Computer suddenly very noisy

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Meez

111 posts

Master Geek

#89494 3-Sep-2011 11:25

It's only just started. My computer froze and I had to reboot. It came up with a page saying ASUS P5k, I think, then I had to press F2 to get it to go, something about settings not being correct. When I got to the main screen, it started Driver Software Installation and now it's really noisy! What is happening?

tdgeek

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#516091 3-Sep-2011 11:31

Maybe heat causing the failure, and dirty or worn fan causing the noise. Check PS fan, CPU fan and GPU fan

Meez

111 posts

Master Geek

#516097 3-Sep-2011 11:43

Thanks so much! I vacuumed it for now and it's better, but I will get someone to check. Any ideas on the
rest of it?

johnr

19282 posts

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#516099 3-Sep-2011 11:48

Elephants hiding in the case

tdgeek

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#516126 3-Sep-2011 13:26

Vacuum the fans to remove some built up dust. When its noisy, temporarily stop each fan to see if it goes away

Meez

111 posts

Master Geek

#516184 3-Sep-2011 16:37

How do I stop them please?

Meez

111 posts

Master Geek

#516188 3-Sep-2011 16:56

I got this off another forum:

When you did a reboot, did you also turn PC off at the mains?
The fact that you say "it displayed ASUS P5k screen" (enable full logo screen has been enabled) and "I had to press F2 to get it going" "settings not being correct" (BIOS has reset). Also "Driver Software installation" tells me that hardware previously disabled in BIOS has been enabled allowing Windows to "see it" and the fans getting noisier will be to do with ASUS QFan settings in BIOS which would have changed from low noise to default.

Any idea how to get back to normal?

tdgeek

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#516196 3-Sep-2011 17:36

Meez: How do I stop them please?

With CPU and GPU just touch the with a finger they are small they will stop and no pain. The PS, get a plastic stick to stop it.

Just stop the for a second or two to test any noise improvement. You won't get any damage as they are brush fans driven by a magnetic field, there are no cogs etc

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michaelt

425 posts

Ultimate Geek

#516199 3-Sep-2011 17:51

Meez: I got this off another forum:

When you did a reboot, did you also turn PC off at the mains?
The fact that you say "it displayed ASUS P5k screen" (enable full logo screen has been enabled) and "I had to press F2 to get it going" "settings not being correct" (BIOS has reset). Also "Driver Software installation" tells me that hardware previously disabled in BIOS has been enabled allowing Windows to "see it" and the fans getting noisier will be to do with ASUS QFan settings in BIOS which would have changed from low noise to default.

Any idea how to get back to normal?

That sounds correct.

Basically, there are lots of user-configurable settings in the BIOS that are lost when your computer loses power. Most computers have a small battery as backup for this purpose, but they can lose charge over time.

Did you disconnect the power or turn off the PC at the back when you rebooted? If so, then that answer above is probably correct.

Before fixing it, I'd recommend replacing the BIOS battery, so it doesn't happen again. If you don't, it'll happen again the next time your PC loses power.

After that, you'll want to enter BIOS settings (usually by pressing either 'Del', or 'F1' or 'F8' or 'F10' or 'F12', depending on your motherboard, right after you hear the beep from your computer starting). It's hard to tell you what to change without knowing the old settings, but the fan controls are likely to be under 'Hardware Monitor'. Be careful changing them if you don't know what you're doing. Modern computers do have automatic safeguards to prevent overheating, but it's still not a good idea to let your PC overheat.

If you bought the PC from a store, see if they can tell you the original settings they used.

Meez

111 posts

Master Geek

#516290 3-Sep-2011 23:21

Thanks for the help. I went into BIOS and enabled the fan control and it's back to being quiet again. I will check the fans myself tomorrow.

I rebooted from the front of the computer, didn't touch the back or the mains. There was a scan going at the time which I was trying to cancel. When I did, everything froze.

michaelt

425 posts

Ultimate Geek

#516308 4-Sep-2011 00:35

Meez: Thanks for the help. I went into BIOS and enabled the fan control and it's back to being quiet again. I will check the fans myself tomorrow.

I rebooted from the front of the computer, didn't touch the back or the mains. There was a scan going at the time which I was trying to cancel. When I did, everything froze.

Be careful when messing around with fan settings. There's a reason they're disabled by default, and that's because reduced fan speeds may or may not be suitable for your PC. You'll probably be ok, but if you have any more problems try disabling fan control or at least decreasing the target temp's, increasing the start voltage and voltage ramp, or whatever else the settings allow you to do.

If you didn't lose power, then the most likely reason is a BIOS failsafe.

Sometimes computers crash due to bad BIOS settings, and so the BIOS often has failsafes that automatically restore it to default settings if it thinks that may have happened.

The most common reason is due to a failed overclock, but in your case it was probably caused by something else.

Overheating is a possibility. That usually won't cause a BIOS reset, but it is possible. Fans tend to wear out and accumulate dust over time, so cooling effectiveness reduces. If that's the case, then simply cleaning them (as you've already done) should fix it. Try to clean them regularly (at least once a year, preferably twice) to prevent it happening again.