Computer makes weird beeps. What's wrong?

EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
edited February 2005 in Hardware
Well 3 days ago i installed my new harddrive. At the same time i also connected the cables from the front audio inputs to the mobo. Ever since i've been hearing a strange sound comming from the computer every now and then. It's rare, about every 15 or 30 or so minutes but it's there. Each time it sound either like a faint beep or something metallic brushing against something other metallic.

What could it be. Since it started when i got the new harddrive i think it's going south yet nothing indicates that. Windows has no issues with it and i ran drive fitness test but that didn't find any problems.

Installation was done by connecting the sata cable to the mobo and then to the hd as well as a powercable as usual. I started it all up and got surpriced that windows didn't find it even though it was there in dos. Then i remembered that i hadn't formatted it. :o :rolleyes: In with a partitionmagic disc and then reboot. It was formated as a primary ntfs drive. Then windows saw it as L:

The disc is a Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160GB S-ATA 8MB cache 7200RPM NCQ. It was bought from komplett.se. I've downloaded some diagnostic software called seatools. I'll run them and get back with you tomorrow. Now i'm going to sleep. Wasn't planning to write this untill tommorow but had trouble sleeping. Kept thinking about what to type.

Comments

  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    Well i ran all test that seatools had. All were passsed except for file structure test. The app told me that i should run windows based tools and not worry unless i noticed filecorruption. But how can i not worry. Not a single partition passed. I'll run norton disc doctor and see what it says. The i'll defrag.
  • madmatmadmat
    edited January 2005
    SeaTools might not be capable of determining if NTFS file structures are correct or not, I've seen several apps like that.

    As to the squeaking/beeping noises it could be the drive powering down and back up, check your power saving features to see if the drives are set to shut down after so long with no usage, if so disable that and see if it quits.

    I wish I could offer more constructive ideas but that's the only thing that comes to mind, good luck and keep and eye on the drive's s.m.a.r.t., SpeedFan will allow you to monitor the drive's s.m.a.r.t. functions and tell you the overall fitness and performance as well as the drive's temp IF it has temp monitoring built in.

    Good Luck man.
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited January 2005
    EyesOnly wrote:
    or something metallic brushing against something other metallic.

    This is probably way off the mark, but it couldn't be something simple like.... you maybe moved a power cable so a fan is catching on it when you put the hard drive in? Don't get so fixated on it being a hard drive problem, check anything else it could be too.

    also, don't worry about the file structure. According to This
    * If you are running Windows NT or OS/2, SeaTools will test the structures of your DOS/FAT system partitions. However, it will not test NTFS or HPFS partitions.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    Hey madmat i suppose you mean q-fan when you say speedfan. I'll reboot and have a look. Asus probe hasn't detected any temperature differens and this HD is directly in the path of incomming air unlike my primary which i put lower so it wouldn't restrcit airflow. So i doub't it'll overheat anytime soon. Good advice though. :thumbsup:
    deicist wrote:
    This is probably way off the mark, but it couldn't be something simple like.... you maybe moved a power cable so a fan is catching on it when you put the hard drive in? Don't get so fixated on it being a hard drive problem, check anything else it could be too.

    also, don't worry about the file structure. According to This

    Hey deicist i've been thinking the same thing but wouldn't i hear it constantly. Surely if so was the case the noice would be much more frequent. Just a thought.

    That's for os/2 and nt. Is it also for xp.

    I did find something interesting while searching the web. I've looked at both asus and seagate's sites but i only found something on asus. It's an article about hitachi drivess that apparently give out intermittent beeps.

    Edit

    Here we go. http://www.asus.com.tw/support/faq/qanda.aspx?KB_ID=100087705&SLanguage=en-us
    Why does Hitachi hard disk gives intermittent sound when running in Idle mode?

    It's a normal response that Hitachi hard disk gives intermmitent sounds. Motor and PCB works in Active Idle mode, but when I/O stops, the HD read-and-write head is suspending right above the centre of hard disk. Because the HD read- and -write head runs at a low position, it will bring about magnetic induction which will change the 0, 1 signal. If signals have been changed, the information stored will be altered consequently, thus the data will become inaccurate. So the read-and -write head will intermittently distract 14 cylinder to avoid producing magnetic induction. This is the reason that it keeps giving sounds.

