My computer just started making a weird noise

[maverickhuntergirlZ492]

It sounds kinda like someone tapping on the keys really fast, or maybe rattling seeds in a glass jar. I just ran a scan and no viruses detected. But it's never done that before. Anyone else ever have that happen? I just discovered that it does that if I tip it at a certain angle. Wtf?

[Ragnar]

Could be some wire had drifted into a fan? Open it up to take a look. If there's nothing obvious a fan could be failing. You can figure out which by listening, and confirm by stopping the suspect one from spinning for a few moments.

[MaslowK]

It sounds kinda like someone tapping on the keys really fast, or maybe rattling seeds in a glass jar. I just ran a scan and no viruses detected. Wtf?

Like Ragnar said, much more likely than not it's one of your fans, either a loose wire too close to it or the bearings in it wearing out. If it does end being the bearings there's really no way to fix it, and you'll need to buy a new matching one. Thankfully they aren't terribly expensive (unless you get one of those super flashy fancy ones), usually a few bucks online.

As an aside, malware (what most call "viruses" as a catch all) can't cause physical damage or symptoms like this; the worst it can do is modify data on your filesystems.

[Jazzmarazz]

Spoiler warning:

Yeah, so either something drifted into a moving part or a moving part is going bad. Check for stray wires, and if you see none, locate the noise be ear. Chances are a fan is going bad, for example in my laptop; the thing makes clicking noise all day long. I have just learned to ignore it.

[skullpoker]

I would suggest taking it into a shop, as they should be able to clean it, tell you if it's a fan, and sell/install a new fan. Support local shops, as they can usually take care of you faster and give better customer service than national chain stores. The shop I go to would do everything for free, aside from selling the fan.

If you are having this problem on a laptop, call ahead and make sure the shop services them. Some places don't since laptops can be problematic to properly reassemble.

[maverickhuntergirlZ492]

thanks everyone, I hope its not a big problem and I'm gonna take it in soon. You guys are great.

[Ragnar]

It shouldn't be a big problem. There are really only 2 moving parts in computers, fans and hard drives. If it was your hard drive packing it in you'd already notice serious problems running your PC, and the sound probably wouldn't go away just by shifting the PC.

Fans are quite worthless and are easy to replace. They also keep on working even when they're dying, they just start making funny noises at that point