My Hard Disk is dying?

[Kristenn]

Sorry for silly questions but I need to ask about something... maybe strange and maybe not strange. I call my dad over the phone and asked but all his Macintosh are older then mine.

Um. I have a Macbook Pro 15 inch that I got in Febuary of 2009 and I think it is the late 2008 version.

2.53 GHz core 2 duo

4GB DDR3 RAM

250GB 7200 RPM hard drive

256 MB shared and 512 MB video card

I noticed the safety click sound the hard drive makes (I think it is the hard drive?) when I move it on my lap if it is on and not off or asleep.
But some time a few weeks ago or last month.. it is starting to do the safety click noise when I don''t bump it at all and sometimes it will click a few times well I am starting it up and it makes the start up take almost a minute long because I think the hard drive maybe stops spinning for a little?

But.. why does it do it when I do not bump it? It does it when I am using it to sometimes. Is that normal? In school it is kind of annoying because it makes my mouse take longer to click.

I have a big 7200 rpm 500GB back up desktop tower hard drive I use... started putting my files on there every night before bed in case my hard drive dies. I did it with time machine.

Um... Thanks

 

[BlueRevolution]

Yes, it sounds like your hard drive is failing. Back everything up, wipe the drive if you're paranoid, and take it in to the shop. Your warranty should cover its replacement.

 

[Kristenn]

Okay thank you

I noticed it did not do it at all yesterday even in class but. I was shutting down the computer more yesterday instead of just makeing it go to sleep. Is it normal for it to do it after the computer has been on all day? It is really annoying when it does do it and I don't remember it doing it before.

But do you think it is still going to die? And is this normal for MBP hard drives? My dad... I called him yesterday and he says he wishes Apple would use Toshiba or seagate hard drives in their computers instead of Hitatchie

But... what brand is really good? My dad says all hard drives are junk. But... I was wondering... if I got one and had my dad put it in for me when I go to visit... is there a brand better then what Apple uses?

My old HP had Toshiba and the mother board died before the hard drive it was 2 years old and the hard drive still works.

Thank you again

 

[BlueRevolution]

But do you think it is still going to die?

The clicking noise you hear is commonly called "the click of death" because it often foreshadows a drive failure.

And is this normal for MBP hard drives?

No. A hard drive should last 5+ years before failing, depending how much it is used.

My dad... I called him yesterday and he says he wishes Apple would use Toshiba or seagate hard drives in their computers instead of Hitatchie

But... what brand is really good? My dad says all hard drives are junk. But... I was wondering... if I got one and had my dad put it in for me when I go to visit... is there a brand better then what Apple uses?

Seagate and Western Digital are the best consumer drive manufacturers. I'd go with one of those.

 

[Kristenn]

Thank you. Can I ask Apple to put in a different brand and use my warranty or should I just buy one and put it in myself? My dad always got his macs with the smallest hard drives and then bought a better brand and put them in himself if he could. Because he hates hitachi hard drives for some reason

Thank you

I guess Im not really computer smart ><

 

[BlueRevolution]

Can I ask Apple to put in a different brand and use my warranty

If they're paying for it, they decide what kind of hard drive goes inside.

or should I just buy one and put it in myself?

Depends. If you want a bigger drive while you're at it, go for it. However, be aware that installing it yourself will probably void your warranty. (It used to be doable, but I don't think anymore.)

My dad always got his macs with the smallest hard drives and then bought a better brand and put them in himself if he could. Because he hates hitachi hard drives for some reason

Your dad probably also saved a decent wad of money in the process.

 

[Kristenn]

Yes he did. The only time I remember a hard drive dying on him new was because he dropped the computer

I will have to ask my mom about it. She might not want to buy me one right now and might want to use the warranty or I will just wait and save up my own money for one.

 

[agentphish]

No. A hard drive should last 5+ years before failing, depending how much it is used.

I've had drives fail out of the box, or after 2 weeks or after 10 years. It really has had nothing to do with actual usage time in nearly 20 years of experience with them. I have had the most Maxtor and IBM drives fail on me of any brand, but I've had dead WD's, Segates, and Samsungs. Never had a failed Hitachi personally, but they get the DeathStar moniker for a reason

If one fails and it's due to pending/bad sectors you should definitely try a software recovery program before giving up hope. It will usually work. If it's mechanical failure it's a lot worse, but you'd be amazed what you can do with canned air upside down and a Mr. Clean Magic eraser to conduct the cold into the drive. try it sometime and you'll see what I mean.

