Having had to relocate my office on to a long kitchen worktop today for a temporary period, I noticed the PC tower which usually stands on the floor had a lot of dust in it.
I got a hairdryer and blew it out through all the bits with holes in.
I noticed at the back, at the top right hand side, a fan which turned when I blew the hair dryer on it.
When I got it all connected back up I saw that this fan wasn't turning.
Should it turn all the time?
TIA
Pat
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Not necessarily. It may be thermostatically controlled and only run when needed. I wouldn't worry, on the basis of "it's working..." but if you insist on worrying you could load software to check the temperature of the processor / memory etc Speedfan is good; www.almico.com/speedfan.php or just keep an eye on it, or an ear.
John
Last edited by: Tooslow on Wed 19 Jan 11 at 14:54
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That is the power supply fan.
It may be the only fan you have in the whole system (apart from the cpu cooler fan).
Unless its a very fancy and expensive one that is thermally controlled (I doubt it is) then yes it should turn all the time.
Does your machine feel warm in use? does it lock up? slow down? you may be looking at a new power supply, 40 quid parts and labour probably.
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Z knows more about this than I do. :-)
John
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No it's not even a little warm and it never locks up or slows down.
Pat
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The power supply will most likely eventually fail (well, that's obvious I suppose, but it will be hastened if the fan isn't turning).
Just fitted one like this to my mate's. www.ebuyer.com/product/20083
That one is £8.64 + £4.18 P&P and would most likely do the trick - so long as you don't need SATA connectors. One with SATA is "12.99 www.ebuyer.com/product/219539
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Would be careful with cheap power supplies though, I have sometimes fitted them to customers PC if they are 8 years old or so but warn them there is no warranty with it (I offer them that option when they say they are chucking out soon) . They can pay £25+ for one which I have faith in.
For most PCs a £25-£30 power supply is up to the job. You also need to remember that power supplies become less efficient as they get older so it is always best to over specify.
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I get higher rated power supplies and I don't think I've ever paid more than £15, and that was when I was desperate and went into a computer doctor type shop. My PC gets lots of use and needed higher wattages when it had fixed disks and I've never had one blow. Maybe I'm just born lucky (now, if only I could find a job... LOL)
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Probably. I replace a lot of power supplies it is probably the most common hardware fault after a faulty hard drive or RAM but they do seem to have got more reliable. You will see lots of horror stories on google about them though.
Got a five year old FSP in my own system, paid £35 for it still works, but had to add all the SATA connectors to it.
Use a £25 Antec Basiq in my parents system but my sisters as a cheapo £10 type one but she rarely uses it.
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Naghty. :-)
One of my customers became concerned at how mucky the innards of pcs in their clean rooms were (I don't think they had enough to worry about). So they devised, or found, a system of measurement, measured / cleaned / measured again and found they came out as being dirtier. A bit of muck never hurt anyone :-)
John
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What make is the PC? As Zero pointed out on most PCs it should be spinning, if it gets hot it will shorten the life of the power supply and when power supplies go bang it can be quite nasty, although usualy the PC just won't turn on.
Certainly after a few hours of use it should be spinning. Does the power itself feel warm?
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>> What make is the PC?
From the slow PC thread:-
Well I know it's an HP but all I can do is run Belarc and copy the results here.
I hope this works!
Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 2 (build 6002)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (United Kingdom) HP-Pavilion FL230AA-ABU a6525.uk
System Serial Number: 3CR82304TT
Chassis Serial Number: DM0001
Enclosure Type: Desktop
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
2.40 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Not hyper-threaded Board: OEM_MB NARRA3 3.02
Serial Number: MS1C86R41403711
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 5.13 05/02/2008
Drives Memory Modules c,d
500.11 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
390.71 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space
ATAPI DVD A DH16A6L SCSI CdRom Device [Optical drive]
WDC WD50 00AAKS-65YGA SCSI Disk Device (500.11 GB) -- drive 0, SMART Status: Healthy 3070 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
Slot 'A0' has 1024 MB
Slot 'A1' has 1024 MB
Slot 'A2' has 1024 MB
Slot 'A3' is Empty
Local Drive Volumes
c: (NTFS on drive 0) 488.88 GB 389.25 GB free
d: (NTFS on drive 0) 11.23 GB 1.46 GB free
Network Drives
None discovered
Users (mouse over user name for details) Printers
local user accounts last logon
Administrator
24/12/2010 11:02:14 (admin)
comet
10/01/2011 04:30:51 (admin)
local system accounts
Guest
never
Marks a disabled account; Marks a locked account Canon MP490 series Printer on USB002
Controllers Display
IDE Channel [Controller] (2x)
NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller (2x)
Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller ATI Radeon HD 3450 [Display adapter]
PKB Viseo 200Ws [Monitor] (19.9"vis, s/n D140C0054000, September 2009)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
Microsoft iSCSI Initiator
Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller
Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller Realtek High Definition Audio
Virus Protection [Back to Top]
new Group Policies
Microsoft Security Essentials Version 2.1.6805.0
Scan Engine Version 1.1.6402.0
Virus Definitions Version 1.95.3548.0
Realtime File Scanning On
None discovered
Communications Other Devices
Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
NVIDIA nForce 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
primary Auto IP Address: 192.168.0.2 / 24
Gateway: 192.168.0.1
Dhcp Server: 192.168.0.1
Physical Address: 00:22:15:07:28:15
Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Networking Dns Servers: 208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
AGERE OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
HID-compliant consumer control device
HID-compliant device (2x)
USB Human Interface Device (3x)
HID Keyboard Device
HID-compliant mouse
Realtek USB 2.0 Card Reader
USB Composite Device
USB Root Hub (2x)
Generic volume shadow copy
new Network Map (mouse over IP address for physical address) [Back to Top]
IP Device Type Device Details Device Roles
192.168.0.1 Router Netgear / ADSL Firewall Router DG834GT DHCP Server, Gateway, Web Server
192.168.0.2 Windows Vista Workstation Pats (in WORKGROUP), Asustek Browse Master, SQL Server
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Quite a decent spec PC then, if it is the power supply I would want to spend about £30 on one. A 420W FSP would do the job more than fine, there is about 18 amps on each 12v rail on that.
I also would have thought the fan should be spinning all the time, I haven't actually seen any HPs where the power supply fan dosn't spin. Are we certain it is the PSU fan and not the CPU one?
If it is the PSU then I am sure Pat can do the job herself as she is quite technically minded. It is just matter of disconnecting all the cables from the components and making sure you connect the new one up exactly the same. You can't go wrong but don't force any connectors, if it dosn't go in easily you're doing it the wrong way = smoke.
It takes me five minutes to replace a PSU providing everything is easy to get to, that should give Pad an idea how easy it is. Of course cramped cases make the job a lot harder, as does poor light.
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>> You can't go wrong but don't force any connectors, if it dosn't go in easily
>> you're doing it the wrong way = smoke.
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I think it depends how neat the internal layout of the PC is, cables criss-crossing everywhere or neatly arranged. But yes, in principle, a fairly easy swap-out - agreed we're almost certainly talking about the PSU fan here and it should be spinning constantly. Personally I'd try and give it a kick start by poking it with a cotton bud first, maybe it's just got a little bit gunged up with dust.
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I worked in the Ford plants in Essex recently and their computer equipment (especially printers) was so grubby it was barely recognisable. A bit of fluff never did anyone any harm... (although I suppose it increases fire risk)
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I have seen PCs fail due for various reasons. I suppose if there is enough metal particals in the dust it could cause a short too. Saw one a none boot a few months back and the motherboard had 1inch of dust all over.
It was an old PIII system so it was a data recovery and new PC job.
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I doubt pat could do it. You need nimble fingers, and I doubt her arthritis gives her that.
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I forgot about that. Ian should be able to do it then :).
That said it will probably only be £15-£20 labour at a computer shop.
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I'm not letting him near it Rattle, he's got no finesse whatsoever and is good with a big hammer!
Pat
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I'll keep an eye on it to make sure it's not turning while it's standing on the worktop and I may have a go at replacing it before it goes back where it usually lives.
Even bigger problem at the moment is my comfy chair won't go up high enough to type comfortably on the worktop.
It's a bit like that old TV Ad with the caricature of a mans nose and eyes over the wall saying 'Wot no bacon'? :)
Pat
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I hadn't thought about that Z, I bet it's tiny screws but I usually do them with a magnetic screwdriver.
I struggle more than anything with knowing how to get the lid off and then when I see all those 'bits' inside I want to dig deeper...and deeper.
