Member Avatar for lsirbuly

Hi--I have an older Gateway M675 laptop. All of a sudden, I boot it up and all is going well for about 1 min and then this incredible grinding noise starts. I am guessing that it is in the ventilation area. I have opened the back of my laptop, blew canned air, but it still sounds terrible. I have stopped using it bec/ I am afraid I might blow all my info up! The bottom of the laptop also gets very hot.

Do I need a new ventilation fan? Where do I get one? It looks like it would be easy to install if that is the problem.

Thanks for any information or help.
Linda

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This thread shows a classic symptom set: a loud grinding after a short warm-up and a very hot bottom. Several members have suggested fan vs. disk (thanks , , , and ). Below are practical, safe steps to isolate the source and protect data before any repairs.

Start safely and localize the sound

  • Power off and connect an external USB drive or network location for an immediate image/backup if possible.
  • Use a paper tube or a cardboard roll as a simple stethoscope: press one end to vents or the disk bay and the other to your ear. That often reveals whether the noise is coming from the fan area or the drive bay.
  • With the case off and power connected, carefully feel for strong vibration near the fan or drive (do not use metal probes on powered boards). If the fan makes the noise when you spin it by hand, its bearings are likely shot.

Check the disk health (non-destructive)

  • From a Linux live USB or installed OS, run a SMART read and a short self-test. Example commands with smartmontools:

    sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda
sudo smartctl -t short /dev/sda

    Look for failing attributes (reallocated, pending sectors, UDMA CRC errors). If SMART reports problems, image the drive immediately (tools like Clonezilla, Macrium, or ddrescue) before attempting repairs.

If it looks like the fan or thermal path

  • Fan bearings and heatsink paste degrade over years. Replacement fan/heatsink assemblies for the M675 are inexpensive; confirm the part number from the service manual or by checking the sticker on the existing assembly. Do not run the laptop for long with a failed fan — that risks CPU/mobo damage.

If uncertain or uncomfortable, pull the drive and fan to a technician after imaging. The above isolates cause and preserves data, which should be the first priority.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for jermaghs07

is it a grinding like sticking a pencil in a fan? or is it more of a Hum sound?

does it always wait about a minute before making the noise?

The waiting a minute thing kinda throws me off because if it was a fan it would start as soon as you turned the computer on. you may want to take it to a technician and have him open it up for you.

Member Avatar for sittas87

im thinking hard drive or fan

Member Avatar for jermaghs07

I think it's the hard drive. if it where a fan it would start as soon as it was turned on and not after it warmed up which leads me to believe hard drive. In this case this is very bad and normally means that your HDD is about to die i would back up your data now...

Member Avatar for HappyHarryNET

Hi--I have an older Gateway M675 laptop. All of a sudden, I boot it up and all is going well for about 1 min and then this incredible grinding noise starts. I am guessing that it is in the ventilation area. I have opened the back of my laptop, blew canned air, but it still sounds terrible. I have stopped using it bec/ I am afraid I might blow all my info up! The bottom of the laptop also gets very hot.

Do I need a new ventilation fan? Where do I get one? It looks like it would be easy to install if that is the problem.

Thanks for any information or help.
Linda

Linda,
yes you need at least 1 new fan. i have nursed my fans and heatsink assembly for years and finally had to replace both. when the m675 laptop is turned on, the fans do not come on until the CPU temperature elevates. and when a good job is done using quality thermal paste for the heatsink, you wont hear the fans for as long as 20 minutes on a new system (perfect world) the m675 grows to be a hot, noisy, but reliable, 9 pound 17 inch beast. its worth the $50 to $75 to replace the dual fans/heatsink assembly if that is your only problem ;;cheers;;

Member Avatar for Riffxyz123

I have One of these laptops. I am getting a fan error and the main fan does not run.
I have replaced the fan but it's the same.Also the screen has vertical lines some are black and white.I am wondering if anyone has experienced this and what solutions can anyone make.Thanks.
Riffxyz

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