HELP ME- computer problem (1 Viewer)

Bimbo

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Is there anyone here who knows much about computer problems?? i have a problem with my laptop...it is six months old so i am very pissed off that there is something wrong with it. Um what is happening is that a fan keeps coming on when im using it, and this is only supposed to happen if the laptop is over heating. BUT IT IS NOT OVERHEATED! it's coming on after 15 mins-30mins of use, and then it stays on, making my system go slow and then programs start stuffing up. This is happening every time i use my laptop...very frustrating :(

i rang dell yesterday and the guy was an idiot...he wanted me to take the hard drive out myself and do all this other technical crap, but i said no cos i have no idea what i was doing...and dell can't come out to offer tech support for like 2 weeks...and i need my computer to do all my work!

does anyone have any idea of what could be happening?
 

Huy

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i dont own, and have never owned a laptop (waiting for university until i get one),

but wouldn't it be normal to have a fan running all the time, when the computer is in use? it would be a good thing (for desktops, which is what im using to answer the problem, even though you have a laptop).

your laptop just might be overheating after 15-30 minutes of usage (intensive usage maybe?). maybe somebody else with laptop-know how can shed more light on it than i could, as far as dell laptops are concerned.

on the same topic though, i've read a lot about dell laptops and having overheating problems. there was an article in which a guy got his "you know what" burnt from having a dell laptop on his thighs/lap (it was funny, sure... but it might be related to dell's manufacturing process).

you could also try visiting dell's community forum/support page,
where other dell users (assuming you have a dell latitude laptop) are experiencing similar problems.

also, if you're having concerns about the temperature, overheating problems, and general cpu loads, temperatres, system internals etc, visit this page and you might want to look at installing fanGUI 1.5:

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_bios&message.id=7742
 
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Bimbo

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AW FUCK!! This is really annoying me...it's never happened before, only started happening a few days ago. I haven't been doing anything differently, just my normal school work and net shopping. This is a Dell Inspiron 8200....i might try that support page thing...but at the moment i feel like putting a brick thru the screen :mad:
thanks for the help anyway guys :)
 

Huy

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bimbo, could you supply any more details?
a model number, series, etc?

about the smaller = hotter issue. this is certainly true of desktop microchips, where we're now heading to the 0.09 micron manufacturing process. (northwoods at 0.13u).

but laptops, even if it's a dell, should be well equipped to handle heat dissapation and cooling issues. (especially so with desktops, as larger heatsinks are installed, more efficient heat dissapation and cooling methods arise).

you can also try using "I8kfanGUI" (search Dell forums for a link).

or goto:
http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html

it's a bios override fan control application/service. i have heard that it works great, BUT there's a caveat emptor: *it can mess things up if you use it improperly*

i've also read things about dell latitude laptops and their fans being consistently on, which affects the noise levels and working conditions.

but what i would suggest you do, is to visit dell's support pages and community forums to read further on similar users with similar fan, overheating issues. (aka 'fan not turning off').

i think i might have answered your problem now,
reading another article on the web, here's another story that you might find interesting.

"My work laptop, a Dell Inspiron 8200, has had continuous problems since I first bought it in July. A few weeks ago I rebuilt it from scratch and it's started exhibiting a new problem - seemingly random freezing and sometimes crashing during the night. I would then be forced to reboot and then it would be fine for 15-20 minutes and then yet another freeze up.

I think I've found the solution to this problem.

I started to notice that the crashes/freezes occur while the CPU was fairly heavily loaded (ex. virus scanning, movie playing, etc.)

After reading several other posts on the Dell user forums and elsewhere on the web, it started to make sense that the CPU was overheating. I downloaded the Dell Inspiron 8x00 fan control utility and set it to be fairly aggressive as to when it increased the fan speed from low to high. Sure enough, while running a virus scan the CPU hit 45, 50, then 55 degrees Celsius. It then switched the fan from low to high. And then I also realized that I've never heard the fan run that loud before!!! I don't think the fan has ever run at high speed without this 3rd-party utility!

Anyways, I've now gone 7 hours with no crashes and/or freezes. That's a record for the week.

