I open a few programs (e.g. Limewire, iTunes), listen to some music, do some Internet browsing, make searches on Limewire. Everything is fine.

If I leave my computer idling, the fan will go crazy. I touch the mouse, PC comes up again. The fan noise stops.

I close Limewire, the PC goes idle once again, everything is fine... no noise from the fan.

Is there an internal process that causes Limewire to make excessive CPU usage when the computer is idling?

as000ll

First, LW does not affect your computer fan in any way but there are a couple of things that can.

1) Dust, when there is an excessive build up of dust in your fan (or fans) this will cause the fan to vibrate unevenly. You will need to open your computer and carefully, using a hand held vacuum cleaner, clean out all the visible dust.

2) Warn bearings, the ball bearing in your fan (or fans) will eventually wear and become uneven; this too will cause excessive noise. The bearings cannot be replaced or repaired so it will mean a new fan (or fans).

I would suggest you try No.1 first and if that does not cure your problem go for No.2.



UK Bob

actually it may very well indeed affect the fan (most likely the cpu heatsink)...if LW is hashing a lot of files or eating a lot of cpu % then that will heat the cpu and thereby speed up the fan if quiet technology is being used on the machine (that being that the fan speed is set to variable dependent upon the cooling required as pertains to the temp of the cpu)...

as ukbobboy01 noted if its noisy then your fan is most likely on the way out...fan bearing can sometimes be lubricated but its probably a better bet just to replace it...if it is a cpu fan then it is probably integral to the heatsink and the whole thing will have to be replaced which will be a challenge if you are not familiar with the routine...

__________________


So Long and Thanks for All the Files
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Many Thanks to ukbobboy01 and peerless...

I would tend to agree with you but as soon as I close LW, it does not happen again. So it makes me think that the fan speed is directly related to LW running or not.

Again, it only happens when LW is running in the background AND when the screensaver is active. Otherwise, under normal circumstances AND even with LW running, if I am actively using the computer, the CPU temperature is fine (I tested it with a program called speedfan) and I hear no fan noise.

Very strange....

in this post you mention a screen saver....probably a graphically intense one....


why not try the following..

put your box in a place that is accessable (if its not already so), take off the side....

replicate your problem and stick your face up to the opening and try and see where the noise is coming from...might be the cpu fan, might be a video card fan, etc....

also, if it is cpu heat related, then also replicate the noise and even if its actually related to your screen saver and LW simultaneously if you use speedfan quickly you will still be able to see an elevated temperature..

either way, its obvious the way to really diagnose the problem is to try and figure out exactly what is the cause of the noise....while you've got the side off of the machine take the time to clean it out also....

__________________


So Long and Thanks for All the Files
_____________________________________________

Beware of the big 3 insurance companies in Texas! Read your policies carefully (maybe you'll need a lawyer) Allstate, Farmers & State Farm are overextended and their 'coverage' is worthless...a true waste of your money Read This

A malfunctioning CPU fan caused my puter to behave as if infected. A few pros had looked at it and couldn't figure it out. I noticed a pile of dust where there shouldn't be any and once I cleaned it out everything was fine.

as000ll

Just to add one more thing to what Peerless and Blackhorse 70V have said, it might be an idea to install an extra fan in your machine.

You see, I too suffered from noisy fan syndrome but mine was due to wear, tear and dust so I had my PSU, CPU and GPU fans cleaned out. I also had installed an extra fan to insure that there is air moving through my PC at all times and take some of the workload off the other fans.

Result, not so noisy and guaranteed airflow.



UK Bob

Many thanks to you all,

I was hoping to find an obscure bug in LW but it is probably as you all said... dust.

I still can't figure out why LW heats my CPU more when idling that really working but, hey... what the heck, I'll go but that can of compressed air and clean my computer a bit.

Thanks again.