Ariesjill

Inlast days....I am hearing very subtle little sound.....waxes and wanes within like 4 second loop.....emenating from front of my Optiplex tower. All the drives R behind the front.

V hard 2 describe, kinda like little buzzing but not really. wish I could describe it bettah....not lke conventional, drive going bad noise. I have no clue wut it is.

I have two almost new HDDS installed in this Optiplex.....also new PSU. Am not liking this, any thoughts, advice, feeback, suggestions???

Should I open tower and C if I can learn more that way?

Thanks,
Jill

Ariesjill

More info case it helps:

Just ran Astra 32. Limited diagnostically, but it said both drives were healthy and running at 33 & 35 c respectively.

But still think sumthin is wrong. Or not. I do get paranoid, it's true.

Doby

Well if both drives test as healthy then I would not worry about those. I would just keep a close eye on the system for any bad behavior

linderman

Hello Jill



Open the case, can use this oppurtuntiy to blow out case with compressed air anyway.


then see if you can isolate the noise, you can often use a long solid object like a plastic rod or wooden dowel, hold it to your ear as you touch different parts of the computer.

keep us posted on what you find.

Ariesjill

O....both of U....thank U. Could even be something is 2 close to something and sound/vibration emanating, yes? Hope.

When I finish my site work, I will follow up, open tower, listen, test with dowels....forget ,that is hysterically cute. I will use an orchid inflorescence stake. I mean it. Cause they....R dowels! I assume U mean kinda like tuning fork? Will also try not to touch anything LIVE< OMG.

Am out of compressed air.....but I will follow up, do wut I can and C wut I can C and post a report.

Thanks so much; I hate how upset I get when my puters R less than perfect.
Jill

Ariesjill

Report;

1) I opened tower and booted system on it's side. With stick at the ready....but did not use stick.

2) Very little dust, almost none.

3) the oly sound I heard was the fan.....nothing from the drive area.

4) Only thing I saw was a capped interim power station from one of the power cords which, in upright po(everything is beautifully cappped in these Optiplexes) position might have been touching sumthin. So I moved it.

5) Withut unplugging, I closed tower and Put it upright. NOW>...STRANGE EMANATING IS GONE!

6) along with main issue, I also noticed around same time, when I would mousclick on something sometimes....or just push a given KB key...this is occasionally, a tiny, subtle llittle SQUEAK....would emenate from tower. Not like bios noise....like tiny mousey squeak.

I am serious, OK?

7) when tower was upright again....and I hit function key, email....I heard it. the tiny squeak. IN THE TOWER.

That is all I have 2 report. But FIRST noise really is gone....the little, subtle looping noise.

I dunno.....maye thing just wanted to lie down for a bit? Can't believe that capped interim power plug I moved was the issue......
This is like from those submarine films, right? Where they use the sonar to pick up ambient sounds? OK, maybe not.

PS....Just now......I clicked on my desktop icon (shortcuts) folder....and little squeak....more like little TRILL.....EMANATED. I nevah had this before.

linderman

yes dowel give tuning fork feeling

my favorite is a plastic stick, dont remember where i got it the wood will work, although wood will absorb vibrations, but you have better hearing than me anyway, so it will probally work great for you! too many years of construction will make you deaf!

two things come to mind with your issue, case fan dying (thats ok they are cheap)

power supply dying (no soo cheap nor cool )

check to me sure its not a motherboard warning chirp

these can be a real nightmare to isolate, patience is a must


I would run the machnine with case cover off; until I KNEW for sure what was the culprit

could be a drive ????? who knows try running one drive unplugged take turns with them

see if full load will make it more obvious, run spyware scanner, anti virus scanner and defrag all at the same time >>>> that should give uit something to chirp about if it wants to complain

Ariesjill

Thanks so much for this response, Joseph! Beween the sound going away, the primary one and today the aqueak, until reading yr post, I was in Fool's Paradise. But gotta know the truth.

1) Remembah.....both noises, today, absent.

2) When I said getting down on floor with sharp ear when case was open and hearing fan...i did not mean pathlogical fan sound...just the expected normal sound. Sorry I did not make that clear.

3) Pls remember....only becuase of U.....was I inolved to install new, 300W PSU 2 replace original 250w. I honestly don't think it is the PSU and probably neither of the drives.

4) CHIRPING IS IT. Neither squeakng nor trilling....CHIRP. this nailing it my kind of thing and I thank U so much.

Butttt.....while things normal today,I am now worried about this mobo warning thingy I never heard of.

I will, the minute I can, run many things--I guess, a kind of stress test, right? and monitor the results & report back.

Should also say....other day, in the midst of sumthin....I got KB malfunction thingy. I unplugged and plugged and it went away. Do not know it this relates to any of the above, but just remembered and feels it bears mention.

But is it not good sign that so far today everything appears normal? Were this something blech....would this B? (That was scraping bottom of I sooo want this 2 be not blech barrel.)

Will report back.

Bless U.

linderman

???? time & investigative mind will tell

Ariesjill

OK I did test. Will attach wut I ran simultaneously....shocked 2 find that CPU only rached 100% rarely.....was far lower than I expected mostly.

I did this with tower closed& upright. Nuthng...no sound one or chirping.

Wut do U think this means and wut should I do now? Run another test with twice the apps? Chill? Sumthng else?
-__________________________
Good part: I got diverted from Virginia and tears went away.

Attached Images

Test apps.JPG (69.8 KB, 3 views)

linderman

yeah; I think you are going to have to ingore the problem until it gets brave enough to surface again, then again It may never surface again ?

Ariesjill

O no!!!!.....I am not good at ignoring anything, Joseph. But perhaps meant to learn that now! It is related to patience....sumthin else I ain't that good at.

