Computer people: A question

[kasar]

What does it mean if my computer's fan won't stop running? Everything seems to be okay, I've done 3 different scans and I've deleted and trashed a lot of useless files and programs - no viruses or anything. It's in the same position it's always been in, not against a wall or anything. Nothings on top of the console.

The fan is just running nonstop (usually it runs for a while and then shuts off after a few minutes). It's louder than usual as well.

Thanks - I don't want to bring it down to the repair place if it's just something silly!

 

[Pop Daddy]

not sure but I think it means the fans broke

 

[oogieboogie]

better to be running than not.

 

[BrinxFam]

DH is a network tech and asks what type of fan it is? Is it the processor fan or the power supply fan or an auxillary fan that gets rid of heat out the side or the back? Each one could mean something different.

 

[Aidensmom]

It can be as simple as there is no ventilation (do you have a bunch of things surrounding your tower) to much more serious as that you need a new motherboard. Do you have any other symptoms? Is the computer acting up at all? If it is just the fan, remove all objects from around it so it is ventilated, and open the cover and make sure there is not a pile of dust, pet hair, etc, stuck in there. Also, sometimes fans just go bad. Sometimes you have to replace the whole case to get a new fan, but it is usually fairly cheap ($20 or so), you just have to plug all the stuff from the old tower to the new one. If you don't know how, you can probably find a computer savvy teenager to do that for cheap.

 

[pirateparrot]

It could just be a matter of dust build-up. I would open it up and used the canned air to blow out all of the dust. Avoid touching the electronics inside unless you know what you are doing because static electricity can damage various parts.

 

[bicker]

Dust build-up and lack of ventilation sound plausible. I've also noted that runaway processes on my computer cause the fan to run, high and continuous. You'd notice a degradation in speed for all other processes, too. Right-click on the Start bar (but not on anything ON the Start bar) and select Task Manager. Go to the Processes tab. If anything has a high number (above 90%) in the CPU column, for more than a few seconds at a time, there is something wrong. The biggest culprits, I've found, are Internet Explorer, and McAfee.