Fan is always working

[greenhorn]

Hi All,

My computer is IBM Thinkpad T41 laptop.The problem is that the CPU fan is always on and this is very irritating as i hate the sound it makes.When i check on the Tasmgr it does not show that much CPU Load to make the fan work.I dont know what is the problem and what would be other repurcussions of the fan always working.

Please suggest me something in this regard..

Thanks ,

GreenHorn.

[Catweazle]

Solution 1:

Replace the Thinkpad with a laptop which is quieter in operation.

Solution 2:

Open up the laptop, cut the wires running to the fan, then reassemble the unit. The next day, after the processor has died, replace the Thinkpad with a laptop which is quieter in operation.

No, sorry about that - I couldn't resist the comment!

Is it a PentiumM processor you have in that laptop? If so it should be rather quiet in operation, and the hard drive should be the noisiest component in there, not the processor fan. If it's loud you may want to get it checked out by a technician, because it shouldn't be!

[greenhorn]

I dont know but i might have written something foolish to evoke that sort of comment.I am not that conversant with computer jargons and the fundamentals.The fact is that today whether you are a computer related person or not you always works with a computer.It basically has become a desk and created problems for me.

Thanks for your help and i think if i the problem persists i would contact the local call center of IBM.I dont know what PentiumM is but its written in my computer Centrino Mobile Technology.

Thanks..

[Catweazle]

Then you have a PentiumM processor, which is part of the Centrino technology. They run colloer than other processors, and have power management to ensure that this is so, so the CPU fan should not be excessively noisy at all.

As I said, the hard drive is usually the noisiest component in such a system, and if that is being accesssed constantly then soething's wrong there with the software on your system. But if it's really a processor fan you need to have it looked at.

I have a Centrino laptop here as well, and can assure you I wish ALL my PCs were as quiet!

But they do make a slight level of noise. That's inevitable because the processor can't be run without a fan working at all. It'd die in a short space of time! Do other people around you also consider that it is noisy?

[greenhorn]

I am at work now and noticed that fan is not always working here..and its so quiet...and at home it makes noise.something like humming noise and if i take my hand i can feel it is fan...

Actually apart from the noise what bothers me is that i might not ruin the laptop...at home i also run bit-torrent clients(you know what they are for :D ..) but at work since it is office LAN i dont run it..once i thought it is due to bit-torrent but i closed the bit-torrent and fan was still working..but i think i should investigate further..

on a side note does the room temperature also affect cause at home i keep my laptop on bed and use it and bed is near to the radiator. :D ..

Its not that noisy but i was worried cause the laptop is not mine .it has been given by my company .they gave me brand new and will take back when i go back to my own country in my own office where i have desktop...

Thanks Cat..

[Catweazle]

Sounds heat related to me. Best not to have it so close to the radiator, eh?

[siakaw]

i have similar problem with my thinkpad R50. i have the centrino mobile technology as my processor. when i first got this computer in september, it was so incredibly quiet. then i got a tv tuner for christmas and to make a long story short, fried the thing when i connected a 12-V AC adapter instead of the 5-V that came with it. the tv tuner was connected to the laptop throught the USB port. ever since then, my fan's been on all the time. it does a good job of cooling down the computer since it's never overheated, but it shouldn't always be on. my theory is that the processor keeps getting warm all the time and therefore the fan is on all the time to keep cooling it down. i've called IBM support and sent the computer in and everything. they didn't find anything wrong, but that may be cuz they didn't work with the computer long enough. on a separate occasion i got them to replace the fan, which hasn't helped. my parents mentioned that i could've blown a capacitor or a resistor when i sizzled the tv tuner. i was wondering if that's even possible. also, would replacing the processor help, or would i have to replace the whole motherboard if it is indeed a capacitor or resistor?

thanks a bunch in advance!

[nizzy1115]

i have similar problem with my thinkpad R50. i have the centrino mobile technology as my processor. when i first got this computer in september, it was so incredibly quiet. then i got a tv tuner for christmas and to make a long story short, fried the thing when i connected a 12-V AC adapter instead of the 5-V that came with it. the tv tuner was connected to the laptop throught the USB port. ever since then, my fan's been on all the time. it does a good job of cooling down the computer since it's never overheated, but it shouldn't always be on. my theory is that the processor keeps getting warm all the time and therefore the fan is on all the time to keep cooling it down. i've called IBM support and sent the computer in and everything. they didn't find anything wrong, but that may be cuz they didn't work with the computer long enough. on a separate occasion i got them to replace the fan, which hasn't helped. my parents mentioned that i could've blown a capacitor or a resistor when i sizzled the tv tuner. i was wondering if that's even possible. also, would replacing the processor help, or would i have to replace the whole motherboard if it is indeed a capacitor or resistor?

thanks a bunch in advance!

the caps and resistors are built into the board not on the processor chip itself...however, back to the origional post, loud fans may be caused by fans that are dirty and have lots of dust on them...especially in the winter months when people dont open their windows homes get more dusty than usual. You could if you want open up your case and blow the fans out with a can of air or air compressor if you have one, but id say its not anything to worry about becuase the fans are just doing their jobs of keeping your computer cool and keeping the laptops longevity up. Also room tempertature does of course have an effect on the temperature of the computer....the cooler the room the less the fan will run at high temperatures :cheesy:

[ansj64]

I have noticed that my fan is always on when firefox is the browser I am using. The CPU usage is always at 100% Once I stop, the CPU usage goes down and of course, the fan shuts down too.

Wonder why ?