noisy fan driving me suicidal.

RoyalMarine

sitting here at work and we have 2 computers.

1 is a new computer that we use to access the local server's and the internet.

the second is a computer used for security. swipe card access control panel, fire alarm control etc.

the second computer is driving me mad! the fan is obviously rattling in the case or the harddrive or something!
im not allowed to shut it down in case something happens then im dead!
ive no access to the cd drive or usb ports, so i cant install anything to change the fan speeds... but then again the computer is as old as i am so i dont think i even could do that.

ive tried hitting it, and the screen went black for a few seconds, and i nearly puked a lung with panic.

any ideas how i can stop it being so noisy?
oh, and i cant move it, and i cant leave this area.

ive got 11 more hours of work here so help!

MarkR

You could try spraying some compressed air in and around the vents. If it's getting loader it'll die soon anyway. Sweet silence...

AlmightyCushion

Could you listen to an mp3 player?

5uspect

It could just die of natural causes...
ahem, anyway.
If the fan is rattling it may be becoming loose in its housing. Hitting it won't help, but maybe you can reposition the box so that it is held better. Put it on its side for example, or even set it at an angle. If its in an enclosed space it may be getting hot. Position it so that the back is exposed to fresh (even airconditioned) air.

EDIT: just reread your post, you can't move it at all or move it much?

bushy...

If it got louder lately it probably the bearings failing in one of the fans, the fan will eventually stop , and the whole thing will so what ever it is set to do when it overheats....shutdown or go on fire.

Ghost Train

MarkR wrote:

You could try spraying some compressed air in and around the vents. If it's getting loader it'll die soon anyway. Sweet silence...

compressed air is quite flamable... so half expect a big explosion or fireball if you do this to a running machine

best bet is to stick a plastic pen into the back of the machine where the fan is, this will stop the fan and the noise... might cause the machine to overheat and damage itself though... have heard of people doing this with old machines just dont leave it unattended or it could catch fire, and dont stick any metal items into the power supply fan whatever you do

maybe make yourself some earplugs out of office supplies

L31mr0d

yeah theres a PC beside me that does this in work, like you, it happens to be a PC that can't be powered down as its our Multi WAN load balancer. You only alternative is to open it up, see what size the fan is and replace it. If its an old PC you should be able to Hotplug a new fan just unscrew the old one while its still plugged in then quickly unplug it and plug in the replacement and screw it in place. The heatsink will be without moving air for all of 10 seconds.

Aside from this, earplugs or a punch in the ear will solve your problem.

EDIT: Also, i'd inform your superiors that if the fan is making a racket its about to die. It would be in their interests to let you replace it.

RoyalMarine

MarkR wrote:

You could try spraying some compressed air in and around the vents. If it's getting loader it'll die soon anyway. Sweet silence...

dont have any compressed air lying around. and im not keen on blowing up the computer along with setting fire to the building.
hopefully it will die and we can get a new one!

AlmightyCushion wrote:

Could you listen to an mp3 player?

not really. i work in security so i have to listen out for those thieves! :P

5uspect wrote:

It could just die of natural causes...
ahem, anyway.
If the fan is rattling it may be becoming loose in its housing. Hitting it won't help, but maybe you can reposition the box so that it is held better. Put it on its side for example, or even set it at an angle. If its in an enclosed space it may be getting hot. Position it so that the back is exposed to fresh (even airconditioned) air.

EDIT: just reread your post, you can't move it at all or move it much?

its in some kind of holding case. its got plenty of air getting to it, because there is other equipment around it and there is a wall of 6 fans blowing cold air straight onto the back of the computers and other devices.
so i physically cant move it

eolhc wrote:

compressed air is quite flamable... so half expect a big explosion or fireball if you do this to a running machine

best bet is to stick a plastic pen into the back of the machine where the fan is, this will stop the fan and the noise... might cause the machine to overheat and damage itself though... have heard of people doing this with old machines just dont leave it unattended or it could catch fire, and dont stick any metal items into the power supply fan whatever you do

maybe make yourself some earplugs out of office supplies

heh i would do this, but i did it before and the computer at my previous job died on me. lost a lot of important information. i cant risk it as its a security computer.

L31mr0d wrote:

yeah theres a PC beside me that does this in work, like you, it happens to be a PC that can't be powered down as its our Multi WAN load balancer. You only alternative is to open it up, see what size the fan is and replace it. If its an old PC you should be able to Hotplug a new fan just unscrew the old one while its still plugged in then quickly unplug it and plug in the replacement and screw it in place. The heatsink will be without moving air for all of 10 seconds.

Aside from this, earplugs or a punch in the ear will solve your problem.

EDIT: Also, i'd inform your superiors that if the fan is making a racket its about to die. It would be in their interests to let you replace it.

cant replace the fan cos there is a cage type holder for it. and there is a padlock stopping people accessing it. more of stopping us watching dvd's on the nght shifts!
i would tell the supervisor but he's as loud and annoying as the broken fan. he doesnt seem to care as long as the building doesnt burn down.

i think ive fixed the problem. using my amazing unique abilities, i kicked it really hard and now its quite.
so far so good!

thanks for the help!

AlmightyCushion

RoyalMarineComm wrote:

i think ive fixed the problem. using my amazing unique abilities, i kicked it really hard and now its quite.
so far so good!

thanks for the help!

They don't teach that in college.

RoyalMarine

AlmightyCushion wrote:

They don't teach that in college.

unless your degree is computer repair related.