IMac :: HD Makes Sounds Like Reading Data When Idle
Dec 12, 2009
How quiet should the new 27" iMac's be running? Mine is fairly quiet but not silent. I recall reading a review prior to buying that had said it runs silent, so I'd like to make sure I don't have a defective system. I can hearing a very slight persistent sound. It's so slight I don't know how to describe it accurately--sounds like it could be a bit like a buzzing or a rotating sound. Or perhaps it's just normal operational sound? The HD will also make some sounds like it's reading something even when I'm not really doing anything.
I have experienced a main 320GB hard drive failure in my 24" iMac - which isn't as bad as it sounds as 1) I was considering an upgrade anytime soon anyway, and 2) I have a fairly recent backup. I am taking it to mac repairs tomorrow in Manchester so they can replace it with a 1TB drive - however, I want the original hard drive back on which I am planning to take the most recent data off it that wasn't backed up - so was hoping to shove the damaged SATA drive into an existing USB enclosure, plug it into my new iMac, fix any damaged areas on the drive, then restore what data I need (if retrievable)
But, a colleague has told me tonight, that I can only do that if the enclosure has a Firewire connection - I won't be able to achieve it with a USB connection - can't see why, but can anyone confirm if that is correct? - he seems to think it's something to do with how Disk Utility reads from a drive, the security on the drive, and the file structure but he wasn't sure!
I bought a new 17 inch MBP tonight. When it started up, it made a very odd sound that was similar to a CD/DVD being processed or ejected.I thought maybe it was a one time thing, but since restarting it a few times, it's made the same sound each time.Is this normal? I've never heard it before. It's like there's a CD or DVD in there, but of course there isn't.
I have configured Mail.app to make a sound (a short MP3 file) when new mail arrives. This used to work a few years ago.
For the past few years it hasn't worked. User interface sounds are switched on and everything is activated in System Preferences and Mail preferences.
When I check the settings for the MP3 file in Mail preferences, it even plays the file there. But when a new mail arrives it does not.
Simiarly, and I don't know if this problem is related or not, Skype has stopped making user interface sounds. Again, this is the same Mac, which is configured for user interface sounds in System Preferences, and Skype is configured to make a ringing sound when I call someone and some weird sound when I receive an instant message in a chat window.
So whenever I try and play something, the macbook air makes popping sounds as the audio plays. As the audio gets louder, the pop gets louder as well. I already tried nearly everything and updated my laptop.
I recently purchased a new (to me) iBook Clamshell off eBay running Os 9.1. This is my first Mac, It has a 6 gig HD and the HD seems like its spinning really loud and it makes chirping sounds whenever I change the screen saver
Does this Mean the HD is failing? Should I get a new HD
My mid 2010 macbook pro when started makes a series of beeping noises the load software bar appears and that happens a couple of times before I get a nomral boot
When I'm trying to capture on my iMac using FCP7 through a Canon XL1 I get this message: "Capture encountered a problem reading the data on your source tape". Now I know it's not the tape as when I use my iBook to capture (fcp5) it's fine. I know I could use the iBook but I've been having problems with it in other forms so I can't rely on that working forwver and once/when it dies, I'll be stuck. I've tried all the usuals: rebooting, different cam to transfer, different cables, re-instaling FCP and I'm still scratching my head.
I can not deselect mute all computer sounds on my Imac with Lion I went into preference and for output the only thing I can select is headphones is there away to get the built in speakers back on this drop down list?
My new 21.5" iMac didn't go to sleep automatically when in idle state. I read a lot of posts regarding this issue and tried a few of the possible solutions: resetting the SMC and so on. I finally was able to fix my problem (so far) with the help provided in the following link: [URL]
For those of you with a new i7 iMac, if your machine is completely idle, what does your CPU usage look like in Activity Monitor? I'm routinely seeing Finder consume 70-90% of my CPU. The single CPU bar meter view in the dock is basically pegged most of the time. The graph shows it as system usage. If I open the CPU History window, all 8 threads look like they're just about maxed out.
I have a new, week 7, 27" iMac with 2.8 quad core CPU. Activity Monitor shows the "% idle" number jumping anywhere from 49% to 99% (but usually stays around 49%), when I'm actually 99% idle. The "% user" and "% system" numbers are less than 1% when the computer is idle. They just don't add up to 100%. Does anyone else see this? The left top of the computer is hotter than any computer I have had before. This is the third computer that Apple has sent with this problem. Apple Care just says to send it back.
I was in iTunes when I heard a slight grinding sound form the speaker area and I thought nothing of it. About 5 minutes later I was watching a youtube video and the grinding got louder to the point where I could no longer hear the video. I immediately powered the iMac down and upon reboot process, the grinding sound could be heard again. After the booting process, the sound is gone. I am wondering what it was and if I should waste my time taking it in to an Apple Repair Shop
I have an imac g3 slot loading that came with a CD in it. It sounds pretty bad when trying to eject and finally a bit came out and I could grab it. Is there a way to investigate or repair or replace?
