DELL Studio XPS 1640 Strange Sounds

Hi there, I hope someone is able so shed some light on this peculiar problem. I've got the model with the 4670 graphics & other than a few Vista gripes & this little problem I'm very happy with it.

The 'strange sounds' are similar to explorer mouse clicks & occur randomly, even if doing nothing & with sound themes turned off. I couldn't capture the sound from the line out (there was just a little crackle), but here's a recording from the built in mic: http://omploader.org/vMjU2eQ/clapclick.wav What makes it impossible to ignore is that things wont respond as usual when the sound occurs. Eg. If you're navigating a menu it'll not display until the sound has gone.

Aiming to hit two birds with one stone I installed XP x64. Unsurprisingly there were no strange sounds after installation as I haven't yet got a sound card driver installed. The weird thing is that the very instant I installed the ATI graphics driver it started with the exact same sounds... Even tho Windows doesn't yet recognise the sound card.

Any ideas?

 

Dude this is the exact problem that my computer had (exact noise too). What i found out was that the harddrive (Seagate 500GB 7200 RPM right?) is actually malfunctioning which was causing that noise and the slight freeze/pause of 1-2 secs. I'm 99% sure that it's not the graphics card.

This is what you should do:

Call Dell and explain your problem to them saying how your harddrive is doing these clicking noises which causes your computer to pause. They will most likely tell you that they will replace your harddrive but if they don't, then insist on it because your harddrive shouldnt do that noise.

Once they tell you that they are replacing it (they'll send a technician over to your house to replace it), it is really IMPORTANT that you tell them to replace it with a harddrive that already has your operating system image already installed and not with one that is brand new.

What happened with me is that the Dell rep that i talked to told me that the new harddrive would come with everything installed so it was simply a matter of swapping it out and simply rebooting it as i had the day my computer arrived. When the technician arrived, however, the harddrive he had was brand new (in other words, it didn't have the OS preinstalled) which was a pain in the a** since i had to reinstall the OS and drivers all over again. Nevertheless after a whole day of working on it, i managed to have my computer up and running again. And the best part was that that clicking noise did not reappear with the new harddrive (Hopefully it will stay like that). That's why you must make sure to tell the Dell rep to not forget to send you a harddrive that has been prepared with Vista.

Also make sure to have a backup of any important files that you want to save since they will take the old harddrive.

If you have any more questions about this ill be glad to help.

 

same to me.. is the hard drive... but i think is normal.. also my older travelmate and pavilion did the same..

 

Thanks for your replies guys. It is indeed the 500GB 7200rpm drive, idk what make it is tho.

The sound was so clear & animated I assumed it was coming from the speakers. Tried some headphones today & it certainly didn't come though those & on closer inspection does appear to be coming from the left side. I can't imagine it being normal operation as it interrupts whatever you're doing while it sounds.

Now I've something to go from I'll contact Dell & see about a replacement drive. Thanks again & pls feel free to discuss further.

 

Update:

There seems to be numerous reports: http://forums.seagate.com/stx/board...thread.id=13411&view=by_date_ascending&page=1

It appears to be a firmware fault that affects power management. This site demonstrates a very similar noise & offers a fix for OSX users (which looks wrong). From this I managed to resolve the issue on Linux:

Code:

$ sudo hdparm -B /dev/sda

/dev/sda:
 APM_level      = 128

Code:

       -B     Query/set Advanced Power Management feature, if the  drive  sup‐
              ports  it.  A  low value means aggressive power management and a
              high value means better performance.   Possible  settings  range
              from  values  1 through 127 (which permit spin-down), and values
              128 through 254 (which do not permit  spin-down).   The  highest
              degree  of power management is attained with a setting of 1, and
              the highest I/O performance with a setting of 254.  A  value  of
              255 tells hdparm to disable Advanced Power Management altogether
              on the drive (not all drives support disabling it, but most do).

Code:

$ sudo hdparm -B 255 /dev/sda

/dev/sda:
 setting Advanced Power Management level to disabled
 APM_level      = off

Et voilà - no noise.

