Anyone know whats up with my PB?

[gog]

I'm worried about my new 12" PB's health (512 ram). Can anyone help me??

Here's what it has done to me in the past week:
1. Frozen after opening its lid from sleep (black screen with rotating color-ball thing only - utterly unresponsive).

2. Go slow: like play a bit of an iTunes song then pause, then bit more, then pause. and everything else taking ages.... until Frozen again! But while saving a pages doc (data lost - like being on peecee again!!!)

Mostly when it does funny things like this it makes that tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick sound, like computers do when they think... but fast & constant). Then sometimes the tick-tick gets VERY LOUD and even SCREECHY before a freeze.

I can't possibly bear to be without my PB while it is sent away for a week to be analysed by the no-brain shop that sold me... I have a mammoth assignment for the next six weeks.

 

[MacTruck]

Bad Hard Drive maybe?

 

[Applespider]

Sounds very like a bad hard drive - run the Apple hardware test (on your restore DVD). Since it's so new, your first port of call should be calling Apple support or taking it into a Genius Bar in an Apple store. If it does prove to be a hardware problem, they'll send you out a box and you can ask the courier to wait for it. In the US, many people report getting them back within a week.

 

[mduser63]

Even before I read the part about the ticking and the screeching, I thought it was probably a hard drive problem. The ticking and screeching makes me very confident that that's the problem. Do like Applespider said and run the Apple Hardware Test CD. If there's anything on the computer that you don't want to lose, you need to back it up ASAP.

Unfortunately, in order to get it fixed, you're going to have to be without it for a little while.

 

[gog]

Ok, thanks a lot you helpful folk.
I ran hardware test (twice now) and it said nothing was wrong - but this really seems to be an intermittent problem.
Do you think they're likely to replace my hard drive completely?? I have backed up, but not iTunes songs and photos and stuff and I guess I'm destined to lose all my settings etc (what a pain?!)

 

[PlaceofDis]

next time an you notice a lag starting, open up Disk Utility and check the drives S.M.A.R.T. status.... might be worth a try. but don't wait to get it checked out if you don't have to. it sounds like the HD is going.

 

[NEENAHBOY]

next time an you notice a lag starting, open up Disk Utility and check the drives S.M.A.R.T. status.... might be worth a try. but don't wait to get it checked out if you don't have to. it sounds like the HD is going.

I'll second the S.M.A.R.T. status check. For future reference, I use an app called SMARTReporter that displays a colored icon on my menu bar that tells me the status of the hard drive. Get it at versiontracker.com

 

[Mechcozmo]

If you take it into an actual, brick-and-plywood Apple Store they may help you with your backup needs as well as your trip to AppleCare.

And the trip is pretty fast to AppleCare.

 

[Jay42]

If your powerbook is anything like mine and your stuff on there is worth as much as your life, I would definitely consider offloading onto DVD's/iPod or pick up a cheap ext. HD RIGHT NOW. Frankly I wouldn't take the chance, to me its worth $100 for an ext. HD. I've been through a HD failure and lost almost everything, and now I back up every week onto physical media! Good luck.

 

[gog]

Running the SMARTreporter - and am a big fan of it. Only thing is that now the sneaky little powerbook is behaving itself. But i'm watching... oh, i'm watching with me SMARTreporter...
And the moment it even thinks about pulling some moves, i'll have its ass logged and down the apple shop before you can say "newharddriveplease".
So thanks everybody!