The Energon Pub

[Marty Rocket]

Something very strange happened to my desktop computer, waking me up. The computer sounded like it was trying to turn on, it was making this clicking noise while the fan of the computer was whirring. Ontop of that, the lights on the keyboard were flashing on and off. I haven't had this desktop on since last summer since I just use it as a hub for my home's wireless network.

Can anybody tell me what on Earth was going on there? I've unplugged the computer for now because it was so strange. If anybody has any suggestions, I'd sure appreciate them...

[Razor One]

The screensaver light on my keyboard lights up whenever I press too many keys at the same time, disconnecting and reconnecting the keyboard usually fixes it.

Sometimes my compy resets itself for no apparent reason. It's rare but it happens.

As for the sounds, there are a couple of possibilities.

The clicking noise, at the very worst case scenario may be parts of the hard drive clicking indicating some internal problem. That's the absolute worst case scenario mind you, and I seriously doubt you'd be able to use your compy if that was the case.

The whirring sound is likely the fan. Mine also sounds like it's grinding a bit, a good whack to the case usually resolves it, though it can be stubborn sometimes. I usually stick my finger in the fan, twirl it backwards, lift it up a little and then let it go again. Sometimes it fixes the problem in one shot, other times it takes a few hours doing this on and off depending how irritating the grinding sound is.

Just to note, it's just one fan that makes the grinding sound in my compy. It's extremely loud for such a small and otherwise near silent fan, kind of like a purring kitten suddenly making the sound of a jackhammer on a whim.

The fan problem is usually a result of dust building up in the case. Pull off the sides of your case and try blowing out the dust outside. If you have a compressor and a hose, try blowing it out with that.

If you could get a recording of the sound itself it may help to resolve exactly what the problem at hand is.

Hope this helps.

[Nightracer GT]

I used to get a grinding sound in my computer. I figured out that it was the video card fan, only a year and half after I got it.

It was a poopy stock fan. I went out and bought a replacement fan, did some surgery on my video card, and I never heard a grinding noise again.


That was 6 years ago. I'm still using the same exact computer, after a few reformats, that is, but the same equipment. Yeah it's a dinosaur, but it's tough.


My guess is, you have a poopy stock fan in there that just bought it. They do that to dupe people who aren't technology savy into buying whole new machines, when all you really need to do is fix one little thing. Go to a place that sells computer parts and talk to them about it. The more mom and pop the place, the better. Do not go into Best Buy and talk to Geek Squad. Do not go into Comp USA. Find a little computer place and talk to them, they probably have the fan you need in the store. All you need to do then is either fix it yourself or have them do it for a nominal fee.

As for the blinking keyboard, it could be a whole other problem at the same time, or most likely the computer was confused as a result of poopy stock parts causing too much heat build-up. You'd be surprised how big a part temperature plays with these things.