Laptop Fan Broke
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,024
Likes: 37
From: England
Laptop Fan Broke
Hello all.
I think I've just managed to break my laptop fan and was hoping for a bit of advice. I've always found the buildup of dust to be a bit of an issue with laptops so I've always used a piece of equipment normally used to blow dust off DSLR Camera Sensors to blow the dust out. It delivers a short, precise blow of air when squeezed:
I've done this for a while and did so a few minutes ago but seem to have broke my laptop in the process
I squeezed the blower, then a fair amount of thick dust / soot came out. I'm not sure if this was caused by me or already inside my laptop. However, now my laptop fan doesn't spin at all and is silent.
I can browse fine but I think if I try to do anything else my laptop will just go into meltdown mode. Is there any software available to manually 'force' your fans to run at a certain speed (so I can test if they are completely kaput or not). I downloaded SpeedFan but it's only showing me CPU temps and no fan data.
Or, is my only solution to run my laptop down to a computer shop and see if they can fix it (how easy is a broken fan to replace?).
Thanks again
PS - Is using my laptop while the fan is broke a good idea? or is there a chance it'll completely die on me if I do so?
I think I've just managed to break my laptop fan and was hoping for a bit of advice. I've always found the buildup of dust to be a bit of an issue with laptops so I've always used a piece of equipment normally used to blow dust off DSLR Camera Sensors to blow the dust out. It delivers a short, precise blow of air when squeezed:
I've done this for a while and did so a few minutes ago but seem to have broke my laptop in the process
I squeezed the blower, then a fair amount of thick dust / soot came out. I'm not sure if this was caused by me or already inside my laptop. However, now my laptop fan doesn't spin at all and is silent.
I can browse fine but I think if I try to do anything else my laptop will just go into meltdown mode. Is there any software available to manually 'force' your fans to run at a certain speed (so I can test if they are completely kaput or not). I downloaded SpeedFan but it's only showing me CPU temps and no fan data.
Or, is my only solution to run my laptop down to a computer shop and see if they can fix it (how easy is a broken fan to replace?).
Thanks again
PS - Is using my laptop while the fan is broke a good idea? or is there a chance it'll completely die on me if I do so?
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 565
Likes: 21
From: Passed away on Sept 6th
Liked the picture ... looks like something medical!
Seriously, how did you use it? Just stick it in the exhaust slots of the lappy, or take off the keyboard and address the fan?
From the description, it sounds like you did the former. If so it is possible that there was a fair bit of dust around, which has been blown into the fan & jammed it. Next stage is for you physically to inspect the fan - see if you can spin it. If you're uncomfortable about using a finger (static & all that) you might like to use a cable tie or summat with a bit of give in it... or even give a puff with your camera cleaner.
It's usually quite easy to get into the innards if you work carefully and slowly and remember where all the bits come from. Ive been known to use a digital camera to prompt me old memory sometimes...
Seriously, how did you use it? Just stick it in the exhaust slots of the lappy, or take off the keyboard and address the fan?
From the description, it sounds like you did the former. If so it is possible that there was a fair bit of dust around, which has been blown into the fan & jammed it. Next stage is for you physically to inspect the fan - see if you can spin it. If you're uncomfortable about using a finger (static & all that) you might like to use a cable tie or summat with a bit of give in it... or even give a puff with your camera cleaner.
It's usually quite easy to get into the innards if you work carefully and slowly and remember where all the bits come from. Ive been known to use a digital camera to prompt me old memory sometimes...
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
From: I.o.W
There is a program called RivaTuner that can be used to adjust GPU fan speeds and schedules. Be careful with it though, its primarily designed as an over-clocking tool, so one wrong click might trigger the meltdown.
You could always try getting the hoover out and sucking out any dust from the intake side.
You could always try getting the hoover out and sucking out any dust from the intake side.
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,024
Likes: 37
From: England
I simply put the nozzle of the rocket-blower to the vents of my laptop and squeezed it to blow air into the laptop, which forces all the dust outwards usually.
