Hard drive noises on PowerBook G4

mitlovmitlov
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Hi,



I'm a new PowerBook owner who just switched over from Dells. I really love my new machine. I had a question though, regarding a sound the hard drive makes. I know the "snick" on start-up is the hard drive protection turning off.



My question, though, is this: yesterday, I was working on compiling information from a web page into a spread sheet. I'd read a webpage in Safari for five minutes, then go to one of two open Word documents and type a word or a single letter into a cell of a table (and over and over and over). Every time I'd input information into a cell, the hard drive would make a quiet-but-audible sound that sometimes resembled a creaky old rocking chair, and sometimes resembled a crow cawing. I've never noticed this sound at other times--when using iTunes, when inputting info into iCal, when inputting info into the address book, when typing a paragraph in a Word document, etc.



Does anyone know what this sound is? Is it okay, or do I need some warranty work done?



Thanks!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    Quiet creaky noises are normal - don't worry! Is it the same noise you hear as you open an application?
  • Reply 2 of 8
    mitlovmitlov Posts: 130member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacCrazy

    Quiet creaky noises are normal - don't worry! Is it the same noise you hear as you open an application?



    Thanks for the response! That's good to know. Though it isn't the same sound as when I start an application--then it kind of whirs. Though now that I pay attention, I've heard it creak occasionally like that in other situations. I guess I just need to get used to the sounds of a different computer.
  • Reply 3 of 8
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mitlov

    Thanks for the response! That's good to know. Though it isn't the same sound as when I start an application--then it kind of whirs. Though now that I pay attention, I've heard it creak occasionally like that in other situations. I guess I just need to get used to the sounds of a different computer.



    Word creaks on mine - also if you don;t use it for a few minutes the HD will spin down - this happens more on a laptop to save battery. But other than this are you enjoying the switch? Are you using Tiger?
  • Reply 4 of 8
    mitlovmitlov Posts: 130member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacCrazy

    Word creaks on mine - also if you don;t use it for a few minutes the HD will spin down - this happens more on a laptop to save battery. But other than this are you enjoying the switch? Are you using Tiger?



    Am I enjoying the switch? Well, I just put an Apple sticker on my car, so you decide



    I am indeed using Tiger. It's great. It's so much more polished than XP Pro that there's no real comparison. And iTunes is far, far, far nicer than Windows Media Player. I'm missing having a right-click button, but that's the only downside I've found to the Mac.



    The aluminum case was a bit of an adventure though. I hadn't really thought about what would happen when someone who wears a metal watch (namely a titanium watch) types on an aluminum-cased laptop. The watch band makes this hideous grinding noise as my wrist moves. But I found that if I took the thin plastic sticky-sheet that protected the battery during transport, and put it in the lower-left corner of the laptop where my left wrist sits, the problem is solved. It even looks professional--I doubt anybody knows that it's just packing material that I just reglued to a different part of the laptop.



    I've also found that Rain Design's iLap helps ergonomics a lot when working at my desk (in addition to cooling, of course).



    Anyway, the machine is absolutely fantastic, and I'm in love. And this looks like a really helpful community as well, which is good--I majored in medieval history in college, not computer science
  • Reply 5 of 8
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    Good to hear - I do like the video capabilities in WMP - iTunes is nowhere near that level yet - Apple need a decent video player - something will fullscreen, controls and catalogue feature - not an add-on in iTunes but that's my only dig! Well if you have any more problems don;'t hesitate to post (although i probably should say do a search first (i don't btw!).
  • Reply 6 of 8
    mitlovmitlov Posts: 130member
    I wanted to bump this thread with a new, but very related, question. The hard drive and fan noises on my new PowerBook are still evolving. Nearly every day, it'll at least once make some sort of whir or snick or squeak that I've never heard before.



    Are there any noises I should be worried about if I hear? Any telltale signs of a malfunctioning hard drive or fan? Or should I just not sweat this matter at all, and assume it's just the parts bedding in on a new machine?



    Thanks!
  • Reply 7 of 8
    tokentoken Posts: 142member
    Quote:

    Are there any noises I should be worried about if I hear? Any telltale signs of a malfunctioning hard drive or fan? Or should I just not sweat this matter at all, and assume it's just the parts bedding in on a new machine?



    Thanks! [/B]



    I talked to a guy yesterday who said he got the harddisk in his brand new PB 12" exchanged because of its noises. You could consider trying the same if its too unbearable.



    On my old iBook i had an annoying noise when scrolling in Safari and other apps.
  • Reply 8 of 8
    pyr3pyr3 Posts: 946member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mitlov

    I wanted to bump this thread with a new, but very related, question. The hard drive and fan noises on my new PowerBook are still evolving. Nearly every day, it'll at least once make some sort of whir or snick or squeak that I've never heard before.



    Are there any noises I should be worried about if I hear? Any telltale signs of a malfunctioning hard drive or fan? Or should I just not sweat this matter at all, and assume it's just the parts bedding in on a new machine?



    Thanks!



    Personally I've never had hard drives 'squeak' at me. If it's under AppleCare or the original 1 year warranty I would take it to an Apple Store in your area at the beginning of the week and ask them to replace the hard drive. (beginning of the week so that it comes back quicker than over a weekend)
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