It's like the mysteries of a car engine really:)
Pat
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A car engine is sort of easier to understand because you can see things moving, computers are all solid state, so there is not much to understand simply by looking in the case other than how things are connected.
I have never really had any naturual flair with machanics though I can do basic things but I could never even dream about replacing a head gasket, even though I know the theory of what is involved I just don't have that natural flair with nuts and bolts. It is simple things like not knowing what to do when a bolt won't shift.
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>> I hadn't thought about that Z, I bet it's tiny screws but I usually do
>> them with a magnetic screwdriver.
>> I struggle more than anything with knowing how to get the lid off and then
The screws are not a problem, as you say the magnetic bit does them.
Its pushing the tab on the main motherboard connector, while pulling it, - the wrapping your fingers at 90 degrees round the disk connector to tug it off, its the plugs what makes it hard for less than nimble fingers,
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No chance whatsoever then:)
I keep feeling it now and it's still really cool, so maybe Iffy's right.
It's an HP a6525 if that says anything?
Pat
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Vacuum cleaners and hairdryers shouldn't be used to blow dust out of computer cases...:-)
I carefully use a small paintbrush (especially for fans) and a larger bristle paintbrush as appropriate, although some people use the air aerosols.
PS
Don't mess about with the insides of a PSU as there can/could be high voltages.
Last edited by: Stuartli on Wed 19 Jan 11 at 15:47
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There are a few videos on the interweb to give you an idea what you're letting yourself in for, here's one:-
www.videojug.com/film/how-to-install-or-change-my-computers-power-supply
That's an older system but yours should be reasonably similar, the HP web site soesn't give much gen. on your PC.
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>> Vacuum cleaners and hairdryers shouldn't be used to blow dust out of computer cases...:-)
>>
>> I carefully use a small paintbrush (especially for fans) and a larger bristle paintbrush as
The kids both have tower PCs, generic P4 jobbies bought cheap from Dabs. Perform surprisingly well given their age but very prone to fans (chip & PSU) and ventialtion apertures clogging with dust. Removing the covers and cleaning out is a six monthly chore.
Agree that a soft paintbrush is good for fans etc. However a vac can be used if the suction's turned right down and a flexible crevice hose (mine came from Betterware) used. Usual anti static precuations as well of course.
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I thought that was a great idea Stu, it's called improvising:)
I'm not convinced I'll be able to get all those wires back in the right places spamcan or even grip them hard enough to push them in.
Pat
Last edited by: pda on Wed 19 Jan 11 at 16:13
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>> I thought that was a great idea Stu, it's called improvising:)
>>
>> I'm not convinced I'll be able to get all those wires back in the right
>> places spamcan or even grip them hard enough to push them in.
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>> Pat
>>
I always suck the dust out of PCs with a vacuum cleaner rather than use a brush or air can, which just move the dust around (OK most of it won't re-settle in the PC)
Yes some of the connectors can be very tight, and there's not much room - that's a bigger PC case than yours, I think, in the video.
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If you do use a vac always disconnect the fan from the motherboard just in case the spinning fan causes a DC voltage to be generated and thus damage the board. There should be diodes on the board to stop that from happening though.
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you shouldnt use paintbrushes on computer equipment. The bristles generate static electricity and can zap the electronics.
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It is fine on heatsinks but not on the ICs such as the motherboard or RAM.
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I get the impression Pat lives in a draughty old house.
Her PC won't overheat - fan or not - but it might die of cold.
The fans on my Lenovo laptop and my Sky+ box are both thermostatically controlled.
I reckon thermostats on cooling fans might be more common than some on here think.
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>> The fans on my Lenovo laptop
Its a laptop. It does have a fan but its part of an incredibly well designed heat dispersal system using vents, ducts, heat pipes, heat sinks and even the case to disipate heat. The reson your apple laptop is so thin? because the aluminium case plays its part.
Heat dispersal design is key to laptop longevity. Dell could never do it so they merely badge the wares of those who can.
and my Sky+ box are both thermostatically controlled.
Yes Amstrad have always had a problem with heat dispersal in their kit.
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>> I reckon thermostats on cooling fans might be more common than some on here think.
Not at all common in run of the mill Tower PCs
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 19 Jan 11 at 17:29
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Pat I have the HP a6325 of a very similar era to yours and my fan at the top on the rear is running all the while... it's smooth and quiet but looking with a mirror and torch I can see it spinning.
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Help Please. - Tooslow
