Toshiba Tecra - noisy

[Guest]

Archived from groups: japan.comp.toshiba,comp.sys.laptops,uk.comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Hi, I recently purchased a Toshiba Tecra - it was a refurbished (by Toshiba)
ex-display model & when I checked the date of original manufacture I find
it's about 6 months old - as you might expect.

I'm pleased with the unit so far but have one complaint: there's a fairly
irritating background noise (not the fan, I think it's likely the hard
disk), it's not a loud sound but I find it irritating and it's not a sound
I've noticed on previous laptops. Does anyone know if this is normal for a
Tecra.

rgds
hpm

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 17:25:00 -0000, "hpm" <me@privacy.com> wrote:

>I'm pleased with the unit so far but have one complaint: there's a fairly
>irritating background noise (not the fan, I think it's likely the hard
>disk), it's not a loud sound but I find it irritating and it's not a sound
>I've noticed on previous laptops. Does anyone know if this is normal for a
>Tecra.


A notebook should only make 2 noises: from the fan and the HD.

To test whether it's HD, go to Control Panel -> Power Options.
Configure HD to sleep after 1 minute. If so replace HD with a new FDB
(Fluid Dynamic Bearing) model and yer done.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: japan.comp.toshiba,comp.sys.laptops,uk.comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Alex Quant" <alexqspam@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:37mn1lF5e16tvU1@individual.net...
> "hpm" <me@privacy.com> wrote in message
> news:37mmn3F5eue0lU1@individual.net...
<snip>
>> but have one complaint: there's a fairly
>> irritating background noise (not the fan, I think it's likely the hard
>> disk), it's not a loud sound but I find it irritating and it's not a
>> sound
>> I've noticed on previous laptops. Does anyone know if this is normal for
>> a
>> Tecra.
>
> Can you describe this sound?
>
> Alex Quant
>
Hi Alex: it's a little difficult to describe. Just a sound of movement
(that's why I think it's the hard drive rotating), it doesn't sound
particularly bad & there's no nasty mechanical type sounds. It's just a
background sound that I find irritating.

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: japan.comp.toshiba,comp.sys.laptops,uk.comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

In comp.sys.laptops hpm <me@privacy.com> wrote:
: Hi Alex: it's a little difficult to describe. Just a sound of movement
: (that's why I think it's the hard drive rotating), it doesn't sound
: particularly bad & there's no nasty mechanical type sounds. It's just a
: background sound that I find irritating.

Are you sure it's not a disc in the CD/DVD drive? Those can be very
noisy.

If not, it could be the hard drive. Does the machine seem to make
more noise when you are accessing files?

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
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----> http/www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
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[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"bobb" <None@NoWhere.com> wrote in message
news:49cc11pjtqbv7b6bjhv1ika88jbap6u6l1@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 17:25:00 -0000, "hpm" <me@privacy.com> wrote:
> A notebook should only make 2 noises: from the fan and the HD.
>
> To test whether it's HD, go to Control Panel -> Power Options.
> Configure HD to sleep after 1 minute. If so replace HD with a new FDB
> (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) model and yer done.

Thanks everyone. bobb - I did as you suggested (I should have done that in
the first place) & it's definitely the HD. Thanks also re the info re FDB
drives, I'll think about getting one - are they likely to come as standard
in the future?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: japan.comp.toshiba,comp.sys.laptops,uk.comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

You can check if it's the hard drive by altering the power settings in
control panel to turn off the hard drive after so many minutes of
inactivity. Then leave it alone for the requisite number of minutes and see
what happens. If it goes quiet then it's the hard drive. Some of the old
Toshiba hard drives, prior to the era of fluid bearings, were very noisy.

