Am I the only one with a blip/pop noise?!

I figured out I have the 120GB Fujitsu hard drive on my 15" MacBook Pro.

All I know is, I have a Fuji drive, and it doesnt make this sound... it is however last years model...

Like I said, I have had two (one is owned by my friend) Hitachi drives that worked flawlessly for 4-5 years and still counting that did this noise at random.

It is annoying for it to be doing this in a notebook... but I really wouldnt be too overly worried at this point. It is obviously effecting many people, but no one is reporting drives dying, or loss of data.

Message was edited by: KalisonX

Same problem here with my MBP. It has a fujitsu hard drive and the machine is brand new (bought it january 30th). I think the sound can be best compared with the sound you get when you hit to many keys on an old keyboard on old pc's.

The sound isn't that frequent (once every 5 minutes or so), but it is very annoying. Especially when you know it will reappear.

I have tried running the Hdapm utility but it doesn't seem to work for me. I am running Leopard 10.5.1.

Is there a (software/driver) solution?

Message was edited by: Spinoza2012

Ok i found a possible solution, but the walkthrough is in German. I can read and understand it and will try to translate it in English when i get home from work.

Here is it, in the german language:

" 1. Zuerst mal laden wir das HDAPM Tool von der Website des Programmierers, siehe http://mckinlay.net.nz/hdapm/

2. Falls Safari es nach dem Download nicht von alleine Mounted, dann machen wir einen Doppelklick auf das DMG File, und ziehen erst mal das Readme, die hdapm.plist und das Programm selber auf den Desktop.

3. Jetzt machen wir alle versteckten Ordner sichtbar, dazu öffnen wir das Terminal unter Programme > Dienstprogramme > Terminal und geben folgendes Kommando ein: (einfach Kopieren und Einfügen)

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean true;killall Finder

Das Terminal lassen wir erst mal offen.

4. Jetzt öffnen wir den Finder, gehen auf die Standardfestplatte unseres Macs (überlicherweise Macintosh HD), dann in den Ordner /usr, dann in /local und dann in /bin. Ist der Ordner vorhanden, weiter mit Punkt 5. Sollte wie bei mir kein Ordner /bin in /local sein, dann geben wir folgendes Kommando im Terminal ein: (einfach Kopieren und Einfügen)

sudo mkdir /usr/local/bin

Den Warnhinweis ignorieren wir, und geben unser Admin Passwort ein, dadurch wird der nicht vorhandene Order erstellt.

5. Nun ziehen wir das Programm in den Ordner usr/local/bin, geben unser Passwort ein und machen weiter mit Punkt 6.

6. Zurück zur Standardfestplatte, und ab in den Ordner Library/LaunchDaemons. Dorthin ziehen wir die Datei hdapm.plist und geben wieder bei Nachfrage unser Admin Passwort ein.

7. Jetzt machen wir mal voller Hoffnung einen Neustart - danach öffnen wir die Konsole (Programme > Dienstprogramme > Konsole) und suchen nach dem String hdapm (Eingabefeld für die Suche ist oben rechts im Konsolenfenster)

8. Finden wir dort die Nachricht

Setting APM level to 0xfe
Success

dann ist alles in Butter und wir erfreuen uns an unserer neuen, leisen Festplatte 😉 Haben wir allerdings die Meldung

localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl: Dubious ownership on file (skipping): /Library/LaunchDaemons/hdapm.plist

dann weiter mit Punkt 9.

9. OK, wir haben das Problem, das ich auch hatte. Also laden wir das Programm Lingon von Sourceforge runter, siehe http://lingon.sourceforge.net/ und starten es, falls nicht automatisch durch Safari geschehen, durch einen Klick. Weiter mit 10.

10. Nun erstellen wir eine neue plist für hdapm, also klicken wir oben links in Lingon auf "New", machen ein Häkchen bei "Run it when it is loaded by the system (at startup or login)", nennen es hdapm2, machen einen "UserDeamon" und geben das Kommando

/usr/local/bin/hdapm disk0 max

in die nächste Zeile ein. Speichern, Admin Passwort eingeben und fertig.
Die alte plist Datei kann jetzt gelöscht werden.
Neustart.

11. Jetzt sollte es auch denen klappen, die die Fehlermeldung in der Konsole hatten. Nun machen wir wieder die versteckten Ordner unsichtbar, dazu im Terminal das Kommando:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean false;killall Finder

eingeben und fertig !"



All thanks to Dragonforce (original posting: http://www.macuser.de/forum/archive/index.php/t-315459.html.)

I am hesitant about doing this. Is there a chance I lose my warranty when applying this proces?

Ok, I followed the procedure and haven't heard the blip/pop noise again.

I think this could be the solution. Let me know if it works for you guys.

Baruch

I am eager to try it but can't read German! Let me know when you translate it and I'll give it a try as well.

Thanks

I have also been unable to get hdapm to run. The developer said I should see something like:

Dec 15 01:20:06 BryceBook hdapm[51]: disk0: WDC WD2500BEVS-22UST0
Dec 15 01:20:06 BryceBook hdapm[51]: Setting APM level to 0xfe:
Dec 15 01:20:06 BryceBook hdapm[51]: Success

in my /var/log/system.log after restarting with the 2 hdapm files in their respective locations, but nothing to be found. He is recommending running the program from terminal, but I am not sure how, nor do I read German.

I do know the noise is driving me crazy.