I'm a Linux user so I'd normally be happy at that. Unfortunately I will be needing Windows next month, would anyone know how to do this on Windows? Apple have recently offered a firmware update but I don't see anything recent on Dell's page. At least I know what to ask for when I contact them on Tuesday.

 

In windows use HDInspector, then options/advanced disk management/ and change APM to desired level

 

Thank you.

I found that hdparm has been ported to Windows too: http://hdparm-win32.dyndns.org/hdparm/ & it works with the same options as above, it just needs to be in your path (drop the binary in system32).

I've got it set at 254 atm as to not totally disable powersaving & I've not heard a chirp. I'll give it another day just incase it's just being totally random but I think we've got it sorted. Is there any way I would be able to change the title to something like: 'DELL Studio XPS 1640 Hard Disk Sounds [SOLVED]' ?

Thank you everyone, I would still be swearing blind that it was coming from the speakers.

Now just to find all the XP drivers...

 

I am having a similar problem with the HDD making a similar clicking/clunking noise with everything freezing for .5/1 sec -- very annoying! Seems like its a common problem with this HD, esp seen in the Macbooks. What APM level is the best that works? Any specific values would be great, thanks!

 

254 & 255 certainly seem to work here, I'd recommend 254 just to retain some form of power savings. I've not tried anything lower as I'm just happy to have it working.

I'm not sure of the proper Windows way but I added the hdparm command to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] for it to apply each startup.

Let us know how you get on.

 

so does it happens with all 500gb 7200rmp hdd in sxps16, but only with power-saving on? does it happen only on vista, or on xp/7 too?

 

hey! I was about to start a new thread but I found this.

I have a 320GB 7200 rpm, XPS 1640 ordered in July. I have the EXACT issue SAME sound, and it has gotten more frequent since beginning of August. It now happens almost every 15 min, sometimes more frequent, sometimes less. But it's rather annoying. I thought it was just me. I contacted Dell, and they recommended doing a Diagnostic (computer off, push Fn and power button to start Diagnostic when powering on.) I have yet to try this. I'll let you know what results I get from the test, and I'll read what some of you are saying here soon.

 

Do you know if they would replace your HDD with the recovery partition on it too? Thanks.

 

If it all goes to hell, upgrade to SSD lol.

 

If they give you a harddrive that has everything already installed, then the recovery partition should also be there. it would be as if though you turned on your computer for the first time, and i'm assuming that the recovery partition was there at that time

 

They told me to do this as well and after doing so, it reported that everything was normal with my HD which was obviously not true. You'll most likely need a replacement.

 

ah ic.


I'll look into getting them to get me a replacement when school winds down during break.



Thanks!

 

My HP Pavilion dv5000 (over 3 years old) started doing that (similar sound) in the last year; after doing system recovery to factory state, I don't hear the noise anymore, although I don't use it as often, so I'm not sure if it was 'cured'. lol...

 

Why you suggest a virus?

 

Btw I do get some strange noises as well, It seems to start when I download large files over wireless.
I thought it comes from my speakers but it could be my hard drive.

 

I saw this thread and didn't open it a few days ago... a few minutes ago my computer stareted making clicking noises too, I immediately went to this page and sure enough it is the exact same issue... sounds 100% a HD issue... when I do a search which is HD intensive it clicks rapidly every second or 2 very fast then stops

what else could go wrong with this damn order, I already have a replacement on the way because this isn't the right computer, I hope it is fine

EDIT... I usually have this computer in sleep/hibernate mode 95% of the time. It had not been turned off for a day or 2, so I turned it off, waited 30 seconds and turned it back on and the sound is gone... interesting, but still not a satisfying answer

 

I'm sorry to hear that. Dell needs to get their act together if they hope to have any customers.

 

I'm just writing to confirm that what I wrote in post #5 works reliably. Not that I can say the same for post #9 tho...

