Perhaps a computer whiz doper can help me out with this one:
I have a G4 Mac, bought in 1999. Since moving to Japan a year ago, the computer makes a disturbing whirring noise on start-up and when being woken from sleep.
-It only does it when it’s cold (sub-20 degrees Celsius-- 65(?) Fahrenheit).
-It doesn’t seem to have any effect on the performance of the computer, it just makes me think that something terrible is going to happen any second.
-It never seemed to do this when it was cold in the US (perhaps the room it was in was not quite as cold) but I suppose the difference in electrical voltage here (110 in Japan, 120 in US).
Any thoughts? It just has to last another year or so… c’mon, c’mon.
The fact it only happens when waking from sleep and at boot time makes me think the hard drive’s barings are wearing out. G4’s let you open the side door while it’s running right? If so I’d open the side panel before starting your computer and (being careful not to touch anything in the computer) start it up. Try to listen and see where the sound is coming from. If it’s the drive, back up and get a new one. You don’t want to trust a drive with failing barings. It may not spin up next time you need it.
I imagine that could be, though the drive is relatively new… I guess. Now that I think about it, I guess I got a new one in 2001. Still, that’s irritating that it would wear out like that.
If the bearings are failing, why would it only make the noise when it’s cold and work just fine when it’s warm?
Oh, and in the OP, I meant to say, “I suppose the difference in electrical voltage here might make a difference.”
I should say starting to wear out. The bearing are under the most stress at spin up. It takes more energy to get it started then it does keep them spinning.
The only real way to tell is to listen with the panel open. The only other spinning parts I can think of that are the CD drive and the fans but the CD would “whir” every time put in a disc and the fans when ever the case got hot enough to kick them on.