04E05
User Capacity: 500,107,862,016 bytes
Device is: In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]
ATA Version is: 8
ATA Standard is: Exact ATA specification draft version not indicated
Local Time is: Sat Jan 8 05:53:51 2011 EST
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled
=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED
General SMART Values:
Offline data collection status: (0x85) Offline data collection activity
was aborted by an interrupting command from host.
Auto Offline Data Collection: Enabled.
Self-test execution status: ( 121) The previous self-test completed having
the read element of the test failed.
Total time to complete Offline
data collection: (11160) seconds.
Offline data collection
capabilities: (0x7b) SMART execute Offline immediate.
Auto Offline data collection on/off support.
Suspend Offline collection upon new
command.
Offline surface scan supported.
Self-test supported.
Conveyance Self-test supported.
Selective Self-test supported.
SMART capabilities: (0x0003) Saves SMART data before entering
power-saving mode.
Supports SMART auto save timer.
Error logging capability: (0x01) Error logging supported.
General Purpose Logging supported.
Short self-test routine
recommended polling time: ( 2) minutes.
Extended self-test routine
recommended polling time: ( 131) minutes.
Conveyance self-test routine
recommended polling time: ( 5) minutes.
SCT capabilities: (0x3037) SCT Status supported.
SCT Feature Control supported.
SCT Data Table supported.
SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate 0x002f 200 200 051 Pre-fail Always - 0
3 Spin_Up_Time 0x0027 197 158 021 Pre-fail Always - 3141
4 Start_Stop_Count 0x0032 100 100 000 Old_age Always - 45
5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct 0x0033 200 200 140 Pre-fail Always - 0
7 Seek_Error_Rate 0x002e 200 200 000 Old_age Always - 0
9 Power_On_Hours 0x0032 094 094 000 Old_age Always - 4712
10 Spin_Retry_Count 0x0032 100 253 000 Old_age Always - 0
11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032 100 253 000 Old_age Always - 0
12 Power_Cycle_Count 0x0032 100 100 000 Old_age Always - 43
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032 200 200 000 Old_age Always - 40
193 Load_Cycle_Count 0x0032 200 200 000 Old_age Always - 45
194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0022 111 105 000 Old_age Always - 36
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032 200 200 000 Old_age Always - 0
197 Current_Pending_Sector 0x0032 200 200 000 Old_age Always - 2
198 Offline_Uncorrectable 0x0030 200 200 000 Old_age Offline - 2
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count 0x0032 200 200 000 Old_age Always - 0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate 0x0008 200 200 000 Old_age Offline - 0
SMART Error Log Version: 1
Warning: ATA error count 264 inconsistent with error log pointer 1
ATA Error Count: 264 (device log contains only the most recent five errors)
CR = Command Register [HEX]
FR = Features Register [HEX]
SC = Sector Count Register [HEX]
SN = Sector Number Register [HEX]
CL = Cylinder Low Register [HEX]
CH = Cylinder High Register [HEX]
DH = Device/Head Register [HEX]
DC = Device Command Register [HEX]
ER = Error register [HEX]
ST = Status register [HEX]
Powered_Up_Time is measured from power on, and printed as
DDd+hh:mm:SS.sss where DD=days, hh=hours, mm=minutes,
SS=sec, and sss=millisec. It "wraps" after 49.710 days.
Error 264 occurred at disk power-on lifetime: 4571 hours (190 days + 11 hours)
When the command that caused the error occurred, the device was active or idle.
After command completion occurred, registers were:
ER ST SC SN CL CH DH
40 51 00 51 60 81 e0 Error: UNC at LBA = 0x00816051 = 8478801
Commands leading to the command that caused the error were:
CR FR SC SN CL CH DH DC Powered_Up_Time Command/Feature_Name
