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t_hah · Jul 21, 2004, 12:11 AM

This has happened to my computer a few times, but it always suprised me and I never had a clue where the sound actually came from. Today I head it again, and I think it comes from the hard drive. Is it possible?

To best describe the sound it is like a deeper "Beep" sound, that last for about 0.5 seconds. It happens usually when my PowerBook gets busy, and the hard drive is "jumping" around, doing stuff. Does anyone know why this is happening, and what really causes it?

Thanks,

t

Detrius · Jul 21, 2004, 05:22 PM

Bad hard drives can make funny noises that can be taken as a "beep." Use Disk Utility to check the S.M.A.R.T. status on your drive. If it is bad, backup your data ASAP (i.e. right now) and replace the drive.

t_hah · Jul 22, 2004, 11:56 AM

Hm...I keep checking the status of my drive and everything is fine with it according to various utilities. The beep does not happen very often...I would say maybe once every two months or so...maybe a little more often...but I remember hearing it several times.

It always seems to happen, when the disk is doing lot of activity and it definitely sounds like a BEEP. First I thought that it was coming from the OS, but then after hearing it a few times I am positive that it is coming from some hardware inside the computer, and it really seems like that it is coming from the drive.

f1000 · Jul 22, 2004, 12:23 PM

Wow, what a coincidence! I heard that loud beep for the first time, also, today.

I wasn't sure if the beep came from my mouse, my keyboard, or my PowerBook, but now I'm worried. It sounded like a PC beep code, and it definitely didn't come from the PowerBook's speakers (I had a cable plugged into the headphone jack).

Time to backup again.

MilkmanDan · Jul 22, 2004, 03:08 PM

Dude, my 12in Powerbook beeps at me whenever I stick in a DVD or CD. I'm confused about it.

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=220660

f1000 · Jul 22, 2004, 04:12 PM

Maybe that's it, Dan. I was playing a DVD-R as well when I heard the beep.

What component in the PowerBook contains a piezo-buzzer?

bighead · Jul 23, 2004, 11:45 AM

You have a DVI with a 30 GB IBM drive? If so, definitely have the HD replaced. If it's a different size or maufacturer, have it looked at, as it still probably needs to be replaced. I've just seen a lot of 30 GB TravelStars beep under Panther and they have all been on their way out.

f1000 · Jul 23, 2004, 11:57 AM

I've never seen a piezo buzzer on any hard drive controller board, and what I heard sounded like a piezo.

Is there a piezo on the PowerBook's motherboard? Does anybody have a high-res picture of a 12" PowerBook motherboard?

moodymonster · Jul 23, 2004, 01:01 PM

my 17" bleeps every so often, at first I thought it was just me. Its not the alert sound, its some "computer sounding" bleep. I'm curious to know whether it will do the sound after 10.3.5 comes out, 'cause I'm sure I didn't hear it before I installed 10.3.4.

Its weird

f1000 · Jul 23, 2004, 01:33 PM

Take a look at this thread from the Apple Support Discussion board:

http://discussions.info.apple.com/we....4@.689321a1/8

moodymonster · Jul 23, 2004, 02:38 PM

Originally posted by f1000:
Take a look at this thread from the Apple Support Discussion board:

http://discussions.info.apple.com/we....4@.689321a1/8

so it looks like my hard disk (Hitachi HTS548080M9AT00)80GB/5400RPM is having problems. bugger

thanks for the link, better to know than not

f1000 · Jul 23, 2004, 02:49 PM

Originally posted by moodymonster:
so it looks like my hard disk (Hitachi HTS548080M9AT00)80GB/5400RPM is having problems. bugger

I wouldn't be too sure of that. The Hitachi rep confirms that there is no piezo in the hard drive.

I'm starting to think that this is an overheating issue. Is there a list of Apple ROM beep codes somewhere?

moodymonster · Jul 23, 2004, 03:11 PM

Originally posted by f1000:
I wouldn't be too sure of that. The Hitachi rep confirms that there is no piezo in the hard drive.

