computer randomly makes a very bad whirring noise...

[impostal22]

it sounds like a dying fan to me, but what do i know? i can't really pinpoint exactly where in the tower it's coming from, but every once in a while i get this bad whirring noise like of a dying fan (but it eventually goes away on its own)...BUT i dunno if that's what it is exactly.

abit ic7 mobo
ati radeon 9600 pro
maxtor 80gb primary master
maxtor 120gb primary slave
dvd rom secondary master
plextor cd burner secondary slave
4 case fans (intel made)
vantec fan controller
intel p4 2.4ghz
2 dimms of corsair 512mb

i think that's all the stuff that is relevant. note: i used the fan controller and turned all the fans all the way down and didn't notice a difference in the whirring. could it possibly be one of the HD's making that noise? or something?

[Potatoboy]

it's likely your power supply fan.

turning fans down doesn't help..

use something to stop them.

DO NOT DO THIS WITH YOUR PROCESSOR FAN.

If all other fans check ok, get a new processor fan.

5 bucks on the powersupply.

[impostal22]

Originally posted by Potatoboy
it's likely your power supply fan.

turning fans down doesn't help..

use something to stop them.

DO NOT DO THIS WITH YOUR PROCESSOR FAN.

If all other fans check ok, get a new processor fan.

5 bucks on the powersupply.

stop them how????? paperclip or something? won't that kinda hurt them? lol...

if it IS the powersupply fan, then what?

and if it's NOT any of the other fans, couldn't it i guess possibly be something else like the HDs making the noise?

[Crighton]

Just touch your finger to the center of any exposed fans. They will slow and change the pitch of the noise. If you tested all of the exposed ones its in the psu unit.

[PyRo]

The hard drive in my old computer did make some odd noises before it died though.

[Muzikman]

Tater is right....what I use for the power supply fan is a small rolled up piece of paper since there is the protective grill over the fan. Just don't drop it in there. It will not hurt the fan, just don't leave it there for long, just long enough to tell if the noise stops. Usually a good cleaning with a can of air will stop the noise for awhile, but not completely. If you don't want to buy new fans, ya can peal the sticker off the center of the fan, put a drop of oil on the shaft and put the sticker back. This usually holds it out for a while.

[MarkM]

I had the same with both a fan and a harddrive...difference was that the harddrive died very soon after the noises started, the fan after a bit of persuasion (I hit it ) has continued to work reasonably silent for nearly 2 years.

[impostal22]

how can i tell if it's a HD or a fan?

[Zumina]

if an HD bearing has gone south, the noise should intesify as you load the HD (loading a game, using a heavy-HD-cache program, etc.).

[Zumina]

and given you poor choice in HDs (maxtors suck ), a bad bearing wouldn't surprise me.

[fire1811]

take your case off and hook everything back up run you comp like that and see where its coming from

[impostal22]

zumina- since when do maxtors suck?

fire- that's what i'm doing right now, thanks

[Zumina]

Originally posted by impostal22
zumina- since when do maxtors suck?

fire- that's what i'm doing right now, thanks

Since almost every one I've owned, and most of the ones my company continues to purchase, develope bad sectors or burn out completely. Seagate is pretty bad too.

[impostal22]

Originally posted by Zumina


Since almost every one I've owned, and most of the ones my company continues to purchase, develope bad sectors or burn out completely. Seagate is pretty bad too.

your company? you have a company at the ripe age of 19?

[Zumina]

Figurative posession, my employer .