I noticed that my system stopped making system (i.e. Mac OS X) sounds for some reason. Sounds from applications are fine. I checked and unchecked the "play user interface sound effects" check box in the preference panes to no effect.
I punch my iTunes music through an Airport Express to a remote set of speakers in the kitchen, which works wonderfully, but I'd like to know if there's a way to run the system sounds through the AE as well. In particular, I listen to Pandora (through a browser) on my laptop, but would love to listen in the kitchen. Any way to do this? System 10.4 I believe...
Today, I got home and turned on my iMac 21.5 inch. On a typical day, I'd here the "BONG" and then everything would be normal. Today, my fans, or something inside the computer, sounded like it was going crazy. I have no idea what's wrong.
it kind of just happened suddenly but my new aluminum iMac can not read CD/DVDs nor show them as an icon on the desktop. I don't know if this matters but it stopped reading them shortly after I preformed a mount with toast titanium on a mac universal binary image. Also, if I put a disk in, it thinks for a bit, then spits it out. I think I may have shut down the computer without dismounting the image and I don't know if that may contribute to the problem.
I have Windows XP installed on my iMac via Bootcamp. When I use the DVD Drive to copy data to my hard drive, the whole computer seems to go into slow motion.
I'm in Device Manager and under the Advanced Settings of my Primary IDE Channel, the Transfer Mode is set to PIO, which I hear it shouldn't be? Should changing this setting to "DMA if available" correct the slow transfer speeds?
In the past two days I installed both an external HD with TM and windows vista ultimate with boot camp (everything works perfectly).
I think the noise only started like, around two days ago, but I'm not sure. I got my mac around a month ago. I think my last pc did this all the time, so at first I thought it was just normal HD writing/reading noise (I think it's the HD), but as that pc wasn't exactly new or stable and I seem to remember that my mac didn't do this at first, I thought I'd ask.
It makes the noise for a couple of seconds when I, for example, start an app, close one, boot or shut down, and at random times when I'm just doing nothing. It doesn't make it during music playback. It's completely irregular so I doubt it's a fan hitting something. It doesn't sound like that either. It's really pretty soft, and fast paced, sort of like morse code. When in vista, it makes the noise almost all the time, like 80% or something.
I just got back home and I move my iMac's mouse to turn the screen back on. It turns back on and I notice the whole computer is frozen except for the mouse pointer (the dock wont zoom or anything). I hold the back power button to force it to shut down, but the machinery inside doesn't quite seem 100% settled yet, I can just barely hear a little fan moving, but then it too stops. Upon turning it back on with the backbutton, it makes a clicking sound over and over again (sounds like it could be the HD?)
It keeps making this sound then pauses, and does it again. It freezes on the white screen where the grey apple would usually appear. It's stuck on this white screen and keeps clicking, until I'm forced to shut it off from the back again. I've tried shutting it down from the back, then unplugging the power, but that hasn't done anything either. I'm using... Vista. (the specs of the iMac are in my sig.)
iMac makes normal startup after had been put into sleep..One strange behaviour can be observed with iMac Late 2013.At the end of day the user puts the mac into sleep.On next day pushing the power button is necessary to activate the mac.
The main point is that iMac starts up as it was shut down at the previous day(this is conclusion based on screens shown after mac activation).
User expectation is, that on next day when activating it the mac show screens as it was leaving sleep instead of showing screens typical for normal startup (after hard power down).
I placed a Hoyle card game disc into my Mac Mini and it does not seem to be reading the disc and now I do not know how to get the disc to eject. Before I just had to click on the eject icon at the top of the screen but it only says super drive in light grey. How do I get a disc to eject?
I have my iMac since August. I use it a lot, and I've noticed that the hard disk makes read and write noise a lot of times, even using Safari, for example. It looks like fragmented. What can I do?
When I plug it in, the computer makes a horrrible noise, and then when I press the power button, it flashes, and the noise becomes much louder. It origionally turned on to the hd selection screen when I first got it, and I accidentally left it on all day. When I got home, it was making the noise. I know it is not the hard drive, because it dieson't have one, and Imacs don't have fans.
My relatively new iMac 27" accepts and reads the memory stick on my Canon EOS Sxi, and my Sony dsc-h55 Cybershot. However, my wife has an earlier model Sony Cybershot, with a SanDisk Memory Stick Pro Duo, and the iMac doesn't read it. I put it in, and nothing happens. With the other mem sticks, after I insert it into the SD Card slot, iPhoto starts, and reads the contents of the card. Should it read the SanDisk Stick?
