At 09:40 PM 12/23/1999 , Lynn Kucera wrote:
>Dear List,
>
>First of all Happy Holidays to one and all.
>
>I've got a Gateway P5-100 and we bought it back in '96. Lately my console
>has been making some unusual sounds. It kind of sounds like the fan is
>straining somehow then it goes quiet again. Or it sounds like our Bassett
>Hound who does heavy breathing whenever you're eating something. I've
>dusted the console and blown out some of the gunk on the outside but I'm
>leary about opening it up and using the can of air on the inside. I
>thought about taking it to Sperry TV for cleaning but I wanted to get
>some of your opinions before taking "Buford" to the cleaners. It's not
>affecting the computer in any way but I don't want to wait for something
>to really go wrong then be without the computer for weeks.

The sound you are hearing is 'probably' a fan inside the computer that has
gone out of balance due to a buildup of dust and dirt.  Computers draw air
through them and the electronic components due to magnetic charges
accumulate air born contamination...  as does the fan blades moving the
air.

I do not think it is a hard drive, CD rom drive or floppy drive, (the other
moving parts in a computer), as they are not a constant noise.  They
would only generate sound intermittently when used if they were going
bad.   Fan noise is a constant when they start to go bad.

The fan blades accumulate enough material from the air, they start
to be unbalanced and then wear out their bearings, seizing up.  Then you
replace the fan...  typically, when you start to hear noise from the fans it
is probably too late to stop this process.  Oh, you can still clean them, but
often the bearings have worn and the fans are not long for this world.
This means you will be paying to have a fan or a power supply replaced,
(today it is often more cost effective to replace a whole power supply if
the fan wears out, due to the cost of the power supply).

If it is only the front fan in the case, typically a P100 does not require a case
fan and you can just unhook the power to it.  If it is the CPU fan, these are
inexpensive, (between $5 and $15) and easy to replace.  If it is the power
supply fan, depending on your level of expertise, this is a more advanced
operation to switch out.  A power supply can be purchased for less that
$25 and should only take about 30 to 60 minutes to replace.

Cleaning a computer, the latest computer shop special, only requires
removing the cover and blowing out the dust and debris with an air
compressor.  This takes about 10 minutes and I have seen it cost
from $25 to $99.  I have regularly done this for years when i work on
any system.  It takes only a few minutes and makes working on them
less of a toxic experience.  I am not sure those little cans of air can
really remove all the dust and dirt inside a power supply and it can
take forever to clean a computer out with one.

The final analysis?   If you hear the noise...  it is probably a fan...
If it is the power supply fan, it needs to be replaced.  If it is the
CPU fan...  it needs to be replaced.  If it is a case fan, unhook it
and forget it.   The power supply or CPU fan when they die can
cause real damage to the computer due to heat buildup and must
be dealt with soon.

      Bob Wright
The NOSPIN Group

                Curious about the people moderating your
                   messages? Visit our staff web site:
                     http://nospin.com/pc/staff.html