# Solved: Computer sounds like ambulance



## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

What does it mean when you turn on your computer and it makes a sound like a car alarm?

...My computer's been freezing a lot lately and sometimes not booting up all the way (when this happens we turn it off for a while and then when we turn it back on it's OK). Then last night I accidentally left it on Standby all night, and when I hit some keys this morning it didn't wake up. So I hit the restart button and walked away for a minute. Then one of my cats bolted out of the living room all freaked out, and I heard this loud noise that sounded like there was an ambulance driving through my apartment. It turns out it was coming from my computer. The screen was completely black and it was just making this noise. So I hit the restart button again and it did the same thing. I've never heard a computer make a noise like this before, but I'm sure it's a hardware problem... I just don't know which part of my hardware it is that's having the problem. Can anyone help?


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## valis (Sep 24, 2004)

could be dozens of things. First thing is to see if you can boot into safe mode. Generally, what I've seen is in the past is it's usually heat/ram related, but as it is bios related, we really can't tell you what is what without the bios info. 

Try to boot into safe mode by tapping f8 at boot up until you get past the POST; you should then have the option to boot into safe mode. Let us know if POST doesn't clear.

v


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## Rumpo-Stiltskin (May 9, 2006)

Check that your CPU (heatsink) fan is working before anything else.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

The most likely is that you're hearing the fan malfunction alarm, or possibly an overheating alarm. I'd check to make sure the fans are all spinning. A likely scenario is a buildup of dust or fan failure is stopping the processor fan.


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm at work right now, but I had my husband try hitting F8 while it was attempting to boot, and he says all that came up on the screen was the monitor's "No Signal" message, but he says now it's not making the noise anymore.

When I get home I will open it up and check out the fan. Thanks again everyone.


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

OK, last night I thoroughly cleaned out the whole inside of my computer with a can of compressed air (and it was disgusting), and I checked the fans and they appear to be working fine. I tried to boot it up three times. It powered on but nothing came on the screen, and not only did it not make the car alarm sound, but it didn't beep at all. I even gave it a few hours to cool off and tried to boot it up again. Nothing.

My uncle thought it might be a problem with my hard drive, but I was thinking... I have three hard drives, and each of them has had Windows installed on it at some point. Last time I had a problem with one hard drive, it tried to boot from one of the other hard drives, and just returned an error message that it couldn't start Windows because files were missing or something. So it must be something else, right?

Any suggestion as to what the problem might be or how I could find out would be greatly appreciated.


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## dustyjay (Jan 24, 2003)

That alarm sound is usually universally a cpu over temp alarm. If your heatsink Fan is disconnected or burnt out you will usually get that alarm immediately. This is not something to just laugh off, HSF units are a lot cheaper to replace than CPU's.


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## Rumpo-Stiltskin (May 9, 2006)

Quite so.
From what's unfolded so far it sounds like your CPU is deceased, due to being repeatedly run with insufficient cooling.
The cleaning may well have helped if you'd done it (at the very least) monthly, and before the problem occured.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

It could be the P/S, the motherboard, or the processor. At this point, it's probably time to unplug all the expansion cards, disconnect all the disk and CD's, and try to get the machine to at least make a beep. The only real way to isolate it further is to start swapping parts.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

you may have dislodged something in your cleaning - make sure everything is plugged in correctly - try all the cables and memory etc
avoid static


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will check all the cables, and if they're secure and it still doesn't work, I guess I'll assume my processor is fried.  After I install a new one, I'll clean it monthly.


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## Emtronics (Jan 20, 2000)

It sounds like the fan inside the power supply went and that burnt up the supply. They are pretty cheap and easy to replace. I have seen and heard this many times from the power supply.


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

But the fan appears to be working on both the power supply and the CPU, and there seems to be power going to the machine, just that's all that's happening when I turn it on. I mean, I'd much rather it be the power supply than the CPU because I'd have to spend much less money to replace that, but it seems like the power supply is still working fine.


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## Rumpo-Stiltskin (May 9, 2006)

I think you probably know the score..... 
When / if you remove the CPU there may well be some visual clues - blackening or bubbling on the underside and / or a distinctive bitter smell (unique to cooked electronics).

Certainly a good idea to try the chip in a similar machine if possible and convenient (although it's a hassle with all the heatsink / thermal compound preparation stuff), and there are no absolutely obvious signs of fatality.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

usually this is an alarm setting in the bios 
so say 60C that should not fry the CPU
and when it gets to the next stage say 80C the PC switches OFF
I suspect you disturbed something or broke something when you where cleaning it.

