[i am a scientist]

Hi.

Forgive me if this has already been discussed. I've done a brief search for MBP noises and everyone is complaining about CPU and Inverter whines, but I've got another strange little noise that is driving me quietly nuts.

Every now and again, my MacBook Pro 15" goes "tonk" very softly and very quietly. It isn't (as I first thought) coming from the speakers as it still "tonks" when the speakers are muted.

It's like water torture. I'm just screwed up waiting for the next "tonk". There was a period of a few days where I didn't notice it (can't swear it wasn't happening though). But now it's back - a tonk every 10 to 90 seconds or so. Just when I think it's stopped - there it is again.

Please, just to know what it is would make me feel better.

Thanks in advance.

Neil

[Simon]

Isn't that the HDD? I thought they do that when the re-calibrate. Which HDD do you have? Mine does the 'tonk' and it's the 100GB 7200 rpm.

[markponcelet]

I'm sure I know what this is: it's your hard drive. Does the sound seem a little like a ping pong ball bouncing once on a hard surface? I heard this sound with my 1.67 GHz 17" computer. It came from my 100 GB 5400 rpm drive. I replacded the drive with a 7200 rpm drive, and the sound went away.

Frankly, it was so quiet that I don't think I'd have been able to hear it if it hadn't been in a laptop -- which reflects noise at you thanks to the screen. In my external enclosure, I never hear the drive making the noise. Funny, huh?

[masugu]

Was it a "honky" tonk?

Sorry. It's a Friday.

[i am a scientist]

Thanks for your replies guys. I guess it could be the hard drive. I have the 100Gb 5400 rpm version.

"Honky Tonk"! :-)

I'm still wondering why it happens some times and not others. It stopped doing it about 10 minutes after I posted the item above. But at least I know what's doing it now!

Neil

[skyman]

Tonks, Whines, Moos. The MBP is also a farm animal sound machine.