Sounds

[jason120au]

I've got a Pentium 4 1.6ghz machine. Which is a year old. When I first turn the computer on, I hear a strange sounding noise, which goes away when WinXPPro starts. What could be causing this? It has been doing this for months.
Over the past month, this noise has been increasingly getting loader. For example, when I boot-up and I hear it making the bad noise, I turn the computer off, and straight back on again before Windows actually boots, while it is checking Slave, Primary, etc devices in the BIOS. It usually doesn't make the sound when I reboot.
What does a hard drive sound like when it is about to crash?

 

[Bruce]

Originally posted by jason120au
I
What does a hard drive sound like when it is about to crash?

Click.......... click.......... click......... click.......

It's not an IBM DeathStar by any chance is it?

It could just be a loose/dirty fan or something too. Try cleaning and/or tightening any screws as well. If that doesn't work, just give teh case a few good kicks.

 

[liviu]

Is power supllies 's fan...

 

[Daniel]

Re: Re: Sounds

Originally posted by Bruce
If that doesn't work, just give teh case a few good kicks.

If only the solution was that easy.

My network isn't secured in it's pci slot by a screw so if I kick my case, it will flyout. :biggrin2:

 

[jason120au]

Should I be worried about these sounds?

 

[CareBear]

Do you only hear it when your computer is booting? You never hear it again once XP has started?

 

[jason120au]

That is correct

 

[CareBear]

If you're comfortable with it, I'd suggest to open your case and sit next to it when you turn it on and try to locate where the sound is coming from.
What I can think of right now: speaker (it'll be attached to the case somewhere, usually the bottom or to the front) which would mean your BIOS is trying to tell you something's wrong.
The CPU fan is doubtful I guess since you say you only hear it when you're booting.. it makes a fairly "whining" noise when it's clogged up.
Your harddisk.. has a more "wheezing" sound, right after you turn the power on you should hear the disk start to spin up and then the head moving around on the platters.
CD/DVD drive... I have a cd-drive on one computer that tends to make the weirdest sounds but only during bootup..
That's all I can think of.. hope it helps somehow

 

[Silent]

Im steering more to the hard drive, i mean it may make those wheezing sounds normally, but i have had a few bad harddrive of my own, one not makin a sound at all, to one makin this awfull clicking noise. Theres no way it could be the fan, because 1.the only way to make a sound like that with the fan is to get sumtin in it.... and 2. the fan keeps goin through the whole process in between up booting up and shutting down you computer. I highly doubt its the speaker on the computer, unless it is making a beeping sound, which is all that kind of speaker can make, then i dont think so.

Now i wouldnt try to home in on the signal, not a great idea, try taking the harddrive out and stickin it in another comp, if it makes the sound.

From what i am reading, the sound is getting louder. Those old pentium computers have one speaker built in to the computer, that speaker can only have one volume level. Unless you screw around with the BIOS. Well, the harddrive is the only thing i can think of, what other devices do you have install?