Issue 12.12
Most people do not know that there are anywhere from 2 to 8 electrical fans operating inside your computer case. All of them are helpful in keeping the components cool, but some of them are critical to keeping your computer running. If one of these critical fans fails, your computer can suffer damage within minutes. Some computers have audible warning beeps or screen messages if a fan fails to start up correctly and run at a minimum speed. Many do not have this fail-safe.
That leaves the responsibility up to you. Any fans that are visible from outside the case are fairly easy to check. In many cases you can feel the air flowing either into or out of the computer. You can also check the fan visually to see if it is turning at a high speed. If you can’t see the blades clearly, you can use a flashlight to check for full operation.
Another check to make is to listen when you start up the computer. If there is a grinding sound or an audible whirring sound, you may want to check to see if the fans are running correctly. If you have been hearing these type of sounds and then suddenly you don’t hear them anymore, it is not a good sign. It usually means the fan has stopped running altogether instead of running sluggishly and making noise.
Inside the computer are other critical fans. The most important is on your CPU (Central Processing Unit). It is typically a large fan which looks like it is mounted directly on the main PCB (Printed Circuit Board). It is actually sitting right on the CPU. This main brain chip of the computer generates a lot of heat as it processes information. If the fan fails on this unit, the computer could start operating erratically within a couple of minutes and fail completely and permanently within a few minutes. Unless you have had some training on this issue, you should probably have a professional replace this fan as there are a number of issues to be careful of.
Additional critical fans may be mounted to other chips on the main board (also called a motherboard) to keep them cool and most of the newer high speed graphics cards have a fan keeping their processor cooled as well. I have seen a number of these cards that actually melted when the cooling fan stopped working. Remember to also check the fan in the power supply (right next to your electrical plug jack) as these cause the power supply to change voltage or cease working which can damage your other components.
With these hints you can avoid some of the most common system problems and the repair bills associated with them. And as always, remember to back up anything important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 30 years, 20 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or through his website at www.bitsnbytescomputers.com.