Strange static noise

I recently acquired a 17" G4 iMac, which seems to work very well. When I first got it the OS install was hosed so I wrote zeros to the drive and installed 10.4. After the install, everything functioned normally with the exception of a constant static, buzzing sound.
Occasionally it would go away for a period of time and then come back. It's one of those strange types of electrical noises that not everybody can hear. I've read so many discussions on these forums about noises that my eyes started to bleed and nobody seems to be having the same problem.
I replaced the HD about 2 weeks ago and ever since then the noise is quieter and not as constant, but it is still there. I'm concerned that it is related somehow to the graphics card because anytime I open a graphics intensive program (such as google earth or my dashboard) it makes the noise.
Any ideas?
17" iMac G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

My first thought, is that you might be hearing a cooling fan.
This idea is supported by the fact that you say it gets louder when loading graphically intensive apps. And, that the noise changed when you replaced the hard drive.
Now, that may not sound right at first, but here is my way of thinking:
The more intensive apps are going to demand more of the CPU. The more the CPU is taxed, the hotter it gets. The hotter it gets, the faster the fan spins.
My thought, is that the fan may be dirty. So, that could cause it's sound to be less smooth, and a little noisier.
Now, what's that got to do with the hard drive?
Well, you may have knocked some dust off of it while you were replacing the hard drive.
I'd go ahead and open the computer back up, and see if you can locate the fan.
Take some compressed air (low pressure such as canned compressed air), and blow away any dust you find in the system. Especially on the fan blades.
I haven't been inside one of the G4 iMacs. So, I cannot say for certain if there is more than one fan.
But, if I had to guess, I would speculate that you are hearing fan noise.
If the fans are the cause of the sound, and cleaning them doesn't remove the noise, then I would consider replacing them.
Sometimes the bearings wear out, and they'll get a little noisier.
But, with any luck, you'll find that cleaning the dust off the fan blades will restore a smooth sound.

Similar Messages

  • Strange staic noise in left speaker when i start my MPB.

    There is a very strange static noise in the left speaker when I start the computer. Is there away to turn off the startup sound? I don't need it anyway.

    Are you sure it's static? I think it might be your hard drive.
    Some hard drives are louder than others, and on my MBP I can hear mine at all times when the computer is on and awake. The HD is located to the left of the touchpad, and if it's audible, it will kind of sound like it does when you listen to the inside of a sea shell. Kind of a soft, gentle "wooshing." Does kind of sound like static.
    If you gentle use your hand/wrist to place pressure on the area ovr the hard drive, does the static sound seem to get quieter? If so, it's probably just the hard drive (by putting some pressure on it I assume it gets quieter since you're eliminating some of the vibration).
    Anyway, a little hard drive noise of that nature is very normal. It bothers me sometimes in a quiet room, but it really is just harmless white noise.
    Hope that helps
    MBP 2.0ghz stock   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

  • Recommended earphones for ZMP to minimize static noise probl

    Concerning the Zen Micro Photo known issue interference with the OLED:
    Can anyone help me to find out which headphones will eliminate the static noise/humming sounds from the OLED-Display best?
    Here are my experiences so far:
    - Static noise even more noticeable on the EP 630 earphones than on the cheaper ones the ZMP comes shipped with (EP 480 I think).
    - Absolutely no noise on my HiFi-headphones which is an AKG K 280 (but unfortunately by far too big in size for outdoor use)
    - Also no static noise and humming when connecting the ZMP to an amplifier via line-in.
    - No noise when inserting the headphone jack just halfway so it makes mono output (strange...!) with any earphones.
    Is it true that it is only a matter of impedance? My AKG headphones have 75 ohms while the EP 630 only have 6 ohms.
    Are there any small earphones with a high impedance?
    Thanks for helping!!!

    Cool. Hopefully someone will benifit from this .

  • Static noise coming from speakers, then sound stops

    Hi All,
    Having a very strange problem with my Thunderbolt Display + MBP Late 2011.
    While listening to music, static/cracking noise starts... get's worse and worse and eventually the sound stops :-(
    Then I restart the application playing the music/sound, it works again...
    Anybody having these problems?
    Roberto

    As an update - my Thunderbolt display noise problem appears to have resolved itself? Most nights I woud leave the display plugged into power, which could have been leading to some static or charge build up somewhere?
    After disconnecting it o/n (no power) and then only powering it on when I was actively using it - the static noise disappeared.
    I now leave it plugged in 24x7 and there have been no noise issues since.
    NB: This is after a visit to the Genius Bar and having some parts replaced in the display. The static did return for a bit but it's now gone.