For a permanent solution under Windows, follow these steps:

1. Download & install hdparm from here - it's free, open-source software.
2. Open Task Scheduler as Administrator.
3. Create a new task with the following details:



Reboot & enjoy silence & smooth running.

Should the problem remain, check the history tab within the task scheduler for any problems & double check your settings. If it runs without reporting any errors but still makes the noises, try disabling advanced power management altogether by substituting 254 with 255 (shouldn't be needed).

MODERATORS: Can you please change the thread title to something like: ' DELL Studio XPS 1640 Hard Disk Sounds [SOLVED]' ?

 

Thanks, but when I talked to Dell, they said any external software such as this will void the warranty! :S What do they mean? Also, what negative effects does this have on the notebook/HD in the short and long-term?

 

Also, your link didn't work, this is the correct link:
http://hdparm-win32.dyndns.org/hdparm/

 

Thanks for the link, updated.

I don't see how it can void the warranty. We're not pushing it past specification, we're simply using an optimal power management setting to compensate for poor firmware. Dell should wake up, a firmware update has been released by Seagate but it's only available through OEMs. Apple have released it while Dell seem happy to waste time & money by replacing drives...

If you believe this FUD then back up your data & request a new drive. Such behaviour is illogical tho, you've better things to do with your time & on a larger scale it's contributing to the products cost.

Just my 2 pence.

 

Yes when I called them, I called for a replacement, and I got in the mail the exact same HDD but a refurbished one. So I decided to keep my current new one and send the other one back as it was. What a waste of time. Dell is slow in fixing this common problem, pretty annoying! I wasn't able to do the HDPARM properly, I will try again later.

 

Dammit, I thought I was safe from this problem but I just got the noise. Hopefully it doesn't happen again, I take it it's not harmful to the HD, just irritating?

 

Not sure. It's possible it could cause other problems in the future.

 

All three 1640s with 500GB Seagate drive I have got the problem, though on one its alot more then with the others. This one with frequent sounds also freezes for 2 seconds or so when it makes this sound. Makes you wonder how Seagate and Dell not noticed this beforehand....

 

I wouldn't imagine it to help regards premature wear. Short term it's just a major annoyance.

Loha, if you had any problems with hdparm, try this to rule out any issue with the task scheduler:

Open a command prompt as Administrator ( you'll still need to select 'run as administrator' via the right-click menu if you're running from an Admin account) & copy/paste these lines individually:

Code:

cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\hdparm\bin"
hdparm -B 254 /dev/sda
hdparm -I /dev/sda | findstr Advanced

This should return:

Code:

Advanced power management level: unknown setting (0x80fe)
*    Advanced Power Management feature set

The unknown setting is the important part, fe is hex for 254 & is what we want. 00 means it's disabled & 80 is hex for the default value of 128.

Assuming it returned the unknown setting of 0x80fe ( or 0x0000 if you chose to disable it with -B 255) everything should be fine. Proceed to check your scheduler settings.

 

Hmm. Running the command, I get:

Code:

/dev/sda:
 setting Advanced Power Management level to 0xFE (254)
 HDIO_DRIVE_CMD failed: Function not implemented

I'm on a Studio XPS 13 Seagate FreeFall 7200RPM 500GB HDD; Windows 7 x64 RTM. Any ideas?

 

Will adjusting this through a command prompt affect the performance of the HD seeing as we are changing how it runs in some way or another

 

Computernerd, issue:

Code:

hdparm -I /dev/sda

& scroll to the top. My drive details are as follows:

Code:

ATA device, with non-removable media
	Model Number:       ST9500420ASG                            
	Serial Number:      5VJ0KBRT
	Firmware Revision:  0002SDM1

Any differences between model# & firmware revision may indicate a different problem. Otherwise that hdparm build may not be fully compatible with Windows 7. If that's the case you may want to try the version available through Cygwin.

Funky monk, it may slightly improve I/O performance & certainly if you take in consideration the lack of random pauses.

