If the sounds are coming from the speakers then it might be just when the computer looks for updates online for the various programs. If it comes from the tower itself then perhaps it is as the hard drive activates, mine is a noisy hard drive but the particular model is known for that. Keeping a computer running or not is purely a personal choice, neither way is right or wrong necessarily. I ran mine for years when they were doing some distributed computing trying to find a cure for cancer. Never hurt them at all, just the hydro bill. Still run mostly 24/7 through laziness I s'pose. Wouldn't hurt to hang on to the box for a while, once you are satisfied the computer is running good than you might decide to get rid of the box.

I took the liberty of tagging the original thread that could have been considered for use for an update.It has response information which has already been shared. I for one did not have any recollection of the thread and perhaps others wouldn't have either. DA Here is a link that might be useful: Original Thread

No software. However, I do have the sound working again. Using the HP help on the computer itself, I reset everything and still nothing. I decided to recheck the connections, since I was in semi-darkness when I connected the speakers. Yep, I had the sound cable plugged into the "IN" port rather than "Sound Out" port. That doesn't explain why I had sound briefly the other day after installing Java. That will remain a mystery. Now I just hope it continues to work.

See if link helps Here is a link that might be useful: XP Sound troubleshooter.