My guru is not here, so I don't know what to do! My computer (PC, 5+ years old; well-behaved), has started SCREAMING every few minutes. It wants something, or is warning me of something.
Turning to knowledgeable NG members: Did you ever experience this? What might it mean?
I just paid a consultant pretty fair bux about two months ago to upgrade, so I'm tapped out, computer-wise, but scared to death I might be hearing a death rattle.
SOS!
HB
...
Indeed...either power supply fan or hard drive preparing to crash.
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I had a several-year-old computer a few years ago complain in a similar way= . I learned that the screaming was due to the uC overheating. Sure enough, = when I opened the case, I found so many dust-bunnies in the fins of the hea= t sink on the uC that it couldn't possibly be cooling efficiently. After I = cleaned the heat sink, the screaming disappeared. Just a thought.
Good luck.
learned that the screaming was due to the uC overheating. Sure enough, when I opened the case, I found so many dust-bunnies in the fins of the heat sink on the uC that it couldn't possibly be cooling efficiently. After I cleaned the heat sink, the screaming disappeared. Just a thought.
Might not help, but it can't hurt, and the price is right. I use a leaf blower, but a shop vac set on blow also works well. Note- do NOT spin the CD drives with the air- they can't handle it. If there is a SWMBO in the house, carry it out into the driveway and do it there- just like killing dust bunnies under the bed- it goes everywhere.
shut down, open case, turn on, and check for wire too close to fans as well as others' tips here.
way. I learned that the screaming was due to the uC overheating. Sure enou= gh, when I opened the case, I found so many dust-bunnies in the fins of the= heat sink on the uC that it couldn't possibly be cooling efficiently. Afte= r I cleaned the heat sink, the screaming disappeared. Just a thought.
In my case, the "screaming" was a tone generated by the speaker in the comp= uter's case. The OP didn't bother to define what kind of "screaming" it hea= rs, so it's anyone's guess as to what it means by "screaming." It could be = mechanical such as a fan or disk drive, but without clarification of the no= ise emitted, it's hard to diagnose.
ar way. I learned that the screaming was due to the uC overheating. Sure en= ough, when I opened the case, I found so many dust-bunnies in the fins of t= he heat sink on the uC that it couldn't possibly be cooling efficiently. Af= ter I cleaned the heat sink, the screaming disappeared. Just a thought.
mputer's case. The OP didn't bother to define what kind of "screaming" it h= ears, so it's anyone's guess as to what it means by "screaming." It could b= e mechanical such as a fan or disk drive, but without clarification of the = noise emitted, it's hard to diagnose.
probably the fan ontop the processor.
My PC did that years ago. Turned out to be the bearing in the hard drive. Better backup your stuff now and get ready to buy a new hard drive (or new PC).
There are 2 to 3 fans in the PC...these are most likely what is screaming (a dry bearing type of scream).
Any honest consultant who upgraded your computer just two months ago will check your computer for free and charge you nothing for minor repairs.
Stuff that can screech in a computer:
learned that the screaming was due to the uC overheating. Sure enough, when I opened the case, I found so many dust-bunnies in the fins of the heat sink on the uC that it couldn't possibly be cooling efficiently. After I cleaned the heat sink, the screaming disappeared. Just a thought.
Ok, I'll bite. What's a 'uC'? Been building and maintaining computers since the mid-seventies and never heard of that terminology before.
Gil
It's probably had enough of living in a left wing radical's house and wants out.
I learned that the screaming was due to the uC overheating. Sure enough, when I opened the case, I found so many dust-bunnies in the fins of the heat sink on the uC that it couldn't possibly be cooling efficiently. After I cleaned the heat sink, the screaming disappeared. Just a thought.
"Microcontroller" or "microcomputer". An embedded microprocessor, complete with peripherals, usually on one chip.
It's not thermal grease in the fan motor, but the grease does have a tendancy to dry out in the heat. A drop of turbine oil or other fine lubricating oil (NOT WD40) will usually solve the problem for a year or two.
ry few minutes.
Hmm...never occurred to me. I'll call him & see how he reacts.
My knowledgeable neighbor came over & showed me how to take off the cover -- piece of cake; I feel like a jerk for not noticing! He checked the fan. Spins freely. WAS cleaned and dusted by consulted, so that's not the prob.
NOTE: This computer has only ONE fan; doesn't have a separate one for the processor or graphics card.. Is that a function of old model? It's a Dell Dimension, only about 5-6 years old.
Fan cover fits well; no dust inside. Neighbor spun the fan; didn't hang up or stick; not noisy. I'll do the test you suggested, but don't know what "changes" to listen/watch for. COULD YOU ELUCIDATE.
Screaming heard even when outside speakers are not on. There is also a tiny speaker inside, as some have pointed out. I'm not techie enough to check on FILTER CAPACITORS but will ask my neighbor if that rings a bell.
Thank you for that precious (but over my head ) analysis. I'm grateful for the heads-up about potential reasons for screaming, and will bounce them off neighbor. As well as calling consultant.
One thing neighbor did suggest: Put in a new mother board. But would that address the SCREAMING problem?
TX
HB
You must have at least 2 fans with a PC that age. Power supple fan and CPU fan...and spinning them will tell you little. Turn it on with it open and listen where the squeal is coming from. You seem to like to complicate things...like you want the attention!
Before you spend money on a new motherboard, be advised that many Dells of your vintage used non-standard pinouts for the PS connection. Don't recall offhand if the Dimension was one of them. Not a slam on you, but given your lack of experience with computer innards, a motherboard swap is likely to be a long, expensive, and frustrating experience. Since we don't know where the screaming is coming from, it may or may not fix problem. I'd try unplugging the internal speaker (if it isn't hard-mounted to motherboard), and see if it makes a difference. But a screaming sound is usually made by a moving part, and your computer doesn't have many of those- drives and power supply fan.
My low-buck recommendation, based on my day job doing computer support, and my former side gig of rebuilding/reselling computers (before cheap new ones killed the market), is to look on CraigsList for a computer of similar brand and vintage. Don't pay over 100 bucks for it. You can move your hard drive over, as well as any components that are better than what new machine has (like video and memory, if the sockets match.)
For just a little more $, you can get a new Dell entry-level system online or from SamsClub or similar. I'm a cheap SOB, so I have never purchased a new computer, but I have assisted others, and they were all pleased with the performance of even entry-level new machines.
Really?
I meant to cancel this message instead of sending it. Sorry
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