(new drive hitachi 5k250, old drive stock fujitsu 80 (and quiet))

Here is my translation (from the German):

1. First of all download ‘HDAPM’ from http://mckinlay.net.nz/hdapm/

2. If Safari doesn’t open it, click on the .DMG file yourself. You see 3 files: a readme, the hdapm.plist and the program itself.

3. Now its time to reveal the hidden folders in Leopard. Go to the Terminal (you can search for it in spotlight; this is the searchbar with the magnifying glass at the top-right of you screen). Copy/paste the following line in the Terminal and press enter:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean true;killall Finder

Leave the Terminal open for now.

4. Open the Finder, go to your Macintosh HD and then to the map /usr → /local → /bin. If there is no map /bin you will have to create it. Do this by Copying and pasting the following line in the Terminal and press enter:

sudo mkdir /usr/local/bin

Ignore the warning and give your admin password. The map /bin has now been created.

5. Copy/past the program hdamp (not the .plist) to the /bin map.

6. Go back to your HD and look for the map /library and then /launchDaemons. Put the hdapm.plist in here and confirm it again with your admin password.

7. Restart your Mac. After reboot, open the console (use spotlight again) and search for the string hdapm (searchbar is again on the right).

8. You will find:

Setting APM level to 0xfe
Success

If this appears, you are done. Congratulations!

But…. If you find:

localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl: Dubious ownership on file (skipping): /Library/LaunchDaemons/hdapm.plist

…you need to go on to point 9.

9. To tackle this problem you have to download the program Lingon from http://lingon.sourceforge.net/. Open it.

10. You have to create a new .plist for hdapm. Click on New (top-left in the program) and check ‘User Daemons’ and then ‘create’. In the 1st field fill in:

hdamp2

the 2nd field:

/usr/local/bin/hdapm disk0 max

and following the 3, check:

"Run it when it is loaded by the system (at startup or login)"

You created hdamp2, as you can see on the left. Click on hdamp and disable it (uncheck the box with enabled) or delete it from /HD/library/LaunchDaemons. Reboot you Mac.

11. If everything went right, your blip/pop sounds are gone. The only thing left to do is hide your folders again. Go to the terminal and copy/paste the following line and press enter:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean false;killall Finder

The End!

I hope this helps (my native language is Dutch, so I hope the translation from German to English is good enough)

Baruch

Message was edited by: Spinoza2012

WOW Thanks... I do believe it worked!!! That is amazing, I never would have figured that one out myself.

Thanks... it appears I am blip/pop free!

ooops, my last email was a bit premature... sounds like it is still beeping at me. I'll haev to check the hdapm installation to make sure I did everything correctly.

check this out:

**************
WilliamG12-18-2007, 09:56 AM
What did you use to keep your HD from parking the heads every couple seconds while idling. I have noticed my MBP doing the same thing since I installed leopard.

I use a program called APMTool.

http://mckinlay.net.nz/hdapm/

Get this application, and in Terminal run this command (see below - just copy and paste it), AFTER you copy the files to the right place as described in the Readme. I suggest you ignore how to permanently install the application in his Readme, and use my command below, since it works in Leopard and his line doesn't:


sudo mkdir /usr/local/bin && sudo cp /Volumes/hdapm/hdapm /usr/local/bin/ && sudo cp /Volumes/hdapm/hdapm.plist /Library/LaunchDaemons/ && sudo /Volumes/hdapm/hdapm disk0 max;

****************
you can find the original post's URL at:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/archive/index.php/t-199088.html




please let us know how it goes.

i think we should bombard apple with requests to fix this with a driver. anyone with me?

josh

Hey... I realized that I had the hdapm file in the wrong diretory, when I put it in it's proper place and rebooted it actually worked for me... my blip/pop is gone! I am so happy. I have no idea of what the implications are running this utility at startup but hopefully it's better than the noise. Perhaps Apple can anwser this.


Now if I can only get my 'A' key workin I'd be super happy. Thanks for you help!

Josh, I just talked with a Apple product specialist, and he took my information on the popping sound on my MacBook Pro. He said he is going to pass the info. along to Apple engineers and get back to me. Hopefully they'll come up with a fix for the sound even if it is just normal hard drive noise.

By the way I asked a AppleCare specialist if she thought that a driver update could fix this sound if its caused by the hard drive, and she said that this technology doesn't work that way. She said something to the effect that only external devices connected to the notebook have drivers. This is not how I understand things to work, but whatever. Basically her answer was "no a driver update wouldn't help."

APMTool. Josh,are you rid of the noise? My MBP is gone - however, it is in the hands of the tech I had been speaking with via phone. He says he can hear the sound with a stethascope but is quick to note his work environment is very noisy. Bottom line, a tech has a computer in his hands that makes our- annoying-discussion-thread-noise. He hears it and we can only hope he shows it to an engineer. Those must be his intentions. hope the engineer(s) DO NOT say this is a normal noise for the MBP hard drive(regardless of supplier). If it is - we are s*&$ out of luck unless something like this APMTool works and has no later repercussion. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Until then, I am working on my POWERBOOK and MACPRO, noise free. I am impressed it went this far and I am satisfied with the customer service, (sorry I needed it), but feel there was initiative. What the outcome is remains to be heard.

I just noticed the same problem with my 15" MBP with the 120 GB HD that everyone has mentioned. It is only about 2 1/2 weeks old so I missed the 14-days. Not sure if I should live with it or bother calling Applecare. Just a faint beep or pop from the upper left hand side of the computer that seems to associate itself with the waking of the hard drive. I agree...it is rather annoying. Haven't tried yet, but will such a sound be audible when recording in Logic or will the drive not be 'parked'?