IMac (Intel) :: Why Does Hard Drive Keep Spinning Up When In Sleep Mode
Jun 19, 2014
When my iMac 27" is in sleep mode I have noticed that the hard drive spins up very regularly every 4 or 5 minutes. Also when placed in sleep, the monitor takes about 30 seconds to go black. It also wakes on its own for no apparent reason. No new software has been added, only normal updates, running Lion. Time machine backup is done every couple weeks.
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Dec 21, 2009
I just had the original 300 GB hard drive fail in my aluminum 24" inch iMac running the latest update of Leopard. I wasn't able to save it using diskwarrior (diskwarrior said it was some sort of mechanical failure) but I was able to recover most of the data from it by booting from an external hard-drive.
So I went out and purchased a brand new Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB drive. The install went fine, it found the drive partitioned it and installed Leopard successful. Then is crashed and disappeared when I left it alone to run all the software updates. I came back and the computer was stuck on "Restart Required" after downloading all the updates. I went to hit restart now, and the system just hanged, wouldn't do anything. So I hard powered down the system and restarted it. It came up with nothing, just stuck on the White Screen of Death. So I plugged the external drive back in and booted from it. Mac OSX couldn't find the drive and diskwarrior would crash if I tried to run it. I tried to boot up from the OSX start-up disk and it couldn't find the drive either.
So I took the case apart and made sure all the connections were solid and the drive was mounted correctly. Everything looked fine so I plugged it in and it started up fine. Finished the updates and the iMac ran great.
So I thought maybe it was overheating, so I've installed smcfancontrol and started to monitor the temp of the drive. I also took the mac apart again and sucked out any dust in the fans or vents. The drive never goes over a 105 F, so it doesn't seem to be overheating.
However, this is where the problem is consistent: everytime the iMac goes into sleep mode, it crashes and the iMac is unable to find the hard-drive again. Unless I unplug it completely for 5 minutes or so. Once I unplug it, it finds the drive and operates like a champ.
I think maybe there's an issue powering the drive back on? Anyone have any ideas?
And my follow up posting later that day:
Quote:
So I ran some tests just to see if was an overheat issue, hard drive malfunction, or sleep issue. I decided to start encoding a video, pulled up Word, Power Point, Excel, started downloading all 6000 mail messages off my server (I never delete my e-mail :-/), also started installing iLife 09, and pulled up a bunch of webpages in Firefox with multiple tabs.
However, I shut off all sleep mode options on the hard drive. I let it run for an hour and came back. Everything is fine, hard drive isn't locked up and smcfancontrol shows the hard drive running pretty hot (115 degrees) but not so hot I'm worried. So it's definitely something to do the hard drives going into sleep mode and not powering back on. It's also weird that I have to leave the computer completely unplugged for 10-15 minutes before the drive is recognized again.
So turning off sleep seems to be my work-around, however, this shouldn't be a long term solution. I'm worried that there is a bigger issue with the iMac, but I'm not sure what would cause this. I've been a PC guy for years, this was my first Mac, and honestly I don't know enough about the inner workings to narrow this down. I would assume this would have to do with the motherboard in some way? But I'm not sure how you would even test it.
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Mar 16, 2012
I just got a new Mac Mini, and I notice that when it's in sleep mode, the hard disk is constantly spinning up and then spinning down again. It spins down roughly every thirty seconds, the power light starts blinking in the "I'm sleeping" pattern, but then the drive spins back up in a matter of seconds and the light is on constantly until the next spin-down. I've tried turning off the network, disconnecting the display, fiddling with the Energy Saver settings, quitting all programs, all to no avail. All updates are installed.
Info:
Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
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Feb 22, 2010
Is it possible to have an external HDD connected to an iMac or Mac Mini on a regular basis? I have a Power Mac G4, and it's always had issues with going into sleep mode when there is any external storage connected via the USB 2.0 ports (and I've put in replacement ports to try and remedy this, to no avail). The main problem is that once the system wakes up, it thinks you've improperly removed the device. Apple told me, way back, that this was normal and to just eject all external storage before going into sleep mode. Which is a pain, but looking at a new desktop Mac I would like to just get the tiny, base HDD and use a beefy external for all my media - unless this is still an acceptable norm with new macs.
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Oct 3, 2010
Lately I've noticed that whenever I put my Mac to sleep, I lose a few megabytes. At first I didn't think anything about it. Until one day I let sleep for a while I was doing something, and came back to, and saw that I had lost about 300 megabytes. While it was in sleep, no applications were running and nothing was downloading. My mac is Macbook pro, 3 years old, 120 gigabyte, 2 gb of ram, 2.33 Ghz Intel Core duo, Model Identifier: 2,2, and Serial Number:W86481HGW0H Right now it's running leopard. I'm about to upgrade to Snow Leopard. So why would it lose this hard drive space when it's in sleep mode? By the way, I bought it used one year ago. So I've only had it a year. I haven't downloaded anything from any untrustworthy websites. I only download things from trusted sources(i.e. itunes.) Please help. Right now my only solution is to keep a close eye on it, and make sure that it does not go to sleep!
