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I'm going insane from this sound.

vogelhausdesign

vogelhausdesign

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 7, 2009
227
0
Columbus, Ohio
So, for the past 7 weeks or so.. My Mac pro 2.93 Octo-Core has been making the sound from the movie "Sunshine" where the ship is pinging a distress signal , it's a rather alien sound and it's driving me INSANE.

It only happens when their is no input to my speakers, in example.. if i'm watching a movie or have itunes open playing music, it doesn't happen.

However when it's idle it will make this same sound over and over in perfect repetition and time. the sound last for 3 seconds, then is silent for 2 seconds, then it's back again.. over and over.. I've tried different speakers, headphones.. you name it. it's got to be the sound card.

I have apple care, but I work daily for a living with this machine and cant afford the time spent sending this machine away for a replacement part.


Any suggestions? I'm thinking about recording this sound and posting it here so you all can hear it and imagine hearing it several hundred times a day.
 
vogelhausdesign said:
So, for the past 7 weeks or so.. My Mac pro 2.93 Octo-Core has been making the sound from the movie "Sunshine" where the ship is pinging a distress signal , it's a rather alien sound and it's driving me INSANE.

It only happens when their is no input to my speakers, in example.. if i'm watching a movie or have itunes open playing music, it doesn't happen.

However when it's idle it will make this same sound over and over in perfect repetition and time. the sound last for 3 seconds, then is silent for 2 seconds, then it's back again.. over and over.. I've tried different speakers, headphones.. you name it. it's got to be the sound card.

I have apple care, but I work daily for a living with this machine and cant afford the time spent sending this machine away for a replacement part.


Any suggestions? I'm thinking about recording this sound and posting it here so you all can hear it and imagine hearing it several hundred times a day.
Click to expand...


Things like this tend to be software based, due to the need to store that sound in some sort of memory and then play it back. I would reinstall OS X, or restore from a backup that was made before this happened. This would likely be the first thing they would do at the Genius Bar anyway, so if anything it will save you/them the time.
 
Some setting in your backup might be making it create the sound so restoring won't ever solve it. The only thing that would probably do it is to do a clean install, and then manually copy back the documents, music, photos, movies folders - but not any of the system/user files from the previous installation.

Unless there is a problem with one of the files you drag over, this will allow you to isolate just the stuff that you need and start the library (both system and user) afresh.
 
Sounds like inductor whine. Usually happens when the inductor coils are passing a lot of electricity and the coils vibrate at an audible frequency.

If it is indeed the cause I have described, then the only way to fix it is to isolate the source and replace the part. Usually this happens in the GPU or power supply.
 
Grimace said:
Some setting in your backup might be making it create the sound so restoring won't ever solve it. The only thing that would probably do it is to do a clean install, and then manually copy back the documents, music, photos, movies folders - but not any of the system/user files from the previous installation.

Unless there is a problem with one of the files you drag over, this will allow you to isolate just the stuff that you need and start the library (both system and user) afresh.
Click to expand...

So what's the difference between a fresh install and a clean install? lol The guy has already said he performed a fresh install.

Im in the possessed camp too.
 
alphaod said:
Sounds like inductor whine. Usually happens when the inductor coils are passing a lot of electricity and the coils vibrate at an audible frequency.

If it is indeed the cause I have described, then the only way to fix it is to isolate the source and replace the part. Usually this happens in the GPU or power supply.
Click to expand...

+1 stud points for this guy.
 
It sounds like you need repair. If you have AppleCare and live within 50 miles of an Apple-Authorized Service Provider, you're eligible for an on-site repair where a technician comes to your home free of charge.

Call 800-APL-CARE, let them know that you've reset the PRAM, SMC, and reinstalled the operating system and you're still having trouble. Let them know that you'd like to arrange for an on-site repair, as that was an advertised benefit of the AppleCare package that you purchased.

You can visit tinyurl.com/findaasp to discover whether there's an AASP near you.

Good luck!
 
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