Windows computer keeps rattling like there's something stuck inside... Help!

Compressed air is the correct thing to use for cleaning the dust out of your pc, so that's not the problem. The noise you're hearing could be either the fan or the discs inside of the hard drive. If your mom has important files on that machine, she should have someone look at it.

Yes, I think you need to check up your hard disk and the data must be backed up immediately. It will be better to check the computer parts properly stalled and computer fans are working properly. A technician can help you best about checking them.

It came from the fan which usually rotates very slowly and cause a very loud sound, check that the CPU fan or power supply fan is causing problems on your computer. Can also occur in the loose bolts, so that when the computer reads the fan spinning.

I don't think it is because of OS. Those sounds are likely to be from one of those categories:

1) CD/DVD ROM
2) Hard disk arm rotators sound
3) Sound of your fan

There is nothing from OS regarding these issues. So be it linux,windows or etc, has nothing to do with it. You can ask your vendor to take a look at one these three if they have some problem.

Hi, lightwitin7! As you said, the computer is pretty old, so i think the noises comes from the mathine inside. Check the CPU fan and power fan, do they work fine? Then check out your hard disk. I had a very old XP computer several years before, the disk sometimes make rattling noises, so i backed up the important files and replaced the disk, then the noises just gone.
The important thing you should do is, backup your important files. Have a nice day, lightwithin7!

hi lightwithin7, If you can open the cpu cover, you can try disconnecting the power supply of your harddisk and cdrom, if that weird noise remains after switching your pc on, it might be your processor fan or your power supply, again if you can disconnect that small power connector or your processor fan from the mainboard and again the noise remains then definitely it's your power supply, it's either the fan or the transformer inside your P.S. (loose windings since it's old) that is making the noise. I have encountered the same problem before, one is a dirty fan,heatsink of the processor (just clean it) and the other case is a defective transformer inside the powersupply, the winding is already loose which then causes vibration and noise.

In a pc the primary noise makers are the hard drive and the spinning fans that keep the system cool. When you say rattling noises I'm thinking that your hard drive is in the process of failing! If this is the case then you need to back up your important information as quickly as possible. May I ask a question? Was the pc dropped accidentally at all? Especially whilst the pc was on? If this did take place then it's highly likely that it's definitely a hard drive problem that you have. Andrew