c8 00 00 27 60 81 00 00 3d+20:58:56.146 READ DMA
ec 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:56.138 IDENTIFY DEVICE
ef 03 45 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:56.133 SET FEATURES [Set transfer mode]
Error 263 occurred at disk power-on lifetime: 4571 hours (190 days + 11 hours)
When the command that caused the error occurred, the device was active or idle.
After command completion occurred, registers were:
ER ST SC SN CL CH DH
40 51 00 51 60 81 e0 Error: UNC at LBA = 0x00816051 = 8478801
Commands leading to the command that caused the error were:
CR FR SC SN CL CH DH DC Powered_Up_Time Command/Feature_Name
c8 00 00 27 60 81 00 00 3d+20:58:53.639 READ DMA
ec 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:53.631 IDENTIFY DEVICE
ef 03 45 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:53.626 SET FEATURES [Set transfer mode]
Error 262 occurred at disk power-on lifetime: 4571 hours (190 days + 11 hours)
When the command that caused the error occurred, the device was active or idle.
After command completion occurred, registers were:
ER ST SC SN CL CH DH
40 51 00 51 60 81 e0 Error: UNC at LBA = 0x00816051 = 8478801
Commands leading to the command that caused the error were:
CR FR SC SN CL CH DH DC Powered_Up_Time Command/Feature_Name
c8 00 00 27 60 81 00 00 3d+20:58:51.134 READ DMA
ec 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:51.127 IDENTIFY DEVICE
ef 03 45 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:51.121 SET FEATURES [Set transfer mode]
Error 261 occurred at disk power-on lifetime: 4571 hours (190 days + 11 hours)
When the command that caused the error occurred, the device was active or idle.
After command completion occurred, registers were:
ER ST SC SN CL CH DH
40 51 00 51 60 81 e0 Error: UNC at LBA = 0x00816051 = 8478801
Commands leading to the command that caused the error were:
CR FR SC SN CL CH DH DC Powered_Up_Time Command/Feature_Name
c8 00 00 27 60 81 00 00 3d+20:58:48.627 READ DMA
ec 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:48.619 IDENTIFY DEVICE
ef 03 45 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:48.614 SET FEATURES [Set transfer mode]
Error 260 occurred at disk power-on lifetime: 4571 hours (190 days + 11 hours)
When the command that caused the error occurred, the device was active or idle.
After command completion occurred, registers were:
ER ST SC SN CL CH DH
40 51 00 51 60 81 e0 Error: UNC at LBA = 0x00816051 = 8478801
Commands leading to the command that caused the error were:
CR FR SC SN CL CH DH DC Powered_Up_Time Command/Feature_Name
c8 00 00 27 60 81 00 00 3d+20:58:46.123 READ DMA
ec 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:46.115 IDENTIFY DEVICE
ef 03 45 00 00 00 00 00 3d+20:58:46.109 SET FEATURES [Set transfer mode]
SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num Test_Description Status Remaining LifeTime(hours) LBA_of_first_error
# 1 Short offline Completed: read failure 90% 4712 8478801
# 2 Short offline Completed: read failure 90% 4570 8478801
# 3 Short offline Completed: read failure 90% 4570 8478801
# 4 Short offline Completed: read failure 90% 3540 8273697
# 5 Extended offline Completed without error 00% 734 -
# 6 Extended offline Completed without error 00% 527 -
# 7 Extended offline Completed without error 00% 31 -
# 8 Extended offline Interrupted (host reset) 70% 16 -
# 9 Short offline Completed without error 00% 16 -
SMART Selective self-test log data structure revision number 1
SPAN MIN_LBA MAX_LBA CURRENT_TEST_STATUS
1 0 0 Not_testing
2 0 0 Not_testing
3 0 0 Not_testing
4 0 0 Not_testing
5 0 0 Not_testing
Selective self-test flags (0x0):
After scanning selected spans, do NOT read-scan remainder of disk.
If Selective self-test is pending on power-up, resume after 0 minute delay.
Last edited by graysky (2011-01-08 10:54:37)