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Aug 21, 2009
I put it on Craig's list so wanted to wipe the drive and figure I'd play around with OS 9 a little just for fun. While in OS 9 it prompted me to upgrade the firmware on the DVD-ROM drive. I thought that sounded like a good idea since it makes some terrible noises when a disc is in... anyway, I did the firmware upgrade and everything went fine. That's the only real change I can think of that might have contributed to this new issue.Anyway, after that I put 10.3 on it again (I had 10.4 on it before) and it wouldn't sleep correctly. Everything looks like its going to sleep ok, then the hard drive spins up, then back down, over and over again endlessly.
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Jul 1, 2012
only the sleep button under the apple logo puts the hard drive to sleep it doesn't do it automatically though energy saver and a timed sleep?
Info:
iMac (27-inch Late 2009), Mac OS X (10.7.4)
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Jun 2, 2012
My iMac is some 2 years old and have never had this problem before but twice in the last week it has failed to awake from sleep mode and I have had to hold the start button to 'wake' it up. It then goes through the usual procedure that transpires afte 'logging off'
Info:
AppleTV 2, Mac OS X (10.7.3), I have an o2 router
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Jun 25, 2014
How can I get my iMac to stay asleep?
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Aug 31, 2014
My iMac will not come out of sleep mode and if it does it takes a really long time to do so. I've looked at several things in other forums and it seems to be a Maverick issue. However it only started about a month ago and most people have had this issue since the release of Maverick. I also read to use the bluetooth keyboard and mouse instead of a USB one. That also did not fix the problem. So I am at a standstill ...
Info:
iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.4)
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Jan 30, 2008
My iMac is about 4 months old and about twice a month after sleeping overnight the computer will not wake up. After several attempts pressing keys on the keyboard and clicking on the mouse, I have to unplug the Mac and then press the start button on the back
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Aug 29, 2014
2010 iMac running 10.9.4. Lately certain programs are forced to close on a regular basis. This includes Safari, Mail, Crashplan. It usually happens when the computer is sleeping. When I wake up the computer first thing in the morning, I usually have 3 - 4 messages saying that certain programs were forced to restart. This can also sometimes occur when the computer is not sleeping, but when I am using it. Typically it's Safari that is forced to restart.
Recently upgraded RAM and added Crashplan software for data backup.
Info:
iMac, Mac OS X (10.4.9)
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Jun 19, 2014
When I need to go somewhere or just eat lunch, I put my iMac to sleep. After that, when I come back to wake it back up, it stays black.
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Jun 24, 2014
Recently, tried leaving my iMac in sleep mode for hours but it keeps crashing with those Crash Reports popping up when I click to wake it. They mention Kernel Panics.(Also, been getting Kernel Panics randomly popping up when I start up at the desktop. This is a 2010 iMac which I purchased refurbished not quite a year ago Already emailed seller with issues, think I might just return it as seems like hard drive is going. , as to troubleshooting before I go this route?
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Mar 22, 2012
I am Running a 2.8Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 24" iMac running Mac OS X 10.7.3. I run time machine to backup to an external Seagate 3TB, FreeAgent GoFlex Desk, FireWire Drive. When the Mac goes into sleep mode, the Seagate drive un-mounts. When the Mac wakes up, I get an error that the drive was not properly disconnected and the drive is no longer mounted. The only way I can get the drive to remount, is to remove power from the drive for several seconds and then reconnect it.
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Feb 12, 2012
For the last few days, since carrying out a software update (dont know what update!) when I select "sleep" from the main apple menu my screen goes to sleep but my hard drive keeps running, how do I correct this so the whole thing goes to sleep?
Info:iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
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Nov 30, 2014
My iMac wake unexpectedly from sleep mode then goes back to sleep 00:10-00:15 later. Yosemite is current.
Info:
iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
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Jan 9, 2009
G5 iMac model A1058, 1.8/512mb/160gb.Bought this machine used on e-bay with no operating system, powers on fine, flashing folder with question mark= no operating system. Tried to connect to my i-book in target disk mode via fire wire and the hard drive does not mount on the desktop. Can't find it in disk utilities however i get this in system profiler under firewire.
