I don't know where else to turn to.. please help.

[Gaara1]

Hey guys, I just joined these forums because I am having severe computer issues. I'd really appreciate your help. My computer has become quite sluggish and I am not sure what the cause of the problem could be. It makes inconsistant humming sounds. (meaning: it gets louder and softer, the pitch changes etc.. my guess is it has something to do with the fans working too hard or something? I have no idea) Here are the specs and software I use on it for maintenance.

OS:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Version 2003
Service Pack 1

Processor:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor
3000+
1.84GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM

Motherboard:
abit AV8 (more info about this product here )

Video Card:
ATi Radeon 9800 XT

Anti-virus + Firewall:
Kaspersky Internet Security 6.0

Anti-spyware:
Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE Professional

Defrag Software:
O&O Defrag

Registry Cleaner:
Registry Mechanic



I use the aforementioned programs on a regular basis to keep my computer clean and in decent shape. Up until recently however, these programs are no longer working the same way they had. I'd also like to note I use ATItool for monitoring my video card, and I do not overclock. Desperate, I dusted out my computer which seemed to help a little. Very little. As a result, the temperature (via ATItool) dropped 20 celcius. There was a LOT of dust Also, I believe my PSU is 350 Watt, but I am not 100% sure. If you need anymore information, I'd be happy to present it in a speedy manner. I'm also curious as to whether the heating due to dust particles has caused any damage to any components, and if so, which ones? I also have used a Memory Cleaner (MemTurbo 4) and my computer continued to run sluggish even with 700mb of ram free. It runs the slowest in computer games, and changing the video settings or video card settings (via the ATi Catalyst Control Center) seems to not help at all with Frames Per Second. I used to get 60-65 FPS and now I get 10-15 on a regular basis. (Note: The game is World of Warcraft, which I realize requires a decent amount of ram, but the slow down in computer speed is reflected outside of games as well)

Lastly.. please help! I'd be oh so appreciative if some of you could at least clue me in on what you might think the problem could be. Again, I'll give you any information you want or need in about my cpu, so don't be afraid to inquire.

 

[muz]

HMM , WHAT MAKE OF HARD DRIVE AND HOW BIG IS IT?
soz for the caps

when did you last defrag?
when did you last run a scan of the hdd?
when was the last virus scan?
have you tried memtest?

 

[Gaara1]

I don't know what the brand of the hard drive is, I *think* Seagate, but I honestly cannot remember.. the size is 150GB.

I defragged last night.
I did a virus scan last night too.
I have not tried memtest, I will try it now.
What do you mean by a scan of the hdd? Checking the volume for errors and such? If that is what you are talking about, that is something I have forgotten about. I'm doing that now as well.

 

[muz]

I don't know what the brand of the hard drive is, I *think* Seagate, but I honestly cannot remember.. the size is 150GB.

I defragged last night.
I did a virus scan last night too.
I have not tried memtest, I will try it now.
What do you mean by a scan of the hdd? Checking the volume for errors and such? If that is what you are talking about, that is something I have forgotten about. I'm doing that now as well.

try memtest , could take time and yes i meant check hdd for erros so try that too

 

[lhuser]

I'd suggest opening up the computer to find the hard drive's manufacturer. I think it could be your hard drive going.

 

[Gaara1]

Just checked -- It's a Seagate Barracuda 7200 160Gb..

Edit: Memtest86+ does not seem to support 64 bit systems.. When I click on the installer (to create the boot floppy) it says it begins to create the boot floppy but then errors, telling me it does not support 64 bit operating systems..

Edit 2: The website says one of the main reasons Memtest86+ was made was for AMD64 systems.. I am confused :[ Would it work if I just put the files I downloaded from the MemTest86+ website onto a floppy instead of using the installer it tells me to use to 'create the boot floppy' ?

 

[Atomic Rooster]

Try downloading the pre-compiled ISO and burning that to a CD.


If you go to Seagate's website, you can download a utility that will scan and diagnose your drive for any errors or problems.



.

 

[sanka]

Yeah the humming makes me think its a hard drive issue too. But how dusty is the insde of your comp? It could be that as well.

 

[muz]

Yeah the humming makes me think its a hard drive issue too. But how dusty is the insde of your comp? It could be that as well.

said he dusted out infirs post

also look at the psu ages ago i had a dosgy psu thet made a loud humming noise like you descriped so it could be the psu , have you got spare psu you can try out