    This sounds like what i'm experiencing though with a seagate. :scratch::confused:
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited January 2005
    EyesOnly wrote:
    Hey deicist i've been thinking the same thing but wouldn't i hear it constantly. Surely if so was the case the noice would be much more frequent. Just a thought.

    maybe, but I've got a wire in my case that only hits the fan when it's first switched on... it's worth checking anyway and easier to fix than a hard drive problem
    EyesOnly wrote:
    That's for os/2 and nt. Is it also for xp.

    I'm guessing it's a problem reading any NTFS partitions, so I'd assume it covers XP as well as NT/2K


    edit: Just had another leftfield idea, how are your voltages? Maybe adding the extra hard drive has pulled one of your rails down, which could cause one of your fans to run slow / erraticly.... I admit it's a long shot but it's easy enough to check.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    deicist wrote:
    maybe, but I've got a wire in my case that only hits the fan when it's first switched on... it's worth checking anyway and easier to fix than a hard drive problem

    I'll have a look

    deicist wrote:
    I'm guessing it's a problem reading any NTFS partitions, so I'd assume it covers XP as well as NT/2K

    Ok i see.
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited January 2005
    damn that was a quick reply, just bumping this so you can see the bit I edited in after I posted.

    oh, also, while you've got the case open to check for cable / fan interface you could leave it running and see if you can locate the source of the beeping, that would narrow down the cause of the problem.
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited January 2005
    EyesOnly wrote:
    At the same time i also connected the cables from the front audio inputs to the mobo.

    I completely missed this part of your initial post, have you tried disconnecting those inputs and seeing if the noise stops?
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited January 2005
    Is the sound coming from your case and not your speakers?
    could you be picking up a signal from one of your new sound system lines?
  • madmatmadmat
    edited January 2005
    SpeedFan is a utility named exactly that, SpeedFan, it monitors temps, allows you to adjust fan speeds on some mobo's and monitors s.m.a.r.t. info as well as voltages and on certain vidcards can monitor them as well.

    I'd get you some linkage but this PC is so painfully slow and underpowered it's easier to just say a quick google for speedfan will find you a link to it. Sorry 'bout that.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    deicist wrote:
    damn that was a quick reply, just bumping this

    so you can see the bit I edited in after I posted.

    You posted as i was posting a respons to you so as long as

    we're both at our comps i think we'll have to put up with some

    cross posting. :D And you're prolly gonna post something while

    i type this. ;D
    deicist wrote:
    oh, also, while you've got the case open to check for cable /

    fan interface you could leave it running and see if you can

    locate the source of the beeping, that would narrow down the

    cause of the problem.

    Good thinking. Ill move my printer while shutting down the

    computer. That way i can keep the open end outwards not towards

    a shelf.
    deicist wrote:
    I completely missed this part of your initial

    post, have you tried disconnecting those inputs and seeing if

    the noise stops?

    No i haven't and i wont unless i have too since i had to remove

    both a usbpanel as well as a S/PDIF module just to reach the

    part of the mobo where the frontpanel cable was to be put.
    deicist wrote:
    edit: Just had another leftfield idea, how are your voltages?

    Maybe adding the extra hard drive has pulled one of your rails

    down, which could cause one of your fans to run slow /

    erraticly.... I admit it's a long shot but it's easy enough to

    check.

    I don't know what "good" voltages is so i'll post a screenshot

    of asus pc probe and let you answer that question.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    edcentric wrote:
    Is the sound coming from your case and not your speakers?
    could you be picking up a signal from one of your new sound system lines?

    It can be heard even though my logitech speakers attched to the rear is turned off and nothing connected to the front ports
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    madmat wrote:
    SpeedFan is a utility named exactly that, SpeedFan, it monitors temps, allows you to adjust fan speeds on some mobo's and monitors s.m.a.r.t. info as well as voltages and on certain vidcards can monitor them as well.

