Thanks for the cleaning advice. There was (it seemed to me) fairly little
dust accumulation in the case and fans as I blew them off. But that is
done. The power supply fan needed encouragement again this morning after
restarting the computer; it; runs at speed, but I can hear a slight rub
every ten seconds or so, when it slows down and speeds up again. No doubt
on last legs. I am actively pursuing replacement of the entire computer
system and am hoping the power supply holds up until that is accomplished.
Since the power supply did run for an indeterminate length of time without
any cooling, I am in hopes that things will last a couple more weeks. My
home is air conditioned and that helps. Thanks to all!
"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Good. Now go down to the nearest mass market retailer (office supplies
> or
> electronics) and buy yourself a can of compressed air. Remove the side
> panel
> from the case, take the rest outside, and blast compressed air into the
> back
> where the fan intake is and into the other openings of the power supply.
> You'll
> probably be amazed at the accumulated dirt and dust that flies out. Don't
> inhale
> the stuff. While at it, use q-tips to dislodge the dirt in the CPU fan
> and
> heat sink and give it some good blasts of air, too.
>
> This is or should be normal maintenance on a computer, maybe once a year,
> more
> often if used in a dusty environment. I did this with 7 computers a
> couple of
> weeks ago, and they had not been cleaned out in 4 or 5 years since being
> installed initially. The owners were lucky that they all had run as long
> as
> they did, although another even older computer croaked the previous week,
> which
> is why I did the cleaning that I did... Ben Myers
>
> On Thu, 10 May 2007 21:31:53 GMT, "Hi Ho Silver" <> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
>>news:. ..
>>> Replace the power supply. If the fan stops working, all the computer
>>> needs is a
>>> day or two of 90 degree weather and the power supply will overheat.
>>> AFAIK, the
>>> HiPro power supplies in the Pentium 4 and later AMD Athlon systems do
>>> not
>>> have
>>> thermostatic controls.
>>>
>>> Unplug the system from the wall, and see if you can move the fan blades
>>> by
>>> using
>>> a thin screwdriver or q-tip or other object to do so. If the fan is
>>> frozen and
>>> won't move, all the more reason to replace the power supply... Ben Myers
>>>
>>> On Thu, 10 May 2007 19:35:26 GMT, "Hi Ho Silver" <>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Computer: HP Pavilion 760n; five years old
>>>>
>>>>Power Supply: HiPro
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I have just noticed that the fan on the power supply is not running, but
>>>>do
>>>>not know how long this has been the case. The area around the grill is
>>>>warm
>>>>to the touch but not 'hot'. The computer is running normally, no
>>>>shutdown
>>>>problems, never have. I am wondering if this is a type of fan that only
>>>>comes on above a certain temperature. The main computer cooling fan is
>>>>running fine, it is just the fan on the power supply that I am concerned
>>>>with. Any thoughts? Thanks.
>>>>
>>
>>This is very interesting...I did your 'q-tip assist' test. I was able to
>>move the fan blade with the q-tip, but it was not at all free-wheeling.
>>After several nudges with the q-tip, it began turning slowly on its own,
>>and
>>after continued nudging, is now spinning at what seems like its normal
>>speed! No telling how long it was stopped, and I surmise that the power
>>supply must be pretty robust not to have failed itself without the fan
>>cooling. I will keep an eye on it. With the whole system being five years
>>old, I have been thinking of replacing it and this event adds another
>>reason. Thanks for the 'q-tip' advice!
>>
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