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From: stanger@otago.ac.nz (Nigel Stanger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: SE/30 HD problem
Keywords: SE/30, hard drive, rattle, fault, help!
Message-ID: <1991Mar7.144304.130@otago.ac.nz>
Date: 7 Mar 91 02:42:37 GMT
Organization: University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Lines: 38


Now here's an interesting problem for all you hardware experts
out there. I have this SE/30 sitting on my desk. Every now and
then, the hard drive (standard Apple 40 meg) throws a fit and
makes a rather distressing continuous rattling noise. It sounds
very much as if the heads on the drive are moving back and forth
continuously, but the activity light flashes not. 

We have had it looked at twice now, the first time we were told
that there had been a bug in the ROM (which part I don't know),
and so we told them to replace it. This done, the problem went
away for quite a while, but has resurfaced again recently This
time, when looked at, nothing wrong could be found. The problem
is intermittent, and there seems to be no real pattern to
occurrences, except that it always hapens after a disk access.
Forcing another disk access usually stops it. It even happens
sometimes *after* shutting down, i.e. after it says "You may now
switch off you Macintosh safely."

Has anyone else had this problem, or know what might be causing
it? The data in the drive is intact, and always has been. What we
are really worried about is that the drive might wear itself out
with all this incessant activity. Is that possible? Help!

BTW, an interesting aside: one of our IIci's had the same problem
for about 2 months after we got it, then it stopped doing it and
has never done it since (at least, not that I know of). I have no
idea why...

                                Nigel.

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