How to Recognize Computer Clicking Sounds.

Have you ever had a "clicking sound" come from your computer and not be able to identify it's source? It's not coming from your hard drive hard drive -- but what might it be?

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. There are primarily two fans, and usually the clicking sound is a sign that one of them is about to give up the ghost. One of the fans is in your power supply -- it will probably keep on clicking until the power supply stops ticking, at which point you replace it and move on (don't even think about fixing it). I've had a power supply click for months, and be very annoying. On the other hand, if it's your CPU fan, your problem can become a lot more serious a lot more quickly.
2. If you hear a strange clicking, shut down your computer, and wait until it has completely cooled down. Then take the cover off, turn the computer on, and see if you can figure out which fan is making all the racket. If it's the one on top of your CPU, shut the computer down and go visit your local computer store NOW, because if you fry your CPU, you'll be visiting them later and spending a lot more money.
3. And don't think for a minute that running your computer with the cover off will take the place of the fan. The case is designed to pull air through in a given pattern, and without it, the air flow won't be correct, and you can overheat your mother board (or something else) pretty quickly.