Whenever I switch on my PC, it makes some loud sounds till it completely ends the entire booting process, but this sound gets even worse when it’s the winter season and during early mornings.

I am not sure of what type of noises are emanating from the PC, but all I can think of is the noise from the internal fans. The noises can be possibly coming from the power supply fans, cabinet fans or the processor cooling fan. Open the computer case power on the PC. 

Locate the noisy area and pinpoint the exact fan which is making the sounds. Now turn off the PC and remove/disconnect that fan. If it is the power supply fan, disconnect and remove the power supply unit and open it carefully. 

Be careful as the power supply unit deals with high power voltages and can even injure you when it is powered off. This is because the large capacitors inside the PSU still retain high voltages for a while. Let the power supply unit lie for around 15 minutes before you open it. You should then clean the fans thoroughly using a brush and a blower. 

If the fans are still making noise after cleaning, you could remove the fans, dismantle the fan blades and add a few drops of machine oil on the shafts and between the magnet and coil assembly. But this practice is usually not recommended as the fans will work only for a few days or weeks and the problem will arise again. You should replace the fans with the right specifications to be safe. 

The noises could be coming from the power supply fans, cabinet fans or the processor cooling fan.

When I power on my PC, I receive an error message stating “Please select a proper boot drive and continue”.

Problem details: Dual Core E2180 2 GHz processor, 1.87 GB of RAM and a 250 GB HDD on my PC, before my present 250 GB HDD, I had a 180 GB hard drive and with that too I had the same problem. I have a temporary solution for this — I disconnect the SATA cable and then plug it back in and also check the RAM slots subsequently. The first boot drive is set to the SATA hard drive in the BIOS. I need a permanent solution for this problem.

There can be a few possible reasons for the problem with your PC. Either the CMOS battery of your motherboard is weak or it might be dead, or there is an issue with the hard drive data or power cable. There can also be a problem with your motherboard. A virus infection could also be wiping the boot area of your hard drive. You will need to do a step-by-step analysis of your PC by changing the cables and battery and scanning for viruses.

If the CMOS battery on the motherboard is weak or dead, the BIOS settings are reset to defaults.

During windows update, laptop restarted and later it went to a BSOD. The error code is: ‘IRQL_LESS_ OR_NOT_EQUAL_TO_ZERO’.

The only reason I can think of for this issue is a possible viral attack when surfing the Internet. As your PC is old, it could be possible that bundled/installed antivirus might have expired. PC manufacturers generally bundle an antivirus with the PC for free, but they are usually either valid for three months or a trial version. Hence, your antivirus might not have been securing the PC and a virus or Trojan might have entered/attacked your PC. Depending on the type of Trojan or virus, the PC might misbehave, throw up errors, underperform, or randomly crash. These activities are usually blocked by antivirus utilities and firewalls, which might not have been active in your case. Henceforth, use a good antivirus (either free or paid) and always keep both the antivirus and the operating system updated to prevent viruses and Trojans. Make sure to backup your important data at least once a week.

BSOD can be caused due to virus, faulty RAM, bad hard drive, loose cabling, corrupt software, etc.