  • Why is my iPod touch making a static noise?

    My iPod touch (2 gen) is making a static noise from the internal speaker. Anytime that I play my iPod from the speaker or headphones, it makes a static and crackling noise. However, it does work when I connect it to my iPod dock. I have tried the five R's and none of them work. What can I do to fix this?

    Make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store.
    Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

  • How I Fixed Audigy 2 ZS Popping, Stuttering, Static Noise Probl

    I know many people have problems with popping, stuttering and static noise type problems, so I thought I'd share how I (eventually) sorted all my problems out...
    I have an ABIT AN7 motherboard so these instructions may need to be customised for other makes/models, but the basic solution was to assign the sound card its very own IRQ in BIOS which is definitely not used/shared (should also work for other SoundBlaster cards)
    Also, this involves changing BIOS settings, so don't try this if you're not confident (I take absolutely no responsibility for screw-ups!)
    . Uninstall all SB drivers (preferably use Driver Cleaner Pro in Safe Mode)
    2. Install/Move the Audigy 2 ZS into PCI slot 3 of the motherboard
    3. In the BIOS, disable one of the Serial ports (BIOS > Intergrated Peripherals > Onboard Serial Port 3F8/IRQ4 > Set to DISABLE. This will free up IRQ 4 that was being used
    4. Reassign the free IRQ 4 to the Audigy 2 ZS card (BIOS > PnP/PCI Configurations > PIRQ_0 Use IRQ No > Change from AUTO to 4)
    5. Save Changes and Exit
    6. Reinstall latest SB drivers
    I know this will probably not help many people, but it sorted EVERYTHING out for me, so hopefully it'll help someone
    Cheers, Mike

    Cool. Hopefully someone will benifit from this .

  • Strange "tang" noise that seems to come from nowere very annoying anyone know whats the source

    strange "tang" noise that seems to come from nowere very annoying anyone know whats the source

    I feel your pain, so many sales stuff to work through to get to the good stuff
    here's my very simplistic interpretation
    Cloud control = anything with a "c" behind the name - eg 12c
    Grid control = anything with a "g" behind the name - eg 11g
    oracle enterprise manager is the product that comes from Oracle to manage the database layer from the operating system upwards , (eg software components) - latest version 12c something
    ops center, or oracle enterprise manager ops center is a product that came from Sun to manage the OS, hardware level and down (eg hardware components) - latest version 11g update 1 release 3
    currently these two products, OEM and OEM Ops Center are 2 seperate installs
    I also believe that Oracle only make roadmaps available on request
    The only sites where you are going to get any official info is from the oracle websites
    www.oracle.com
    edelivery.oracle.com
    support.oracle.com
    docs.oracle.com
    etc

  • BOSE Mk1 Soundock & 1st Gen iPod Touch + Electric/Static Noise**

    I have recently bought a Bose Mk1 Soundock for my 1st Gen iPod Touch, at first worked fine, brilliant lil gadet, but then it started to generate a reeeely high pitched electric/static noise when the battery was fully charged when music was both on or off, i returned and got an exchange for a brand new bose which didnt solve the problem so i can only assume its the ipod, so i put in a service request with apple, off it went and came back 'un-repaired' as apple 'could not reproduce the problem/s'?? since then it has started generating this noise regardles of battery level or music on/off and is reely, reely, reely annoying and is rendering the unit virtually unusable with the bose, am i the only one who can hear this or is anyone else having/had the same problem??!?

    Hey
    Is it this noise:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqeggo7DSGg
    If so, I'm having the same problem. I've emailed B&W support about it. It doesn't occur without the ipod docked. Doesn't seem to be a problem with other docks though, so it could be fixable with a firmware update. In fact, it wasn't ever a problem with the original Zeppelin firmware, only after the update.

  • MacBook Pro w/RD: Strange whining noise!!!

    My Mac recently got serviced at an Apple Store - and there seems to be a problem. When I power it on, and while I am using it, there seems to be a strange whining noise coming from the upper-right hand side (when looking down at the keyboard). Near the Power Button! It's been drifting in and out of a local Authorized Repair Place, and the problem still is not evident.
    It wasn't occurring before I brought it to the Genius Bar. I don't have a pentalobular screwdriver. They had gone into the machine and reset the EFI password at the Genius Bar. All help appreciated! Thanks!
    I have a desperate project that needs to be completed before the 25th. I need this back (my machine) before January 22nd, 2013. Please keep that in mind when suggesting repair options.

    Isit just when it starts up ? What about when entering a disc into the drive, do you get a almost crunching sound? If so, most definitely the optical drive. Mine is the same, nothing to worry about.. I haven't had any problems so far, sometimes when burning a disc I get errors, but nothing major.

  • Static Noise or No Playback

    Hello. I have a mini ipod 1st generation and about a week ago I noticed that it would not play certain songs and if it did play them then it was with static noise or with improper playback. If anyone knows how to solve this problem or has ever had this happen to them, please let me know.
    Cheers!

    Yes I reformatted it and restored it without any change in playback. Most of the time it will not play any of the songs. Please help!!!

  • Awful Static Noise After Installing GNOME 3

    Hey guys,
    I installed GNOME 3 last night and did not notice this until today. After setting the TIMEZONE variable in rc.conf and restarting the computer I am now experiencing a very high pitched static noise that I cannot stand. The static noise is just happening all the time, even when no sounds are playing or anything. I should note that installing GNOME 3 installed PulseAudio for some reason if that makes a difference.

    ok, do you know if your time is set to UTC or localtime?  If I'm not mistaken, UTC is recommended.
    It sounds like your hardware clock is giving you the troubles.  See here https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Time
    You can change the time of your hardware clock via the command line by following the commands in the wiki.
    I also noticed that you have hwclock in your deamons array in your rc.conf.  Not sure if that's an additional source of trouble, see the "Common Problems" section of the wiki linked above for more info.  I don't remember the reason why, but I did not include it in my deamons array and haven't had any issues.
    Not sure if this is relevant, but if you dual boot with windows see the "UTC in Windows" section of the wiki as well as Windows could be changing your manual time adjustments back to what it wants everytime you boot into it.

  • MacBook Makes odd Static noise ~NOT SPEAKERS~

    I have just recently reinstalled Leopard after a hard drive error (possibly caused when I dropped it 4 feet :P), and everything was fine. But I noticed that my speakers weren't as loud as they were and they sounded kind of muffled. Then the MacBook just started making this subtle popping noise, but that stopped after a day, but now it makes this horrendous loud static noise out of no where, and *it is not the speakers* because I turn them down and it still makes the noise. The noise has stopped for now but if I try to listen to iTunes it is VERY garbled. Could this possibly have something to do with the hard drive or disc drive or any kind of hardware issue? Any comments are greatly appreciated!

    Just because you turned down the speaker volume but yet can still here the static noise does not mean that it is not coming from the speakers. Since something is damaged or broken you cannot assume that turning down the speaker volume will keep an errant sound turned down also.
    Since you dropped the computer from 4 feet the problem could be just about any hardware component, from the hard drive to the logic board.

  • Static noises when calling normal?

    i have been experiencing static noises when making phone calls. im the only one who can hear them and not the person im calling.(already confirmed myself.) is the at&t service or is the iphone defected. i hear the static through the normal earpiece at the top(not headset) and in speaker mode. thanks.

    Hi all,
    Mine does it too. Has nothing to do whatsoever with at&t. None of my other phones do this.
    I have a hiss sound I can hear in my earpiece that kind of overlays each word I speak.
    I have posted 2 other threads here and only Allan Sampson has responded and understood what I was describing.
    The information I have gathered online points to the fact that all NON 3 G phones have a poor sound quality compared to a 3G phone of any make.
    Or maybe some of us just have bad ear piece speakers. If so chalk this iPhone up as bad returned iPhone #5.

