Exploding Computer?

[Apollo5600]

I think my computer is about to explode on me. Just a bit ago, I heard a loud noise coming from it, like something was moving in there and maybe rubbing up against something... Or it resembled the noise my Vacuum cleaner makes... Whatever the case, it wasn't very nice. I opened up the DVD player and pulled out the CD from inside, thinking that was what was causing it, however I didn't notice the CD spinning... I have a second disk drive which stopped working last month, but since I have a second drive for DVDs I didn't really care about it. When the sound did not end after I opened up the DVD drive, I shutdown the computer, and I just now got back on... So far, no noise. If it happens again I think I will open it up and look inside of it, though I am not sure if I would be able to see what was wrong with it.

Any ideas?

[Pendragon_6]

Sometimes the cooling fan gets noisy on my new HP.

[Rhino]

A fan maybe? They do that sometimes. You could try unplugging each drive and each fan to find the culprit. Don't unplug the drives while it's on. This might be tough if the sound goes away when you power cycle. You may not be able to tell if the sound left due to what you unplugged, or due to the power cycle. If the computer's more than a year or two old, it wouldn't hurt to replace the fans just in case. They're cheap. Did you unplug the bad drive last month?

[Apollo5600]

Hmmmmm, that makes sense, it probably was a fan.
If the computer's more than a year or two old, it wouldn't hurt to replace the fans just in case.
I think I was using this computer back in the year 2001, or perhaps 2000... It has to be older than 2 years though, and I have never replaced any fans of any kind.
Did you unplug the bad drive last month?

Nope, I just let it sit there. Along with the floppy drive which has been broke for a couple of years now too. LOL Is it a bad thing?<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[Rhino]

It's not a bad thing, but the platters could still spin and make noise. I'd unplug it to be sure.

[Apollo5600]

It's not a bad thing, but the platters could still spin and make noise. I'd unplug it to be sure.

Yep, that is the problem for sure, since that seemed to be the origin of the noise. Thanks Fellas, I'm not that great with computers, especially old computers which are gradually falling apart.

[Popperite]

Fans sometimes cause the casing of the computer to start vibrating in a noisy way. Adjusting the position of the computer or adjusting the screws might help.

[DoctorDoom]

Unplugging CD-type drives is not usually a problem. If you unplug the floppy drive, it's adviseable to go into the BIOS and disable it so that it doesn't look for the drive and give bootup errors. As for noises, 99% of the time it's cooling fans. One thing to be very certain is that the fan on the CPU (or dedicated to cooling it) is running. Those li'l buggers often commit suicide when they overheat (usually detected when they crack and release the electronic smoke that powers them).

[Rhino]

(usually detected when they crack and release the electronic smoke that powers them).And mirrors. Don't forget the mirrors.

[DesertFox]

It's probably an extremal black hole that has taken up residence in your computer. You can get rid of it by beaming antimatter at it.

Just don't be within a few hundred yards when you do.

[DoctorDoom]

I'd recommend a few hundred light years.