The bottom line is they all fail eventually and everyone should backup.

 

[devburke]

Just a tip: when you put your computer to sleep, don’t start jostling it around and packing it up until the light on the front starts pulsating. While it seems to be immediately asleep, it’s actually spinning up the HD while the contents of the RAM are being written to the disk in case the battery dies (OS X’s Sleep is kind of a combination of Windows’s Standby and Hibernate modes, they call it Safe Sleep). My own HD failed after having it a few months, probably because I didn’t know this so I was always abusing it. And I got it a couple months before Leopard came out, so I didn’t have Time Machine to save my ass either!

Fortunately, my iPod had my music, and the Genius at the Apple Store was able to recover my most important data when they were replacing my HD, and didn’t even charge me (even though she said data recovery was supposed to cost $50). Needless to say, I went right out and got Leopard and a Time Machine drive after that.

 

[Kristenn]

Thank you

Yes I always waited for the white light to flash. And if it is quiet I can here when the fans stop spinning. Even if its not that loud.
My hard drive didn't do it at all yesterday or today. What is going on?
It is very frustrating because I dont know if it was me doing something or it was doing it on its own. I know it is normal for it to do the safety click sound if you move it or bump it well it is on... but for a week or so it was doing it lots when it was starting and well I was doing things and not bumping it.

Now its stopped doing it... Im still going to back up my stuff every night. My hard drive is playing tricks on me ><

 

[devburke]

Thank you

Yes I always waited for the white light to flash. And if it is quiet I can here when the fans stop spinning. Even if its not that loud.
My hard drive didn't do it at all yesterday or today. What is going on?
It is very frustrating because I dont know if it was me doing something or it was doing it on its own. I know it is normal for it to do the safety click sound if you move it or bump it well it is on... but for a week or so it was doing it lots when it was starting and well I was doing things and not bumping it.

Now its stopped doing it... Im still going to back up my stuff every night. My hard drive is playing tricks on me ><

Yeah I’d just say keep connecting your Time Machine drive regularly, so if and when your HD does die, you’ll have everything backed up.

 

[Ivan P]

Depends. If you want a bigger drive while you're at it, go for it. However, be aware that installing it yourself will probably void your warranty. (It used to be doable, but I don't think anymore.)

You can definitely change the HDD in the model the OP has without voiding the warranty. Apple provides documentation on their website on how to remove it too, and it also shows you how to in the manual that came with those computers...I'm pretty sure (I'll check my own MBP when I get home) there's a diagram on the back of the battery cover too that shows exactly how to replace the HDD (the OP has the final model with the removable battery). IIRC the HDD and RAM are the only two things that Apple lets you replace yourself.

 

[BlueRevolution]

You can definitely change the HDD in the model the OP has without voiding the warranty. Apple provides documentation on their website on how to remove it too, and it also shows you how to in the manual that came with those computers...I'm pretty sure (I'll check my own MBP when I get home) there's a diagram on the back of the battery cover too that shows exactly how to replace the HDD (the OP has the final model with the removable battery). IIRC the HDD and RAM are the only two things that Apple lets you replace yourself.

Ah yes, the late 2008 still had the removable battery. My mistake. Yes, the hard drive should be upgradable, then.

I've been meaning to find out: is it possible to upgrade memory and hard drive without affecting the warranty on the MacBooks Pro with integrated batteries? I assumed not seeing as replacing both memory and hard drive in previous models required battery removal...

 

[Shownarou]

Ah yes, the late 2008 still had the removable battery. My mistake. Yes, the hard drive should be upgradable, then.

I've been meaning to find out: is it possible to upgrade memory and hard drive without affecting the warranty on the MacBooks Pro with integrated batteries? I assumed not seeing as replacing both memory and hard drive in previous models required battery removal...

We are referring to a Unibody Macbook Pro right? Because the Powerbook styles don't have the easily upgradable hard drives.

 

[Kristenn]

Yes it is. It seems to do it after the computer has been on a while. I dont know what is wrong but I may get a new hard drive soon. I keep backing up anyway. Just in case.