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wallinbl · Jan 9, 2004, 12:52 PM

I'm watching TV last night, and I heard a clicking noise. I followed it back to my PowerBook. The clicking was coming from the front left (its a 12"). The thing was locked up - you couldn't do anything at all. I powered it off and back on, and it seems fine now (not clicking anymore).

Isn't clicking a sign of the hard drive going? I've backed up most of my important files.

typoon · Jan 9, 2004, 01:02 PM

It could be going bad. usually that is a sign of a drive going bad. If it continues to do it I would worry. If not then I would just keep an eye/ear on it

fizzlemynizzle · Jan 9, 2004, 02:50 PM

if it's clicking it means the heads are hitting each other. back your data up immediately. chances are it will fail, don't take a risk by waiting to back up.

guigo · Jan 9, 2004, 08:01 PM

backup all your data
buy a new one
be happy....
the clicking noise is the first signal of a HD death....
If you don;t have a external FW HD (portable or not), it's also a good time to buy one too
Depend on just one HD is very risky
best regards
Guigo

Buck_W · Jan 9, 2004, 09:05 PM

The HD in my Cube made that clicking sound before it eventually died. It was the original Western Digital that shipped with the Cube. I replaced it with a Maxtor and haven't had a bit of trouble

I would definitely heed the advice to back up all your data.

Sakino · Jan 9, 2004, 11:12 PM

I'm with you on this one, there has been a ticking noise for quite some time. Well since I have gotten it. The thing is if I shut my powerbook down and then start it up, it stops.
I called apple tech support and they said they could do nothing about it. If I were to send in my powerbook, the powerbook would have to instantly produce the noise or else they would just send it back without repairing.

THAT'S ****ing bullshit, sorry I am already on my 4th powerbook but this makes me pissed.

I have the same problem as you.

maceye · Jan 10, 2004, 12:50 AM

I've had the same problem with my Powerbook (Ti DVI) for a few months now; it has made some very odd/loud clicking noises at random times. I've run norton and it tells me that the drive is ok (although it only checks the surface of the media, so it wouldn't know if there were other problems).
I recently had to reformat as the computer died (it would not boot as the catalog was corrupted. Norton + disk utility attempted to repair the catalog, but couldn't do it fully). It was doing the clicking thing a lot before this happened, but now that it's reformatted the clicking has stopped. Does this mean I have a faulty HD? At first I thought this was the case, but I was able to extract all my data from my PB by using firewire target disk mode (which worked perfectly even though it wouldn't boot), which seems to indicate that the drive was physically ok. Maybe the clicking noises are caused by corrupt catalog info (b-trees etc.)? This seems unlikely to me, but I'm not a hard drive expert.

Sakino · Jan 10, 2004, 02:04 AM

I would like to know if this is the harddrive or the fan. Maybe we should build a report, it would be nice to get this settled. I want a new harddrive if this is the case, and they can replace it. I refuse to send it in.

wallinbl · Jan 10, 2004, 01:24 PM

Originally posted by Sakino:

I called apple tech support and they said they could do nothing about it. If I were to send in my powerbook, the powerbook would have to instantly produce the noise or else they would just send it back without repairing.

I have an Apple Store nearby. I could actually drive it there next time this happens. If I were to have to leave it clicking overnight (until the Apple Store were open again), would that be bad for it?

Sakino · Jan 10, 2004, 03:46 PM

Originally posted by wallinbl:
I have an Apple Store nearby. I could actually drive it there next time this happens. If I were to have to leave it clicking overnight (until the Apple Store were open again), would that be bad for it?

See the problem is, it doesn't happen all the time. Second is the noise level at most apple stores is really loud due to the mall area, and music playing at the store.
Been there done that, he just told me to take it home because he cannot do anything for me.

brapper · Jan 10, 2004, 09:19 PM

good luck!
mine did that, within three days it failed completely.

wallinbl · Jan 10, 2004, 10:51 PM

Damn thing is done for at this point - I can't even boot before it locks.

wallinbl · Jan 10, 2004, 11:16 PM

Well, I took it outside (it's 42 degrees) and I have it running (I've read that heat can cause the clicking). I'm backing up everything I can think of to DVD.

I suppose that at this point I have to hope that the problem gets worse so that I can get Apple to replace the HD (I have warranty left until June).

wallinbl · Jan 14, 2004, 10:00 AM

It's been working for several days now without any issues. I'm not sure whether I'm happy about that or not.

SEkker · Jan 14, 2004, 02:13 PM

Next time it locks up, call Apple!

scottrussell · Feb 8, 2006, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by maceye

I've had the same problem with my Powerbook (Ti DVI) for a few months now; it has made some very odd/loud clicking noises at random times. Does this mean I have a faulty HD?

KernelThread.com [ http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/pb17/ ] has a paragraph on the "clicking" sound. It might explain what you (and I) are seeing on our PowerBooks....

Hard Drive "Clicking" Noise: You may encounter this, but this is more of an annoyance than a real problem. Many modern-day notebook drives park their heads when they deem appropriate, which could result in a clicking noise every so often. This is certainly not specific to the PB17, or Apple's notebooks. Various "fixes" have been referred to in the past, ranging from disk drive firmware updates from Hitachi, BIOS updates from Dell to power-management tweaking in Mac OS.

jam8 · Feb 8, 2006, 04:24 PM

The HD on my iBook did the same thing before it died. Back up everything important and get a new one.

Pahoran · Mar 28, 2006, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Well, I took it outside (it's 42 degrees) and I have it running (I've read that heat can cause the clicking).

To further talk about your experience, I heard that some people revived a heard drive that had died by putting it in the freezer for whatever it takes to get it cold as the freezermand immediately hook it up and get their data. The success rate is good enough to give it a try in desperation.

Yea, I got clicking noises and I thought it was weird since they were not there before. Even a cave man hanging around machines that make methodical and rhythmic noise would raise a eyebrow or have that questioning look if a new sound starts, and much more if the new sound is non rhythmic and a mix of different sounds.

But this is where I get confirmation that I should do something rather than filter the noise out the other ear.

hmp · Mar 28, 2006, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Isn't clicking a sign of the hard drive going? I've backed up most of my important files.

A few weeks ago, I experienced the exact same problem on my powerbook. OS X would begin to lock up, the hard drive would click, and I wouldn't even be able to boot into the machine. I was finally able to login using another one of my user accounts.

If you are still able to access your machine, start up Disk Utility. Choose the hard drive on the left pane, and look at the S.M.A.R.T. status - if it says Failing in red, the drive is dying.

Getting it replaced is simple - I called AppleCare, told them about the SMART status and the clicking noise, and they sent me an empty box. Put the laptop in, sent it, and within 2 business days I had it back with a new hard drive (would have been even earlier if it hadn't been for the weekend).

FIRECOALMAN · Mar 29, 2006, 12:58 AM

If it's clicking to either Neil Sedaka or Barry Manilow destoy it immediately... there is no hope... it is doomed, doooooomed I tell ya !

jamil5454 · Mar 29, 2006, 02:45 AM

Way to bring up a 2+ year old thread...