# macbook hard drive clicking = hard drive failure?



## spacefiesta (Oct 17, 2007)

My macbooks hard drive started clicking recently, and I googled it and found a forum where someone was discussing this problem, and someone told him to back up all his stuff.

I'm assuming the worse, my question is: how long do I have?


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## icemanjc (Oct 17, 2007)

Clicking pretty much means your hard drive is dying, you should back up your hard drive right away, it could die pretty much any time now.


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## spacefiesta (Oct 17, 2007)

Ouch. I've already backed up what I wanted, I guess It's just time to play the waiting game.

I'm pretty sure all those times I let my macbook die without putting it on the charger is behind all this. i mean, the clicking started after I rebooted from my computer dying for the millionth time. For some reason I stopped getting battery alerts.

edit : does it matter if I use the computer till the hard drive dies?


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## fryke (Oct 17, 2007)

Not really. But if you _know_ it's dying (and you do), you might simply do the following: Do a _full_ backup (drive-cloning with CCC), install the new harddrive, clone the backup onto the new harddrive, then get rid of the old drive. Anything else might lose you some files and nerves. If you really want to make sure the other drive _actually_ dies, you can put it into a 2.5"-SATA-USB-enclosure (those can be had quite inexpensively) and keep it running when you're at your desk. I don't know what you'd actually be doing with a dying harddrive, though... It's not as if you could trust it...


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## eric2006 (Oct 17, 2007)

If your computer is under a year old, or if you have AppleCare, I would get it replaced now - for free.


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## spacefiesta (Oct 17, 2007)

Yeah, that's what I'm doing once the hard drive dies.


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## DeltaMac (Oct 17, 2007)

Why wait? You can't predict how long the drive will continue - and you would continue to struggle! It could last two years - doubtful, but possible - and it clicks the whole time....
The drive can be replaced in two minutes - and you're back to a better working Macbook (like you expected when you got it new!)


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## Kees Buijs (Oct 18, 2007)

spacefiesta said:


> Yeah, that's what I'm doing once the hard drive dies.



If you wait until then, be sure to lose information (unless you make a backup from every thing you do). Also cloning a drive is a lot faster and if done well, you will keep all settings completely up to date.

Otherwise a restore might be needed and even worse, data assumed to be oke can be corrupted. It is like being on a rope with a safety net which very large holes in it. 99% you will finish in the net but sometimes you fall through it and ...


Good luck, Kees


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## eric2006 (Oct 18, 2007)

By the way, if Apple replaces it, they won't save your data (though they did offer to do it for a fee at the local genius bar).


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## spacefiesta (Oct 20, 2007)

Could someone describe the what these clicking sounds are suppose to sound like? My brother (who's a computer wiz) put his ear to my computer and said that my clicks are different from the clicks of failing hard drives he's dealt with, but all his clients use windows machines.


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## DeltaMac (Oct 20, 2007)

'clicks' would be in several types, I think. There is no 'standard click' as far as I know, which could help determine problems with the hard drive. It would rely more on experience to help with that. I have heard a variety of noises from hard drives over 15 years of computer service.
I would say that unusual or new mechanical noises are never a good sign from a hard drive. A full-size desktop hard drive might have what I call the 'steel ball bouncing on a metal plate' sound. When you hear that once, you know what that is. I have heard some hard drives sound off with some musical tones - almost announcing with a flourish that failure is close... Laptop drives tend to be more subtle. Your friend should know that even laptop drives usually make very little noise, other than the occasional quiet clicking when the head is moving/seeking. You can hear better by putting your ear down close to the laptop.
A rythmic or regular repeating click is likely the bad noise that you (don't) want to hear! Of course, a regular click doesn't mean failure, and no clicks might still be a failed drive. It stopped clicking because the drive is not working!


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## eric2006 (Oct 20, 2007)

In my experience, some drives are louder than others. Some noises may be normal on one drive, but bad on another.  A good rule of thumb would be: if it's a new noise, it's a bad noise. 

Here are some example "bad" noises:
http://www.hitachigst.com/hddt/know...4b1a62a50f405d0d86256756006e340c?OpenDocument


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## icemanjc (Oct 20, 2007)

Where is the sound coming from on your laptop?


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## spacefiesta (Oct 21, 2007)

When I put my ear on the H button, I can hear a *very* quiet clicking, kind of like a kittens purr. I'm beginning to wonder whether or not this is a false alarm.


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## eric2006 (Oct 21, 2007)

The MacBook's hard drive is located in the lower left corner of the computer. You're probably hearing the fan, which is located in the center of the keyboard. The fan could go bad too, but it will make a purr. If it's clicking, then it might be hitting something.


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## Natobasso (Oct 21, 2007)

You probably have a smaller hard drive in your laptop than most pcs do, hence the quieter clicking sound, methinks.


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## Cow Loon (Oct 21, 2007)

I've been referring to this as a "clucking" sound...

As a bad example for you, my laptop has been clucking once every 3 months or so for more than a year.... So, maybe failure isn't imminent, but of course you shouldn't be as lazy as me.

My problem though is that it's kind of hard to be without my laptop for any period of time, so that has allowed me to be lazy. Of course, if my hard drive actually fails, it will be a lot worse than if I took the time to replace the harddrive.


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## spacefiesta (Oct 21, 2007)

Well, everything seems to be fine, except my computer died again(just now), but it died when the battery still had 18% of it's life left. ragkgkhagkhrakhggghhhh this is annoying.


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## eric2006 (Oct 21, 2007)

I would bring it in - it will be much easier for an apple tech to diagnose the issue when they have physical access to it.

This could be a fan issue - the computer will shut down if it is overheating.


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## fryke (Oct 21, 2007)

I'd also ask about the battery replacement programme. Sounds to me your battery is one of those that would be replaced under warranty.


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