Random Clicking from Hard Drive

[tom139]

Hello Everyone,

I think I may be running into difficulties with my mid-2010 13" MacBook Pro. It has the 320GB ATA Drive in it and I am getting a little concerned that when i pick it up off the desk that there is often a single click. It's quite hard to describe but I don't remember hearing this on my last Mac - MacBook Aluminium which had the same hard drive. Is this click normal? In my experience and from reading threads in the past, any click from the hard drive isn't good.

I guess it may not even be the hard drive - from what I can work out it is coming from the right hand side of the computer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

tom139

 

[dsprimal]

i have the same clicking sound as well w/e i carry my mbp. it doesn't happen all the time but every now and then i will hear it. i believe it's normal for the fact that numerous threads were posted about this same "clicking noise" and a lot of people also said that they hear the clicking noise as well.

but if im wrong and it is indeed not supposed to click at all, then please do share people!

 

[PsychOfMSE]

If I heard a clicking noise coming from anywhere near my HD I'd do a full backup ASAP.

Once you have a full backup run it till it dies then replace the HD.

Good luck.

 

[Hadron]

There are a number of other threads about recent MBPs making a clicking sounds (though mainly 15" models), so have a browse or search for the full story.

My 15" makes such a click if lifted when running, but not when off (no matter how I twist and turn it), which says to me that it is the sudden motion sensor parking the drive heads (i.e. a protective feature, not a problem). But others have reported clicks when off, or after changing the drive for a solid state device, which implies there is a different cause in their machines.

 

[vbman213]

If I recall, wasn't there are a problem last year with clicking hard drives in macbook pros?

A problem with the SMS (Sudden Motion Sensor).

 

[tom139]

It sounds like you are experiencing the same noises as I am. It doesn't click when the machine is on sleep - just when I move it if the machine is running. My last MacBook had a SMS and never made this noise which is why I am a little concerned - are the SMS different in the new Pro's?

Thanks.

 

[dsprimal]

i wonder, what harm a clicking noise could possibly do? can't be that serious. or so i hope so 😛

 

[vbman213]

It sounds like you are experiencing the same noises as I am. It doesn't click when the machine is on sleep - just when I move it if the machine is running. My last MacBook had a SMS and never made this noise which is why I am a little concerned - are the SMS different in the new Pro's?

Thanks.

The sound you are hearing is the hard drive heads locking when you move the laptop. This is a good thing.

 

[mtehonica]

I had the same issue in my 13" MBP (Early 2010) and it turned out to be the SMS. I fixed it by disabling and re-enabling SMS from Terminal. Run "sudo pmset -a sms 0" and then run "sudo pmset -a sms 1".