# Computer Problem? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222 "2003-04-26T00:33:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/1 "2003-04-26T00:33:57Z")
Okay, I’ve been backing up my music cd’s lately and I don’t know if this is what’s causing my problem or not. I have a pentium 4 dell cpu. Here’s what’s wrong: My computer is preforming slowly. Occasionally my computer makes a wierd video game sound. The sound is very brief and it sounds dated-like an arcade game from the 80’s. I don’t know where or why my computer is making this sound either. No program screen pops up or anything like that. It also seems to happen about every thirty minutes or so. Anyone have any ideas?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/2 "2003-04-26T00:39:04Z")
Operating system? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/3 "2003-04-26T00:41:59Z")
Do you have a mobile phone near the computer by any chance? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/4 "2003-04-26T00:43:07Z")
Are you connected to the net at the time? Is the hard drive light showing constant activity? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/5 "2003-04-26T00:44:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*Do you have a mobile phone near the computer by any chance? \*\* Ha! That happened to me a while back. My battery started dying and it would beep every five minutes or so. But I was _sure_ it was my computer doing it. It wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/6 "2003-04-26T01:00:35Z")
**Q.E.D** I wasn’t joking - Mobile phones actually do cause ‘80s computer game type sounds’ every so often in computer speakers. It is obviously interference, the phone is sending some kind of message (like “I am a phone” to the broadcast tower, or the tower is sending something to the phone like “you are a phone”. I don’t know, I am not a telecommunications expert) ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/7 "2003-04-26T01:01:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*Do you have a mobile phone near the computer by any chance? \*\* > [@](#): > > Ha! That happened to me a while back. My battery started dying and it would beep every five minutes or so. But I was sure it was my computer doing it. It wasn’t. :o :o :o Fuck. You know, NOW I feel like a dumbass. But you are ABSOLUTELY 100% correct. The slowness probably due to windows media player doing it’s usual business, and the sound was coming from my cell phone. Which I had inadvertantly forgot about and left on. Where’s my dumbass trophy? Sometimes life just gives you a bowl full of dumb and you take a big heaping scoop, eh? :o ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/8 "2003-04-26T01:02:00Z")
Try it - recharge your phone, and leave it near your speakers (while your computer is on) maybe every hour or so, you will hear the brief sound (a bit like fuzzy morse code) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/9 "2003-04-26T01:03:27Z")
That’s amazing. **Q.E.D.** misunderstood me, and his misunderstanding turned out to be correct :eek: **Q.E.D.** how do you do it!? ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/10 "2003-04-26T01:04:55Z")
Thanks you guys! 😃 Why do I feel like the caller in that email forward: The one where a computer tech. is trying to figure out what’s wrong with this person’s computer and it turns out the thing was off? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/11 "2003-04-26T01:07:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*Try it - recharge your phone, and leave it near your speakers (while your computer is on) maybe every hour or so, you will hear the brief sound (a bit like fuzzy morse code) \*\* Mine doesn’t do that. Possibly because it’s operationg on the 1.9 Ghz PCS band. Strictly speaking it’s not a cell phone, it’s a PCS phone. What you’re talking about is more likely a signal the phone is sending out to the tower. The tower’s are _constantly_ sending out signals to all the phones in their cells, radiating more or less equally in all directions. The field strength of the tower’s signal will generally (unless you live under the tower) be considerably less than the field strength near your phone. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/12 "2003-04-26T03:56:27Z")
This happens to me all the time. I`ve got one of those Nextel 2 way phones. Well, just before it rings, maybe a full second before, I`ll hear some clicking in the computer speakers. This also happens in the car speakers. I have to turn the radio down in the car when I use the phone because the background noise (the clicking) in the speakers is annoying. I also get the random “phone talking to tower” clicks. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/13 "2003-04-26T04:10:23Z")
Also, if you observed your computer **preforming** what do you suppose the end result would be? pre·form - ( P ) Pronunciation Key (prfôrm) tr.v. pre·formed, pre·form·ing, pre·forms To shape or form beforehand. To determine the shape or form of beforehand. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/14 "2003-04-26T06:02:37Z")
Is the interference limited to just cell phones? Could a 2.4GHz cordless phone do it? I ask because I don’t even own a cellphone, yet I hear those same noises, and my phone is right next to my computer. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to them, though, and I don’t hear them very often. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-problem/171222/15 "2003-04-26T06:08:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neutron star \* > \*\*Is the interference limited to just cell phones? Could a 2.4GHz cordless phone do it? I ask because I don’t even own a cellphone, yet I hear those same noises, and my phone is right next to my computer. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to them, though, and I don’t hear them very often. \*\* Probably not. When cordless phones aren’t in use there are no signals being transmitted by either the base or the handset. It could be other sources of RF such as police radios or CBs. I’ve actually heard CBers clearly through my speakers on occassion.