I would follow johnwill's advice and remove as much as possible and just have the Powersupply conencted to Motherboard and the HArddrive
and just have one harddrive connected - see if it posts and makes a bleep

do you get any lights on CD/DVD or hear harddrive spin or floppy lights up etc


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Just because the P/S spins the fans, that doesn't mean it's functioning. If something as simple as the PG (Power Good) signal isn't coming up properly, the machine will appear dead with the fans spinning.


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

The fans spin, I hear a hum, the lights on the front turn on (including the CD-R and CD-RW drives), but that's it. There are no beeps and nothing shows up on the screen. I noticed when I was cleaning it out that it did smell kinda funny, but I attributed it to all the nasty dust in there. I don't think I messed something up while I was cleaning it, because it was doing the same thing before I cleaned it... Nothing. The alarm sound had even stopped long before I cleaned it.

So yesterday I tried to get the fan and the heat sink off the processor so I could check it out, and I couldn't figure out how to disconnect the darn things. I didn't see screws anywhere, and I flipped up the little latches and it came loose, but it wouldn't pull off. I installed it four years ago, but I can't remember how. Any ideas for how I would go about removing it?

Thanks again, everyone, for all your help.


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## dustyjay (Jan 24, 2003)

Depending on what you used as your Thermal Interface compound it may take some force to remove the HSF. Especially if you used the pad that typically comes with a retail processor/HSF combo. After 4 years this does harden and become a more permenant adhesive. Thermal compound such Arctec Silver is more forgiving and doesnt tend to become as permenant.

a bit of careful persistant force and a small amount of twisting motion on the HSF with the processor still locked into the Mobo will probably be needed. It is warned not to try to pry the unit off with a tool as this can cause damage to the CPU socket and Motherboard that would be un repairable.


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## Rumpo-Stiltskin (May 9, 2006)

Check this thread..... assuming it's a socket 478 with a stock Intel cooler:

http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/479808-removing-socket-478-hsf.html


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

Thanks. I ended up finding that information on Intel's web site. It is the 478. I'm going to give it another shot tonight.

One more thing, I found a guy on Craigslist who will sell me a P4 478 that's 1.7GHz. I checked it out on Intel's web site and it appears to have all the same specs as mine, with the exception of the speed being 1.7 instead of 1.5. If I install this one in my computer, is there something I have to change in the BIOS? Also, if this guy doesn't have the fan and heat sink that came with it, can I use the ones I have?

Thanks so much, everyone. I really appreciate all your help. I wish I could bake cookies and pass them out to everbody.


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## Rumpo-Stiltskin (May 9, 2006)

It that like the classifieds?

I wouldn't personally ever buy PC components second hand.
It's impossible to tell what they've been through, although you can guarantee they've been handled badly at some point in their existence.

You'd be much better off buying a retail unit with a brand new stock heatsink/fan if that's what you want to use.
I can't advise you on price or sourcing unfortunately since i'm in the UK.
I'm sure there won't be that huge a price difference.


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

Yeah, it's like classifieds. Trust me, with the price this guy is giving me, there is a HUGE difference between this one and a brand new one. In fact, it's so low, I wouldn't feel too badly if it ended up not working and I had to buy a new one anyway.


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## Rumpo-Stiltskin (May 9, 2006)

Well.
Sounds like a done deal.

Only problem is..... if the machine fails to fire up once you've fitted the replacement CPU, is it the processor again, or something else?? 

Hopefully, everything will be fine.
(You shouldn't need to change anything in the BIOS either)


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

Touché. At that point I think I'll give up and just dump it at a computer service store. lol

If I don't need to change anything in the BIOS then I'm good to go. Wish me luck.


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

Yep, the processor is definitely fried. I got the fan unhooked last night and the heat sink came right off. There was no trace of the compound that was in between it and the processor, and both were black. So there's no question about it now. I think I'll get a new fan just in case.


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## Rumpo-Stiltskin (May 9, 2006)

Very wise (the new fan/heatsink that is).

If you are going to do the fitting yourself, best to read up about thermal compounds, preparation and application etc.

Basics of which here:
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm

..... and of course - Good Luck. 

Now, where are those cookies you were talking about earlier?


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## ice_Max (Sep 21, 2004)

Thanks for the tips. I installed the new CPU and it still didn't work. I guess the motherboard was fried too or something. So I basically just said "screw it" and went out and bought myself a laptop. Copying files from my old hard drives has been complicated, but it's not too bad.

Thanks again everyone for all your help.


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