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Hi
My computer has been constantly making a whirring noise over the last 10 days.
I have taken the side off to try to determine the source of the noise and initially i thought that it was the fan but now I am beginning to think that it may be the hard drive on its last leg.
I was wondering if i was to disconnect the hard drive and then restart the PC if the noise wasn't evident then would this diagnose the cause of the noise
and also would the PC be able to boot if the HD was disconnected
I have a lot of info on my hard drive that I really don't want to lose so any advice would be welcome
thanks
Di
If you disconnect your HDD, you will need to boot off another device like a diskette, CD/DVD, or external device like a USB drive.
If your HDD is making noise, you should archive everything ASAP.
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Thanks for the quick response and your advice
I have managed to back up everything of extreme importance
I'm not quite sure how to create a boot disk for windows XP
should I try a search?thanks
Di
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Insert 3.5 diskette in "A" drive.
Open "My Computer" on desk top.
Right click on "A" drive.
Select "Format".
Follow directions to create MS-Dos start up disk.
Can also be done with burner.
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I have just downloaded a tool to check my hard drive.
Powermax from Maxtor website
It did a thorough check of my hard drive and found no errors
The PC is still groaning ,I have checked the fan and got rid of any dust so I am not quite sure what is causing the noise.
any further help would be welcome
Thanks
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Diagnistic tools check for problems with the platter and electronics. They do not check for worn or noisy bearings.
If you disconnect the hard drive and th noise stops, then it is your hard drive making the noise.
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u can boot your computer without the hd connected you will only be able to get into your bios.. won't go any further.. but it will be enough to see if that is your problem.. just unplug the power cable..
Shuttle AN35N-Ultra
AMD 2600B-M O/C 2.3Gig
Geil 1gb 3200DDR
Gforce 6800 Ultra 256ddr
UV Clear Acrylic Blue case
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I disconnected the HD and the noise continued.
I have had another good listen and it seems that it may be coming from the fan
I have an Athlon 750mhz processor which has a fan and a cooler attached to it
the fan is spinning around OK but the cooler is idle
It seems like something is trying to start up and isn't succeeding could it be the fan and cooler that need replacing?
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That could suggest a bad bearing in your HSF.
Any chance that the noise could be coming from your PSU?
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it seems like your fan has some bad bearings in it.. it will last but not much longer.. I'd look into replacing the fan.. the cooler dosn't have any moving parts.. the fan is attached to it and it is attached to your chip to cool it. see if you can locate another fan of the same size and possibly replace it..the old processor is probably the slot type.. they are pretty easy to remove but just be carful.
try this.. with the computer on touch the center of the fan to stop it from spinning and see if the noise stops.. just do it for a second and then let it spin back up.. that will tell you precisely if it is that specific part.
Shuttle AN35N-Ultra
AMD 2600B-M O/C 2.3Gig
Geil 1gb 3200DDR
Gforce 6800 Ultra 256ddr
UV Clear Acrylic Blue case
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