    I'd get you some linkage but this PC is so painfully slow and underpowered it's easier to just say a quick google for speedfan will find you a link to it. Sorry 'bout that.

    I'll check it out.

    Edit
    Ok checked it out. Do i ned to use it as it messes up asus probe. i keep getting messages that some fan isn't working so i'll avoid speedfan so all fans work. btw all but powerfan are attached to a fancontroller.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    Ok i'm back and so far so good. All fans spinning nothing hitting them. I secured the loose cables from the front audioports with tape. I luckily didn't have to use them as there was another bigger connector that fit on the mobo. It contained all cables in a "intel standard" according to the case manual.
  • madmatmadmat
    edited January 2005
    I personally use it instead of asus pc-probe as it gives you the same info from the same source, uses less resources and monitors s.m.a.r.t. on the hard drives not to mention offering monitoring of temps on 9800xt's, GF FX and up vidcards as well as logging and a whole bunch of other nifty stuff (for instance, when minimized your chosen temp shows up in the task-manager) but if you'd rather use pc-probe I won't fault you on it...I used it for quite a while myself.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    I just removed it since running the 2 apps together was a mistake. Since asus probe isn't needed for my rig to function i'll give speedfan a longer try and make sure that probe wont start on boot.

    It's done, probe wont be starting and sf is back. BTW what also is back is the beep. Since every app i've run seem to indicate that my HD:s are just fine the problem might very well be the fact that i connected the front audio ports. i think that newer bios or drivers might fix it and i'll look into it. Now it's time for americas army. I miss that game. :)
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    Ok new bios is in, so is new sil drivers. I remembered that i've been running the audio in 6 channels even though i don't have cables for that. That might have been the cause. I've changed ot to stereo now. Another possible cause that now has been corrected was the use of the front audio ports. I'm moving soon and after that i'll be using the speakers in true surround so i'll only be using headphones right now. Therefor i removed the cables from the mobo and will connect the headphones to the rear.

    If anyone else don't have any other ideas i now consider the problems i've had solved. As of yet i've heard no beep from the computer and if there is something wrong with the harddrives the apps i've run should have found them. BTW for some reason speedfan seems to only found one of the HD:s. :scratch:
  • madmatmadmat
    edited January 2005
    Are the others running in RAID? If so it won't see them.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    No raid here. I think. I didn't configure it as that.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    After removing the cables from the mobo i totally forgot to put back the 2 jumpers that where there. I just couldn't understand why there was no sound. HAd to turn it all of again and move the printer and all. :mean: Oh well. I really learned to like needle nose pliers while inserting those jumpers that's for sure. :D

    Dispite that the computer is still making random beeps even though not as often as i said before. Ok i don't always have quiet enough around me to hear it but still. What is causing this. I've downloaded new sil drivers, flashed the bios and still i can hear it. Is my mobo giving up? i built this rig less then a year ago for crying out load so no parts of it can be worn out. Or can they?

    The more i learn about computers the more i hate getting a problem i don't understand. :banghead: :rant::rant:

    Please whatever ideas you might have let's hear them. I don't care hw crasy.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    ok thanks to my brother the source of the problem has now been id'd. It's an error messages that's causing it. Only problem is. Non of us could figure out what the heck it means. Here's what it says in swedish pasted from the loggbook.

    Händelsetyp: Varning
    Händelsens källa: Userenv
    Händelsekategori: Ingen
    Händelse-ID: 1517
    Datum: 2005-01-04
    Tid: 20:36:00
    Användare: NT INSTANS\SYSTEM
    Dator: EYESONLY
    Beskrivning:
    Registerinställningar för användaren EYESONLY\Tommy Eriksson sparades medan ett program eller en tjänst fortfarande använde registret under utloggning. Det minne som användes av användarens register har inte frigjorts. Registret kommer att tas bort ur minnet när det inte längre används.

    Detta kan ske när tjänster körs under användarkonton. Försök konfigurera tjänster som att de körs antingen som lokal tjänst eller nätverkstjänst.

    The source is something called "Userenv. The event id is 1517.

