Category: Geeks r Us
Okay, maybe some of you could help me. As most of you know, I'm currently using an IBM Thinkpad X32. When I bought it, the only problem seemed to be that a key used to stick and the key changed depending on how I moved the machine. Now some keys, like the arrows, stick sometimes and sometimes they're fine. Lately, the fan has been making really loud noises. I don't just mean annoying, I mean downright loud and persistant. Yet there are times when it doesn't do this at all and is very quiet. Still, it's always on now, which never used to happen. I thought it was because I dropped the machine twice but then I found this article on Wikipedia
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Problem_with_fan_noise
Can anyone please help me make sense of this? Should I try the Windows service fan controller? I'm not even sure if it would be accessible. I know the Thinkpad programs don't work with NVDA. How do I check to see which version of the bios is running so that I could determine whether that's the problem? Maybe, it updated something. I could try reducing power consumption as well.
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_reduce_power_consumption
I was really interested in this but most of that article, and some of the first one, was way too technical for my understanding and I wouldn't even know where to start. However, I'm willing to learn if the programs are accessible and if it will help my problem. As a side note, the sound in the sample in the first link is pretty standard for me, and while it's a bit annoying, it's absolutely nothing compared to mine when it really gets going. The only way I've found to stop this, even though it's obviously a bad idea, is to bang the laptop really hard on my lap or the couch. This can't possibly be the hard drive right? I've never heard of drives making such noises.
I'm just really frustrated and want to fix this problem. Then, the only things I'd need to worry about are cleaning and/or replacing the keyboard and upgrading the ram to 2gb. I also need to fix the usb port at some point, but can easily get a pcmcia to usb adapter so that's not a huge problem.
Run less stuff, make sure that any openings you see are not blocked, and try using a small vacuum to clean out the fan. That might work on the keyboard too.
O wow. A small vacuum might help clean the fan? Thanks for the tip. I may just have to try that myself.
I have a brush specifically made for the keyboard and a vacuum for the computer. I tried the brush with Spiros but it couldn't really do much. The vacuum might help. Do we need to take apart the computer in order to vacuum the fan or is this something that I can do on my own?
You'd have to make sure the vacum used had low suction. I've suggested compressed air before, but. For you I'd take it in to a computer shop and have it cleaned and serviced. I am sure one of your family could look in the telephone book, or you could use dexonline to locate a repair shop. Office Depot does this sort of work to name a major place. Fan noise is not a programming issue.
Considering that my boyfriend is an electronics engineer, it shouldn't be difficult for him to at least use the vacuum on the computer. It's actually designed for that, so shouldn't cause any problems. I wonder how much a repair place might charge to see/fix the fan issue. I also have an HP Pavilion Ze5385US with a broken power socket. I've been told that the whole motherboard should be replaced. Everything else in it works, and though it's only got 1gb of ram and that can't be upgraded, it has a 2.66ghz processor, floppy drive, cd rom, parallel port and pcmcia slot plus a full keyboard. It weighs a ton and gets really hot, but I'd hate to just leave it there when it's in good condition. Would a repair store charge less than HP to fix it, and around how much do you think it would cost? Would it be better for me to just buy another machine or is this route cheaper?
If you like it take it in and see what it cost. You can decide from that point if it is worth it to you. I've forgotten about your boyfriend, surely he could clean the one with the fan noise? He works on keyboards I believe and the process is no different than that actually. You open it up, and clean it carefully, remove any parts you need to remove. Oil the fan, some keyboards have them, and close it up.
Coolness! I'll ask him about that then. Yeah, I really should take it in, just to see. It might prove to be a bargain for me and I'm all about those.
sounds like is a typical over heating case to me. i'm amase, your electronics engineer BF dont even know about this...
try to lift up your laptop with some sort of book or some hard card sort of matirial, and let the air flow in. dont put your laptop on top of the bed, or some sort of soft and furry place such as coutch, beds, pillows, etc etc. well, you get the idea.
not sure i can advice you much with over heating though, its more a hardware problem than anything else. since you like online shopping, try Ebay and get yourself those laptop cooling fan or things like that, it should be around 10/20$
i dont use it myself, but those friends who use it seems to think it is great to cooling the laptop
That sounds like a wonderful idea! I'm not sure if it is an overheating problem, but I'll see if it happens more when it's been running for a long time or when it's on a bed versus on a desk. Oddly enough, the laptop itself doesn't get that hot, unlike the HP. I never asked Spiros to take the IBM apart, so that's my fault. We hinted at it but nothing more.
if its over heating problem, it is kinda of waste of money to fix the fan. as most probably it will be the fan attach to the motherboard, means you gotta replace the whole motherboard, could be more expendsive than getting a new laptop. try the solution i suggest with cooling fan on places like Ebay or Radio Shak, it might solve your problem. if your fan getting very noisy, only got two explaination that i can think of. either, 1. is over heating problem, or, 2. your fan is full of dusk that block the airways. either way, ask your bf help to clean up the dusk, and get yourself one of those colling fan thing, should work well. HP products replacement is very expendsive. i used to have a Compaq laptop with the overheating problem. it happen like on the 13th month of the perchase. the only solution HP provide is to replace the motherboard, which itself, is costly than the laptop itself...
Well, the fan problem is in my IBM Thinkpad X32 and I posted a link relating to other thinkpads having a similar problem. However, the HP probably does need it's motherboard replaced, as I've heard it's far better to do that than to just replace the power jack. So if what you say is true, this is not a good thing at all!