OT - Compter Question

[Luv2Camp]

My computer is making that "running" noise, like it's thinking all the time. I've shut-down, and that didn't help. I ran a virus scan (mcAfee), and that didn't find anything. Any ideas? I'm afraid I may have a virus that McAfee didn't find. Thanks for any advice!

 

[sayhello]

My computer is making that "running" noise, like it's thinking all the time. I've shut-down, and that didn't help. I ran a virus scan (mcAfee), and that didn't find anything. Any ideas? I'm afraid I may have a virus that McAfee didn't find. Thanks for any advice!

More than likely, you have a bunch of background processes running that you probably don't need. iTunes, Quicktime, Adobe, all sorts of programs will install "Startup tasks" that do things like constantly check their servers to see if there's an update, or other things like that. If you're a knowledgeable user, you can run msconfig and turn off those Startup tasks, and your computer will likely run much faster. If you don't know enough, see if someone at your local computer store will do something like that for you for a small fee. I really doubt it's a virus. McAfee may be part of the problem, as it's a REAL CPU hog, and if it's running scans in the background, it will really slow you down. However, it's really good at virus detection. You might also try running a MalWare or Spyware detector, such as Spyware Doctor or Malwarebytes. Those would not be covered by anti-virus programs.

Sayhello

 

[pittsburghmarc]

Buy a Mac

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

Buy a Mac

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Buy a Mac? The OP asked for help, not snide remarks.

It could also be a hard drive failing. I bought spinrite years ago and it's saved my butt several times. If you have another computer, put the hard drive from the bad computer in a hard drive enclosure or as a secondary drive and scan it with spinrite. It could take a while, like days, for a large drive, but unless there is physical damage to the drive, spinrite will fix it.

It's really hard to tell without hearing the actual sound what's wrong, but if it sounds like it's revving up and down, my first guess would be a hard drive issue.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Or is it the fan you are hearing? When it gets hot, you can hear the fan run on our computer and it can get loud. In fact, it went out once and we had to replace it. On hot days we don't leave the computer on all day.

 

[Mickeyflower]

First of all, Macs get viruses too. In fact, my best friends MAC completely died, TWICE. My PC has not died once so there!

Second of all, my computer was doing the same thing. I knew just enough to figure out that the CPU usage was running at nearly 100% but only when I was using Internet Explorer. It turned out that even though I had a great virus program, I still ended up with a Trojan Horse virus.

Basically, completely remove all the programs you can. Download Firefox and use that for surfin' the net, download and run a couple of spyware programs that you can get for free, I used PCTools. BUT, delete them from your hard drive after you used them. Some spywares can actually sneak into your computer through them. My DBF's best buddy is an IT guy and he recommends using them every couple of months, but delete them when your done.

It also helps to not have any programs in your start up tray, they are constantly running in the background, and really unnecessary. If you have a desktop short cut, no need for one in your start up tray.

Hope some of this helps

 

[Spaceace5150]

Buy a Mac

Macs are not unbreakable. But I don't want to get into another mac vs. windows thread...

 

[darrengs]

You could spend at least $1200 on a mac or first you could try Microsoft's FREE safety scanner.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx

 

[k5jm]

Since most trojans, malware, and viruses are rootkits, you need to be able to disinfect your machine while not running on your hard drive. Microsoft just released a tool to do just that. You will download and execute the program for your system and the program will generate a bootable USB thumb drive or CD rom that will clean your system.

http://connect.microsoft.com/systemsweeper

You have been directed here to download and install the beta version of Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta, a recovery tool that can help you start an infected PC and perform an offline scan to help identify and remove rootkits and other advanced malware. In addition, Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta can be used if you cannot install or start an antivirus solution on your PC, or if the installed solution can’t detect or remove malware on your PC.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I think it's time that this thread returned to the original topic. The OP is asking for advice as his computer is making a noise. Please keep the discussion to this topic.

 

[dpuck1998]

Usually a combo of malwarebytes and your choice of virus software (mcafee, norton, avast etc) will solve the issue. As suggested above, putting on a flash drive and running it from there is also a great idea. If that is all clean, I've had a lot of machines with loose CPU fans making noises that sound like they are going to blast off. If you are comfortable, you can replace the CPU fan with an aftermarket more effective fan and see if that helps. Lastly, depending on your machine, it could also be the Power supply fan or the video card fan making the noise. Open it up and see what is so loud.

 

[darrengs]

Since most trojans, malware, and viruses are rootkits, you need to be able to disinfect your machine while not running on your hard drive. Microsoft just released a tool to do just that. You will download and execute the program for your system and the program will generate a bootable USB thumb drive or CD rom that will clean your system.

http://connect.microsoft.com/systemsweeper

Yes, this is a great free tool, I would give it a try!