I'm starting to think that this is an overheating issue. Is there a list of Apple ROM beep codes somewhere?

http://www.hitachigst.com/tech/techl...256CF3005C74A1

all about the drive - it does say about not covering its "breathing hole" (6.3.4 point 3), I'm sure apple wouldn't have covered it. 6.1.1 (page 35) gives its operating temps, 5-55�C. just beeped/chimed, definitely coming from the main speakers.

moodymonster · Jul 23, 2004, 03:33 PM

I googled about and one solution for weird probs is to reset the power management unit

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449

I've given that a go, wait and see I guess

moodymonster · Jul 23, 2004, 03:38 PM

Originally posted by moodymonster:
I googled about and one solution for weird probs is to reset the power management unit

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449

I've given that a go, wait and see I guess

it didn't reset the first time - it should come up and tell you your clock is wrong - did this the second time

moodymonster · Jul 23, 2004, 03:56 PM

hasn't done it so far, but its too soon to say if its stopped altogether

Detrius · Jul 25, 2004, 09:11 PM

Originally posted by f1000:
I wouldn't be too sure of that. The Hitachi rep confirms that there is no piezo in the hard drive.

I'm starting to think that this is an overheating issue. Is there a list of Apple ROM beep codes somewhere?

Listen folks...

The hard drive does not have to have a buzzer to make a "beep" noise. To me, the "beep" noise sounds like a head physically hitting the platter. It's not a "beep." It's a scrape that is high-pitched enough to come off as a beep.

At least, that's my best guess at where it comes from. It is *definitely* the hard drive though--the beep I've heard. I put a known flakey drive in a known good machine and it started beeping--mostly when the drive was spinning up (and therefore when it was being accessed).

f1000 · Jul 25, 2004, 10:00 PM

Originally posted by Detrius:
The hard drive does not have to have a buzzer to make a "beep" noise. To me, the "beep" noise sounds like a head physically hitting the platter. It's not a "beep." It's a scrape that is high-pitched enough to come off as a beep.

At least, that's my best guess at where it comes from. It is *definitely* the hard drive though--the beep I've heard. I put a known flakey drive in a known good machine and it started beeping--mostly when the drive was spinning up (and therefore when it was being accessed).

I recognize that possibility, but the sound I heard seemed way too loud to be a head crash. Moreover, a crash of that magnitude should've put my Mac out of business, but it's still humming along as if nothing happened. In addition, S.M.A.R.T. indicates nothing out of the ordinary. I'm not familiar with all the various hard drive failure modes, but I'm pretty confident that this tone didn't come from the HD itself.

In any case, I've only heard it once, so I don't have much to go on. I figure I'll just keep backing up liberally and replace the drive if and when it goes kaput.

moodymonster · Jul 26, 2004, 07:39 AM

I worked out what my beep/chime was and feel like a bit of a muppet.

Somewhere along the line someone with my email has (had?) a virus and I kept getting these emails from various places, and they (mostly) weren't being picked up by the junk mail filter. I made a mail rule and subsequent mail from these places ended up in a new mailbox. However this new mailbox has a chime associated with it, even though I could see nothing in the prefs to indicate this. I just tested it now and that's where my chime is coming from. The mail that ends up in this mailbox isn't flagged (on the dock mail icon); being as mail makes its own 'new mail sound' different from this one, I discounted the possibility that it could be the mail app, this is where I went wrong.

I'm not sure if my problem is the same as everyone else's, but I thought I'd share it just in case.

f1000 · Jul 26, 2004, 10:08 AM

Originally posted by moodymonster:
I worked out what my beep/chime was and feel like a bit of a muppet.

That's good news. Anything's better than having a flakey disk.

f1000 · Dec 14, 2004, 04:58 PM

Originally posted by Detrius:
The hard drive does not have to have a buzzer to make a "beep" noise. To me, the "beep" noise sounds like a head physically hitting the platter. It's not a "beep." It's a scrape that is high-pitched enough to come off as a beep.

It turns out you were right, Detrius. My hard drive self-destructed in September. That beep was a clarion call for me to backup the drive and get it replaced.

I've heard the "beep" from a head crash before, but never one that sounded so crystal clear and precise.

Guys, if you hear funny noises from your hard drive, back it up IMMEDIATELY and don't even think about "fixing" it with some kind of disk utility. Software can't fix broken hardware.