iMac DV: personal comments (the machine is great!) and troubleshooting issues (Energy Saver sleep; hard drive noise)

With the recent attention given to the AirPort connection of my iMac DV SE, I've overlooked commenting on the iMac DV itself. So here it is: the iMac DV is a great computer at a great price. From its slot-loading DVD drive to its FireWire ports to its easier access of adding RAM, it addresses virtually every shortcoming of my original iMac. Apple deserves the highest kudos for this machine.

As for troubleshooting issues, I haven't even seen the USB problems or the DVD sync problem mentioned here by other iMac DV owners. In fact, I have only had two problems so far:

Energy Saver sleep Using Energy Saver sleep is a bit like rolling dice; it seems to do something a bit different each time and never quite what it is supposed to do.

Hard drive noise The hard drive makes a high-pitched whining noise that, while not very loud, is very irritating. I checked with Apple's Tech Exchange to see if others had reported this. Indeed they had; there were several threads on this topic (see a, b and c for examples).

The majority view is that you should get your hard drive replaced, although a few postings suggested that the sound may go away on its own after a few weeks (this has not happened to me) and a few others suggested that the sound is normal (it does not seem that way to me). Some people report having trouble convincing Apple or a Service Provider that it needs to be replaced, but others have had success.

Apple has posted a few replies on this subject, including one that states: "Apple has had reports of this, and we are currently investigating. In the interim, if you feel that your hard drive is abnormally loud or makes an unusually high pitched hum, you may want to have the computer evaluated by an Apple-authorized service provider."