Sounds like a ground loop. Basically, the ground the computer is on is floating and not really grounded and allowing stray current.
First thing I would do is check the outlet. You can buy an outlet tester for cheap at Home Depot or any such store and it will tell you right away if your outlet is wired properly. Might want to check all the outlets just to make sure they were wired correctly. The problem could be with the house ground. I would head back to your main breaker box and take a look. All of the wires coming in should have their copper grounds terminated at one of the ground plates along the sides of the box. Those ground plates should then be tied to a ground. In my case, the water pipes coming into the house. Sometimes they are attached to a metal stake that is driven into the ground. Check the cable on the computer and make sure the ground wire isn't loose or frayed at either plug. Check the power strip same way. I guess it could always be a bad power supply, maybe swap that out and see if it goes away. On 12/21/07, Anthony Q. Martin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Anyone have any real experience with tracking down and eliminating these > kinds of problems? > > For example, I pulled a thumb drive out of my laptop and plugged it into > my main PC. All kinds of noise came out of the speakers. > If I turn a lamp on (one that's plugged into a socket in this area) I > hear about that from the speakers of the main PC. If I unplug the > laptop, I hear about. The other day I walked around the carpeted room > and touch the metal case of my other PC. I heard about that through the > speakers of my main PC (Logitech Z550 5.1 speaker system). > > What's the best way to rid myself of this problem? I admit to the very > old and sloppy cabling down yonder. Hate to get into that mess! :) > -- Brian Weeden