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Oct 6, 2009
I'm running out of space on my Mac Mini's disk because of all my iTunes video files. I am thinking about buying an enclosure for my spare 1 TB hard drive, and using it as the location of my iTunes library, but I wondered how it works with the Mac Mini's energy-savings mode. My Mini is set to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity, then wake when iTunes content is requested by my Apple TV or Airport Express. I like it, because it's very energy efficient that way! My question is, will the disks also sleep along with my computer, and will they wake properly when the computer wakes?
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Aug 26, 2014
I turned on my iMac (20in 2008 model) and after the apple logo appears, I get a gray screen that says "process 1 exec of sbin/launched failed". I'm pretty sure it's because my hard disk is full. I tried booting up in safe mode, but my wireless keyboard battery died. I put in new batteries, but I need to get to the desktop to reconnect the keyboard. I tried using a usb wired keyboard, but it doesn't power up until I'm on the desktop screen. I don't know what else to do. I need a keyboard to boot to safe mode, but I need to be fully booted to work the keyboard.
Info:
iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8)
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Mar 6, 2012
Using my iMac in Target Disk Mode with Thunderbolt connection to Macbook Air.
Is there a way to get back to my iMac desktop without forcing it to restart? (holding down the power button)
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iMac, iOS 5.0.1
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Jul 21, 2009
I have a macbook pro, running os X leopard. Whenever I bring it back from sleep the cd drive spins to read what's in it. If nothing is in it it makes 3 rounds of unpleasant noise, then stops. If it's got a cd it spins for a minute or two. Is there any way I can stop this? I know it's kind of a picky thing to complain about, but I've switched to Mac a week ago and it's the only complaint I have so far.
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May 21, 2012
I have Snow Leopard (10.6.8) installed on a solid state drive (SSD). I'm wondering how I can check whether my internal hard drive is spinning or asleep. Is there a diagnostic to test whether a hard drive is spinning?
Info:
iMac (27-inch Mid 2010), Mac OS X (10.6.8), 12 GB RAM
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Aug 23, 2009
I'm having a problem with my PowerBook G4 where is goes into sleep mode at random times. Mostly when I am streaming video..or at times the fan comes on, it sounds super high then boom. sleep mode again. After hitting the space bar, it comes back on, but it'll happen again shortly after. I've played with the sleep settings
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Dec 29, 2009
As of last night, my MBP started acting very strangely. After entering my username and password, it would enter the desktop for a short period of time and then kick back into sleep mode; the screen would turn back to black. Sometimes it will let me stay on the desktop for a long time and other times it will hardly let me stay on the desktop. I called apple support and they had me start the computer in safe mode; even then it occasionally kicks me out.
The tech guy said that it was a "strange software issue" and not a hardware issue. I thought it was a hard drive issue; my hard drive makes an odd sound when it unlocks (a grinding sound), but it has been doing that for quite some time with no issues. I tried to reset the SMC and it didn't do anything.
How should I remedy this problem? Is this a hard drive issue? Hard drive failure? Has the grinding sound finally caught up with me? I am running OS X; not leopard or snow leopard. I know I need to upgrade, but this shouldn't be happening.
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Dec 19, 2008
I have a new MacBook, 2.4GHz, 2 GB DDR, that has replaced my iBook G3 after the HD went out. May it RIP. Sometimes when I close the lid at work and put it in the computerbag it will be quite warm when I get it out. Sometimes it won't come out of sleep and I have to do a hard boot. What causes this and whats the remedy?
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Mar 27, 2012
My parents just bought a new Imac (3.4 Ghz/I7) which is running 10.6.8. and we cannot figure out why it won't go to sleep automatically. In System Preferences/Engergy Saver we have set both the "computer sleep" and "display sleep" to about 5 minutes, but no matter what we do it keeps showig the screen saver and never goes to sleep. The "put hd to sleep" is checked, and the start screen saver is set to roughly the same amount... I have tried adjusting these settings, to no avail.
Info:
Mac OS, Mac OS X (10.6.7)
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Jun 21, 2012
my mac is hot even if its in sleep mode..
Info:
iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.2)
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Jan 31, 2008
I have resolved my MacPro sleep issue by removing the Seagate 320GB stock drive. For whatever reason, if that drive is plugged in, it reboots my MacPro when waking from sleep. I had setup 2 WD 500GB drives in RAID 0 as my boot volume and this was configured with Windows XP Pro for other uses.
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Apr 4, 2009
I recently got myself a Time Capsule. There is just one issue. Once my macbook returns from sleep, time machine immediately looks for the time capsule drive. It gives up looking before my mac even finds the time capsule airport connection. Shortly after it gives up, my macbook finds the airport connection. The result: it delays the next backup for the next hour. Which is not very practical. When I get home from work, I want the time machine to back up immediately once I open it, and not having to use it for another hour or manually do the backup. If time machine just waited about 3 more seconds my macbook would have already established the airport connection and time machine would find the time capsule drive.
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