Very noisy computer

[onepaced]

When I leave my computer idling, it sounds as if it is about to take off. The fans (?) have to work so hard that the noise is deafening - any ideas what might be cuasing this and how I can stop it happening? It's an advent with Intel P4 550 3.4GHz

Thanks  

[Calum]

When did this start?
How old is the PC?
When was the last time you cleaned it out?

[CBMatt]

Two suggestions...

1.  Clean the dust out with a can of compressed air.  This might help with a lot of the noise.

2.  You say this happens when you leave your computer idling...it could be auto-defragging.  This happens sometimes when I let my computer idle and it can be quite noisy.  If you are using XP, then download TweakUI.  Then click on General, scroll down and uncheck Optimize hard disk while idle, and click OK.

Leave your computer idle again and see if these suggestions work.

[onepaced]

Thanks both - this started about a month ago, my computer is a couple of years old and I've never cleaned it out . Is there any special technique to doing this?

Cheers

[Calum]

You may find this article useful.
Just make sure you are careful inside the case and observe ESD precautions so you don't fry anything.

[CBMatt]

Thanks both - this started about a month ago, [highlight]my computer is a couple of years old and I've never cleaned it out[/highlight] . Is there any special technique to doing this?

Cheers

Your computer is definitely in need of a spring cleaning.  Cleaning out should make it a bit quieter.  And considering how long you've had it without cleaning it, I suggest you to wear a face mask because you'll probably be dealing with a lot of dust.  I didn't wear one the first time I cleaned out a computer and all of the dust made me sick; I coughed up gunk for a week.

[soybean]

You might even take it outdoors to clean it if that's feasible.  Another technique I've used when blowing the dust out of a computer indoors is to have a vacuum sweeper running with hose attachment just to suck in some of the dust filled air generated by a blast of compressed air into the computer.  

Note that using a standard vacuum sweeper to get directly into the computer and do the actual cleaning is not recommended since it may generate some static electricity which could damage computer components.

[Joe_Flanagan]

When I leave my computer idling, it sounds as if it is about to take off. The fans (?) have to work so hard that the noise is deafening - any ideas what might be cuasing this and how I can stop it happening? It's an advent with Intel P4 550 3.4GHz

Thanks  

So this noise only happens when the computer is idling  or is it noisy under load, also ?

Cleaning as suggested is a good thing, but keep in mind that you may have a failing fan causing the noise that you hear.
Post back if the cleaning doesn't stop the noise and someone will help you isolate the noise.