[Pete Bleakley]

I've got a Jan '99 iMAC (OS9) and it has begun to emit the most peculiar noise. It sounds like a ping pong ball bouncing off a slow moving desk top fan. The machine bangs and rattles, then freezes - throwing up a message box about losing files or something. I hit the reset button, but usually it takes a power disconnect to get it up again. Is it mechanical failure approaching, due to old age?
I read somewhere that four years is the lifespan of iMAC hard drives...

[tooki]

Sounds like your hard drive is going (there's no such thing as an "iMac hard drive" -- a hard drive is a hard drive is a hard drive, within the constraint of IDE drives). Back up your files NOW and replace the drive.

tooki

[subego]

If it is your hard drive, you're in luck. They're pretty cheap and pretty simple to install.

Check out xlr8yourmac.com for reviews of both drives and installation procedures.

Good luck!