weird noise coming from my pc

hertz

When I turn my machine on i get a weird noise from either the powers upply or the fan, I think its the fan. Could dust cause this because I know my machine is 2 yrs old and I havent dusted it. Or could it be a wire thats touching and rattling off the fan/power supply? This noise then dies away when windows boots up? My machine is a dell dimension.

Any suggestions

Hertz

bizmark

Hard drive might be on the way out

Dr. Loon

Unplug all the cables at the back of the PC, and then throw it out your window.

Alternatively you could try opening it up and taking a look. Turn it on while opened and try to figure out where the sound is coming from. Could be hard disk, could be anything really. Maybe dust it while you're at it!?

BigEejit

I have this exact problem right at the moment .... caused by a small fan on the northbridge of my motherboard ... yours may be a fan as well (or a drive) ... open up the computer and then power it on .... dont be afraid of it ... the worst that it can do is break ... or electrocute you ....:D
(PS if you have long hair keep it away from the fans when they are being powered on .... could cause a nasty accident ......:D )

hertz

If it is a fan or power supply are they easy to replace for dell computers?

Kali

Originally posted by hertz
If it is a fan or power supply are they easy to replace for dell computers?

usually not necessary.. dismantle, clean & lubricate and refit.

OfflerCrocGod

There will be a sticker over the centre of the fan unit remove it (therefore exopsing the workings of the fan to an extent) and put some grease in there to lubricate the fan, you shouldn't use WD-40 because it dries quickly and dust sticks to it.

Duffman

My Dimension started to sound like a lawn mower... It was the tiny fan on my gfx card... check that...

hertz

Well my hard disc doesnt work now, so that seems to be the load noise I was hearing.