Computer tech question

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wistech · #1 Post by **wistech** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 11:22 pm

I just noticed today the harddrive on the shop computer is making a wierd sound. Kind of like water running through a restriction in a pipe. Is this the bearings going out on the disc spindle . The battery backup power supply has also failed on the outlet the computer was using. I plugged it into the wall outlet for now. Its a compac deskpro ,Im guessing 1998 vintage. Might be time to put it out of it misery. It still works fine just getting loud. Might need a z400 bearing.LOL

kdeal · #2 Post by **kdeal** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 1:35 am

Sounds about right. When it starts taking a long time to process it's on it's last leg. Or it just won't reboot. Do a backup of whatever you got on the drive...NOW.

badvox · #3 Post by **badvox** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 1:47 am

Could be 2 things. Either the hard drive or the fan. Fans make some really nasty noise when the go out too. Could just be the fan.

About every year or 2 I reformat my drives. After a while the registry just gets too bloated and the system starts to run reallll slow.

Then again most people I help when they say its circa 90's I tell them to buy a new one.

~Mike

wistech · #4 Post by **wistech** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:15 am

New computer? Heck this thing isnt even ten years old. LOL I just installed windows 98 .

jwheat · #5 Post by **jwheat** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 3:13 am

Pop it on the side with your hand...if it changes pitch, it's probably your power supply going out. Cheap as computers are...just buy a new one.:hammer:

CptHook · #6 Post by **CptHook** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 3:10 pm

I usually dont recommend people whacking the sides of thier computers because it can cause damage to your hard drive since the vibration can cause the read head to scrape off the disk, but since its a compaq, I wouldnt worry about it

. Water through a pipe? Sounds like a normal harddrive just seeking, but if its a new sound it could be a number of things. Ive never really heard of fans making a sound before they go, they just stop working altogether, unless they are physically vibrating off something. Generally with a fan you will smell something going, or see it going (like the fan on my last video card)

You might also want to do a defrag of your drive. Sounds coming from your drive means its doing an awful lot of extra thinking, and Windows 98 isnt very good with block adressing, so if you are constantly installing and deleting stuff on it, you are going to have alot of holes and unused spaces in your drive which will cause your drive to work harder.

wistech · #7 Post by **wistech** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:56 am

I defragged the hard drive (all 2 gigs) and today its not grinding very loud at all. You guys are good.

We shall see how long she lasts.

CptHook · #8 Post by **CptHook** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 3:04 am

Hey man, no prob, you keep figuring these quads out, and we'll do the computers :drink:

badvox · #9 Post by **badvox** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:00 pm

QUOTE

Originally posted by wistech
I defragged the hard drive (all 2 gigs) and today its not grinding very loud at all. You guys are good. We shall see how long she lasts.

As long as you remember what hook said, WINDOWS 98 file system SUCKS!!! :hammer:

I hate having to support Windows 98 in software. Just horrid compared to XP or even 2K.

mike

KRMit · #10 Post by **KRMit** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 6:46 pm

Usually, by time you hear a sound coming from your hard drive it's unreadable or close to it. Fans DO commonly make noise before going out and are more likely to make noise than the hard drive. It's simple to figure it out. Take the side cover off the PC and listen to where the sound is coming from. If you want to be sure you can always stop each fan for a few seconds while the PC is running.

CAUTION 110 volts can hurt! Sticking your finger in a 5000rpm fan can hurt! You can damage the fan blades by sticking something in the fans. Use common sense or keep the case screws intact. Ok, I'm through with the disclaimer. :deal: