Laptop fan runs almost all the time

Probably nothing. My Toshiba Satellite, about 5 years old, does the same thing, especially if you're watching a dvd. Normal, I'd guess. regards, tom

After further checking, I agree. This is a 2.66 GHz Pentium 4 made in 2002. That is, it's a desktop CPU in a laptop. (Not Celeron or Pentium M.) So it probably just runs hot!

"mc" wrote in news:4S7Kg.39137$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews4.bellsouth.net:

Elevate the laptop so there's room for air to circulate and see if that helps any. My laptop elevation devices cost $4 for a set, and came with

80 ounces of free Mountain Dew.

Puckdropper

--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

That can happen when the air inlet and fan get clogged with dust. Used compressed air and blow out all the air vents. You will be amazed at the amount of dust that comes out. That will contribute to the laptop overheating.

Tony

I have seen numerous times, particularly on Toshiba Satellite P4 machines, where the internal side of the copper heatsink becomes filled with a very tidy rectangular layer of dust. From the outside you cannot see this, but when you remove the heatsink you can see a perfectly formed sheet of dust which almost looks like a particle filter. In the last instance the machine was over heating and switching itself off.

"Carl Farrington" wrote in message news:edcn2e$7no$1$ snipped-for-privacy@news.demon.co.uk...

Thanks. How much disassembly is needed to get to this?

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "the internal side of the copper heatsink." The dust gets between the heatsink and CPU, or what?

Aside from dust buildup in the heatsink, the other typical problem with some laptops is failure of the thermal compound between the heatsink and the CPU. Once you open up the laptop, you can remove the heatsink, remove the old thermal compound, and apply some new stuff (such as Arctic Silver).

You can do a google search for disassembly instructions for various laptops. Actually, HP usually has good service instructions on their own website.

No. The dust just accumulates on the edge of the heatsink which is inside the machine, nearest the fan (rather than the outside edge which you can see from the edge of the machine. I can't remember the layout 100%, but it's a largeish heatsink, with a copper heatpipe I think. The heatsink part is about the size of a swan matchbox (perhaps 6x10x1cm (WxDxH). What a poor description. Perhaps I can find a picture on t'interweb. brb.

"Carl Farrington" wrote in message news:edd2ko$43i$1$ snipped-for-privacy@news.demon.co.uk...

Champion! See below. In these pics it's very dusty, but in the machine I looked at the dust was so perfectly formed it was like cloth/felt.

That's not to say this is the problem with your machine. It may just be a case of TADTS ;)

Thanks!