Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted January 6, 2004 My computer keeps making this weird noise that sounds like a tiny dog is growling at me. At first I thought it was dust inside, so I got cleaning stuff but it didn't help. Does anybody know what this noise is or how I can fix it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 6, 2004 Could be the hard drive going on you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted January 6, 2004 I hope not; I've only owned the thing for two years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 6, 2004 Hard drives can go at anytime unfortunately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JohnnySwift Report post Posted January 7, 2004 Especially if it's a western digital. Those things should have a built in timer from install date to death. Usually around the 2 year point they start to die out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2004 Oh fuck. I'm not a computer expert, but does the hard drive dying mean I have to get an entirely new computer? Where is the best place to take this thing so I can find out exactly what's wrong? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JohnnySwift Report post Posted January 7, 2004 Depending on where you live you should be able to find a computer repair shop not too far away. If your hard drive is dying you just need to get it replaced. A good repair shop should only charge you for parts and an hour labor. You will need to get your files transferred over, but that's not hard if you have good ghosting software. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2004 Depending on where you live you should be able to find a computer repair shop not too far away. Would you reccomend a place like Circuit City or a simple repair shop? Â You will need to get your files transferred over, but that's not hard if you have good ghosting software. What is ghosting software? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2004 Look in the phone book and call a couple local shops and get a quote for transferring your data to a new HD (if that is the problem). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2004 Okay, so I was on the phone with Dell tech support, and as luck would have it the noise started up, so I held the phone to the computer. The guy on the line said that it sounds like my internal fan needs cleaning. Can I get a general description of where the internal fan is located? I knew about the fans on the back of the computer, but I didn't know there was an internal one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2004 (edited) Open the case. Usually 3 by default. CPU, Power supply and possibly the video card. Edited January 7, 2004 by MrRant Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2004 My CD-RW drive blew up 2 days ago. Sounded like a small bomb went off in the thing. The lights on but the drive isn't accessible and I cant get it to open to get whatever might be left of the disc that was in it. Im probably going to have to open up the case and disconnect the drive but Im too lazy to do that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lando Griffin 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2004 You can open the CD drive. Just stick a paper clip in the little hole on the front of the drive, should be right below the drive door. Â Meatwad: Invest in some canned air and clean the case out regularly, like once a month. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sonic Reducer 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 There's always the option of seeing if a dog is stuck inside of your computer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 You can open the CD drive. Just stick a paper clip in the little hole on the front of the drive, should be right below the drive door. Meatwad: Invest in some canned air and clean the case out regularly, like once a month. My cd-rw drive doesnt have a manual open hole. Its a cheap piece of crap drive from Compaq. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest I'm That Damn Zzzzz Report post Posted January 8, 2004 Pry off the drive cover and use a knife tool to push the tray's pin to the right, you should be able to pull the tray out. It's similar to the PS2 cogswap trick: http://ps2.consolevision.com/knife.shtml Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jobber of the Week 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 Did anyone consider that a fan could be going, or simply filled with dust? Â My computer used to sound like a train was going to come through the room. The itty bitty fan on the video card was dying. I just got a new card than replace the fan, but oh well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 I found the problem. After prying off the fan cover with a screwdriver, I found the fan to be working fine. Looking closer, however, I saw that my processor with COVERED with dust. I mean I could barely see the damn thing. Then I realized why. On a Dell Dimension 8100(anybody else have this POS computer?) the fan cover, which incidentally you need three hands to remove unless you use a prying tool, is shaped so that when it collects dust the fan blows it RIGHT ONTO THE PROCESSOR. Needless to say, I took that out permanently. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 I found the problem. After prying off the fan cover with a screwdriver, I found the fan to be working fine. Looking closer, however, I saw that my processor with COVERED with dust. I mean I could barely see the damn thing. Then I realized why. On a Dell Dimension 8100(anybody else have this POS computer?) the fan cover, which incidentally you need three hands to remove unless you use a prying tool, is shaped so that when it collects dust the fan blows it RIGHT ONTO THE PROCESSOR. Needless to say, I took that out permanently. Well, you'll need to put another fan on it, otherwise it will overheat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I found the problem. After prying off the fan cover with a screwdriver, I found the fan to be working fine. Looking closer, however, I saw that my processor with COVERED with dust. I mean I could barely see the damn thing. Then I realized why. On a Dell Dimension 8100(anybody else have this POS computer?) the fan cover, which incidentally you need three hands to remove unless you use a prying tool, is shaped so that when it collects dust the fan blows it RIGHT ONTO THE PROCESSOR. Needless to say, I took that out permanently. Well, you'll need to put another fan on it, otherwise it will overheat. Whoops, I meant the plastic fan cover. Sorry for the confusion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