Equium A100-147 - Clicking noises from the HDD

For a while I have had clicking noises from the HDD and when the laptop failed I assumed the drive had packed up but when trying a replacement nothing happens. I get a blue light for battery and a (faint) blue light for DC supply but nothing for power or disk. However, when I connected an external drive yesterday it booted fine and when I disconnected it the laptop continued working from the internal drive. But again this morning it is dead and cannot boot. I have read that the BIOS can stop recognising the drive or maybe the settings are not being saved when it is turned off. Could it be the motherboard battery ?

If I understand you right your notebook is death now, right?
I really don't know what to do. Remove the battery and HDD and try to start notebook. if the same happen again it is time for new notebook.
I don't think repair is best option because it can be pretty expensive. Satellite A100 is pretty old notebook and you can sell it on eBay. Someone will need it for replacement parts.
Maybe my opinion sounds stupid but I don't know if you have time to search for new parts. I cannot say for sure but there must be some serious problem when you cannot even enter BIOS settings or see anything on the screen.

Clicking Noise from hard drive_U410

Hi,
I hear regular clicking noise from the new Lenovo u410 (windows 8) hard drive.
How can I fix this?

weizhou12 wrote:
HI,
I hear constant noticeable noise from hear drive_U410. I have this Ultrabook for almost 2 years. Is it still under warrenty? Any suggestions to fix the noise?
Thanks!!
The noise you are hearing might just be the normal sound of the hard drive. Most hard drives aren't 100% quiet. The link below is for a Seagate article on hard drive noises for your reference......
http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/174571en?language=en_US
Are you experiencing any errors or problems with the hard drive ? Seagate also offers a free SeaTools utility that can be used to check the health of your hard drive. You can download that free tool at the link below.....
http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/
As for warranty, the hard drive would be covered under your computer's warranty and that would have expired after 1 year.
As for fixing the noise, the only way to fix the noise would be to replace the hard drive with a new one. Then again the noise you are hearing maybe just the normal sounds of the drive.
As with any hard drive it is always a good idea to have a back up of your important files on another media. Hard drives have been known to fail without notice.
Owner & Operator of the following:
● Lenovo Ideapad Z570 w/ Win 7 & Win 8.1 Dual Boot ● Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro w/ Windows 8.1 ● Toshiba A75-S206 w/ Win 7
● IBM Thinkpad T-23 w/ Win XP ● IBM Thinkpad T-22 w/ Win XP • As well as multiple desktops dual/triple booting XP, Vista and Win 7.
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★ Sorry, I don't answer questions via Private Messages. Posting in the appropriate forum is the best way to get assistance.

Clicking noise from back-ups

Since replacing my G5 with a new mac mini I hear frequent clicking noises from the APC Back-UPS that I have it plugged into. The only obvious difference is that the mini has an ungrounded two-prong plug while the G5 had a grounded three-prong plug. The clicking noise consists of two clicks in succession, the second one slightly lower in pitch. This occurs at random intervals but also in response to anything that I'm doing on the computer such as opening or closing an application, resizing a window, visiting or exiting a website, etc. Occassionally it will happen when the computer is asleep in which case I will hear the fan running briefly in the mini although the monitor doesn't wake up. When this happens I will often see the internet activity monitor light flashing on my dsl modem. I don't know if these noises are a sign that something isn't working properly or just an annoyance. In either case I would welcome suggestions on how to stop it as well as any ideas as to what might be causing it. The APC unit provides battery back-up power in the case of a power outage and surge protection. I submitted my question to APC support but got no response. I also talked to someone at AppleCare and he had no idea what was causing this and wasn't even sure if he knew what I was asking about. However lots of people use back-ups units so someone out there must have experienced this phenomena besides me.

I checked that box but wasn't around the sleeping computer long enough to tell if it made a difference. I plugged in a lamp with a dimmer and turned it up and down with no effect. Then I had an idea. I'm going to wait a couple of days before marking this as definitely solved, but here's what happened:
The UPS has three outlets marked "controlled by master." Anything plugged into these gets it's power turned off when the computer is sleeping. I had long ago moved the peripherals to the other outlets because I didn't like having my computer and monitor wake up whenever I turned on the printer just to use the copy function. Near the power button on the UPS is another smaller button with a graphic symbol. If you hold this down for a few seconds it turns off the "master enable" function. After I did this the clicking stopped.
This still leaves some unanswered (though no longer important) questions: Why was this an issue with the mini but not with the G5? Why was I getting clicking noises in response to doing things on the computer even with the usb connection to the UPS disconnected? Why was I also getting them even when the computer was asleep? One possible factor is the usb hub. The old one was on a pci card, while the new one is external with a power cord connected to the UPS. Another factor may be the ungrounded power plug on the mini vs. the grounded one on the G5. At any rate it looks like the problem is solved, at least for now.

