Computer HPEL

[Latrinsorm]

So.. my laptop is making way too much noise. I've had it for four and a half years, and the only problem I had was when the motherboard magically broke for no reason. It sounds like standard "computer working" noise except for it happens all the time. It also goes away when I turn the computer off in such a fashion that suggests it's one of those "fan" things. I got this SpeedFan thing but it's not giving me any data on fan speed (not that I would know what it meant anyway). I've got readings of 31 and 46 ºC for HD0 and Temp1 though, which don't seem too bad.

The help desk on campus is open tomorrow, so I'm just wondering if anyone knows if what's going on here is something that will damage my computer if I continue running it.

[Celephais]

when the motherboard magically broke for no reason.
A-HA! It was your lack of faith that broke the computer!!!

Open the computer up and rip all the dust out of the fans.

[Insodus]

Do you use it on your lap or in bed or some other such poorly-ventilated area?

Laptops can get very hot if not well ventilated (on a table-top or something).

And at 4 and a half years... if it died it would be doing you a favor. Watch bensbargains.net and you'll see Dell laptop deals every now and again for like $400 bucks.

[Latrinsorm]

Well, I kept clapping my hands and the noise went away. I BELIEVE, IBM TINKERBELL-40!!

I'm a little leery of opening my laptop up. I opened up towers all the time at my job over the summer, is it basically the same or are there gremlins and bear traps and stuff in there?

I never use it on anything but my desk, and there's plenty of space for the air to blow away or whatever.

When I unplug it (go to battery power), the noise stops completely AND (because?) the hd0 temperature reading goes to a paltry 30º. I'm choosing to take that as a good sign and if the temperature starts increasing I'll probably shut it down.

4.5 years old or no, there's no way I'd trade it for a crappy Dell, let alone pay for one. It's perfectly serviceable.

[Drew2]

Gremlins and bear traps indeed reside within laptops. Be wary.

[Celephais]

Well, I kept clapping my hands and the noise went away. I BELIEVE, IBM TINKERBELL-40!!
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/GuinnessKMF/Jesus-1.png
Interior of a laptop is pretty much the same as a desktop, a bit more crampt and often weird hookups (IE you have to remove the monitor from the case, and pullout the keyboard to look at the fans). If you have a can of compressed air you could blow it into the vents and hope that gets whatever is in there... but it's either the fan needs to be cleaned or the fan is just crapping out.

[Makkah]

Laptops aren't THAT bad to open up. I just got through having to replace a really noisy fan on mine. Had to purchase a brand new thermal module (heatsinks + fan).

If you get froggy, open it up, remove the fan and heatsink and clean them. Could just be clogged with all that pretty ass hair of yours.

Edit to say... if you clean it and the fan stays loud, the ball-bearing on it might be 'ucked like mine was...

[Latrinsorm]

you have to remove the monitor from the case, and pullout the keyboard to look at the fansNo gosh darned way I'm doing it now. I may try the dress up as Jesus and set it on fire though.

Thanks for your help, everyone (except Rhett, obviously)!

[Tsa`ah]

it's one of those "fan" things.

Considering there's only 2 options for noise, hard drive or fan ...

If you're not going to open it ... you've got to pay for someone else to do it unless you're one of those mooches.

Considering the age ... look into a cheap upgrade at least.

http://www.pcpartsohio.com/systemDetail.aspx?system_id=31&IsSystemLaptop=1

[Drew2]

Considering the age, get a new fuckin laptop and don't throw money into that piece.

[Shifted]

I agree with the fan theory. if it goes away when you unplug it, sounds like the fan isn't taking heat away from the cpu good enough. factory settings (usually) for battery power drop down the voltage going to the cpu, making it a bit cooler, making the entire system cooler. try one of those elevation things you can pick up for about $20-$30. lets more air under the laptop. targus makes a few good ones:
Targus Ergonomic M-Stand (http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=AWE26US)
Targus Podium CoolPad (http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=PA241U)