Hi guys,
I bought a MacBook Pro for my birthday in April earlier this year (the model is the Late 2011 i5 13 inch model). Recently I have been encountering a problem where randomly a clicking noise will start and repeat every 5 or so seconds. On top of this, the laptop completely freezes, with the spinning beachball, however I am still able to move the mouse around. The only way to get the clicking to stop and to restore functionality is to force shut down the computer by holding the power button, which presents the problem of potential work loss.
I have searched the internet for people who are having similar problems and have come across some others who seem like they have the same problem, but I cannot be sure. Could this mean that my hard drive is failing? I'm certain that it's not the SuperDrive as I am still able to insert DVDs and hear the drive spin up and the laser assembly move while the clicking is going on. In the absence of other mechanical components in the computer (besides the fan), and with the freezing, I assume that the noise is coming from the HDD.
Has anyone else had anything like this happen to them? And on top of that, is it worth taking it to a Genius Bar? As I do not have a way to reproduce the problem (it occurs at random with no obvious trigger), do you think they will be able to do anything, or am I on my own?
Sorry for being a stereotypical 'register-only-for-help' person, but I rely on this MacBook for my college work and cannot afford for it to be broken.
I hope you guys can give me advice.
I bought a MacBook Pro for my birthday in April earlier this year (the model is the Late 2011 i5 13 inch model). Recently I have been encountering a problem where randomly a clicking noise will start and repeat every 5 or so seconds. On top of this, the laptop completely freezes, with the spinning beachball, however I am still able to move the mouse around. The only way to get the clicking to stop and to restore functionality is to force shut down the computer by holding the power button, which presents the problem of potential work loss.
I have searched the internet for people who are having similar problems and have come across some others who seem like they have the same problem, but I cannot be sure. Could this mean that my hard drive is failing? I'm certain that it's not the SuperDrive as I am still able to insert DVDs and hear the drive spin up and the laser assembly move while the clicking is going on. In the absence of other mechanical components in the computer (besides the fan), and with the freezing, I assume that the noise is coming from the HDD.
Has anyone else had anything like this happen to them? And on top of that, is it worth taking it to a Genius Bar? As I do not have a way to reproduce the problem (it occurs at random with no obvious trigger), do you think they will be able to do anything, or am I on my own?
Sorry for being a stereotypical 'register-only-for-help' person, but I rely on this MacBook for my college work and cannot afford for it to be broken.
I hope you guys can give me advice.