However, when I did it today (for some reason I did it with the laptop still turned on
), after I lifted up my laptop there was some black marks on my wooden table which matched the air vents. I'm not sure if that was created from some sort of motor 'burnout'. Looking back I guess if I forced air towards the fan while it was spinning, it could of caused the motor to blow or something?
Thanks once again, I feel like such an idiot
However, when I did it today (for some reason I did it with the laptop still turned on
), after I lifted up my laptop there was some black marks on my wooden table which matched the air vents. I'm not sure if that was created from some sort of motor 'burnout'. Looking back I guess if I forced air towards the fan while it was spinning, it could of caused the motor to blow or something?Thanks once again, I feel like such an idiot
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 565
Likes: 21
From: Passed away on Sept 6th
Good luck
p.s. don't start us all on idiotic things we have done: yours was pretty minor imho
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 794
Likes: 8
From: Wiltshire
It's normally pretty easy to take the base off. There are loads of free service manuals on line. If blowing the dust out of fans with compressed air, best to hold the fan stationary with something. If not, it can spin very fast, act as a gennerator and blow something.
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,344
Likes: 80
From: Bedford, UK
The internet is stuffed with practical advice on how to fix various bits of laptops: try searching by model. I was really surprised what some people are prepared to do to help. Anyway, maybe you pushed the fan connector off (come to think of it if the fan was running you couldn't have). Can't see how you have done anything much wrong there. Hold the thing upside down and gently shake it ? I go for the big lump of fluff theory.
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,024
Likes: 37
From: England
Well, believe it or not, I think it's working 
I took your advice and took the laptop apart (some good youtube tutorials on how to do so, even I managed it
) and found some bloody huge clumps of dust/hair/pizza/god knows what inside the fan 
Pulled it all out with a pair of tweezers and put my laptop back together again. Turned it on and the fan started As said previously, I must've blown the dust further into my laptop and clogged it up 
Thanks for the helpful replies, you've saved me a very expensive trip to the local computer shop
I took your advice and took the laptop apart (some good youtube tutorials on how to do so, even I managed it
) and found some bloody huge clumps of dust/hair/pizza/god knows what inside the fan Pulled it all out with a pair of tweezers and put my laptop back together again. Turned it on and the fan started As said previously, I must've blown the dust further into my laptop and clogged it up Thanks for the helpful replies, you've saved me a very expensive trip to the local computer shop
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
From: Earth
750XL,
Next time all you need is one of these ....
Getting an "invertible" one is very important. Unless you want to freeze your laptop.
Otherwise, an Apple MacBook (particularly the aluminium pro).... they have better designed heat dissipation and lesser need for the large vents and fans that you find on PC laptops.
Next time all you need is one of these ....
Getting an "invertible" one is very important. Unless you want to freeze your laptop.
Otherwise, an Apple MacBook (particularly the aluminium pro).... they have better designed heat dissipation and lesser need for the large vents and fans that you find on PC laptops.
Controversial, moi?
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,622
Likes: 22
From: UK
Otherwise, an Apple MacBook (particularly the aluminium pro).... they have better designed heat dissipation and lesser need for the large vents and fans that you find on PC laptops.
Like so many things Apple the evengelical preaching by the converted does not necessarily tally with the reality.
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
From: Earth
My three year old Macbook Pro gets so hot it is uncomfortable to use on your lap. My first one fried itself after 3 weeks and was replaced FOC with the comment that Apple had some cooling issues with the Macbook Pro.
Like so many things Apple the evengelical preaching by the converted does not necessarily tally with the reality.
Like so many things Apple the evengelical preaching by the converted does not necessarily tally with the reality.
The older Apple laptops (pre unibody machined aluminium) occasionally could get a little warm when you pushed them hard, I'll give you that. But the new chassis does an excellent job at heat dissipation.
If you read the manual (for any laptop, irrespective of manufacturer), you're not supposed to use the things directly on your lap either (also not a good idea for males to use laptops directly on the lap due to proximity of certain parts of the anatomy). As you probably know there have also been instances of laptop users burning themselves to death by falling asleep whilst using a laptop in bed and it sinking into the duvet and starting a fire.
Someone gave me one of these for Christmas....highly recommended....
(It's a Logitech Lapdesk)
