unusual noises

[SBarr]

unusual noise in tower at start-up> constant whirrring sound
goes away about 10 minutes later or switch off/on 3-4 times
runs fine during noise and after
Normal Fan sound during run
no error messages
have: AMD Athlon Processor 1 GHZ
30GB IDE ATA 66 5400 RPM Hard Drive
Sony CD-R/CD-RW 8X Write/4X Rewrite/32X Read
16X DVD Drive/32X Max CD-ROM Drive
PENTIUM 80MM CASE FAN
Systemax Micro ATX Case w/200 Watt Power Supply

[Reid]

It is likely a fan bearing going bad. It should be fairly easy to locate the noise source with the cover off. When sleeve bearings start to wear out, they may quiet down after a short time. If you find a noisy fan, just replace it right away, especially if it is the CPU fan.

It might also be coming from the hard drive, but my experience is that they just keep getting noisier, not quiet down after a while.

Your power supply seems like it may be a little light duty for the CPU you are running. You might want to check AMD's power supply recommendations (http://www1.amd.com/athlon/npower/). They recommend at least a 250W, and that would need to be a quality model. I think you should go with at least a 300W power supply.

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Friends don't let friends install Windows ME



[This message has been edited by Reid (edited 01-18-2002).]

[SBarr]

Originally posted by Reid:
It is likely a fan bearing going bad. It should be fairly easy to locate the noise source with the cover off. When sleeve bearings start to wear out, they may quiet down after a short time. If you find a noisy fan, just replace it right away, especially if it is the CPU fan.

It might also be coming from the hard drive, but my experience is that they just keep getting noisier, not quiet down after a while.

Your power supply seems like it may be a little light duty for the CPU you are running. You might want to check AMD's power supply recommendations (http://www1.amd.com/athlon/npower/). They recommend at least a 250W, and that would need to be a quality model. I think you should go with at least a 300W power supply.

[SBarr]

Thank you for your reply.
Should I try 3n1 oil lightly first or just replace the fan?

[SBarr]

"Friends don't let friends install Windows ME"
What is wrong with Windows ME? What's better?

[Reid]

I've tried oiling fan bearings, but it only gets a little extra life out of them. I think once they wear enough to make noise, failure is not too far away.

In my opinion, Windows 98SE is the best Windows OS for a computer more than two years old, and XP is the best for a newer system that has compatible hardware (and programs.) Slower Pentiums and 486's would do better with Windows 95. I tend to agree with those who say ME is the worst product Microsoft has made. I know it works well for some people, but not for me.

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Friends don't let friends install Windows ME

[SBarr]

Originally posted by Reid:
I've tried oiling fan bearings, but it only gets a little extra life out of them. I think once they wear enough to make noise, failure is not too far away.

In my opinion, Windows 98SE is the best Windows OS for a computer more than two years old, and XP is the best for a newer system that has compatible hardware (and programs.) Slower Pentiums and 486's would do better with Windows 95. I tend to agree with those who say ME is the worst product Microsoft has made. I know it works well for some people, but not for me.



Thanks again for your help. I appreciate your information.
Should I replace the fan with same: PENTIUM 80MM CASE FAN?
Best reliable parts business? My computer is only one year old...should the
fan have lasted longer? Buy from the original computer business...Systemax/other?

My computer came installed with Windows ME...$99.00 to upgrade to XP worth
the difference in performance?

[Reid]

I have bought from CablesNmor (http://www.cablesnmor.com/cpufan.html#drive) and CyberGuys (http://www.cyberguys.com/). Postage and handling may cost almost as much as the fan, so purchasing a fan at a local shop, if you have one near, could save some money.

Fans usually last longer than that, but the cheaper sleeve bearing types seem to go out faster than a good ball bearing type.

If ME works OK for you, I hesitate to recommend XP since I don't know how it would perform with your hardware and programs. The performance difference might not be worth it to you. I bought XP because it is more crash resistant.

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Friends don't let friends install Windows ME

[This message has been edited by Reid (edited 01-19-2002).]

[Randy_tx]

Just replacing the "fan" will not solve the greater problem I believe you have.......too little Power Supply for that powerful of a system. If you add something else to it....another device, for example, you run a good risk of continual problems - a 200 watt ps wont be able to deal with the start-up demands of all the other devices. Buy a 300 watt or greater power supply and you will be glad you did!
Good luck

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XP didn't save Me !