The electrical components in a PC generate heat, and fans inside the PC help move the air to keep the components cooled to normal operating temperatures. Inadequate cooling can cause excess heat which forces the fan to run constantly, can damage components, and limit the speed of the CPU. All of these problems with high power and high heat will cause applications to work slower than normal.
The sound of the fan running all the time may the first clue that your PC is not running as efficiently as possible and that you may have a problem with accumulated dust clogging air vents.
Dust and lint on heat generating components and fans
Notebook PCs have vents in the bottom and sides to allow air to flow through the case. If these vents become clogged or heat generating parts become covered with dust, the fan cannot cool the components properly. Lint and dust accumulation prevents air from flowing around the cooling fins and causes the fan to work harder. If there is dust in the vents, you should clean the computer by blowing out the dust from around the fan and heat shield. This will prevent dust from accumulating as shown below.




Removing dust and lint by cleaning vents

CAUTION: Ensure that the computer is turned off and the AC adapter is disconnected before spraying with compressed air to prevent damage to the notebook PC.

The accumulation of dust can often be observed on the vents in the computer's case. You can use a can of compressed air as shown below to help remove the dust and prevent overheating. Removing the dust increases the air flow to improve cooling and allow the fan to run quieter.
The cooling vents are located in various places depending on the PC model. You can identify the vents by looking for the copper or black fins inside the vents. You should also blow the compressed air into other openings such as the fan intake vent. This will help keep the air circulating and prevent dust from accumulating on components.

By taking this action periodically as a preventive measure, you can greatly reduce the possibility of component damage and prevent the slowdown of the computer's performance.





Source -> HP

nice article.. TQ

i been try to open up my laptop before, but i can only open till where i can see my h/d & ram
unable to open up till the colling fan & vent , any idea how to do it?

What brand is you laptop?

Is there any warranty left?

Mind to show some pics of the underside of ur laptop?

compaq presario b1200
warranty finished



Attached thumbnail(s)

There might be some screws near the optical drive, under the keyboard..

Check and see.

where's the intake?

the laptop, when we want to open, we need used our imagination. for example, if we need to open the large casing, we need to disassemble lcd 1st. some laptop need to open the keyboard 1st. to open the keyboard, its screw from bottom. some in hdd place and ram. means we need 2 open ram and hhd casing. . at battery compartment or battery's housing u see some screw. determine for what that screw.

Here's a Compaq V3000

Terrible cooling, hmm?

service manual
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01135530.pdf

wher can i get compressed air can?
i cant find it in hardware shop

Try AllIT or SRIComp in lowyat plaza.

thanks , dont know need to open the skru in keyboard as well


Attached thumbnail(s)

need to remove keyboard first.

for my acer, I need to open everything just to reach the fan

i tried open it twice but fail

^about v3000, only managed to open till the keyboard, after that, my finger can't manage to pull the cable out, looks so thin, afraid putus

I was 95% to completion.

Panel above keyboard blocked me.

i cant even open the back casing lor XD

now the owner change to k50ab ^^
v3000 got problem on lcd, now with his mom and plugged to external monitor.

Some crazy cooling can yield crazy results.



This post has been edited by ericmaxman: Nov 5 2009, 05:14 PM

cleaning vents, change thermal paste, undervolting, copper mod, cooler, what more