another computer question

[Michael24]

How often should you replace the fan in your computer? I think mine is acting up. I've had my computer for a few years now, and about a year-and-a-half ago, I noticed that every so often the fan would suddenly get louder for a couple minutes at a time. At first it seemed to only happen on days that were pretty warm (usually just during the summer), so I figured maybe the fan was just occasionally kicking into overload to try and keep the computer cool on those extra hot days. But it's been very cool lately, even downright cold, and it's still doing it, when it never did it on cold days before.

So is this a sign that the fan is wearing out and I should get a replacement? In all the computers we've had over the years, I've never had a fan act this way before.

[SirLemming]

Well, it depends on which fan. There's a fan on the processor (almost definitely), a fan in the power supply, possibly one on your video card if it's a good one, and then (hopefully) one or more case fans. So you're going to have to figure out which one it is, by listening in each spot and/or putting your hand in front to try to feel the air.

If it turns out to be the fan for the processor, you probably should keep your computer off as much as possible and get that fixed. If it's the video card fan, that should get fixed too, but as long as you don't do any high-end graphical stuff it probably isn't a critical situation. If it's the power supply, you'll probably need a new one, since it tends to not be worth the trouble to get it repaired. But that probably won't be a huge problem unless you do something that really taxes the computer. If it's a case fan, get a new one, but it's not crucial. Case fans are extra insurance.

Now, when I referred to getting the processor or video card fan "fixed", I don't quite know what that entails. I've never had it done. For the processor you'd probably have to get a new cooler from somewhere (the processor itself isn't what has the fan); for the video card you would probably have to get it repaired (unless you've put your own cooling unit on it, which I assume you haven't). I'm not sure who would do the latter. Replacing the processor cooler could probably be done at any place that does computer service-type stuff.


Naturally, you'll have to open the case to find out if it's the processor or video card fan, but that's not too hard.

[Mynd Hed]

If your computer does throttle the fans up higher when the internal temperatures rise above a certain point (which is a relatively common feature nowadays), it's also conceivable that a faulty temperature sensor somewhere in your case may be causing one or more fans to spin faster even when temperatures are more or less normal.

Do you run any software to keep track of your computer's temperature and/or regulate fan speeds? If so, play around with your settings. If not, the setting you're looking for might be in BIOS-- see if there's anything in your BIOS relating to fan speeds or system temps. See if you can set it to keep the fans running at a constant speed (rather than aiming for a target temperature, spinning them faster when temps run too high and slower when things are already nice and cool) and then see if the problem persists. That should help you figure out whether the problem is with the fans themselves or with the sensor(s) (or possibly the software controlling one or both).

If you can't find any fan speed or temperature controls in either your Windows software or BIOS, it might not be a bad idea to install some and keep tabs on your system temps for a while; that way if a fan DOES go south, you'll know right away and can get it taken care of before anything too terrible happens to your precious hardware. Such software is often included with your system and/or motherboard: check the CDs that came with your computer (or your mobo if you purchased it separately), or find out what model of motherboard you're using and check the manufacturer's web site to see if such a utility is available for download. There are freeware applications to keep tabs on your system temps and fan speeds, too, but I haven't really used them since the utility that came with my mobo (PC Probe II) works fine.

Hope that helps.

[Michael24]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I don't think I knew the computer had so many fans. I'll check out your suggestions. :)

[En Sabah Nur]

It is most likely your CPU fan. It goes into overdrive to prevent your CPU from overheating. When your CPU is stressed, it will make more rounds per minute. And the longer your CPU stays stressed, the longer and louder your fan will go. If your PC is a few years old and full of junk, like internet cache and cookies, it slows down the process of every other application in your PC. So your CPU has to work harder to keep those applications working up to par. Most likely its the software problem. Formatting your PC should resolve the problem. Giving your hardware stressless OS environment.

[SirLemming]

Most likely its the software problem. Formatting your PC should resolve the problem. Giving your hardware stressless OS environment.

And giving you a computer with absolutely nothing on it. Please only do this as a last resort, especially since this could just as easily be a hardware problem and may not even be the CPU.

(Obviously you would do a backup first so that this doesn't destroy you completely, but it's still a drastic step in which a lot could go wrong.)

[En Sabah Nur]

And giving you a computer with absolutely nothing on it. Please only do this as a last resort, especially since this could just as easily be a hardware problem and may not even be the CPU.

(Obviously you would do a backup first so that this doesn't destroy you completely, but it's still a drastic step in which a lot could go wrong.)Obviously formatting a PC requires a backup of everything you have, and having an OS CD. Many CPU fans are set to minimal speeds but will go faster when CPU is stressed. Looking in your BIOS for those settings is a start.

[Mynd Hed]

It's a good idea to reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows every couple of years (depending on how you use your system-- I do it more often than most people probably need to) anyway to combat OS rot, but it may or may not help this specific problem.

And, yes, if you go that route, be sure to make THOROUGH backups. Preferably by just backing up your entire hard drive to an external drive or another computer on the network, then copying it back (in its own little folder so as not to mess with your new Windows install, of course) so that you can pull your old files as needed until you're absolutely sure you've got EVERYTHING back that you'll need. It's so easy to miss that one irreplaceable Oblivion save or huge downloaded video if you just cherrypick what to back up.

[Dogbert]

It's a good idea to reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows every couple of years (depending on how you use your system-- I do it more often than most people probably need to) anyway to combat OS rot, but it may or may not help this specific problem.

And, yes, if you go that route, be sure to make THOROUGH backups. Preferably by just backing up your entire hard drive to an external drive or another computer on the network, then copying it back (in its own little folder so as not to mess with your new Windows install, of course) so that you can pull your old files as needed until you're absolutely sure you've got EVERYTHING back that you'll need. It's so easy to miss that one irreplaceable Oblivion save or huge downloaded video if you just cherrypick what to back up.I recommend doing that occasionally as well. However, I want to emphasize just how important it is to make sure you have working backups of everything. In the old days (damn, I thought I'd never be old enough to use that phrase), we just had to make sure we had the right software disks and backed up personal data. With online activation all the rage to prevent software piracy (which doesn't work because the pirates always just find a way around it), we legitimate users have extra hurdles to pass through. Some software has a "deactive" option (e.g., iTunes, Adobe), which makes things a little less painful if your computer is still running well enough to use it. However, many activation-required software lacks this option (e.g., Vista, Office, SPSS - to my knowledge anyway). If that is the case, you'd need to contact each publisher to verify their deactivate-reactive process (assuming they even allow you to do that). It's a pain in the ass all so they can successfully thwart software pirates for all of a month while they find ways to strip the activation part out of the software.