    The text says (my translation): "Registry settings for the user Eyesonly/Tommy eriksson was saved while a program or a service was still using the registry during logout.The memory used by the users registry has not been freed. The registry will be taken out of the memory when it's no longer in use.

    This can happen when services are run under user accounts. Try to configure services so that they are run either as a local service or as a network service".

    This message was first in the log at 2004.09-14 though i don't recall hearing any beeps then. It's displayed about 2-3 timed a day ever since. I know there are lot's of admins in here so one of you must have encountered this error before. :confused::eek::scratch:
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    I'm getting more and more proof that i really shouldn't own a computer. How else can one interpred the fact that so many has read this thread since my last post yet noone has responded. That must mean that the error is unknown.

    I just had an idea. That was to checkout what that userenv.dll really is. I've got 3 of it.

    1 is in C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$
    1 is in C:\WINDOWS\system32
    and 1 is in C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386

    This clearly states that the file in question has something to do with the servicepacks. Wat should i do? Reinstall servicepacks? BTW sp1 was intregated (sp) with windows so i could only reinstall sp2?
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited January 2005
    Um, did you install SP2 for XP???

    If you did, the Service Pack Uninstall has an archived copy, which WIndows can see-- thus the "NtServicePackUninstall."

    The ACTIVE one is in system32.

    The copy you downloaded is in \ServicePackFiles\i386.

    This is normal for 2000 and XP.

    IF you updated to SP2 in XP, it might be an audio driver and\or what user installed SP2 problem. An admin permitted user or Administrator must install SP2 or it only works-- if it works-- with the one user, and might work in part for other users. So, does the beeping happen for all users, and have you updated video drivers and other srivers AS ADMIN Privileged user or as pure admin with permissions set to be for all users that gteh SP and base drivers run???

    USERENV is user envelope,. area assigned for users. Thus, since services are system things, and run for all users normally, you can get a user envelope violate by installing it twice, having an old service and a new one running, or having a service set to run as a user process. Just adding to mention in this thread that services need to run as something other than only for a single user in most cases.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    I'm the admin as well as owner of this rig and it only has one account so i can't install it twice. Something could have happend when sp2 was installed though even though i'm not sure how.
    Straight_Man wrote:
    Um, did you install SP2 for XP???

    If you did, the Service Pack Uninstall has an archived copy, which WIndows can see-- thus the "NtServicePackUninstall."

    The ACTIVE one is in system32.

    The copy you downloaded is in \ServicePackFiles\i386.

    This is normal for 2000 and XP.

    Yeah i know. Just wanted to point it out. Yes it was for xp since otherwise it wouldn't have shown up on windows update. I have recently updated drivers even though that was done after the beeping started. And that was done with the only account there is which has admin status.

    Should i / can i uninstall sp2 or is there some service i should cancel to stop this.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited January 2005
    I've started looking at the log just after a beep and most times there aren't any events corresponing to the beeps. So perhaps it's no an error message after all.

    I know it's not virus since i scan weekly. It's not spyware either so what could it be.
  • justinscjustinsc
    edited February 2005
    Hey,

    Just wanted to let you know that I have had the same problem ever since I installed my Seagate Barracuda SATA drives about a year ago.

    Same exact problem--- little beeps, not coming from the speakers-- every 15-30 minutes or so. The same beeping noise can be made by powering off one of the drives (it will make the beep once as it shuts down).

    I have 3 250GB 7200RPM Seagate Bararacida SATA drives in my computer. They all make the beep, as I can disconnect them one by one in any order and the beeping doesn't go away until all 3 are disconnected.

    Since the beeping started, I thought maybe my power supply wasn't big enough to handle 4 hard drives (there's one other IDE drive in there) so I upgraded to a 450watt power supply that was specifically designed for SATA drives-- didn't help.

    I had other problems with my computer anyways, so since then I have upgraded every other part of the computer-- and still I get the beeps.

    I'm using two different SATA controllers -- the one built into the motherboard and a PCI controller card -- doesn't make a difference which I use.

    This beep just makes me really nervous-- I wish I could figure out what it is!

    -Justin
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