Powerbook clicking noise

[puckhead193]

So today I got an insteant message from my friend, put my hands over the keyboard and started to type. My Wrist are rested on the pb (over the superdrive and adjaycent. and when i push a little bit of pressure on my right wrist near the superdrive their is a clicking noise. Anyone have this issue? Its loud, and the case seems to be going in a just a tad. Does this mean my case is warping. Its like the Al is touching something inside the powerbook causing it to click.
Should i be worry about this... should i go to the apple store and see? Does my whole case need to be replaced? How long will this take i leave for school on the 30th. I don't want to damage the superdrive..I was having problems with my superdrive the other day (but i just burnt a DVD instead of a data CD-R)

edit - now it stopped clicked but when when i press down the arrow keys, enter look like their moving. Should i be concerned

 

[devilot]

I'm really not too sure... I think others would recommend you run a Hardware Test... and I've read in other threads that loud clicking may be sign of a failing HD.

 

[mad jew]

As devilot76 says, a clicking hard drive generally means imminent death. Keep everything backed up. Hopefully we're all being melodramatic and you won't have a problem, but it's always good to keep everything backed up anyway.

 

[WildCowboy]

I can make my PB do this too...it's just the case flexing. It's a very different noise than the one a hard drive makes when it is failing.

 

[mad jew]

True. So puckhead193, is the clicking coming from general typing or just from pushing your wrist down pretty hard? Either way, it doesn't sound like a dying hard drive unless it's constantly clicking.

 

[puckhead193]

just my wrist hard. But it stoped now... it was so weird.... and it was really loud to.... now my keyboard just flexes when i push on the area over the superdrive...

 

[ajampam]

just my wrist hard. But it stoped now... it was so weird.... and it was really loud to.... now my keyboard just flexes when i push on the area over the superdrive...

Is that ok? And how much does it flex? I hope everything goes well with it man!

 

[puckhead193]

Is that ok? And how much does it flex? I hope everything goes well with it man!

it flexes enough to be noticeable, i might go to the apple store tomarrow and see what they say, while i'm there i'll look at the new mighty mouse and ipods..... and maybe a new printer...

 

[wdlove]

it flexes enough to be noticeable, i might go to the apple store tomarrow and see what they say, while i'm there i'll look at the new mighty mouse and ipods..... and maybe a new printer...

I think that you are very smart to have it checked by a Mac Genius. Which Store? Will be interested to hear what they have to say. Good luck.

 

[mvamato]

Just happened to me

Last night I reache over and picked up my PB 15" (my hand on the side of the cd drive) Then I heard this horrible sound clicking very load. I thought my hard drive or Combo drive was going to explod. It sounded like you put a wire or piece of plastic into a fan. Then it just went away and my PB seemed fine, but got me a little nervous. I just installed Tiger a few weeks ago so evrything is backed up.

I would love to know what you find out.
-Mark

 

[gog]

Eeek, Sounds BAD

Me too!
My new 12 inch powerbook started making LOUD clicking/whirring/rattling sounds of the extremely-alarming type (think its when the hard drive works). But today they're gone again ?!
Is my hard drive about to implode too?

 

[Demon Hunter]

Okay, there are two, maybe three separate issues here.

"Hard drive clicks" are very serious, as others have already said. However, it would be very unusual for a new drive to fail so quickly and with this symptom. A clicking or grinding noise coming from a hard drive basically means mechanical failure is imminent. It happens to older drives. The disk is on the left side of the trackpad, I believe. New users might mistake the normal rattling/whirring/clicking of their optical drive as hard drive noise. A healthy hard drive should be almost completely silent, with the exception of newer fluid-bearing disks in the latest iBooks/PowerBooks. These make a faint "kerplunk" sound which is also normal.

As for puckhead193 and mvamato's concern... this is normal, I think. It's just a weak point in the casing. On my laptop it's right next to the FireWire port. It makes a click and depresses slightly. That being said, you probably shouldn't grip your laptop from this area. I recommend grabbing it from the middle of the hinge, since it's sturdy and to prevent pressure on the LCD.

 

[gog]

Thanks dferrara.
I quite like the soft clicks and whirrs, but mine was definitely a very loud grinding and clunking. It was coming from the left of the trackpad too, and was when the hard drive was working away.
So if is a bad symptom of hard drives (even new ones), but it has settled down as suddenly as it started, should do you recommend I do anything (besides back up!)??

 

[bodeh6]

...A healthy hard drive should be almost completely silent, with the exception of newer fluid-bearing disks in the latest iBooks/PowerBooks. These make a faint "kerplunk" sound which is also normal......

I was wondering what that sound was. My brother's Dell 8600 also does that sometimes. Thanks for the info.

 

[Demon Hunter]

Thanks dferrara.
I quite like the soft clicks and whirrs, but mine was definitely a very loud grinding and clunking. It was coming from the left of the trackpad too, and was when the hard drive was working away.
So if is a bad symptom of hard drives (even new ones), but it has settled down as suddenly as it started, should do you recommend I do anything (besides back up!)??

When you say the hard drive is working away, what is it doing? The most important thing to check is your drive's "S.M.A.R.T" status... open Utilities/Disk Utility and click on your disk. It checks your hard drive's heartbeat. If it's something other than "Verified" you need to get it replaced.

You should also run the hardware test. It should be on the DVD that came with your PowerBook. It should tell you if something is amiss... listen carefully too, because as it tests you'll hear the different fans and parts turn on.

 

[gog]

When you say the hard drive is working away, what is it doing? The most important thing to check is your drive's "S.M.A.R.T" status... open Utilities/Disk Utility and click on your disk. It checks your hard drive's heartbeat. If it's something other than "Verified" you need to get it replaced.

You should also run the hardware test. It should be on the DVD that came with your PowerBook. It should tell you if something is amiss... listen carefully too, because as it tests you'll hear the different fans and parts turn on.

Well OK! THat hardware test was fun. A trip back in time to the days of crappy mac graphics .
So I got a clean bill of health from that - and my SMART is verified, so me and my little pbook are going to relax! Maybe a fan had a seizure... who knows... if it happens again though I'll probably have a coronary.
Thanks for all your help!

 

[DJY]

I think he is talking about when his wrist presses above the superdrive slot.

I also have noticed this on occasion on my 17" PB.
Was worried... but then found it only happened when I pressed above the slot - near the edge of the PB.

everything works fine for me... was worried... but got used to it... and it isn't 100% of the time.

 

[Demon Hunter]

Well OK! THat hardware test was fun. A trip back in time to the days of crappy mac graphics .
So I got a clean bill of health from that - and my SMART is verified, so me and my little pbook are going to relax! Maybe a fan had a seizure... who knows... if it happens again though I'll probably have a coronary.
Thanks for all your help!

No problem. I wonder how those old graphics stayed there.