My cpu's fan seems to never shut down... and I barely have a couple of programs opened... any suggestions?

Question

I know that the fan turns on to cool off the cpu, but it seems like it keeps on turning on more frequently than ever before. About every five minutes or so, and I am not doing much. It has been like this for several days now, but I do not want to do recovery. Any suggestions to what it could be?

jeje not turn off... but it is more silent when it is 'off'.... but lately it is more noisy and i had cleaned it a couple of months ago...

Answer 1

Hello:

This can be caused by running processes that do not appear on the taskbar. Activity that is not apparent, except in the task list, can be using the CPU more than you realize. Sometimes just installing a program that has a running service can do this. You can attempt to identify something like that by looking in your task list (Task Manager... right-click on the task bar and choose Task Manager, then Processes). The CPU column in the list of processes can tell you which process is using the most CPU. If you are doing nothing, under normal conditions, System Idle Process should be using the most CPU time.

Also, if you have Vista, the Aero interface (the pretty 3D interface) enabled, it can cause this problem.

You can change the behavior some by changing the power management settings for you PC. For example, changing the Power Scheme from "Home/Office Desk" to "Portable/Laptop" can cause the fan to come on less often. The reason for that has to do with how the Power Scheme runs the processor: Portable/Laptop runs it at a lower frequency than Home/Office Desk, and also changes other power consumption parameters.

Hope this helps a little...

Cheers!

Answer 2

Is there anything blocking the fan's vent panels? If so that'll cause it to heat up. I know that many laptops are so very low to the table top on which they sit and those tiny little pads on the bottom donot create much clearance between the table top and the laptop bottom.

Maybe the vent grill has an accumulation of dust and needs to be cleaned.

You can look on some of the software websites such as www.downloads.com and search for "cpu temperature" or something like that which will tell you the actual temperature of your computer.

Some of these software programs will actually tell you if your cpu is too hot.

Answer 3

Has the computer been cleaned (physically) recently? If this is a desktop, then try opening the side of the case and see if there is any dust, dirt buildup on the fan. Try using some compressed air to clean any dust it if there is any on the fan.

Also, you are probably in an area where it is getting closer to summer, so it is getting hotter. As it gets naturally hotter, of course the fan will be on more often.

Answer 4

It could be that the weather is getting hotter as it is summer now. Take the side panel off and check your CPU fan to see how dirty it is. Use a small paint brush to remove any fluff or dirt. See if that works.

Answer 5

Dust can cause a over heat ~ that may be it~ but CPU fans should never be off! if urs turns on and off u may want to get a new on or check ur system settings . thats a huge issue ~ an over heat could cause a fire or damage expensive parts!

Answer 6

If it's a Dell it's probably a fan that is going out. We have this a lot at work, there are 3 fans in the cpu I believe & you have to know which one it is. Might want to take it in or have someone come out.

Answer 7

If you have a desktop computer it might be time to clean the inside out (near the fan area and where it blows.)

Answer 8

make sure your computer is set in a well-ventilated area that is nice and cool. feel the bottom...is it hotter than usual ???