Any PC gurus out there? Or sympathy?

[LadyJeanne]

If anyone knows how to fix this, I will forever be in your debt.

At some point a few weeks ago, I noticed that the gray box in which my hard drive resides started making a clicking noise. Not execeptionally loud, mind you, but a noise, a new noise, a noise it's not supposed to make. Naturally, I ignored it.

This evening, I decided the noise was driving me batty, so I pulled the box out of its wooden stand and began investigating. You can open those things, you know. It's not even that hard to do. So I opened it up, and I found lots of dust which I painstakingly cleaned out.

Upon turning the PC back on again, I realized the noise was coming from one of the two little fans in there. You can take those out too, as I discovered. I dusted some more and put them back in and started up the PC again.

Same noise. The top fan, which spins a lot faster than the bottom fan, is clicking. The spinning bit of the top fan doesn't really appear to be loose compared to the bottom fan, nor is it hitting anything, and it spins merrily away like it's supposed to.

How can I make the noise stop???

Please, make it stop!!!

 

[tolyk]

Buy a new fan. They don't last forever, in fact sometimes they don't last very long at all..

 

[elsol]

If anyone knows how to fix this, I will forever be in your debt.

At some point a few weeks ago, I noticed that the gray box in which my hard drive resides started making a clicking noise. Not execeptionally loud, mind you, but a noise, a new noise, a noise it's not supposed to make. Naturally, I ignored it.

This evening, I decided the noise was driving me batty, so I pulled the box out of its wooden stand and began investigating. You can open those things, you know. It's not even that hard to do. So I opened it up, and I found lots of dust which I painstakingly cleaned out.

Upon turning the PC back on again, I realized the noise was coming from one of the two little fans in there. You can take those out too, as I discovered. I dusted some more and put them back in and started up the PC again.

Same noise. The top fan, which spins a lot faster than the bottom fan, is clicking. The spinning bit of the top fan doesn't really appear to be loose compared to the bottom fan, nor is it hitting anything, and it spins merrily away like it's supposed to.

How can I make the noise stop???

Please, make it stop!!!

a) Take the top fan out and take it apart to clean it. (It usually only take a phillips screwdriver and a little plate so the tiny screws don't hide on you).

b) Replace the fan

c) Lots of sympathy!

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[TheEarl]

If anyone knows how to fix this, I will forever be in your debt.

At some point a few weeks ago, I noticed that the gray box in which my hard drive resides started making a clicking noise. Not execeptionally loud, mind you, but a noise, a new noise, a noise it's not supposed to make. Naturally, I ignored it.

This evening, I decided the noise was driving me batty, so I pulled the box out of its wooden stand and began investigating. You can open those things, you know. It's not even that hard to do. So I opened it up, and I found lots of dust which I painstakingly cleaned out.

Upon turning the PC back on again, I realized the noise was coming from one of the two little fans in there. You can take those out too, as I discovered. I dusted some more and put them back in and started up the PC again.

Same noise. The top fan, which spins a lot faster than the bottom fan, is clicking. The spinning bit of the top fan doesn't really appear to be loose compared to the bottom fan, nor is it hitting anything, and it spins merrily away like it's supposed to.

How can I make the noise stop???

Please, make it stop!!!

It sounds like there is some damage to the fan and it is hitting something on the way around. You checked that there's no wires trailing across it?

Which fnas is it that's creating the noise? Is it the one in the centre that faces towards you (over the processor)? Is it the one that points out the back of your computer?

The Earl

 

[LadyJeanne]

It sounds like there is some damage to the fan and it is hitting something on the way around. You checked that there's no wires trailing across it?

Which fnas is it that's creating the noise? Is it the one in the centre that faces towards you (over the processor)? Is it the one that points out the back of your computer?

The Earl

I have two fans that point out the back of the computer. I cleaned, the wires leading to the board are not loose or in the way at all, there's nothing getting in the way.

A picture would be worth a thousand words here.

The bit that spins, with the fans, frond, whatever they are, that bit has a round center. If I press it in a little while it's spinning, the noise stops. Makes me think it's a bit loose, but I don't see any screws or anything that I can tighten or take apart.

