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General discussion

Noises from my PC

Dec 27, 2004 3:51AM PST

I just received a new Dell last week. But since I've had it I've noticed a quiet, kinda of static noise coming from it, when it's on. At first I thought it was coming a fan, but it isn't a constant frequency. Sometimes it speeds up and slows down. This leads me to believe its coming from the hard drive. My dad thinks so too. He says "not to worry about it, some computers are louder than others". I'm getting paranoid about it. The noise is noticeable when I'm just surfing the net or word processing. When I'm playing games, I forget all about it. I'm just wondering if the noise is normal, if i'm overreacting or should I do something about it?
My previous PC was just over a year old, also from Dell, and didn't make this noise. So that makes me wonder what to do. Thanks for any advice.

Discussion is locked

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First things first
Dec 27, 2004 7:45AM PST

Report it to Dell. Just in case.

If they have sold you a machine that is going to die on you in the next few days/weeks/months, they are in contravention of their contract to you. Report it now and let them sort it out, and supply you with the quality of goods you expect, or let them inspect the machine and discover and explain to you why it is making this noise.

By doing this now, they cannot say to you later that you should have notified them earlier, and the guarantee is now out of date.

Not perhaps the reply you expected or wanted, but Dell are under an obligation to you to supply fully working and useable goods. If the computer has failed, or is failing, they have not fullfilled their obligation.

Mark

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A replacement Hard Drive
Dec 29, 2004 12:33AM PST

The second response from Dell says that they can either ship me a replacement or arrange to send a service tech to do the same. I told them to just send a replacement, I can do that myself.
I was actually surprised that they responded so quickly.
Well, here's hoping that everything goes smoothly.

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(NT) (NT) Jon, It Sounds Like A Successful Resolution To Me !
Dec 29, 2004 1:45AM PST
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Jon, Take Off The Cover...
Dec 27, 2004 7:55AM PST

...and listen for yourself. Once the cover is off, you can probably tell where the noise is coming from. Remember, many of the newer fans are able to sense the temperature in the case and adjust their speed accordingly. That may be what you are hearing. Older computers had fans that ran constantly.

If you really start working the processor such as with games, graphics, or computer scanning programs, you can usually hear the fans start to roar into action.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Although that is good advice
Dec 27, 2004 7:57AM PST

I just wonder about the warranty. Dell and other manufacturers say that opening the box negates the warranty and as this Dell is only a week old, perhaps he should speak to Dell first.

Just a thought,

Mark

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negate warranty?
Dec 27, 2004 8:17AM PST

It never stopped me from getting warranty work done from Dell. I've owned several and open the case with all of them. I had a modem go bad on the one I currently own and they not only didn't ask if I had opened the case, they let me remove and replace the modem. All I had to do was send the defective part back in the package they sent with the new one.

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Mark, It Doesn't Negate Our Office Dell Warranties
Dec 27, 2004 8:41AM PST

...as long as we don't actually do damage to the "guts" of the machine.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Contacting Dell
Dec 27, 2004 12:37PM PST

Yeah, I guess the best thing for me to do would be to contact Dell. I'm almost positive it isn't the fan, just because I think I can distinguish the fan's noise from this unusual noise. It just seems like something other than the fan. I'll contact Dell and in the mean time I'll prolly open up the case, to see if i can pinpoint the noise's source.
I'm assuming its OK to open the case while the computer is on???? Of course, I wouldn't be touching anything.

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Jon, I Normally Turn Off The Machine, Disconnect From...
Dec 27, 2004 1:28PM PST

...power, remove the cover, then turn the machine back on.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Response from Dell
Dec 28, 2004 12:25AM PST

A rep from Dell emailed me and gave me two links to troubleshoot the noise. The first involved using the check disk utility. The second involved opening the case and systematically tracking the noise down. Well, its definitely coming from the hard drive. Dell says that some noises are normal from hard drives. The noise I hear reminds me of coffee percolating. Do you think that would be a normal noise?
I've contacted Dell also with that info, but I'd like to hear a third party's advice too.
Thanks for the help so far. I appreciate it.

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comp noise
Dec 28, 2004 12:51AM PST

I have 2 Dell comp. 1 is a 400 series, the newer, a 4000 series. The newer is totally quiet, the older, makes a noise off the HD. I don't pay any attention to it. I just keep them both maintained. When the older one finally dies, I will just upgrade it with new parts.

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Jon, All Our Dell's Are Quiet
Dec 28, 2004 1:39AM PST

A few of the older machines will make the "perking" noise intially at start up, but after the initial boot, very little sound is heard except when working the machine hard. Our newer ones make almost no noise at all. We have about 20 Dell computers.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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so is mine
Dec 28, 2004 5:52AM PST

Dell support is not as good as it used to be. I would advise you to be persistant and have this checked out. And make sure you keep your important data/information saved daily. I had a hard drive in a Dell computer fail one day. And it happened with no warning or noise.

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It helps
Dec 28, 2004 6:43AM PST

if you are slightly deaf, like I am.

I can't hear my hard drive so I am in blissful ignorance! Happy

Good luck with yours.

Mark

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Well, I received my new hard drive, but...
Dec 31, 2004 1:19PM PST

Like I said, I received my new HD to replace the noisy one. Well, half way thru opening the static protection baggie, I notice that the sticker on it says "Refurbished". Well I didn't really like the idea that I wasn't sent a brand new one. But, since I had already opened the package by that point, I decided to go ahead and install it. I installed it and it is considerably quieter than my previous one. So I'm happy about that.
Now I'm just concerned about the fact that its refurbished. I would think that since the machine is brand new, I would receive a brand new HD.
I'd like to know what you guys think about that? Does the fact that its refurbished have any effect on its performance and/or lifetime?

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refurbished isn't always bad
Dec 31, 2004 8:05PM PST

I had a brand new computer from Dell that had to be the biggest lemon every built. I finally demanded a replacement and they sent me a refurbished computer. At first I was furious. I thought I should have received a new one. But considering the problems I had with a new one, I thought why not give it a try. It worked great. In fact, I gave it to a friend when I upgraded and it is still running. So, new isn't always best and refurbished isn't always bad. If it works, use it.

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Jonjushi, Just My Opinion...On A NEW Computer...
Jan 1, 2005 3:14AM PST

...I would demand a NEW hard drive.

Your machine is only one week old,,why should you be getting a "used" hard drive. It's not so much that "refurbished" is such a bad thing, many can work just fine, but a "new" computer should be exactly that..

Your choice on how much you want to fight about it.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Grif, actually I was thinking the same thing...
Jan 1, 2005 5:22AM PST

After I posted here about receiving the refurbed drive. I started thinking the same thing. So I emailed the rep back, and basically told them the same line of reasoning. I bought a new PC to have a new PC, therefore it should have new parts. Surprisingly enough to me, they promptly responded and said that they had made a gross error and sent me a refurbished part. They asked for forgiveness and said they were sending a new one immediately. So, hopefully everything's worked out.

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(NT) (NT) Jon, Good Job ! Sounds Like Perserverence Paid Off
Jan 1, 2005 7:46AM PST