Random "Mouse click" hardware noise! - Is this bad!?

[Steeevoe]

Hi

Not quite sure why but somewhere in my case there is something making a "mouse-click" noise. Most apparent when my system has just been turned on (maybe once every minute) and then afterwards if can be from 1/five mins, to 1 every hour!

Should I be worried?


The most old parts of my system are the case, case fan, the IDE hard drive (not with OS), and DVD RW.

Only had the graphics card running for a year. It has not been OC in this time either.

All the other parts have been bought between Christmas and now.

 

[Jonathan_King]

I'd suspect the IDE hard drive. The only parts that can make noise are mechanical ones.

The hard disk and optical driver are the only mechanical hardware really, unless you count fans.

IDE disks are old enough now that stuff like that wouldn't surprise me.

If you are concerned, you can try running some diagnostic software for your drive:

HD Diagnostic

 

[Steeevoe]

Ok, thank you

 

[Digerati]

Hard drive noise come from within the computer case. Mouse clicks come from your speakers. Where is your noise coming from? Have you scanned for malware?

Note that the same click sound is used for other system sounds, like opening files - which would coincide with this happening during boot.

 

[Steeevoe]

The sound is comming from the case, appeared to be the front of it. When io press the power button is it does a run of clicks on top of each other, a 'flutter of them'.

I did some investigation! As soon as I put the case on its side it had stopped doing it! I kept on turning it on and off but I couldn't find where abouts the click was comming from, probably more the front side where the hard drives are and power button is.

When I first installed my PSU I kept some of the wires tied together. The ones that were not used at all, with a tie, out of the way of the motherboard, and below the hard drive. The plastic covered ones with a wire running down the middle that keeps cables wrapped up in the box new. I removed this, and let the cables hand free. There is a big space there so I think they should be ok there for now. When I turned it on, the flutter noise seemed to have disappeared. I still the intermittent clicks though.

I don't understand why undoing a tie around left over powercables would make a difference. I guess they could be acting like a coil, and causing something to move. Who knows. The wires are still underneath the harddrive

 

[Digerati]

It is possible one of your wires was being hit by a spinning fan blade and moving the wires moved it out of the way.

But note too hard drives make clicking noises too that are perfectly normal.

 

[Steeevoe]

I am back again!

My computer has been crashing as well now. The screen, mouse, HD light all stays in its last position. Sometimes if I have music or a video showing the sound will also crash with a loverly high pitch squeech. This has been doing it for a while along side with the clicking from the PSU. When I booted up in XP that seemed to put a stop to it, for a little while anyway.

It did in in XP yesterday, so I took out one stick of RAM and left the computer on it's side. This seemed to of stopped it. I put the RAM back in with the PC on its side still, and it is fine!

Positional computer problems :O
I guess the warm air coming out of the PSU is less on the side as heat will not be collecting in the roof of the computer.

Unfortunately I have been frantically revising, and this problem did not help. I hope my PC lasts for my exams on mon, tue and wed. I hope I pass them!! I think I will head down to the computer shop on thursday with my computer to sort this all out

 

[Steeevoe]

It might look like a bit of a bump, but this is the conclusion:

After the continuous crashing, I ended up taking my PSU to be checked at the computer shop I bought it as they would do this for free. Got called up the next day saying the 5v rail had bust, well one of the rails, they gave me a new one. I never used this, and decided to buy an Enermax MODU87+ 600W. I think this beast does the job fine.

 

[Dwarf]

So you've replaced the PSU and everything is now working OK, with the same mouse?