Clicking noise from the HDD of the new Mac Mini

I just recently purchased a new Mac mini to retire the Macbook pro from my leaving room (it was heating up too much when running Plex). The problem I find is that the new Mini's HDD (toshiba 5400) has a loud clicking noise which on the MBP I can't barely notice. Is anybody else experiencing this?
I would like to understand if this is just a faulty HDD so I can exchange it or if the sound is normal and then I would just return it.
Thanks in advance

No clicking on my 2010 aluminum model or any of the previous ones that I have had.

Clicking noise from the screen moving

My Phone is making a clicking noise on the right hand side of the screen, the movement of the screen cannot be seen but it can easily be felt. ive seen this as a problem before from other questions and how most cases have been sorted, however my phone has scratch marks on it, not from being dropped, just from a set of keys in my pocket! :/ will my phone still be covered by warranty to be replaced?

No one here can speak for Apple about what they will do. They'll examine it and make a decision nor do we have any idea what they will think.

Clicking Noise from New U410

Bought a brand new U410 two weeks ago. Nice computer, but I notice a clicking noise which I assume is originating from the hard drive every so often. It's very low, but noticeable. Tried a few apps to quiet the drive but none worked.
Downloaded a couple of programs to test the hard drive and all is well.
Do others have this clicking noise and if so can I assume it is just the hard drive with power management feature parking the heads?
TIA!

Hi
Welcome to the community.
As your concern clicking noise occurs, I would suggest you to please visit the mentioned below web link and update the Bios.
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/research/hints-or-tips/detail.page?&DocID=HT073650
After this, please restart the system and check if the issue resolved.
Regards,
Sameer
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If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution".! This will help the rest of the Community with similar issues identify the verified solution and benefit from it.
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"Clicking" noise from CD Drive on 12"Powerbook

My 12" Powerbook makes a horrible "clicking" noise when a insert a CD or DVD. After a few seconds the CD or DVD is ejected. This is pretty sudden thing as it was fine one day and now this. Can anyone tell me what may be causing this, or how to fix it?
Thanks!

gjortega ,
Here's the troublshooting guide from the service manual:
"Startup
The computer will not power on
1. Remove any connected peripherals.
2. Try known-good power outlet.
3. Try known-good power adapter and power cord.
4. Remove battery.
5. Reset the power manager by pressing the key combination Control-Option-Shiftpower.
Warning: Make sure you do not hold down the "fn" key when resetting the
power manager.
Warning: Resetting the power manager will permanently remove a RAM disk, if
present, and all of its contents. You will also need to reset the date and time
(using the Date & Time control panel).
6. Disconnect internal keyboard completely. Inspect connectors. Restart with keyboard
disconnected.
7. Remove any additional RAM and AirPort Extreme Card.
8. Try known-good DC board.
9. Verify power button is connected properly to logic board, if power button is not
functioning correctly or damaged, replace the top case.
10. Replace logic board."
Now that #10 would be about U28 or the GPU. U28 is that site I sent you. The GPU sits under the option-Apple key and you can put pressure on it from underneath that area. There is a large heat spreader that sits on top so you have to come from underneath.
Richard

Clicking noise from speakers (not HD)

Someone suggested that it could be a busted port. However, they did not tell me how likely it was that that was the issue, how I could find out, what that exactly meant, or how I could fix it.
Basically, I had my HD replaced a while ago. The computer works fine, in fact, better than before! But this constant, loud clicking noise comes from both the external and internal speakers. Right now I am using these portable speakers which I attached to the headphone jack. But I'd really like to use my Mac speakers.
When there is nothing plugged into the headphone jack. Only the clicking is audible, there is no other sound.
I know there are more knowledgeable people here who can help. All suggestions and advice will be appreciated.
P.S. Restarting to the desktop doesn't help. Also, when I restart, I get a message that looks something like this:
Incompatible device plugged into Mini-Jack. Please remove or make sure speakers are fully inserted.

