Laptop Cpu Fan And Ubuntu

Talk Electrician Forum

Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
14,650
Reaction score
811
Remember our old laptop that died and got resurrected with a new HDD and ubuntu.

Well it has a little problem.  The CPU cooling fan just runs at a constant (slow) speed.  Occasionally when watching a video the thing crashes and I think it's CPU overheating.

How do I get the fan to work as before when it had windoze on it, i.e speed up when things start getting hot?

Should I be looking at bios settings or some settings or program within ubuntu?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
A mac only runs a bit worser overpriced version of Ubuntu/Linux anyway,   ;)

PD, it is an issue with some laptops, can you install a temp monitor?  I'm at work, but can explain to you how to do it when I get home, 

Then there is a driver that will speed the fan up at at preset temperature. 

 
I did try cleaning the fluf out from the fan.  That just increased the length of time before it crashed watching a video and convinced me temperature is the problem.

Just how to get that fan working properly.

 
Might just be that the laptop's time is getting near and the soldering on the GPU chip is slightly fractured. It's very common. Worse thing ever to run a lappy on your lap/carpet/duvet. My boys 17.3" Acer died. I had it professionally re-flowed - think it was £160 with a 90 day warranty. It died again at 92 days.

Also you would be amazed at how much compact fluff gets in and how a vacuum WON'T get it all. Sometimes it needs to removed mechanically.

I always run my little Samsung on a Coolermaster now - site picked at random but this model, you can adjust the fan positions to suit your vents:

https://www.alza.co.uk/cooler-master-notepal-u3-plus-black-d487397.htm?kampan=adeupla-uk_produkty_notebooky&country=GB&gclid=CPza6dbrnMgCFeESwwodlXcMMw

EDIT: You can install fancontrol from the Software Centre btw.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
^^^ TBH had the same issue with a vaio and an acer had them fixed several times to watch them slowly die... The vaio was still going until the keyboard died then I scrapped it, bought a mac book never had computer problems again!

 
Okay tree, wrong, barking up.

It's NOT a temperature problem.

playing any sort of video after a minute or 2 the screen goes off.  I thought it was the backlight turning off? but I plugged an external monitor in, and that goes off as well.

I did find a little temperature monitor program and nothing is overheating and in fact the fan does speed up when it gets a bit warm.

 
GPU.

maybe the inverter? like onoff said these things run HOT and maybe its the solder cracking up.

only one way to find out!

1333660694Claw%20Hammer%20Angled.jpg


 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dave,  have you looked at settings to make sure the screen isn't set to turn off automatically,? 

Sorry if you've already checked, but mine turns off on default after no input for a certain time, I've changed it to never,

Top right on 14+,

Click settings, screen display I think iirc, or perhaps screen lock. 

 
Maybe just 'cos it's a fresh install and not having to work so hard but I've just put 64-bit Zorin 10 on my Samsung lappy up from 8 / 9 and it seems to run a lot COOLER!  Maybe once I fill everything up it'll warm up again?

 
An update on this.

I now think it's a software issue.

It will play normal videos all day (you tube)

But try and play a video on Face Book, the screen goes blank after 5 seconds, the sound carries on for another 10 seconds, then it all just dies completely.

This is using Firefox browser.  Chrome won't even work properly with face ache.  Haven't downloaded and tried Opera yet.

It's completely repeatable. Boot up from stone cold and it does exactly the same so it can't be overheating.

 
the flash issue is dealt with by an update, there was a thread on here how to patch it.

But in hindsight I would rather the flash player had not been updated and it didn't even try to play the damn video.

 

Latest posts

Top