)


"hpm" <me@privacy.com> wrote in message
news:37mmn3F5eue0lU1@individual.net...
> Hi, I recently purchased a Toshiba Tecra - it was a refurbished (by
> Toshiba) ex-display model & when I checked the date of original
> manufacture I find it's about 6 months old - as you might expect.
>
> I'm pleased with the unit so far but have one complaint: there's a fairly
> irritating background noise (not the fan, I think it's likely the hard
> disk), it's not a loud sound but I find it irritating and it's not a sound
> I've noticed on previous laptops. Does anyone know if this is normal for a
> Tecra.
>
> rgds
> hpm
>

 

[TJ]

Archived from groups: japan.comp.toshiba,comp.sys.laptops,uk.comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"BigM@C" <bigmacuk@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:cv5h1e$o9s$1@sparta.btinternet.com...
> You can check if it's the hard drive by altering the power settings in control panel to turn off the hard drive after so many
> minutes of inactivity. Then leave it alone for the requisite number of minutes and see what happens. If it goes quiet then it's
> the hard drive. Some of the old Toshiba hard drives, prior to the era of fluid bearings, were very noisy.
>
> )
>
>
> "hpm" <me@privacy.com> wrote in message news:37mmn3F5eue0lU1@individual.net...
>> Hi, I recently purchased a Toshiba Tecra - it was a refurbished (by Toshiba) ex-display model & when I checked the date of
>> original manufacture I find it's about 6 months old - as you might expect.
>>
>> I'm pleased with the unit so far but have one complaint: there's a fairly irritating background noise (not the fan, I think it's
>> likely the hard disk), it's not a loud sound but I find it irritating and it's not a sound I've noticed on previous laptops. Does
>> anyone know if this is normal for a Tecra.
>>
>> rgds
>> hpm
>>
>

Maybe it is when there is a cd/dvd in the drive? Some Toshibas have software
to make the dvd drive go into quiet mode. See if you have that.

TJ

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: japan.comp.toshiba,comp.sys.laptops,uk.comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"hpm" <me@privacy.com> wrote in message
news:37mmn3F5eue0lU1@individual.net...
> Hi, I recently purchased a Toshiba Tecra - it was a refurbished (by
> Toshiba) ex-display model & when I checked the date of original
> manufacture I find it's about 6 months old - as you might expect.
>
> I'm pleased with the unit so far but have one complaint: there's a fairly
> irritating background noise (not the fan, I think it's likely the hard
> disk), it's not a loud sound but I find it irritating and it's not a sound
> I've noticed on previous laptops. Does anyone know if this is normal for a
> Tecra.
>
> rgds
> hpm
>
Which Model? If you have a 9000 or M1 or S1 with
a 40GB HDD then there is a known problem with the 40GB HDD
which can be cured by installing new firmware to the HDD
controller PCB.

How to tell if you have the updated firmware?
The firmware number is shown on the label attached to the HDD PCB:
020/A0 FA002A *** - Old firmware - Not updated
020/B0 FA300E *** - New firmware - Updated

HTH

Michael in Glenrothes, Scotland

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 17:25:00 -0000, "hpm" <me@privacy.com> wrote:

:>Hi, I recently purchased a Toshiba Tecra - it was a refurbished (by Toshiba)
:>ex-display model & when I checked the date of original manufacture I find
:>it's about 6 months old - as you might expect.
:>
:>I'm pleased with the unit so far but have one complaint: there's a fairly
:>irritating background noise (not the fan, I think it's likely the hard
:>disk), it's not a loud sound but I find it irritating and it's not a sound
:>I've noticed on previous laptops. Does anyone know if this is normal for a
:>Tecra.
:>
:>rgds
:>hpm
:>

As noted in your followup messages you've determined it to be the hard
drive. I would think a 6 month old Tecra should still be under warranty,
even a refurb, so why not let Toshiba replace the noisey drive?

me/2

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 20:03:31 GMT, me/2 <null@127.0.0.1> wrote:

>As noted in your followup messages you've determined it to be the hard
>drive. I would think a 6 month old Tecra should still be under warranty,
>even a refurb, so why not let Toshiba replace the noisey drive?


Some people are more sensitive than others. From his description, it
does not appear this is abnormal. No HD are totally silent.

No, I wouldn't expect all vendors to bundle FDB drives in the future,
even though they are getting pretty cheap.