Well, I bought new speakers. Thanks for nothing!

Clicking noise from back left of MBP -- speaker maybe?

Hi all,
I have a clicking noise coming from the back left of my MBP and I'm wondering if anyone else has this problem, has any suggestions, or knows if it is potentially bad.
I saw the long thread about a 'pop' noise here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1234166&tstart=0
... but I'm not 100% sure mine is related.
I looked at some MBP take apart guides and see that the hard drive is in the front left, but my click seems to be coming from the back left (if I put my ear on the front left I can hear the hard drive spinning and all, but the click doesn't seem to come from it). I tried the hdapm suggestion in that thread just for kicks, but nothing happened, so overall I don't think it's the hard drive.
The only moving part in the back left as far as I can tell is the left fan, but I checked the fan speed with smcFanControl, and they were both at 2k (normal speeds). Plus, it doesn't sound like something I would expect a fan to make, but I could be wrong. The click happens in bursts usually, clicking about once every 5 seconds (it seems pretty consistent) for a while, but then has long periods without clicking. It doesn't seem to click more or less depending on computer usage. I would think that if it were a fan noise, it would click a lot more often (every 1/2000 seconds! ;>), and I don't see why it would come in and out in?
I'm wondering if it might be a periodic pop from the speaker. It happens when the volume is down & muted, though, so that seems somewhat odd. If it is the speaker, I don't think it has anything to do with interference, as it will make the noise when the computer is on battery power, with nothing plugged in, far from any electronics.
Overall, I'm pretty confused, so any advice would be great. At the moment, taking it into an Apple Store won't really work for me :/ I used to have a PowerBook & a G5, but I sold both of them when I bought my MBP, and this is my only computer. I have a NAS that I've backed up all my data to -- so I'm not really concerned about losing stuff if something dies -- but I need my MBP for work, so I can't live without it for a week or so if they need to hold onto it. Does anyone have any ideas about what might be happening?
Thanks!
-Tyler

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
I didn't read all of that long thread, but I have heard of the type of noise you describe being associated with the hard drive. Whether it's benign or ominous or something else entirely is hard to say. But there are a couple of little utilities that can help you evaluate your hard drive:
S.M.A.R.T. Reporter:
http://www.corecode.at/smartreporter/
S.M.A.R.T. Utility:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/32454
The former will monitor the S.M.A.R.T. status of your hard drive and install a beautiful icon in your menu bar. The icon will be green if the S.M.A.R.T. status is verified and red if it is failing. It is designed to give you a heads up if it detects hard drive problems.
S.M.A.R.T. Utility is not supported on all hard drives, but if it is, it will allow you to see various factors which determine the S.M.A.R.T. status and if there are problems with any of them. This can also give you early warning of hard drive failure.
Also, there have been some problems with one model of Seagate drive, so check and see if you have a Seagate.
My Fujitsu drive is absolutely silent, and that is what you should expect. My external La Cie makes clicking noises every so often, and always has, so I think that is normal for it.
The main thing to worry about is the hard drive.
Do you have the widget iStatPro? It might be better for monitoring the fan speed without using smc fan control. But if the left fan is at 2000 RPM, then I would expect a very rapid click, which does not sound like it's the case here.
One last thing--does the click vary with the volume? Does it get louder if the volume is turned up high and quieter if the volume is turned down low? If the click has to do with the speaker, then I might expect the click to be louder or quieter depending on how the speaker volume is set.
It may be worth taking it to the Apple Store just to let someone listen to it and give an opinion. If you are under warranty, at least get a case number to document the problem. I understand that you can't be without your Mac for a week or so, but if a problem is diagnosed that does need to be fixed, then you can work on getting the work scheduled for a time that is convenient to you. It may even be possible to arrange for a loaner with all your stuff cloned onto it. Knowledge is power, and will give you better options than, say, having a sudden hard drive crash.
Good luck!

