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"Grinding" noise from inside computer.

My Ma has an old desktop pc, which this morning has started making a grinding noise, "like an aeroplane coming in to land"!? However, when I went round it started up and worked fine, so the problem is intermittent (for now).

Anybody have any idea what it might be. I thought about the internal fan? But would any of the hardware - motherboard, etc - make such noises if it was on it's way out?

It's an old machine and ready for replacement anyway, but if we can limp along until the Xmas sales that would be a bonus.

Any help appreciated.

Many thanks.

Comments

  • Stompa
    Stompa Posts: 8,357 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    It sounds like a mechanical noise, so a fan seems most likely, I guess a disk drive is another possibility.
    Stompa
  • Bushey
    Bushey Posts: 37 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    May well be the fan, No problem? wrong!!! Fan's cools, therefore Pc Works fine,
    Maybe Fan now doesnt cool effectively, PC gets hot and Burns out any item inside the Case, which may include the HDD.
    back up all the info you dont want to lose, dont chance waiting til christmas.
    The same if the HDD Is on the way out. backup!!
    Bushwacker. :beer:
    Retired @55yrs Financially Secure, & Totally Completely, Utterly debt free! :j
  • JasX
    JasX Posts: 3,996 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Run it with the side off and you should be able to work out which bit is making the noise

    Is the PC full of dust - if so might be worth getting some of it out (canned air or clean paintbrush = good, big vacuum cleaner that generates heaps of static electricity and fries all the silicon chips inside your PC in the process = bad)
  • Thanks guys,

    Have told her to back up any data. Will give it a clean at the weekend and see what happens.

    Appreciate all the advice.
  • busenbust
    busenbust Posts: 4,782 Forumite
    Yep, agree, give the innards a clean. esp. the fan and motherboard.
  • prowla
    prowla Posts: 13,722 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Yup - definitely back up your data!
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