Overheated or dead?

S

steve_rockero

New Member
I am having a major problem and I hope someone here can help me. I've read several other topics and I think that what happend to me might be over heating but i would still like to get some feedback so that I know what to do.

I got a dell laptop back in fall 04, I never really used it until last summer (05) and it worked great I never had any problems...in the fall I noticed when I used my webcam the computer would get really hot and the screen would go black sometimes and I could get it to come back by ctrl alt deleting. I stopped using the cam and it never happend again until this spring, my laptop started to get really hot and sometimes the fan in the bottom would go nuts! the fan sounded like it was hitting a cat or somthing, making really loud noised that where almost unbarable to listen to. but after letting it set for a long time and short uses it got over that...and recently started again. My dad said that it was just overheating and it would be fine..so i kept using it. Just a few hrs ago my computer stopped making the noise and was running great again, but right in the middle of surfing the net my computer just died...no noise no nothing and it wont come back on. I'm really really scared cause I need to take it with me on a photography trip in a few weeks to upload my pictures onto a jump thingy.

my question is...is my computer dead for good..or should I give it a while and try to turn it back on or somthing. and if so what should I do about that fan and the overheating :(

thanks in advance to anyone who can give me any advice, im rather upset :-p
 
First thing you should do is contact dell. I had the same problem with my desktop (faulty GPU heatsink...grrr...) and they came over and replaced it.
 
Recently a cpu cooked a board after being lifeless for a week's time when it was at that time seeing sudden restarts. When it suddenly powered up and seemed to be running normal again a few surprises were instore for the owner. The cpu cooked not only that board but when thought the board was all that was wrong cooked a board in another case.

It sounds precisely the same has been happening with your portable. If you knew someone with a spare that would be one to determine that. The other possible cause would be a failed chipset or power supply circuit. To suddenly see it quit does point at the cpu there.
 
thanks guys so so much!, I went back to my laptop just a few mins ago, the monitor was down...but when i picked it up my computer was on again :confused: I shut it down and sat it up next to a fan, imma let it set overnight and play by ear.

so do you think I should take it to a computer repair place or call a computer repair person and see what they think?

also @ mrbagrat which dell number do I call, I went on their site and the only number I could find said it was 76cents per min. So anyway they replaced somthing on yours? I should be still under warranty, you think they might be able to help me out.
 
If you didn't get the extended warranty when purchasing the unit you will be paying for service. But without finding out precisely what is heating up and solving that you could lose the entire unit. Repair or Replace?
 
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lol exactly thats what im thinking. I just cant find the support number the number I found was actually to order some virus support thing ...I dunno If any one knows the number lemme know.
 
what are the specs of the laptop?
pentium 4's in laptops aren't suggested because netburst (p4 architecture) uses a TON of power... low battery life, high heat, and generally much lower performance per watt than AMD and/or intel's own Pentium M.
 
Thank you so sosososososo much PC_Eye you have no idea how much help you where.

@ fade2green I'm not to computer savy when it comes to technical parts ..so I dont really know what a specs is. lol sorry :-p I'm not sure what kind of laptop it is, I found out earlier using that code on the back of my pc but now I cant find that option on the dell site. :( I probably sound like a total spaz haha

Thanks for the help so far you guys
 
steve_rockero said:
Thank you so sosososososo much PC_Eye you have no idea how much help you where.

@ fade2green I'm not to computer savy when it comes to technical parts ..so I dont really know what a specs is. lol sorry :-p I'm not sure what kind of laptop it is, I found out earlier using that code on the back of my pc but now I cant find that option on the dell site. :( I probably sound like a total spaz haha

Thanks for the help so far you guys
Click to expand...

Specs=specifications.

Good luck getting it fixed!
 
If you knew someone tech savoy like a local pc repair shop that deals with Dell you could take it there. It sounds like the original thermal compund on the processor is letting go. That will see a good heat up. If it goes too long you'll lose the unit altogether when something does let go.
 
I just wanted to thank you guys for all the help again, I called several repair places and I'm going this afternoon to get some prices. I was worried they might try to take me for a ride since i dont know too much about the technical part of computers, but I was a good actor ;) saying all the stuff you guys said haha. I'll let you guys know what they say when I get home. :D
 
Hey guys for future ref. It WAS the heatsink fan. aparently it was DEAD and thats why the computer would overheat so fast because their was no fan action at all. The reason for the loud noise, was the fan trying to work. The repair guy said that the fan had probably never run since this spring and it was a wonder that my computer had not melted itself :eek: So my advice to anyone who hears those loud fan noises...dont me a idiot like me, take it into a repair place ASAP :P

but I had to pay $ 174.00 for the part and its being fixed this week. I just wanted to thank you guys again for the help!
 
steve_rockero said:
Hey guys for future ref. It WAS the heatsink fan. aparently it was DEAD and thats why the computer would overheat so fast because their was no fan action at all. The reason for the loud noise, was the fan trying to work. The repair guy said that the fan had probably never run since this spring and it was a wonder that my computer had not melted itself :eek: So my advice to anyone who hears those loud fan noises...dont me a idiot like me, take it into a repair place ASAP :P

but I had to pay $ 174.00 for the part and its being fixed this week. I just wanted to thank you guys again for the help!
Click to expand...

$175 is a ripoff for a new HSF. You can buy a good one for ~$60-$70, some good thermal compound for ~$10, and install it in about 5 minutes.
 
My cpu finally hit the 60C mark this week while gaming. That was after a reseat with some fresh AS5 to replace the smeared gone to waste thermal pad it came with. Initially the cooler brought the stock 46-48C right down to 39C with load. But lately something else like the fan itself is going. So it's time to find a better Socket A cpu cooler for.... under $40-! I still have plenty of good thermal compound onhand as usual.
 
yeah they told me just the fan wouldnt be much but the guy is replacing the WHOLE cooling system. I'm sure that he is ripping me off tho, they all do :P
 
Maybe you would better off learning how to install a better cooling system yourself rather then putting up with the nonsense. With a little care and a flat head screwdriver you can release the cpu clips holding the HSF down inplace and pop off the old and clean + prep for the new. After cleaning the old thermal compound off with something like rubbing alcohol you simply swirl a pea sized glob of compound over the small window on the cpu housing and seat the new one HSF down evenly. That's a model where you don't have to first remove the cpu socket like on some Zalman model coolers however.
 
ugh you guys arent even going to belive the call I got today. The guy who is fixing my computer leaves this on my voice mail "oh hey your heat-sink is fine so I dont have to cash your check, there are just a few wires shorted and a spring loose, no cooling problems"

WTF! I'm going to pick it up tomorrow and take it else where this guy is out of it. :mad:
 
Oh well... This will just be the third HSF on this cpu since? What late 2004 or early 2005 being that is it was also the third cpu to run on the board. But it comes a time when to reseat everything and see temps still climb to 60C. It's definitely time for a new HSF! For Socket A and a possible Opteron later, http://www.xoxide.com/zalman-7000b-cu-led-cpu-cooler.html Maybe the fan won't slow down from 2,300 to 1,844rpm and refuse to go faster when a load is there. But I'm a do-it-yourselfer there. You should do better with a "second opinion". :)
 
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