Noise Noise Noise

[BlindMelon7]

My PC is making the most annoying noise. The loud fans i can stand but recently I've been getting a noise that sounds a bit like an electric arc welder or a crackling fire. It only happens when I open a program or file. As I'm sure you can understand this is quite worrying. Any help would be appreciated.

[BigBry]

Can you pin it down to a specific area of the PC? If you run it with part of the case off it should help.

It could be something simple like a failing DVD drive or something more critical like a hard drive or power supply failure either of which could cause you big problems (hard drive failure could wipe all your data, a power supply problem could fry many of your PC components).

Back up your data now (if you haven't already) and try and work out which area of the PC it's coming from.

Is your PC still under guarantee?

[BlindMelon7]

I dont think its anything fualty because my gradmas computer does the same thing. I think it mght be a design fault. it sounds like it might be coming from the hard drive.

As for the guarntee, the idiots that built it said they would fix it for free if it ever went wrong, but every time I take it in, it always comes out in a worse state so I mainly have to fix it myself.

Also, I dont know how to back up my data as I dont have another hard drive and my dvd writer doesnt write dvds (I have 20gig of music on my computer so I'd be pretty anoyed if it did fail).

[Stephen C]

Might not be the same in your case..

I had this problem with a machine I built ages ago
It was just a case of an overtightened HDD.

[Ozymandias]

The rattling of the heads when the HDD is seeking amplified by the case due to loose HDD fitting could also be a cause.

[BlindMelon7]

thanks, i'l mess around with it for while.

[M0nkeyb0Y]

I had something that sounds similair on a maxtor hdd about 2 years ago, after a couple of weeks windows started having serious problems opening anything and even starting up, and the noise got a lot worse.

It was basically caused by the drive ceasing up (according to the surprisingly helpful Maxtor guy I spoke to), the more friction it underwent the louder the noise. (It was covered and replaced by warranty)

Def back up, I was quite nonchalent about it and eventually lost a lot of unimportant, but nonetheless irritating to replace stuff.

[mujja]

to reduce the HDD noise even futher and for little cost suspend the HDD in a 5 1/4 drive bay using elastic. I've used sewing elastic, bought from Tesco. Sold in black so it even looks good inside the case

[BlindMelon7]

just read what monkeyboy sez (havent bin on for a while). i will actually cry if i loose my data (i have master coppies of my bands stuff etc.). I'm not turnin the thing on till i have a backup drive.

[charleski]

I'm not turnin the thing on till i have a backup drive.

It this will take a while, be sure to turn it on briefly once every few days to stop the motor from seizing altogether.

[BlindMelon7]

good point. can any1 sugest me a good hd for about £50?

[BigBry]

SATA;
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=226863

IDE;
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=226863

And you should qulaify for free postage (I assume you know about this?).

[MantisCSS]

good hard drive for £50 has to be the 250GB spinpoint. im using one at the mo and its great.

[BlindMelon7]

do you think theres any point in getin another like mine and puttin them in raid0 (as well as gettin a backup). does raid0 noticably affect ure performance?