Laptop Blues....... cooling related..

[The Stigenator]

I got a Dell Latitude.. 400Mhz P2.. CPi GT-Type R. I just noticed that the fan on teh back isnt on.. shoudnt it be on like all the time when the system is on..

My other SONY laptop is too thin to have a "fan".. but this one is thick enough..

I am afraid the fan is broke.. i ahvent heard it come on yet.. So quesiton is how do I replace it? is it replaceable? If so where to get one?

The system works fine.. but I run it like all day.. so I dont want it to over heat..

 

[McCarthy]

Might be a temp controlled fan that hasn't needed to turn on? Try running Prime95 for a few hours while leaving it sit in the sun.....


No, don't do that.


--Mc

 

[MWink]

shoudnt it be on like all the time when the system is on

No, Dell's laptop fans are temp controlled. When I first turn on my Inspiron 8200 it takes quite a while before it heats up enough to make the fan come on. After that it turns on and off depending on the system temp. There is still a chance it has a bad fan. To test it I recommend you download and run Dell's diag utility (you can get it at Dell's web site). It has a fan test which will tell you if your fan is good. BTW, if you have the disc's that came with the laptop the diag utility should be there.

If it is bad you can look up the phone number for Dell Spare Parts and order a new one from them. (I'm assuming there is no warranty left???)