Limited space and ventilation cause heat to build up very quickly in a laptop. A laptop fan blows hot air generated from the hard drive and other internal components through a vent in the side of the laptop housing. A laptop fan is usually built into a heat sink, which helps keep the CPU or central processing unit cool. If your laptop fan has stopped working, follow these steps to fix it as soon as possible.
Step No 1
Follow your laptop owner’s manual and assembly guide carefully as you disassemble the laptop. Touch something metal periodically to remove static charge, and work on a large table with a bright light source.
Step No 2
Turn off the laptop and unplug it. Remove the main battery, CD/DVD drive, and hard drive. The hard drive is usually located in a slot on one side of the laptop. Remove the screw that holds the cover in place, then pull out the hard drive sled.
Step No 3
Turn the laptop over and remove the screws on the bottom that hold the keyboard in place. Flip the laptop over, open it, and lift the keyboard up and out. Unplug the flexible ribbon cable that connects the keyboard to the motherboard.
Step No 4
Remove the screws that hold the keyboard bezel and palm rest in place. Carefully pry loose any plastic snaps on the sides, then lift the bezel and palm rest up and out.
Step No 5
Unplug the laptop fan. Remove the screws that hold the heat sink and fan in place, then remove the entire unit from the laptop. Remove any thermal compound residue from the bottom of the heat sink and the CPU.
Step No 6
Apply a thin layer of thermal compound on the CPU, then replace the heat sink and fan. Replace the screws, plug the fan back in, then reassemble the laptop.
Step No 7
Plug the laptop in and turn it on. After you use it for a few minutes, you should hear the new fan running and feel warm air blowing from the vent on the side of the laptop. A laptop fan does not run continuously, so don’t be concerned if the fan shuts off periodically.
How to Increase the Laptop Fan Speed
A laptop’s benefits to your business’s operation can be just as detrimental if your data is lost at the hands of an overheated processor. If your laptop is running too hot, the first thing to do is make sure its vents aren’t obstructed by dust, which is the most common cause of thermal problems. If clearing them doesn’t do the trick, you might want to try increasing the speed of the CPU fan.
Step 1.
Select “Control Panel” from the Start menu.
Step 2.
Click “Hardware and Sound” and then “Power Options.” A new window opens.
Step 3.
Click “Change Plan Settings” and “Change Advanced Power Settings.” The “Power Options” dialog box opens.
Step 4.
Select the “Advanced Settings” tab.
Step 5.
Click the plus symbol associated with “Processor Power Management” to open an options submenu.
Step 6.
Select “System Cooling Policy” from the submenu.
Step 7.
Click the down arrow under “System Cooling Policy” to reveal a drop-down menu.
Step 8.
Select “Active” from the drop-down menu to increase the speed of your CPU’s cooling fan.
Step 9.
Click “Apply” and then “OK.”
FAQs
Can you install a Fan on a Laptop?
No. What you can do is open it up and clean the heatsinks. And you can get a laptop cooler, a base you put under your laptop to get more cooling from the underside. The best you can do is clean the fan and heatsink; depending on the fan, you can probably clean and re-grease the fan.
Why is my Laptop So hot?
A laptop could also overheat if the internal components are clogged with dust, preventing clean airflow. The problem could also arise if the CPU’s thermal paste has worn off, leading to inefficient thermal management. Suppose the laptop’s internal cooling components, such as the heat sink or cooling fans, malfunction.
Do Laptops Overheat Fast?
Overheating in laptops is common, and many laptop owners have experienced it. Sometimes aging laptops may be overheating due to internal hardware problems that most people may be unable to fix. However, the most common type of overheating is caused by a lack of adequate airflow within the machine.
