Hey, wasn't sure if this should go here or in hardware the same noise as hardware, but no apparent probs with hardware. Please don't hit me.

Anyways, I was happily playing the Sims 2 (yup, I'm cool) when the computer kept slowing down. It keeps making the same noise as when I connect/disconnect hardware (iPod etc). Only there is definitely no extra stuff plugged in, so no loose connections (on the outside anyway). I checked all the cables at the back, all plugged in securely.

This may seem daft, but can overheating do this? The PC has been on for well over 24 hours.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciate. This is doing my head in!

xxx

Hello angel_fish25 welcome to PCHF.

Overheating can definately cause your PC to slow down. It's known as "Throttle back", where the processing speed is reduced to prevent the CPU or GPU from overheating.

Not sure about the noise you hear when you connect/disconnect your iPod. The windows theme for when a USB device is connected/disconnected?

Try using SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer to check your temperatures and report back. All be sure to fill in your hardware spec's so that we can have some idea of what your maximum temperatures should be, as it varies between make and model of components.

Hiya!

Thanks very much for getting back to me so quickly. After all my confusion I finally realised it IS a hardware problem, namely my mouse. No problems at all when not using the mouse (could work stuff fine with just the keyboard). The mouse was causing the lag and the annoying USB noises. The wire connection inside the mouse must have come loose. Turns out yanking on the mouse when it gets caught on something is bad for it lol (I've broken several electrical items this way - I'm a bit slow). Time for a new mouse then. I'll treat it with the care it deserves

Anyhoo, thanks for the help. SpeedFan will definitely be useful cos this computer is hardly ever turned off, and I've always wondered how hot is too hot.

Thanks again x

hehe, marked as Resolved angel. Nice one.