Sigh.

 

[TheEarl]

I have two fans that point out the back of the computer. I cleaned, the wires leading to the board are not loose or in the way at all, there's nothing getting in the way.

A picture would be worth a thousand words here.

The bit that spins, with the fans, frond, whatever they are, that bit has a round center. If I press it in a little while it's spinning, the noise stops. Makes me think it's a bit loose, but I don't see any screws or anything that I can tighten or take apart.

Sigh.

It's a duff fan then. Something has bent or bucked and the fan is clipping it on the way around. Trace the wire from that fan back to the motherboard (where it plugs in) and unplug it. Then remove that fan and take it to a computer shop to get a replacement. Plug back in in exactly the same place, et voila.

Be very sure to a) have all power turned off and b) touch something metal and earthed to discharge static before you start.

The Earl

 

[SeaCat]

I'm sory to have to be the one to tell you this, but it's time to break out the widows weeds. It sounds as though the fan is on it's last legs.

Thankfully though, this is an easy fix. Head on down to your local computer store and pick up a replacement fan. They don't cost much and they are easily replaced. I just replaced the one in my desk top system and it took me about ten bucks and five minutes. (Mine was starting to sound like a W.W. II Bomber flying overhead.)

Cat

 

[LadyJeanne]

I'm sory to have to be the one to tell you this, but it's time to break out the widows weeds. It sounds as though the fan is on it's last legs.

Thankfully though, this is an easy fix. Head on down to your local computer store and pick up a replacement fan. They don't cost much and they are easily replaced. I just replaced the one in my desk top system and it took me about ten bucks and five minutes. (Mine was starting to sound like a W.W. II Bomber flying overhead.)

Cat

Yes, WWII bomber in my office! Making me nuts. All right, I can get a replacement.


Earl, too late! I've been mucking around in there with power off and power on...fortunately, no shocks.

Thanks, everyone!

Thread open for random flirting now.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Yup, it's the fan gone kablooie. (sorry for the technical jargon). Actually, it's probably a bearing or something in the hub assembly, since it stops when you push on it. If it was something the fan blades were hitting, you'd probably be able to detect that with a visual inspection... err, "see what it was."

If you have an old PC lying around, you could probably poach a fan from that; but as others have said, you should be able to get by with a replacement under about $20, and if you were able to do al that dust-cleaning, replacing the fan should be a cinch.

 

[snooper]

You are lucky. You have two fans. Judging by my feedback, I don't have any.

As to sympathy, you can find that in any good dictionary, somewhere between shit and syphilis.

 

[LadyJeanne]

You are lucky. You have two fans. Judging by my feedback, I don't have any.

With the CPU fan, I have three. But none of them vote.

 

[gauchecritic]

You probably know this already but, as a word of caution, you also have what looks like a large fan but is in fact the power supply. If it has wires leading all over the place to various other bits then you should replace it immediately.

If it is the the PSU then you need to be really careful and/or knowledgable about how it fits in with everything when replacing.

 

[Lisa Denton]

Yes, WWII bomber in my office! Making me nuts. All right, I can get a replacement.


Earl, too late! I've been mucking around in there with power off and power on...fortunately, no shocks.

Thanks, everyone!

Actually, you shouldn't be thanking any person, but the computer gods who spared your life, with the power on and off while you were muckin around. Also the fact that your computer's life was saved is rather baffling, could be something to write on a t-shirt "Me and my computer both lived through a power on fan change."

 

[TheEarl]

Actually, you shouldn't be thanking any person, but the computer gods who spared your life, with the power on and off while you were muckin around. Also the fact that your computer's life was saved is rather baffling, could be something to write on a t-shirt "Me and my computer both lived through a power on fan change."

<laughs>

The Earl

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

LadyJeanne,

Your hands-on approach to computer repair would suffer a volt-face should you happen to intercept what my father was wont to call a lifter.

With luck (not necessarily good) you could embark upon a whole new career, not as a music or train conductor – but one of electrical currents.

