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I have a Gateway P-6860fx. The operating system is Windows Vista. It has two fans. When I look at the fans when the computer is upside down, the fan on the left side does not spin. The fan on the right side spins.

The laptop is out of warranty

I want to get the laptop repaired. Should I send it back to Gateway or should I find local repair shop to fix it. What should I look for when I go to a local repair to make sure they are capable of fixing the laptop? Certification?

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Dani AI

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The symptoms described by (intermittent shutdown and a transient display artifact) point toward a cooling/graphics problem; was on the right track suggesting the GPU cooling path is worth checking. Below are practical, safe checks and what to request from a repair shop so the fault can be diagnosed and fixed without unnecessary expense.

First, reproduce the behaviour safely and watch what changes under load. Run a brief graphics-heavy task (short video or a few minutes of a benchmark) while watching for artifacts and whether the secondary cooler starts. Use a dedicated GPU monitor (for example GPU-Z) to see GPU temperature and clock behaviour—stop immediately if visual corruption or very high temperatures return. If artifacting or thermal shutdown happens quickly under light load, the problem is almost certainly cooling or a failing GPU.

If comfortable opening the case, remove power and battery and inspect the cooling path: clean dust with compressed air, check that the heatsink screws are seated and that the fan connector is properly seated on the board. See whether the fan spins freely by hand; a fan that is seized or mechanically noisy should be replaced. Reapplying quality thermal paste to the GPU/CPU and reseating the heatsink often fixes recurring overheating if the paste has dried.

When choosing repair: prefer a shop that documents the diagnosis (photos), offers a parts-and-labour warranty, and can show experience with laptop heatsink/fan replacement and, if needed, board-level GPU repair. Ask whether they will replace the fan only, clean and renew thermal paste, or recommend board rework (reflow/reball) — note that reflow is often temporary. Compare the quoted repair total to the machine’s replacement value before authorizing board-level work.

Member Avatar for group256

Please remember that it is not a necessity for both fans to be running all the time. Most of the time, one fan is for the CPU and the other is for the graphic card. So if you are not playing games or doing anything that can stress the graphic card, probably you won't see it spinning. So first thing you need to make sure is if the fan is really faulty.

Secondly, although the warranty is over, it's always a wise choice to send it to the manufacturer to fix your laptop; it may cost a little bit more, but it's worth to know that your laptop is in good hands.

Member Avatar for jems

How do I check that the fans are working correctly?

I have downloaded Speedfan and HWMonitor. These softwares do not tell me anything about my fans.

Two and a half months ago, the laptop shut down while I was using it.

A week ago, I used the laptop for 7 hours and I shutdown. Three hours later, I booted up the computer. After it booted up, the screen was split in half. The icons of the desktop were on the top half of the screen and the same icons of the desktop were on the bottom of the screen. I shutdown. A minute later, I booted up again. Everything looked normal.

Since this incident, I have not stayed on the computer more than a hour. Based on Speedfan, within a half hour, the GPU temperature is hot. There is a symbol of fire next to the temperature.

Member Avatar for group256

that's right, it seems like that you need to replace your graphic card fan. As I mentioned, if you want to stay safe, it's better to go to support of the manufacturer.

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