Not sure what kind of unit you have. Try turning off the main power/unplug it. Wait 5-10 mins and then restore power. E1 is an error code but w/o more info I can't tell what it means. If you have the make/model #? Or the owners manual should tell you.
A rhythmic squeak sounds like either a fan motor bearing going bad or just vibration from the unit running thats wiggling something loose inside the unit.