Re: CPU Fan


"Columbotrek" <columbotrek@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e9B%j.45$z4.11906@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kitten wrote:
About 4 months ago I purchased 2 Dell 530 systems.

Intel(R)Core(TM)2 DUO CPU E4600 @2.40 GHz with 2 GB ram w/800 Recently
one of my systems fans is continuously running. If I use a warm start or
cold start the system fans comes on and runs at 100% all the time. Even
If I go to standby and then return to Windows the fan again comes on and
stays on until I either shut it down or go to Standby again. I have
contacted Dell and they suggested that I Flash my BIOS with ver 1.0.12
and that would cure the problem. I informed them that I already had BIOS
1.0.12 installed. I tried to Flash the systems BIOS again but Windows
would not allow it, saying that version 1.0.12 was already installed. I
have written them back several more times but no reply. I have also
checked my "Windows Processes Task manager and it shows the system at 99%
IDOL. Have run all Virus and Spyware proggy's with nothing found.
Being somewhat ignorant of puter tech I was wondering if anyone hear
could give me some direction of where to start in solving this problem.
Is it a bad BIOS?, Heat sync? If BIOS how d
o I flash my BIOS with the same version already installed?

I would definitely appreciate so guidance in this matter.

Cheers,
Greg
What you describe is exactly the problem I experienced several years back
with a then new Optiplex GX280 system. The system sounded like a business
jet taxing by. I have been working with and on PC's since the Early 80s
and had already spend some time getting to know the issue. Never the less,
the Dell support line tried to convince me that the problem was poor air
circulation and then a bad fan. On the 3rd support call they agreed to
send out a tech to resolve the problem.

The tech brought out a new fan which he swapped out. But the new fan had
no influence on the problem. Next he phoned Dell himself and got to talk
to the people I should have been talking to the week before. They had him
run some diagnostic program he had on a CD. It was able to look into the
hardware and to take control of the fan speeds directly. Even his slick
utility had no effect on the Fan.

After a few more minutes discussing the problem with the Dell tech, it was
determined that I would need a new motherboard which he would bring out in
a couple days. He did and made the swap. Problem solved and its been
working good every since.

It appears to be that what ever that Diagnostic utility was, it allowed
the fault to be located promptly. Hopefully Dell can get your fan working
normally.


Your GX280 is a different animal (sister system to the Dimension 8400, which
also had some runaway fan issues), but the problem may be similar.

If he has warranty, he should get the fan replaced first, then consider
motherboard replacement (fan controller) if necessary (and definitely before
warranty expires).


Stew


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