As Shakespeare once said of the toad – ugly and venomous – with a few precious joules in your head you could be transmuted from deluded to deleted.

 

[TheEarl]

LadyJeanne,

Your hands-on approach to computer repair would suffer a volt-face should you happen to intercept what my father was wont to call a lifter.

With luck (not necessarily good) you could embark upon a whole new career, not as a music or train conductor – but one of electrical currents.

As Shakespeare once said of the toad – ugly and venomous – with a few precious joules in your head you could be transmuted from deluded to deleted.

VB: That's awful! Go and stand in the corner with your hands on your head and think about what you've done.

The Earl

 

[LadyJeanne]

Relax, everyone. It's all ok.

I didn't actually replace the fans while the computer was on. I opened up the case, cleaned, then turned it on to see where the noise was coming from. Then I turned it off and slipped the fans out of their brackets to clean them. Slipped them back in. Turned the PC on.

At no point did I disconnect the fan from the motherboard. I may have touched some stuff with the dust cloth even when it was on, though...

In any case, I don't need to replace anything. Both fans are spinning just fine, and I made the noise stop by inserting a piece of index card between the plastic fan frame and the plastic brackets. Noisy vibration gone.

Edited to add: And my floor is hardwood. No static.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

The Earl

It is my opinion that puns are the NUMBER ONE form of humour.














Number One being the LOWEST number.

 

[DrFreud]

Relax, everyone. It's all ok.

I didn't actually replace the fans while the computer was on. I opened up the case, cleaned, then turned it on to see where the noise was coming from. Then I turned it off and slipped the fans out of their brackets to clean them. Slipped them back in. Turned the PC on.

At no point did I disconnect the fan from the motherboard. I may have touched some stuff with the dust cloth even when it was on, though...

In any case, I don't need to replace anything. Both fans are spinning just fine, and I made the noise stop by inserting a piece of index card between the plastic fan frame and the plastic brackets. Noisy vibration gone.

Edited to add: And my floor is hardwood. No static.

I like it when you're talking all technical. Almost as much as your poetry.

DrF - ECC

 

[LadyJeanne]

I like it when you're talking all technical. Almost as much as your poetry.

DrF - ECC

Then shall I speak to you
of servers, and EAI,
infrastructure layers
and solution stacks?
Does your DBA Oracle or SQL?
No Windows, no Java...
UNIX invented here.
Is my application
compatible?

 

[Huckleman2000]

Then shall I speak to you
of servers, and EAI,
infrastructure layers
and solution stacks?
Does your DBA Oracle or SQL?
No Windows, no Java...
UNIX invented here.
Is my application
compatible?

Oh BABY! Painted the freakin' CEILING with that one!

ok, not really.

 

[DrFreud]

Then shall I speak to you
of servers, and EAI,
infrastructure layers
and solution stacks?
Does your DBA Oracle or SQL?
No Windows, no Java...
UNIX invented here.
Is my application
compatible?

Oh my. you said the U word. A techie poet, how exciting.

Poetry i can't write
But C and assembly sound right.
Windows or Unix I don't care.
Just run your stuff in VMware.


DrF

 

[TheEarl]

Haiku error message

Water spills downwards.
Electric stream cascades sparks.
Data flow ceases.

http://www.baetzler.de/humor/haiku_error.var

The Earl

 

[TheEarl]

With searching comes loss
and the presence of absence:
"My Novel" not found.

Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working
Windows is like that.

No keyboard present
Hit F1 to continue
Zen engineering?

control, alt, delete
digital hari-kiri
three-fingered salute

Your work has vanished.
Please Abort, Retry, Ignore.
Weep not bitter tears.

The Earl

 

[LadyJeanne]

Oh BABY! Painted the freakin' CEILING with that one!

ok, not really.

PAINTING is like sex...

- stripping is recommended
- taking the time to prime carefully will yield the best results
- repeated stroking is necessary throughout the process
- you might find yourself in the strangest positions to get to those hard to reach spots
- patience and effort is rewarded with satisfaction in a job well done
- you almost always have to do it again