"Noise" upon booting computer

I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy


--
daisypearl
Posted via http://computerhelpforums.net Forum to USENET Gateway

daisypearl wrote:
I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy


My first guess is it sounds like a fan has a bad bearing and it makes
noise for a few minutes till it either gets hotter or either stops. It
wouldn't take much to open the case and listen more closely. Fans are
cheap, CPUs are not.

I'm with Al on a fan being the cause. The question is which fan. Leave
to cool and remove the case, then start the PC and check where the noise
comes from while you can see/hear inside the case. (warning, tie hair
back if long) then replace the failing fan.

daisypearl wrote:

I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy

I agree, it sounds like a fan went bad... if it already has a new fan, the
most likely one is the one inside the power source or maybe even the
processor fan if the pitch is high.


------------------------------
"daisypearl" wrote in message
...

I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy


--
daisypearl
Posted via http://computerhelpforums.net Forum to USENET Gateway

A piece of garden hose could help dial-in on the source, one end held next
to an ear, the other end on your hand looking for the source. Also a sound
recorder or microphone connected to the PC and amplifying the sound through
the speakers.


---------------------------------
"daisypearl" wrote in message
...

I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy


--
daisypearl
Posted via http://computerhelpforums.net Forum to USENET Gateway

"Ronaldo" wrote in message
...
A piece of garden hose could help dial-in on the source, one end held next
to an ear, the other end on your hand looking for the source. Also a sound
recorder or microphone connected to the PC and amplifying the sound
through
the speakers.




Hey...that is my age old suggestion ..a small tube
(did you used to balance those SU carburators years ago?)


---------------------------------
"daisypearl" wrote in message
...

I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy


--
daisypearl
Posted via http://computerhelpforums.net Forum to USENET Gateway

"philo" wrote in message
...

"Ronaldo" wrote in message
...
A piece of garden hose could help dial-in on the source, one end held
next
to an ear, the other end on your hand looking for the source. Also a
sound
recorder or microphone connected to the PC and amplifying the sound
through
the speakers.




Hey...that is my age old suggestion ..a small tube
(did you used to balance those SU carburators years ago?)


Yep!!.. how did you guess?.. lol.. Well not SU, but Richester
carburetors...

"Ronaldo" wrote in message
...
"philo" wrote in message
...

"Ronaldo" wrote in message
...
A piece of garden hose could help dial-in on the source, one end held
next
to an ear, the other end on your hand looking for the source. Also a
sound
recorder or microphone connected to the PC and amplifying the sound
through
the speakers.




Hey...that is my age old suggestion ..a small tube
(did you used to balance those SU carburators years ago?)


Yep!!.. how did you guess?.. lol.. Well not SU, but Richester
carburetors...




Rochester?


Anyway...I owned a '59 Triumph TR-3 for 30 years...
and though if one had the money...there were air flow meters available...
an old mechanic's trick was to just take a piece of tubing and listen to the
hiss
as one was balancing carburetors. (In my case it was SU's)
It worked great and was really pretty easy to do.

I still use a small diameter tube to trace out noises in the computers I
work on
and figure out for sure which fan is making noise and to make sure the HD
sounds "normal"

So the old tube trick is still a good one...and I was really glad to see
that someone other then myself
has recommended it for computer work.

A lot of people think I am goofy,
and though they are right...the tube trick works!!!!

"philo" wrote in message
...

"Ronaldo" wrote in message
...
"philo" wrote in message
...

"Ronaldo" wrote in message
...
A piece of garden hose could help dial-in on the source, one end held
next
to an ear, the other end on your hand looking for the source. Also a
sound
recorder or microphone connected to the PC and amplifying the sound
through
the speakers.




Hey...that is my age old suggestion ..a small tube
(did you used to balance those SU carburators years ago?)


Yep!!.. how did you guess?.. lol.. Well not SU, but Richester
carburetors...




Rochester?


Anyway...I owned a '59 Triumph TR-3 for 30 years...
and though if one had the money...there were air flow meters available...
an old mechanic's trick was to just take a piece of tubing and listen to
the
hiss
as one was balancing carburetors. (In my case it was SU's)
It worked great and was really pretty easy to do.

I still use a small diameter tube to trace out noises in the computers I
work on
and figure out for sure which fan is making noise and to make sure the HD
sounds "normal"

So the old tube trick is still a good one...and I was really glad to see
that someone other then myself
has recommended it for computer work.

A lot of people think I am goofy,
and though they are right...the tube trick works!!!!


