Computer making a loud clicking sound?

When i start up my computer it makes this loud clicking sound and it starts at my beginning compaq screen and doesnt change and it says i either have to go to setup or to boot menu. What do i do?

This question was answered on January 3, 2005. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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Here is my first option.

you should open up the computer and see where the noise is coming from

how long have you had this computer for?

most likely it could be the hard drive. did you try to replace it? if not then you should do that

read this information thoroughly thank you.. :

What to do if you hear clicking from your hard drive

Simply put, if you hear a clicking from your hard drive, and your computer freezes or takes too long to boot up — shut it down IMMEDIATELY Your drive has gone bad and will be completely unusable within a short amount of time.

If you get your computer to us when it first starts exhibiting these symptoms, we can usually save your drive's data (your files and programs) intact Each time you try to get it to boot up after this first happens, you are considerably decreasing the possibility of a simple copying of what's on your hard drive If copied within a reasonable amount of time after the initial symptoms you can be back up and going in a matter of a couple of hours.

The alternative is to shut down your computer and call us, or to keep trying to boot up — and then you will end up calling us with a completely dead hard drive.

Personally, I'd rather you not have to go through that, so give us a call when your drive first starts making loud clicking noises and you have problems booting, ok?

Why is this happening?

Air conditioners (also known as A/Cs) use a LOT of power, as anyone who pays power bills knows What you may not know is that when they are first turned on, that huge power usage causes a large spike in the whole building's power system In newer buildings (including houses), this spike, or over-voltage, is usually confined to the specific circuit that the A/C is on.

How this comes about and and how it affects your computer is varied:

Situation A: You work in an older building (or house) and every time the A/C kicks in, it creates a surge (too much electricity) throughout the entire building

Situation B: You work in a newer building (or house) and the A/C is on the same main circuit as your computer, hence when it starts up, it creates a surge on your circuit

Situation C: Everyone in town starts their A/C at a similar time (when the work starts) causing a huge surge in the town's power, not just your office

What does this have to do with your computer?

Your computer is an electrical device It is also a sensitive electronic device Sensitive electronic devices really don't like having the amount of power changed drastically — it hurts them And just like with humans, enough hurt causes no more activity, or to put it simply, death.

Now this can be as simple as a dead power supply, but can be as drastic as a dead hard drive — which of course means there goes all your data.

About the author

Posted by cristina of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on January 3, 2005

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