Power on produces noise

I am running an IBM Netvista with Win. ME. I usually leave it in standby when not in use, but I shut it down when I am away for extended periods of time. At times, when I start it back up, it produces a strange whirring noise from the case, almost as if something is caught in the fan. The noise, which begins quite loudly, gradually fades out and disappeares completely after about five minutes, with no apparent effect on the system. I have checked the fan with no results, but the random nature of the noise makes it difficult to diagnose it's cause. I have never heard of this problem before. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

Sounds like the fan in the power supply is dying. Talk to IBM and see if you can RMA your power supply or something. If that fan dies completely, you'll overheat the power supply and then you'll have real problems.

 

As Ethan says, your power supply fan is likely the problem. The bearing is probably running dry and if it stops completely you are in for expensive repairs on your system.