Folder with Question Mark, Clicking hard drive and unformatted status on the hard drive in DU

Hi.
We have a mac Mini 2012. Only 6 months old and has been used as a media server for the entire 6 months.
All of a sudden the mac will not work as usual.
When it starts up there is a clicking sound, almost like a clock, then a white screen with a flashing Folder and Question mark.
I have used every startup key combination possible. I've even tried to boot in target mode with my Macbook Pro to see if I can access the files on the drive but had no luck.
I can only boot from the internet download OSX. I tried to install Mountain Lion again but there was no destination to install it to. When I go into disk utilities the drive is shown as a TOSHIBA (Blah Blah blah). Macintosh HD is not shown.
The drive has no verify or repair options and is classed as unformatted.
I decided to try and erase it and reformat it but it gave me this error "unable to write to the last block of the device"
I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this but I'm gonna ask anyway.
"Are the files recoverable?"
and what the F do I do?

No, no backups, this was the backup for my laptop which was failing as well. I moved all my media and files across to the mini, deleted them on my laptop and had the mini work as a media server as well as a back up location for the files that were still on my laptop (mainly photography work)
I guess I'll have to take it back in store for the hard drive to be replaced as it's still under waranty.
Does apple give you the failed hard drive back? we have lots of bank statements/bills/passwords and all manner of personal data stored on it. I don't want it falling into the wrong hands.

Folder with question mark + wont boot from disk

Hi
I am trying to reinstall a powermac g5 from the disk, using a old hard drive that works.. (formatted in NTFS) (hoping that when selected to boot from disk, mac will then erase and reformat it)this image is presented when i hold down the option key and the disk ejects this other image is presented when i hold down C (folder with question mark blinking) and the disk ejects... also presented if i boot normally.... Could some help be offered please??????
Powermac G5
Thank you in advance

Yes, you must Format it HFS+ first...
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
How to format your disks...
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html
(To Install OSX on an IntelMac the Drive it needs the GUID Partitioning scheme mentioned at the bottom.)
Thanks to Pondini, Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks...
http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/DU.html

Flashing question mark - wont boot from CD

Hi
I am getting the 'flashing question' mark folder at start up. I am trying to start up from the OS9 CD by holding the c key at start up, but having no success.
Prior to this, I was having a problem mounting CD's (the this disc is unreadable by this computer dialogue box would show), could that be the problem? I was working around that by using my Zip CD Writer to mount CDs to the desktop.
If there is any way to force a computer to recognise the CD other than holding down the c key, or some other solution, I would be grateful if some kind person could get back to me.
cheers.

HI, Prince Busta. Since you can neither start up from a CD using the standard method, nor read CDs in your internal CD-ROM drive after starting up from another source, it seems likely that your internal drive is malfunctioning. The simplest possible explanation for this is that the drive is dirty and needs cleaning. A drive cleaning kit, available for a few dollars wherever audio CDs are sold, might put you back in business quickly and cheaply.
Another key combination to try at Startup is Command-Shift-Option-Delete, but I wouldn't expect that to work if the "c" key doesn't, and if the drive in question is the original one that came in the iMac.
Failing that, check to make sure your CDs themselves are clean and unscratched. Though it may seem unlikely that all of them are so dirty or damaged as to be unreadable in a properly-functioning optical drive, it isn't impossible: my teenage son came very close to demolishing all of an alarmingly large CD collection a few years ago just by never putting any of them away, and padding around his room on a layer of loose CDs (mingled with lots of common trash) for a couple of years. On the upside, when his indoor landfill was finally excavated, his carpet was in better condition than we'd expected: it had been protected from wear and tear by the thick overlying strata of debris. And in the corners of his room where traffic was lightest, he found a few CDs in usable condition that he'd forgotten he owned, which were a pleasure for him (though not for me) to hear again. Fortunately, the iTunes music store has lately enabled him to spend his money on music without acquiring any cumbersome CDs that need to be taken care of. As long as his iPod doesn't get dropped into the sea of laundry on his floor and put through the wash, he probably won't destroy all his music again.
If your CDs are in good shape and cleaning the drive doesn't help, a new drive is probably in order — though replacing one in an original iMac is probably not a sensible investment nowadays. You could replace the iMac for less than a new drive would cost. Perhaps you can find a used one that works and install it yourself without spending much.

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.

Question Mark clicking noise from internal seagate HDD

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