disk with high frequency noise only on FreeBSD

[Jan Henrik Sylvester]

Tim Judd wrote:
> On 6/10/09, Jan Henrik Sylvester <me at janh.de> wrote:
>> The hard disk of a new computer makes annoying high frequency noises --
>> probably while seeking -- on FreeBSD 7.2-RELEASE.
>>
>> I booted up a Linux live CD and could not hear anything doing the same
>> kind of access. (To test that, I put a ports tree on a FAT partition and
>> did 'cat */*/Makefile' from FreeBSD and Linux.)
>>
>> Using sysutils/ataidle, I changed the AAM  to different values with no
>> effect. (The disk does not support APM.)
>>
>> What is different between FreeBSD and Linux in this regard?
>>
>> Is the disk probably broken? (I guess I would be out of luck with
>> support if I cannot reproduce it on a different OS.)
>>
>> The disk is a WDC WD1600AAJS-07PSA0 with firmware 05.06H05.

 > if it's the same high-frequency noise like an alarm, like a trouble

No, it does not sound like a deliberate signal. It is more like high 
frequency scratching at the upper range of the hearable spectrum.

I have heard a similar noise from other hard disks, but much more quiet 
and not quite as high. This one is extremely annoying.

It cannot be due to overheating, since it is there from the first boot, 
but only on FreeBSD -- especially if I access many small files.

Thanks,
Jan Henrik