After using his computer for an hour or so (which is more random than at regular times), he encounters a clicking noise from inside his computer. This clicking noise is usually but not always followed by the Blue Screen of Death. Then he usually has to reboot and the problem goes away for a little while before it returns.
What we did: We opened the case and tried to find out where the clicking noises came from. They did not come from the fans since we saw them both operating normally. They seemed to be coming from the front of the computer where the disk reader and the CD Rom drive was, but we weren’t sure. The clicking noise was usually followed by the screen freezing up, and then the BSOD. The BSOD message each time may have been different, but I’m not positive. We attempted to update his Windows and were at 24%, but the BSOD interrupted the update process (remember he has dialup so it was pretty slow)
I installed Adaware while we were waiting for the clicking noise, and while it was scanning, it had found 187 critical objects, not that this has anything to do with the noise, but I just thought it was interesting. Once he gets this problem resolved, I’ll install all the necessary software to prevent adware and spyware from infecting his computer, but for now I just want to get this BSOD problem resolved.
What I’ll continue to do: Surf the internet for similar windows crashes and BSOD messages. I might visit his computer again after I’ve gained more knowledge of BSOD messages and possible resolutions.
If anyone could help diagnose what it could be or recommend some actions or a website, it would be greatly appreciated. I don’t want him to spend anymore money than he already has.
