Squeaky Steam

[blue60007]

First off, I don't have a clue where to stick this...don't know how to classify it, it is so strange. Could be a software and/or hardware problem.

I fire up my computer and come back to it and I hear a faint squeaking noise (a mouse in my PC?!). My first thought was a fan was going to freeze up, so I just shut it down cause I didn't have time to diagnos the problem. Well, as soon as I hit shut down and it was starting to shut down the noise stopped. That told me something running in the background was causing it.

When I had time I fired it back up and waited for the noise to start. Sure enough, it didn't start until the desktop came up and tray items were loading in. I opened up task manager to have a scroll through the processes. I see that Steam is running 100%, so I kill it (no tray icon had loaded) and the noise stopped...started it back up the noise started up. A bit of background info: at the time, the internet was down. So I figure Steam was having problems with the internet not working at all, but I figure it would pop up an error, not squeak at me! It wouldn't start it up at all. Finally the internet was working again and it worked fine then. I can't reproduce the noise anymore, even if I unplug the network connection it just gives me the proper error and no squeaks.

If I had to take stab at where the noise was coming from I would say in the neighborhood of the network port/controller.

What I want to know is what the heck was squeaking and why?? Could it be the case speaker? Honestly, I don't know where it's at, as it's integrated on the board, I'll have to look for it.

Thanks!

[blue60007]

Anyone care to take a stab at this squeaky mystery?

[suitcase]

You know that little girl in Fear? If you open up your system.........be very afraid...and careful!!

[blue60007]

lol!

[rjfvillarosa]

Give us some specifications about the machine in question, my laptop has a HT proccessor in it and it runs two fans, you very rarely hear the second fan but now and then when I am doing something and a virus scan or something similar starts up you can occasionaly here a second fan cut in, maybe if "steam" was running your system flat out a temperature controlled fan has started up and maybe if that fan rarely starts up it might need lubricating.

[Ghost(BOO!)]

The only thing I could say about that is if your cpu fan is getting old it might be starting to "wiggle" (I don't know what other word to use, lol) a little to make that noise. I've had a case fan on an old pc that squeaked a little every once in a while and when I replaced it the squeaking went away.

[blue60007]

Specs are in my sig above rjf. Good thought, but no, there aren't any temperature controlled fans (all running 100% all the time). And it wouldn't do it any other time under a load. Before I upgraded the PSU and HSF, the fan on the CPU would drop in pitch during a load (and a couple hundred RPMs) because the PSU was maxed out and the voltage dropped a bit.

Another good idea Ghost, but the fan is relatively new and it quit making noise once Steam could connect to the internet.

My first thought was a fan cause it kinda sounded like a fan rubbing or squeaking. I used the ol tube trick and tested each fan and none of them made the sound. Like I said, I think the sound was coming from the neighbor hood of the network controller. Let me find the case speaker on the board, maybe it was that making noises.

I was going to try and start the system up with the fans (not the CPU) jammed, but then the internet had to go and work again, so I didn't have a chance.

[sgtspector]

I dont know much about electronics but could the "no connection" led on the nic be buzzing from a bad ground? Perhaps that light is only on when there is no connection and steam is trying to force a connection to login.

[blue60007]

Interesting.....it did have a network connection, just no internet. That's an interesting thought....