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Hard drive clicks when MBP is moved?!

2contagious

2contagious

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 29, 2008
755
0
UK
Hi,

I just got my new 17", i7 MacBook Pro and I noticed that when the laptop is turned on and I move the laptop (for example pick it up quickly), the hard drive clicks quite loudly. This is the same case on my girlfriend's previous gen. 15" MacBook Pro. Is this normal? It sounds very worrying for some reason, as my non-unibody 15" MacBook Pro from 2006 did not do this. I thought it could be the accelerometer detecting a "fall" and parking the HDDs head, but the 2006 MacBook Pros also had accelerometers, no?

The hard drive in my MacBook Pro is a Hitachi 500GB Model: HTS545050B9SA02

see you,
chris.
 
Bought a new 13" MBP this morning and noticed mine does same exact thing. My old MB and MBP had sudden motion sensor and I never noticed the click when moving it. Guess Apple changed something.
 
Is this a 5400 or 7200 drive? I guess since the BTO's are not here yet it's the 5400.
 
mtehonica said:
5400
Click to expand...

yep, it's a 5400rpm. Are you sure this is a Motion Sensor thing? I read on another forum that it might be the Hitachi drive itself (this was about a previous gen. mbp), as someone took the hard drive out and swapped it with a WD 500GB and the clicking was gone, but the Hitachi did the same clicking noise while being used in an external enclosure.

Does everyone experience this problem?
 
It's the sudden motion sensor.
If you want to turn it off, open the Terminal and type:

sudo pmset -a sms 0

Be aware that when it's off you run a serious risk of gouging the hard disk with the hard drive actuator arm - destroying your hard drive.

You can check to see if the command worked by typing:

sudo pmset -g

The value indicating that the SMS is on is 1; 0 means that it's off.

To be clear though, I am not suggesting that you turn it off; it's there for a reason.
 
LemmycautioN said:
It's the sudden motion sensor.
If you want to turn it off, open the Terminal and type:

sudo pmset -a sms 0

Be aware that when it's off you run a serious risk of gouging the hard disk with the hard drive actuator arm - destroying your hard drive.

You can check to see if the command worked by typing:

sudo pmset -g

The value indicating that the SMS is on is 1; 0 means that it's off.

To be clear though, I am not suggesting that you turn it off; it's there for a reason.
Click to expand...

if it really is the motion sensor, how come some people don't seem to get the clicking noise while moving the macbook pro and why did I never have this on my old non-unibody mbp? :confused: sure it's not related to bad hitachi drives or something?
 
Anyone know who makes the 7200 drives? Still Hitachi so they would have the same issue?
 
I am pretty sure this is not a motion sensor issue. It has stopped making that noise today.. no matter how I move the laptop, there's no more sound :confused:
 
If it is Hitachi, does anyone know if it's the Travelstar version? (I really hope the 500GB 7200rpm HDD upgrade is the Hitachi 7k500 Travelstar.)
 
I can confirm this as well. Bought the new 13" yesterday and I've heard the click multiple times today.
 
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