14 month old G4 iBook making strange noises

C

CannonBallGuy

Registered
Hey there,
Feburary last year I got a 12" G4 iBook for my birthday.
It's run perfectly well since then on 10.3.
Currently I am on 10.3.9.

A couple days ago the iBook starting making kinda, clicking noises - from the actual machine, not the operating system.
I didn't think much of it, though it was a new sound.
Yesterday, it also started making whirring noises too.
It seems to be happening when I try to do a few things at a time, as if the processor can't cope, but it has not had a problem till now.

It was at the stage this morning, where the computer would lock up for a few moments while it was whirring and I could do nothing except move my mouse pointer around the screen.
It would usually unlock it self too. The only time it didn't was when I tried to wake it up first thing this morning (I always just let the desktop go to sleep at night as I like to keep IRC online in case anyone wants to leave a message, and it's always plugged into the mains, so, I never thought it would ever cause any problems...).
When I did try to use it first thing, it wouldn't load the password screen to get it out of screensaver mode, so I held the power button in till it shut down, and then started up again.
After it started, I deleted quite a bit of stuff as most of my 30GB was full. I now have over 1GB left, so that can''t be it (thought I doubted it was anyway).

I really don't know what it might be.

I admit I could have looked after it much better, but this all started at the beginning of this week and it has sat on my desk perfectly still all weekend.
I have certainly not dropped it, bumped it, or done anything like that which may have knocked something out of place in the last week.


Now, here is the worst bit:
Sometime after I got the iBook and before this christmas just gone, i got myself the ApppleCare Protection Plan, but forgot to register it - I didn't know I had to do it within one year...
So, now it seems I can't register that - I pay for an extra 2 years coverage, but Apple won't deliver the goods. This has made me particularly angry, as if I wasn't upset enough about the iBook in the first place.

If anyone has any advice regarding the problem with my iBook or my problem with registering the AppleCare, please let me know.

Thanks in advance,
CBG :(
 
If the clicking is coming from the left side of your iBook, next to the trackpad, it's likely that its hard drive is about to fail, in which case back up your hard drive immediately.
The hard drive in my Powerbook failed after a year and a half; the characteristic sound of impending hard drive failure is a repeated, metallic knocking sound, sort of like the "tock"..."tock"..."tock" of a pendulum clock.
I'm afraid that your ApplCare is now unusable since you didn't register it within your iBook's first 12 months.
You may be able to replace your iBook's Hard drive yourself. Look over the procedure here http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/ .
 
You might be able to call Apple and talk to an AppleCare representative and get them to activate your AppleCare - did you buy it direct from Apple or a reseller? Do you still have the packing receipt/receipt?

Often a human on the other end of the phone can fix these minor problems, especially if you paid for it so long ago and never activated it.

And yes, it definitely sounds like the hard drive "click of death." Which usually means imminent failure. And definitely back up your iBook's hard drive immediately - go buy an external hard drive and use Disk Utility to copy everything.

First, boot from your install CD. Instead of continuing with the installer, go to Utilities>Disk Utility and click on your iBook drive's name on the left, then click the Repair Disk button on the lower right. Once it's done, reboot.

Then go to Utilities>Disk Utility>Click on your iBook's hard drive on the left, then click the Restore tab above the blank window. Drag your iBook's hard drive into the Source window and drag the attached external hard drive into the Destination window. Click Restore.

You'll get an exact copy of your drive on the external drive. But relax; it'll take a while.
 
Thanks for the help, guys.
I'm still looking into the AppleCare thing.
The way I see it is, I paid for covereage upto February 2008. I should get that whether I register the applecare in February 2005 or February 2008...

As for the machine itself, the HardDrive is starting to heat up itself now.
I should be able to back this up tomorrow, and I'll try to not use it other than for that.
Hopefully I can get the AppleCare issue sorted in a few days, and I have my fingers crossed that my baby will survive till then.

Thanks again,
CBG
 
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