Note that this utility is NOT supported by Dell. Then again, Dell tech support sucks, so this is a good thing. :)"

so after having read that, i think it would be "fairly" safe to use the 8x00 fan control util, even if it's not supported by dell.

http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html

you'll see all the settings in the utility, so i hope all goes well.
but there's the caveat emptor above, just letting you know about 'possible' problems which could eventuate from the use of 3rd party applications.
 
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Bimbo

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ok well let me see...
Dell Inspiron 8200 N2200B or something like that...
the system service tag is 8C2571S

sorry it's taking me ages to respond..but it's taking a long time for stuff to load
 

Huy

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Fans
Q: My Fans are making a noise, what can I do?

Shutdown your system. Pick out any crud or hairs that are stuck in the fan. Use a compressed air duster with a straw nozzle to blow out any dirt. If they still make noise after you have cleaned them, and your system is under warranty, then call Dell Support and arrange for service. If your system is no longer under warranty, then call Dell Spare Parts and order a fan assembly.


Q: What is FanGUI?

FanGUI is a optional utility that monitors CPU temperature and gives you more direct control of the fans on Inspiron 8x00 machines. You can get more information about FanGUI and download it from http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html


Q: What is the Dell part number the Inspiron 8200 fan assembly (two fans with leads)?

6F858 - 0.3W (SUNON KDE0503PEB1-8) - $14.95 from Dell Spare Parts.

---
you could try shutting down the laptop,
cleaning the fans out, removing the junk-if any
downloading fangui, checking "system info" (in the utility)
OR decide to purchase an entirely new fan for $30 or so ($14.95 USD).

if not, then im afraid you'll have to wait until the dell technician comes to your place to diagnose the problem.

/edit
this might seem obvious, but check your power schemes in control panel. if it's set to "always on" -- then that's the reason why the fan will kick in after a while, but just make sure everything is okay in control panel and power settings, making sure that you set the laptop to power-down after 1-2 hours or something, otherwise your fan will be running all the time at full-speed (high rpm).
 
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Beaky

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or im guessing it could be something to do with power management... WIth laptops, especially new ones they have a technology called "Speedstep" which is basically it puts through more power and CPU processing speed when needed (rather than it is idle). SO there is a program that you use that requires more power, thus more fans... BUT... go to CONTROL PANEL then POWER MANAGEMENT and tell me what it says... cause then i can see from there...

SORRY i really hate writing long messages... and spacing too!
 

:: ck ::

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all laptops heat easily its not common to have the fan running a lot of the time

my one does so pretty regularly since its on almost 18 hrs a day
 

Frigid

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she already told us it's a Dell... hmmm...

and Huy write really long troubleshooting replies...
 

Frigid

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Originally posted by Huy
but wouldn't it be normal to have a fan running all the time, when the computer is in use? it would be a good thing (for desktops, which is what im using to answer the problem, even though you have a laptop).
i think most lappies run on some sort of CPU-controlled low-speed fan with heatpipes to assist in heat redistribution, but I may be wrong.
 

Huy

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and Huy write really long troubleshooting replies...
hehe that's just me and my nature :)

i think most lappies run on some sort of CPU-controlled low-speed fan with heatpipes to assist in heat redistribution, but I may be wrong.
well, speaking from a desktop-user's point of view.
i have a heatsink/fan attached to my cpu (with ceramic/thermal paste), it has temperature sensors/detectors attached to the paste (my DIY job :D) and auto-senses changing temperatures/heat release from the cpu-core.

i.e. if temperature exceeds X degrees C, then increase x1 rpm
if temperature = Y degrees C, then leave it running at x2 rpm
if temperature is less than Z degrees C, then leave it as well at x2 :)

my general temps:
idle temp 20C
load temp 36C

standard antec sonata fan (120mm), single fan in my case
quiet as a mouse! 20dB (i highly recommend this case hehe, the quietest case ever www.antec.com on the front page "sonata" piano black housing)

but i digress, back on topic

i would gather that laptops have the same sort of thermal compound of some sort, whacked onto the cpu itself (mobile chips, pentium-Ms, centrinos and whatnot) with attached temperature sensors, sensing when and if the fan speed (rpm's) needs to be reduced or sped up :)
 
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