Computer Questions Not Worth Their Own Thread

[lndm]

Watch it now...I'm full of caffeine

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Sometimes when I'm playing games or encoding media, or other CPU-intensive tasks, my fan blows harder and makes quite a bit of noise. Like a very low humming. Should I clean it out?

Also, how can you tell when a fan needs to be replaced?

Also, inside my case there's a little square box thingy saying "cooling." What exactly would this be, a heatsink? I looked on newegg and the pictures don't look like mine.

 

[Turner]

Sometimes when I'm playing games or encoding media, or other CPU-intensive tasks, my fan blows harder and makes quite a bit of noise. Like a very low humming. Should I clean it out?

Wouldn't hurt. But you said it yourself...'CPU-intensive'. Your CPU is going to work harder, and therefore generate more heat. So the fan is going to work harder so that it can cool the CPU down. Having a clean fan would help it cool down.

Also, how can you tell when a fan needs to be replaced?

When it stops cooling your CPU. This rarely happens tho. 100-plus laptops at work, about half four years or older, and I've only had to replace one fan.

Also, inside my case there's a little square box thingy saying "cooling." What exactly would this be, a heatsink? I looked on newegg and the pictures don't look like mine.

/shrug. Post a pic.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

It's just a square black box (looks like it's made of the same plastic that surrounds a power adaptor) with a sticker saying "COOLING."

 

[Cutlass]

If your fans, or the fins of the heat sinks are full of dust, blow them clean with canned air. Impossible to know about the other thing without seeing it.

 

[Eukaryote]

How come I can`t make slashes or question marks any more. Instead I keep getting é and É respectivly. How can I fix this.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

It's to do with your language settings. I can't remember how to change it, but what you do is delete Canadian-French keyboard layout.

EDIT: Control Panel >> Regional and Language Settings >> Languages tab >> Details button

 

[lndm]

Should I clean it out?

Dust will reduce the fans effectiveness as well as weigh it down, increasing the heat generated within the fan. An uneven load of dust will cause bearing wear.

Also, how can you tell when a fan needs to be replaced?

Some will get noisy and annoying.

Also, inside my case there's a little square box thingy saying "cooling." What exactly would this be, a heatsink?

It sounds like a duct. Funnels concentrate airflow while tunnels can increase flow as well as direct it.

 

[Eukaryote]

Didn`t work Aimee, you don`t have a plan B by any chance do you.

 

[Turner]

Check and see what Keyboard you have selected.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Are you sure you deleted the second keyboard setting, or just switched it? "Cos it's got a nasty habit of switching back.

I'm assuming you have XP, so if you got Vista might be different.

 

[Eukaryote]

Thanks Turner and Aimee, Why are you guys so smart?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I'm actually a noob compared to some of these people. LOL.

 

[Ulyaoth]

Hey, I was playing a game(empire earth in case you want to know) and came out of the game and now my monitor has like a bluish tinge to it, it's really annoying. I've tried changing all my settings on my monitor and in the windows settings, nothing fixes it. Tried turning it on and off, still nothing. What's wrong?

 

[Aramazd]

Hey, I was playing a game(empire earth in case you want to know) and came out of the game and now my monitor has like a bluish tinge to it, it's really annoying. I've tried changing all my settings on my monitor and in the windows settings, nothing fixes it. Tried turning it on and off, still nothing. What's wrong?

Have you tried reseting your monitor?

 

[lndm]

Maybe you got excited and kicked the plug a little?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Maybe it's burn-in.

 

[GVBN]

Most likely a loose cable

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

A lot of people have trouble with the blue tint.

Try different monitor, see it's if the monitor or video card.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

A question -- in defragment, there's "unmovable files." What exactly are these, system files?

Also, is there a way to get the little colored blocks back, like in Windows 98? I miss watching them.