Powerbook Issue...

[$MacUser$]

Hey there guys,

Friday night I just picked up a new powerbook...top of the range and all that. I had a question about the drive...when Im reading a CD/DVD the drive makes an awful lot of odd noises...particularly when installing. Is this normal, or is mine out of alignment or something? I mean, its not so incredibly loud as to be obnoxious, or even close to that, but it sounds somehow different than what Im used to.

Thanks for your time.

PS: This thing is a steal with the EDU discount. 17", 1.67, Radeon 9700 128, 1 GiG, etc...twenty six and a half including tax. Even though an update is due soon, the sales clerk and I both agree that the edu discount is worth the "risk." We also seemed to think any updates between now and intel will only be minor speed bumps. Besides that, this is a great machine. I can't believe the power it sports for how thin and relativly light it is. Very pleasing visually and performance wise. I was considering an Apple desktop in addition to this, but I think the Powerbook is a very able desktop replacement as it stands. KOTOR with settings completely maxed is very playable, with a little chop. I would be curious how Doom3 would run on this box...

[katie ta achoo]

Hey there guys,

Friday night I just picked up a new powerbook...top of the range and all that. I had a question about the drive...when Im reading a CD/DVD the drive makes an awful lot of odd noises...particularly when installing. Is this normal, or is mine out of alignment or something? I mean, its not so incredibly loud as to be obnoxious, or even close to that, but it sounds somehow different than what Im used to.

Thanks for your time.


The PowerBook Slot drives are pretty loud. It's the noise you hear when you wake it from sleep.
Give it a week, you'll be used to it. :)

[Duff-Man]

Duff-Man says....I agree with Katie...it is likely that this is nothing to be concerned about. Remember - these Powerbooks are very thin and the optical drive is situated right in the front where the sounds it makes will be noticed the most. If it is reading/writing at the speeds you expect it to then you shouldn't have much cause for concern....oh yeah!

[MacHarne]

Regardless of how soon or not-soon PB updates may be, you certainly bought a nice machine.
Give it a week, you'll be used to it.
I can second that. Because it is a slot-loading drive and the disc doesn't sit all that far within the machine, you hear a lot of the standard mechanical noises that are otherwise hushed away by the "doors" on PC laptops.

[Over Achiever]

I've had my powerbook for 2+ years ... still takes some getting used to esp when using the DVD drive in a quiet study area ... I get annoyed looks sometimes :rolleyes:

[$MacUser$]

cool, cool...just wanted to make sure I didnt need to send it in for service...the noise doesnt really bother me.

[andysmith]

I was suprised at the noise they make too, especially when inserting a CD - I've never heard anything like it on a slot-load drive.

Just to be sure though, I recorded me putting a cd into my 15":
http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=powerbookcdload

[$MacUser$]

andy, when I access the sight it says "format not recognized"