Will say, my CPU way bettah than I realized.
Thank U!!!!

linderman

CPU performs betta than U thought >>>>> silver lining in the cloud

Ariesjill

Major...if U R open...U C these in all things. Nobody can who is lnear or agenda-ridden...or even soley goal-oriented.

Forget I learned "chirp'.....now also, perhaps to live MORE wut I tell others: be in the moment, it's all we have but all we NEED, NUTHIN BETTER...LEFT FOOT, RIGHT FOOT; THE JOURNEY is NOT some mpediment to The Goal!

U don't think this is like Bird Flu, right?
*********************************
Hold it! Joust this second....first subtle little noise returned. Blech.

Gotta work....but will later put tower on side and oopne and run it that way....ca't open these unless U put them on their sides. I hate this. but will get 2 bottom of it with help.

Question, Pls: U may recall that one of my new driveds, Luci...cause U called her Lucifer as I was told she is Deathstar, hence her name...U said Hitachi fixed before Luci was born.....I am booted into Jilly the WD now. Could this sound B Luci? Is Luci spinning?.....don't think I am writing to or reading from her this moment.....but I do not know.
______________________________
Now running open and on side....noise gone. I do not get this.

Ariesjill

Update from the exhausted;

1) just finished site work and focused on Optiplex which has been running open & on its side 4 several hours.

2) When I put my palm on the front top of the open tower ....holding all the drives in their respective bays below, I can FEEL THE vibration I once heard: the looping one. I just know it is not normal.

3)_ I took a plastic dowel...the conducting sound bettah than wood kind, and touched the various drives. When I touch Jilly, my main, WD almost new drive I am now booted into, I get vibration. But is this not normal?

How can I assess that, having no references 4 normal/not normal??

4) I will now shut down system and boot into Luci (Hitachi) and test again.

5) Should I run more sophisticated diagnostics on Jilly? From WD? A third party utility? Wut??????? Tell me wut 2 do, I will do it.

U may recall, the first WD drive I got from Newegg was mess. I returned it 2 WD and they sent me a replacement, they said tested....in special braces in the box.....could it be possible this drive is going?????? Wuttttt? No way, right?

OK....will do the above, avoid CNN 2 remain sane and not crying....and post back.

(If I got a gloc and a carry permit....would THAT help THIS? Black humor.)

Ariesjill

OK, blech.

1) I am missing knowledge, so this is getting leetle more confusing.

2) I C looping vibration can B felt at same place just when system is powered on....in this cased, rebooting.

3) I am now confused re into which bay I installed which drive. Caussse.....I am booted into Luci now, BUT--and bet this means sumthing---the same drive i touched with dowel sensor when I was botted into Jilly, I now get vibrations from booted into Luci!

3a) I now realize I can't remember which section of the HDD bay I installed which drive in! I know know which is which (omg)
3b) Plus, I thought only the drive U R booted into....unless U r writing to the other....is active and spinning!

4) Plus.....i pressed my palm with force down on the top of the open case at the fore....and OMG, I got a CHIRP.

Is this mobo chirp? Wut IS mobo chirp??? Does mobo make chirp when hardware is going? Does it do this thing I nevah heard of when mama comes back 2 nest with worms???? Pls tell me wut the CHIRP IS TRYIN 2 TELL ME.

5) Do the above new data indicate a HDD issue? yes, right? Or not.

6) Now, I will pull the drives.....so I can remember which is which. Sad, but necessary; when I did this installation/backup, I thought I was good 2 go for long time. Course, I also think, under it all....everyone is good.

Will now continue 2 compulsively troubleshoot on my own ....until I hear back.

Thank U.

Ariesjill

Finally report of the day....insane 2 B doin this in my state of no sleep & no food.

1) Ok, the vibrating drive is, in fact, Jilly, the WD.

2) I pulled her, identified her...but thennn....with her pulled

3) stupidly tried to power on and boot into Luci....since Luci is at the distal end of the IDE cable, OK?

4) Didn't work...I did f12, got HDD configuration issue screen then remembered, jumper settings.....and I had 2 post 4 help 2 understand Lucis way back.....now I have to go back to that thread and find them. but...

5) When I hit f12 again, jut 4 hell of it, like 8 times....I got MOBO CHIRP. Each time. And nuthing else..

Pls tell me my mobo is not melting.

6) I then reinstalled Jilly, WD back where she was along with Luci.....and here I am writing from her.

7) If I want 2 finish this test, I need to get those jumper settings from that ancient thread; OldGrayGary had to decode them 4 me; even he said they were way confusing.....reset Luci's tic tacs...now she has two... and boot with Luci mounted as master and Jilly absent.
but I do not know if wut I am doing is worth doing!

I am outta gas.....I always am...running on empty, must leave this alone for now.

Hope some part of this yields something valuable 2 help diagnose.

Blech. I hate this. But I always hang in and count my blessings.

Ariesjill

I had to do this....alm ost nauseated with fatigue but I had to.

Downloaded WD diagnostics 4 this drive (Jilly)and ran the fast test. It appears OK, I will put screenie.

But I don't trust anything re this situation right now & gotta accept I can't get further without more help..

Attached Images

WD fast thingy.JPG (105.1 KB, 1 views)

linderman

get some sleep, slow down


we can work on this tonite


run the extended test on WD drive and post back

Ariesjill

Thank U 4 being sane. am always mouseclick away, but in last days ran myself into ground. I. Nobody else. Am trying to restore.....alxo learning challengng lesson: triage.

Oddly all nolises today absent.....I iwll run the long test from WD and report. But triage-wise.....I must put this in perspective.

Agai, that U for the sanity.....I send you a