  • Consistant Static Noise noise changes when performing actions on laptop, need he

    I have a Sound Blaster Li've 24-bit External sound card which I have my DJ equipment connected to. The problem I am coming across is static noise coming through the speakers. The sound is there when the audio board is powered on?or off. I have already did basic troubleshooting and I refered to theKnowledge Base on this site.
    Power of laptop is in a different source, soundcard has the latest downloads, speaker cables are fine etc. I want to check the Bios on my computer but I don't think I am that tactful to do this. Anyways, I will cut and paste my message I started on Mediamonkey.com, I am GDTRFB66. I basically wan't to know if there is a filter or a better sound card I can purchase to knock out the interference the computer is making. I Usually only run 2 speakers, sometimes I will connect smaller speakers through my audio board and run it through source. Also the ststic noise is there when I just connect my computer directly to my laptop and it uses the onboard sound card, so I doubt it is an issue with the sound card.
    I really would like some additional help here is the post I submitted on Media Monkey......Next Message
    <span class="name">]

    <span class="nav">http://thalassa.bio.auth.gr
    http://93.95.7.84/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE/,/?St=426,E=0000000000226533826,K=772,Sxi=2,Kb=ww_en glish_add,VARSET=ws:http://us.creative.com/,Case=obj(656)<span class="gensmall"><span class="nav">[size="2" color="#006699">Back to top[size="2" color="#006699"><img border="0" src="http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/templates/subSilver/images/lang_english/icon_profile.gif" alt="View user's profile"><img border="0" src="http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/templates/subSilver/images/lang_english/icon_pm.gif" alt="Send private message"><SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript><!--
    if ( navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().indexOf('mozilla ') != - &amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp; navigator.userAgent.indexOf('5.') == - &amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp; navigator.userAgent.indexOf('6.') == - )
    document.write(' ');
    else
    document.write('&amp;amp;lt;/td&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;td&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;a mp;nbsp;&amp;amp;lt;/td&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;td valign=&amp;amp;quot;top&amp;amp;quot; nowrap=&amp;amp;quot;nowrap&amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp; gt;&amp;amp;lt;div style=&amp;amp;quot;position:relati've&amp;amp;quo t;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div style=&amp;amp;quot;position:absolute&amp;amp;quot ;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div style=&amp;amp;quot;position:absolute;left:3px;top :-px&amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;');
    // --></SCRIPT>?<img width="" height="" src="http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif" alt=""><span class="name">]GDTRFB66
    <span class="postdetails">
    [size="">Joined: 05 May 2007
    Posts: 7
    [size=""><img width="2" height="9[/img] src="http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif" alt="Post"><span class="postdetails">[size="">Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 2:54 am<span class="gen">?[size="">Post subject: [size=""><img border="0" src="http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/templates/subSilver/images/lang_english/icon_quote.gif" alt="Reply with quote"><img border="0" src="http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/templates/subSilver/images/lang_english/icon_edit.gif" alt="Edit/Delete this post"><img border="0" src="http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_delete.gif" alt="Delete this post">i am hesitant to screw with my bios I'm not that comfortable in performing those ste
    ps.
    Or should I give it a shot

  • QuickTime always has static noise while playing audio

    Every time I open an mp3 (or any audio file) in QuickTime, it plays a lot of static noise in the background.  These audio files work fine in other applications (iTunes, VLC, etc) so i know the problem lies with QuickTime.  I have tried re-installing it, but the same problem keeps occurring.  Does anyone else have this problem and know what's wrong?  I'm using QuickTime 10.3,  on Mavericks 10.9.5

    This is the Mac Pro desktop forum. I requested your post be moved to the MacBook Pro laptop forum.

Maybe you are looking for

  • Sort Albums Doesn't Work

    I have a bunch of albums in iPhoto that I am trying to sort, and it just doesn't work. When I select them, right-click, and choose "Sort Albums" from the context menu, either *nothing* happens, or else the order of the albums is altered in some seemi

  • How to configure HTTPS in the receiver HTTP adapter ?

    Hi Guys, How to configure HTTPS in the HTTP receiver adapter and where i need to mention the QOS=BE in the receiver adpter. any suggestions or help would be appreciated Thanks, Srini

  • Why does sound volume turn down to zero automatically

    I just upgraded to IOS5.  I set my sound volume to high in settings, but I notice that it does not ring soon after that. When I look at the settings again, the speaker volume setting has moved completely to the left (low). Is anyone else having this

  • How to i connect mac air to tv

    trying to connect my mac air to tv through belkin thunderbolt to hdmi connection can't seem to get it to work

  • Database connection with a Java applet

    I am having trouble figuring out what I am doing wrong. I am able to connect to the remote database from inside JDeveloper 9.0.3 and execute some simple SQL statements. The problem is when I try to run this applet on a web page to test it I get some