My Notebook is making a strange noise

Question

Since a month or so my 4 year old ASUS notebook is making a strange squealing noise from time to time while working. It is not the Soundcard (checked by plugging in some headphones) and it doesn't sound like its coming from the HDD or any fan either.

I heard that capacitor can make noise right before they die.

Does anyone know similar problems and ways to fix it?

Answer 1

Regardless of what the problem is, if you don't have a backup of your data already, now would be a really good time to make one. It may not sound like the HDD, but it very well could be. As a result of another part breaking, it could damage the disk as well.

A squealing noise could be a few things. Commonly it is a problem with a dying battery. Check to see if this occurs when on AC power only.

If it is a capacitor ready to burst, you'll need to do some soldering if you intend to try and replace them yourself.

Answer 2

You mentioned that it only happens from time to time? Are you doing anything or have you been doing anything noticeable for it to start happening? Watching a video, something CPU intensive? Playing a game? Charging the laptop on the AC cable?

To begin with, it would be helpful to know what component it is that has failed.

1. LCD screen: Start your laptop up and close the lid to turn the screen off once you have Windows running. You might need to change the "When I close my lid" option to do nothing to prevent the laptop from switching itself off.
2. Charging circuit: Remove the AC cable and startup on just the battery.
3. Battery: Remove the battery and startup on just the AC cable.
4. Harddrive: Remove the HDD (harddrive), switch it on and leave it running. All the other components will still run, although you will only get as far as an error message sat on the screen. You could always boot into a live CD of Linux, if you wanted to surf the web while doing this test.

If you can determine the failing component from the checks above, you will know what to replace. If it is a battery or the harddrive, I guess you are in luck as you can do this yourself reasonably cheaply

If it is the power board or the LCD screen, repairs could be more expensive than the laptop itself as it is most likely out of warranty.

If neither of the above then it can only really be the motherboard. Again, not a nice thing to have to replace - especially on an Acer.

Answer 3

It could also be a hard drive going bye-bye. I know the sound all too well. :( Is it a whirring sound, maybe like a faint lawnmower sound? Or is a clicking?

Answer 4

My laptop makes a squealing sound every time I plug it in and it "charges" the battery. The battery is long dead, and is probably dead in a 4 year old laptop as well. Either that or you have dirty power coming into your laptop. Unfortunately for me, it squeals with both the battery and the power cord plugged in, but once the battery is "charged" the squealing goes away.

If you keep your laptop plugged in all the time and you've checked the screen, fans and hard drive as stated above, then you have nothing to worry about other than a minor annoyance.

Answer 5

I just bought my new HP Pavilion G6 in May 2012. Five days after purchase I heard distorted noise from my laptop speakers whenever I connected the charger.

I tried changing the the power socket, the charger, but the problem was with my laptop.

It turns out that the built-in mic was showing unnecessary noise coming from my speakers, I muted the mic the distortion was gone. This was only a temporary solution – I then deleted the driver of both speakers and mic and reinstalled.

The problem was then gone forever. It might have been a software mismatch after an automatic Windows update or any Windows gadget related to battery power indication.