Yea Chevys and General Motors cars used Rochester carburetors.. but I also
worked once on a Triumph, don't remember what year make it was, but it had
one of those SU carburetors, so I know exactly what you mean.

Hey, the garden hose or any hose for that matter is a valid method,
especially when the fans are all so close and you cant figure out which one
it is... and though a more technical approach would be more up to date, like
a cheap microphone which needs to be up-close to capture the sound, a piece
of hose is available to most anyone. So if people think that makes us
goofy, I'd say not goofy... but resourceful!!

snip



Rochester?


Anyway...I owned a '59 Triumph TR-3 for 30 years...
and though if one had the money...there were air flow meters
available...
an old mechanic's trick was to just take a piece of tubing and listen to
the
hiss
as one was balancing carburetors. (In my case it was SU's)
It worked great and was really pretty easy to do.

I still use a small diameter tube to trace out noises in the computers I
work on
and figure out for sure which fan is making noise and to make sure the
HD
sounds "normal"

So the old tube trick is still a good one...and I was really glad to see
that someone other then myself
has recommended it for computer work.

A lot of people think I am goofy,
and though they are right...the tube trick works!!!!


Yea Chevys and General Motors cars used Rochester carburetors.. but I also
worked once on a Triumph, don't remember what year make it was, but it had
one of those SU carburetors, so I know exactly what you mean.

Hey, the garden hose or any hose for that matter is a valid method,
especially when the fans are all so close and you cant figure out which
one
it is... and though a more technical approach would be more up to date,
like
a cheap microphone which needs to be up-close to capture the sound, a
piece
of hose is available to most anyone. So if people think that makes us
goofy, I'd say not goofy... but resourceful!!








I like that word "resourceful" !!!!!

"philo" wrote in message
...





I like that word "resourceful" !!!!!




Nice talking to you!

Power Supply fan tends to do the following

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"daisypearl" wrote in message ...

I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy


--
daisypearl
Posted via http://computerhelpforums.net Forum to USENET Gateway

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:32:21 -0600, daisypearl
wrote:


I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy
I've had a few drives fail and none of them exhibited this noise. I'm
thinking fans, like many others here I"m sure.

You should hear my Server start up. All it's fans start at full bore,
then within about 10 seconds wind down as they don't need to be
running at full speed unless the server is really cranking it up.

Once all the SCSI drives fire up you really know it; as they are
revving up they make a very distinct noise but once up to full speed
they aren't very noisy.

In fact your ears quickly tune it out.

The last time my home had a power outage I was asleep. I only
realized the power was out because I realized how quiet it was. All
the computers had shut down and with no fans running it seemed so
quiet.

Many thanks to everyone who relieved my fears about my hard drive; I am
going to check the fan situation today and get a new one.

It is so nice of you all to help out those of us who have not a clue
about hardware. If I can ever help anyone with online genealogy or
family history--please let me know. I DO know a lot about that.

daisy


--
daisypearl
Posted via http://computerhelpforums.net Forum to USENET Gateway

the noise sounds like a fan

"daisypearl" wrote:


I have my fingers crossed that someone will tell me that I do NOT have a
hard drive problem but I fear the worst. I have a 3 year old Pentium 4
with XP Pro. My software is up to date, all works well and I have a TON
of info on the computer. I do have files backed up routinely offsite
but hope I do not have to deal with a new hard drive.

Yesterday morning I turned on the computer and for the first time ever
something seemed to be whirring at random speeds; it got louder and
softer and finally settled down to its normal quiet self. it booted up
in the normal time and I had no problems. Later in the morning I turned
it off to see if the noise had been a fluke; it booted up as always with
no problems and no noise. However, the same noises occurred this
morning; it takes about 5 minutes for it to settle down. I had some
automatic updates from Microsoft downloaded and restarted the computer
after they were installed, no problem.

The computer was blown out last week--my husband takes the cover off
and cleans it out about once a month. We live on a dirt road in the
boonies and have dogs so there is always dust and dog hair in it.

Is there a possibility it is anything else other than the hard drive?
I am pretty good with software but hardware is definitely not my thing.
I do not have any problems in taking the CPU in but there are very few
techs in the area and I would like to make absolutely sure it is not a
fan problem. My husband can [and has] changed a fan. I cannot go back
to the manufacturer [Monarch Computers] because they went belly up.

If it is the hard drive is there any software that the tech might have
to just migrate the system as is to a new hard drive or am I facing a
new drive with the OS on and nothing else, just waiting for me to spend
days reinstalling all that software...

Pardon me while I scream.....

daisy


--
daisypearl
Posted via http://computerhelpforums.net Forum to USENET Gateway