DeskTop computer problem

[moonbounce]

This is for all the techies. I have a computer problem, it seems to be an intermittent problem.
Today I woke my computer from sleep mode and instantaniously the fan goes into super fast mode. I control alt delete and start the task manager, nothing shows anything out of the norm but the fan is going top speed. Nothing I do changes anything, The only thing I can do is pull the plug. On restarting the computer it is stuck in startup repair, but the fan is running normal. I know it is probably not a solvable problem for this thread but I just thought I would ask./

 

[poltergeisty]

Today I woke my computer from sleep mode

This is your problem. I can't tell you how many threads I've read across many computer forums where people use those power saving modes to only find out their computer isn't working as expected. You should always just power off the whole computer and NOT use hibernation or sleep mode.

To fix your issue try the last known configuration option in safe mode. If that fails you may need to try a repair install. Though, to do that it's typically done in a booted environment, but I've done it without a booted environment.


It would help to know what OS you're running.

 

[moonbounce]

O/S is Windows 7 Pro, the problem occurs very infrequently, like maybe once every couple of months. Yesterday when the fan went ballistic I shut the computer down and then turned it back on and the fan was still in ballistic mode so I shut it down again and pulled the plug waited for a minute plugged it back in started the computer and it was fine after that. It happened once before will in the middle of the night I woke to the fan running full blast, while the computer was asleep.
My workplace is full of computers ( all on Windows 7 ) that are always asleep when not in use and I have never heard them do what mine has does. Anyways thanks for the reply I will do a search on that problem and shut my computer off when not in use

MB

 

[moonbounce]

Forgot to mention, while the fan was running fast, I started the task manager to see what was happening and i didn't see anything that was producing high cpu usage, all processes were normal with about 2% cpu usage in total.

MB

 

[bharvey2]

I've seen some pretty weird behavior with computers and sleep mode. I'm not a big fan of it myself. (no pun intended) If you can figure out the brand and model of your motherboard, you could go the the manufacturer's website and look for the latest chipset drivers. I wouldn't expect fan operation to rise to the level of needing the CPU's attention.

BTW, which fan is running amok, power supply, case fan, CPU fan?

 

[moonbounce]

I've seen some pretty weird behavior with computers and sleep mode. I'm not a big fan of it myself. (no pun intended) If you can figure out the brand and model of your motherboard, you could go the the manufacturer's website and look for the latest chipset drivers. I wouldn't expect fan operation to rise to the level of needing the CPU's attention.

BTW, which fan is running amok, power supply, case fan, CPU fan?

The cpu fan is the culprit.

 

[bharvey2]

Got it. The CPU has built in temp sensors. it could be that they're reporting an overheating condition. You can look for and download a program called "Speedfan" that give you lots of information on the core temps and speeds of the fans. It might shed some light on what is going on. Although I'm not sure that this is the issue with yours, I've had a number of fan/overheating issues when the CPU heatsink looses conductivity with the CPU.

Another question: Have you made a physical changes to the fans lately? Could the CPU fan be plugged into the wrong fan header socket?

 

[moonbounce]

Got it. The CPU has built in temp sensors. it could be that they're reporting an overheating condition. You can look for and download a program called "Speedfan" that give you lots of information on the core temps and speeds of the fans. It might shed some light on what is going on. Although I'm not sure that this is the issue with yours, I've had a number of fan/overheating issues when the CPU heatsink looses conductivity with the CPU.

Another question: Have you made a physical changes to the fans lately? Could the CPU fan be plugged into the wrong fan header socket?

No physical changes have been made. I would tend to think that it if anything, it maybe the heatsink or the thermo paste has dried up. I think I will just wait to see what transpires over the next couple of weeks as yesterdays event was first in a long time. However it maybe some problem in the works. i am going to take the cpu fan out and blow any dust out with canned air and depending on how brave i am at that moment maybe I will replace the paste.

MB

 

[bharvey2]

Dried up thermal paste is a problem I've encountered a number of times. An easy fix if you have all the stuff do do it. After re-reading your original post, perhaps that is your problem. At first I interpreted your pulling the plug and rebooting to startup/repair as the fan still running at high speed. (Wrong on my part) Aside from the Speedfan download and install to monitor your temps and speeds, you could try taxing you CPU by running a bunch of videos simultaneously. That often does it. If your fan goes in to turbo mode, that's a good indicator that you CPU is getting too hot. Best to do that with Speedfan so that you can actually see the temps in real time. Good luck.

 

[moonbounce]

Dried up thermal paste is a problem I've encountered a number of times. An easy fix if you have all the stuff do do it. After re-reading your original post, perhaps that is your problem. At first I interpreted your pulling the plug and rebooting to startup/repair as the fan still running at high speed. (Wrong on my part) Aside from the Speedfan download and install to monitor your temps and speeds, you could try taxing you CPU by running a bunch of videos simultaneously. That often does it. If your fan goes in to turbo mode, that's a good indicator that you CPU is getting too hot. Best to do that with Speedfan so that you can actually see the temps in real time. Good luck.

Thanks for all the help, I was thinking of ways to tax the cpu and seeing if I could duplicate the problem. I do think thermal paste and a good cleaning will be in order.

MB

 

[poltergeisty]

I highly doubt your CPU is the issue causing heat. In sleep mode your CPU is not processing anything. I think the main cause is how the OS and the BIOS is being used in that power state and somehow causing the CPU fan to spin up. It is a good idea at least every four years or so to replace the thermal paste. To run Speedfan your not in the same sleep mode environment and in a booted environment so your variable for testing has changed. Even if you do find that your CPU is going beyond its thermal limit, it may not indicate that it's the source of the high RPM of the CPU fan while in a low power mode.

I'd just fully shut down the computer at all times. That right there will elevate the issue altogether. If you run something like Prime95 and watch your temps with Speedfan or CPUz and your temps are hitting over 55c, then either you need a better cooling solution both in the case and on your CPU or you need to reapply the thermal paste. In my PC using CPUz and running FSX which is a CPU orientated game, my temps don't go above 45C. Although, my case has 5 fans and the CPU fan is a Cooler Master Evo 212 which works quite well. I could even do a push, pull configuration but I don't really need to.


If you reapply the thermal paste, clean the majority off and use alcohol for the rest. Apply the alcohol to a paper towel. Get it as clean as possible. Add a drop of thermal paste to the center of the CPU and use a razor blade or a cut index card and spread the thermal paste over the CPU so the entire surface is covered. DO NOT overdo the thermal paste application. You just want a thin layer between your CPU and the heat sink. Other people seem to think just adding a drop of thermal paste in the center of the CPU is all you need to do. But I can tell you that I've pulled CPU heat sinks off and the CPU thermal paste was round and not fully covered.

You should use a static strap, but if you don't have that you can either touch the chaises of the case all the time, or keep the computer plugged in so that you have ground. Providing your wall outlet is in fact grounded. When I built my PC I never used a static strap because the damn thing broke and my wall outlet is not grounded. So I'd keep my hand on the chaises. Although, I built my PC in May and the humidity is higher than it is during the Winter.