 

Code:

/dev/sda:
 HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(identify) failed: Function not implemented.

Sadness.

I get the same "Function not implemented" with the Cygwin version. I tried setting Windows XP SP2/SP3 and Windows Vista compatibility options on hdparm.exe, but to no avail.

 

Out of curiosity, are you running the intel or microsoft sata driver? I can't think of anything else.

 

I tried using a different Windows tool that allows one to change APM settings, and when I run it, it tells me that it can't find any drives that have APM features enabled. I then downloaded Seagate's "SeaTools" application, and it was unable to find any supported drives (as in it can't find any Seagate drives in my system).

Why can't my Seagate HDD be detected as a Seagate HDD?

In my Device Manager, under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, I have "NVIDIA Serial ATA Controller" and then three other entries for the Ricoh memory card reader.

Under Disk drives, I have "ST950042 0ASG SCSI Disk Device". On the properties for this entry, on the "Driver" tab, the driver provider is listed as Microsoft.

 

Uninstall Windows Update 973879. This fixed this problem for me.

 

Well I'm on Windows 7, so I don't have that update installed in the first place. But going by the KB article for that update, I don't see how it has anything to do with the problem...

I have a feeling it's a driver problem, but I have no clue as to pinpointing the problem.

It's really getting out of hand. It used to happen once every ~15 minutes, but now it's happening every three or so minutes.

 

the clunking sound, you mean? yea, I noticed it got more frequent for me in the last month.

right now, I have usb hug plugged in and my laptop is elevated at about 10 degree angle off my laptop fan stand.

I took my xps 16 to the library 2 nights ago, on a flat surface with only usb mouse plugged in, and noticed it didn't make that clunking sound at all! I took it back home, happy it was resolved somehow...same plugs back in and fan base, and it makes the sound again...lol...I wonder if it's connections to the laptop or the slight elevated slant?

 

I don't think that's it because I always use my SXPS13 flat, and I get the noise.

 

how frequently does the noise occur for you?

 

Oddly enough, the frequency increases as the laptop is on for longer. It doesn't really happen when it's first booted up, but after an hour or two, it's every minutes or two.

 

I tried this and so far it seems to be working okay, thanks! I hope there is an official firmware release to fix this soon!

 

Those of you for whom the hdparm fix is working, what OS/which laptop are you on? Anyone on Windows 7 x64 RTM on a SXPS13?

 

ic. about the same for me, I guess. Sometimes it happens once every 5 min, then later nothing until 1 hr later, and then sometimes 2 times within 10 seconds. lol... and it also causes a pause in some applications until the last click has been made (ex. especially noticeable when I'm trying to scroll or load a webpage and it happens to happen during that time)

 

entrance002, have you tried the fix?

computernerd, you could try a Linux live disc to see if the OS is at all relevant. Other than that I'd suspect the device drivers, did you find any alternatives?

 

This thread is kind of scary....I'm waiting on my wife's Studio XPS 16 to finish getting built right now. The HDD sounds like it's the same one that everyone is talking about on this thread. Are there any estimates on the percentage of these hard drives that have this fault? How long did it take before the problem started showing up for everyone here?

 

I tried getting newer chipset/SATA controller/HDD drivers, but nothing.

Do you know of a LiveCD distro that comes with hdparm?

 

I think after 5 or 6 days, I heard it go off once, and was basically a rare event. (I got my xps 1640 mid-July)

after about 2 or 3 weeks of using it, I heard it maybe once every 2 hours on average. not much to bother me.

A month into using my xps, it started going off more frequently, like about 1-2 times every hour. Now it's off and on, sometimes frequent (5-8 times/hr) and sometimes not, kinda random and there's really nothing in particular that I'm doing that seems to cause it or not.

I have yet to try the 'fix' presented here.

P.S. My friend who recently purchased his XPS 1640, 500GB 7200rpm, has had his for about a week now, and no sounds yet for him.

 

Computernerd, I'd recommend Parted Magic - It's a small download & may prove useful for other tasks.