x40 high frequency whine

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tommassit · #1 Post by **tommassit** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:01 am

I just got an x40, and unfortunately I hear that high-pitched whine that some people have complained about (http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=4207). I'm assuming it's the 40 gig hard drive that's the problem.

Has anyone found a solution? Does the 30 g or 60 g hdd from Hitachi emit the same noise? (I understand only the Hitachi 1.8" will fit in these machines.) If so, where's a good place to get it?

Other suggestions have been to defrag, disable CPU power management, disable infrared port. Have people found any of these to work? I like the laptop otherwise and want to keep it, but this noise will drive me crazy. Thanks.

6MH · #2 Post by **6MH** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:04 am

There is a update software launched to solve this problem, check IBM's website, the installer won't install automaticly, you should update yourself

tommassit · #3 Post by **tommassit** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 9:55 am

Hey, thanks. Could you give me more info? I can't seem to find the update on the site. You mean that it's not automatically installed with the Software Installer, right?

pphilipko · #4 Post by **pphilipko** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 9:57 am

tommassit wrote:Hey, thanks. Could you give me more info? I can't seem to find the update on the site. You mean that it's not automatically installed with the Software Installer, right?

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... OFT-UPDATE

tommassit · #5 Post by **tommassit** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:43 am

Thanks, but already have the Software Installer installed. I think 6MH meant something else that needs to be downloaded manually.

6MH · #6 Post by **6MH** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 3:53 am

what I mean is the hard drive update software, I am not sure whether you have installed, so check this, http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-59951, I hope it would be useful

KentM · #7 Post by **KentM** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 1:38 pm

Is it mentioned somewhere in the release notes if this update addresses a high pitched noise issue? i.e is Lenovo confirming there is an issue?

I had my X40 in for service on this issue 3 times last spring. I got a new disk each time without getting rid of the problem. I wanted to return the unit but IBM claimed the unit had no noise problem. They could not take it back as it was considered fine.

I got myself a X32 instead, the X40 is in a closet useless.

caero · #8 Post by **caero** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 7:29 pm

is there a way to do this update without the use of a floppy drive?

seems a bit silly that a thing for an ultraportable needs a external floppy lol

DavidNZ · #9 Post by **DavidNZ** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:56 pm

I'm not convinced it's really an 'update' - it says 'initial release', so surely this is the firmware that shipped with the drive? But then again, why would they put it on the website if it ships with the drive... dunno...

Riddil · #10 Post by **Riddil** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 4:33 pm

Check your AC adapter. Does the high pitch whine only happen when you're plugged in?

Next, check your AC adapter and make sure you're using the 56W adapter that came with your system.

caero · #11 Post by **caero** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:09 pm

is that hd upgrade possible by booting from a cd or network instead of floppy?

I don't want to spend that kinda money for just a patch...

tommassit · #12 Post by **tommassit** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 9:22 am

I tried that bootup software, and it said my hdd firmware was up to date. I'm using the OEM AC adapter.

It sounds like that high-pitched whine is an inherent noise of the 40 gig hdd. Has anyone who's been troubled with it from the 40 gig upgraded to a 60 gig drive? Any improvement?

amgdoc · #13 Post by **amgdoc** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 12:13 pm

i had that some problem. i thought it was the harddrive as well. I decided to try a different route. disable what is near the hd-- the usb. it partially worked meaning that the noise seems to be a collaborative effort from many parts of the notebook (hd, even probably cpu).

however, i just eventually quit trying to stop that high pitched noise since now my problem is trying to stop the fan coming on to early when the core temperature of hd and cpu is still below 30C.

tommassit · #14 Post by **tommassit** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 3:41 pm

Sorry if this is obvious, but you've tried putting the power management options to adaptive? That helps with the fan.

An update: I took the x40 back to the university store and compared my machine to a rep's, and it had the same high-pitched whine. The support people don't think it's the hard drive. They say it's something else, the general electronic layout giving off that noise, and that it's inherent to this model.

I'm still going to try a 60 gig and see if that does anything. There's a sale on the Lenovo site for $269, although there's a two-week back order, and a 30-day return policy.

Goetterdaemmerung · #15 Post by **Goetterdaemmerung** » Sat Nov 05, 2005 4:57 pm

I've got an X40 which came with a Hitachi DK13FA-40B 40 gig drive. Other than the quiet clicks of disk access, the machine is silent at all times. Maybe ask IBM to "fix" it.

tommassit · #16 Post by **tommassit** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 11:18 am

I finally received a replacement 40 gig hard drive and the recovery CDs from IBM/Lenovo for my x40. It took them a while to ship, but it's all free. That high-pitched whine that had been bothering me? Gone with the replacement hard drive! It's dead silent, both on AC and battery, except for the usual clicking, which has been reduced. So there had been something wrong; it's not a standard or inherent machine sound. The old hdd was from Aug 2005, this one is Oct 2005. I'm very happy now.

x40 high frequency whine

x40 high frequency whine

FIXED!

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