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Computer Making Scary Noises?

Here’s how to diagnose computer noises.

Content provided by Experimax Parker.
View original article here.

There are two scary moments in a computer user’s life: blue screen and scary noises. In most situations, a blue screen can be solved (at least temporarily) with a hard restart, but those ugly noises? Not so easy to figure those out.

What should you do if you hear scary noises coming from your computer? Stop and Listen!

The first step to identifying a problem with your computer is to pause and listen so that you can isolate the location of the noise. Once you pinpoint where the noise is coming from, take a look around that area and see if you can identify signs of physical damage.

You’ll also want to use the noise to alert you to any unusual smells coming from your computer as well. Any signs of smoke or the smell of burnt electronics will require your system to be shut down by pressing the power button for a few seconds. If the noise and smell are coming from the back of your computer, your power supply may be damaged. If you don’t see any smoke but you can smell it, or if the smoke comes from the computer’s sides, then your motherboard may be in grave danger since its chips could be on fire.

Many times, the rear fan causes scary noises but since it’s close to the power supply you need to make sure that you know what really causes the noise. Here’s a potential list of noise sources:

  • Top rear – power supply fan or the fan in the case
  • The side of the unit, close to the middle – the CPU cooler or the graphics card
  • Forward bottom region (a slow and repetitive sound) – hard drive . . . shut down the system ASAP
  • Lower forward area (a whirring or rapidly repetitive sound) – a fan
  • DVD drive – eject the disc and try another one but if the sounds persist, the drive needs to be looked at

How can I keep my computer from making scary noises?

Believe it or not, cleaning your computer from time to time to keep dust out can be incredibly helpful. If you are not comfortable doing this yourself, bring it into your local Experimax store and our experienced techs will help you with this. In the process, they will also go ahead and give it a checkup, much like your annual doctor visit.  

The team at Experimax can help you locate the cause of the scary noises in your computer. Most of the time, the scary noises coming from a computer can be fixed through a small clean up or the replacement of the affected parts. Stop by today for an evaluation; no appointment needed and your computer will be worked on right in our store as opposed to being shipped out for weeks.