PC locking up

[Xtro]

Evening.

Wonder if you kind fellows could help.

In the past three weeks or so my PC has started to lock up, its hardware related not software. I know as every time it locks, a couple of seconds beforehand I hear a clicking sound coming from the case.

Now when this problem first appeared it was only when I was trying to run a game (I normally play Call of Duty or Homeworld 2). I could play for say 10 minutes then the clicking starts then lock up time.

Now though, its starting to happen when I'm just browsing etc. I can leave the PC on for 24 hours and its fine, another time it might go in 5 minutes. Now this isn't regular its probably once a day, however games are now a no-go

I wondered what the hell the clicking was, then I realised it sounds remarkably like the noise my PC makes when it shuts down (ie. when I actually tell it through Windows to do so).

System:

Win Xp
ASUS mobo
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
1 gig DDR ram
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
Soundblaster Live
Athlon 1700 XP

Answering my own question probably but I presume its the case and might it be a power related thing? I think my PSU is 350W.

Thanks in advance

 

[Gurnox]

Evening.

Wonder if you kind fellows could help.

In the past three weeks or so my PC has started to lock up, its hardware related not software. I know as every time it locks, a couple of seconds beforehand I hear a clicking sound coming from the case.

Now when this problem first appeared it was only when I was trying to run a game (I normally play Call of Duty or Homeworld 2). I could play for say 10 minutes then the clicking starts then lock up time.

Now though, its starting to happen when I'm just browsing etc. I can leave the PC on for 24 hours and its fine, another time it might go in 5 minutes. Now this isn't regular its probably once a day, however games are now a no-go

I wondered what the hell the clicking was, then I realised it sounds remarkably like the noise my PC makes when it shuts down (ie. when I actually tell it through Windows to do so).

System:

Win Xp
ASUS mobo
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
1 gig DDR ram
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
Soundblaster Live
Athlon 1700 XP

Answering my own question probably but I presume its the case and might it be a power related thing? I think my PSU is 350W.

Thanks in advance

Have you a way of checking how hot things are getting inside the case? Just a bit of a stab in the dark here but it could be the system shutting down due to overheating.

Also make sure you've done a full virus scan of the machine in case something nasty has got a foothold.

 

[RandomBastard]

Clicking could well be the click of death of a hard drive.

Shortly before my ibm deathstar fail's it clicks and then freezes all reading and writing.

Note my ibm deathstar currently still works its my backup occasional use hard drive but heavy use causes it to fail again temporarily

 

[Xtro]

hmm shit didn't think of that :/

Thanks for the comments guys btw.

Well I'm using a well crappy old 12gb HDD and a spanky new 130gb one.

Guess which has Win Xp and everything on?