fan problems at start up

[kerkk1]

about two months ago i noticed fan loud and at boot up fan alert would show up. So i changed cpu fan - not connected to cpu on back of w\reflector to cpu. Still loud and still fan alert - i have a dell 8200 pent 4 -2.4 . Can any one help or should i purchase new motherboard and cpu
Thanks Ken :p

[saphalline]

How long have you had this Dell? It almost sounds like there's a lot of dust built up and the CPU is overheating despite the fact that the fan is working fine. My first suggestion would be to open it back up and use a can of compressed air (along with a vacuum) to blow all the dust out of the system.

See if that helps, and report back with the results.

[kerkk1]

i have dusted it and still not helping - system about 1-1\2 years old. Does thermal on cpu go bad - that the only thing i can think of
Thanks Ken

[saphalline]

Well, it eventually goes bad, but not after just 1 1/2 years. It could be that the BIOS got reset, or perhaps the mobo battery is finally dying. Replace the mobo battery, reset the BIOS, and go into the BIOS to check the default settings. Maybe the CPU is just getting too hot for the BIOS? What temp is your CPU at, anyway?

[kerkk1]

don't know to reset bios and don't know were temp is located
thanks ken

[saphalline]

Oh yes, this is a Dell. The temps should be in the BIOS, though, if they're anywhere. Usually under something labeled Power Management or PC Health or something like that. Just go through all the BIOS menus and submenus and you'll find it eventually if it exists. If there are no temps in the BIOS, let us know.

Another way to check the CPU temp is to touch the heatsink while the PC is turned on (or even better while it's doing something intense like playing a game). Normally it should be warm to the touch but not so hot that it will burn you.

If you unplug the PC, and take out the mobo battery (usually CR2032 button cell) and leave it like that for 10 minutes, the BIOS should reset itself. Then just put a new battery in, plug it back in, and fire it up! See if that helps.

[kerkk1]

thank you i will try it - your a great asset to this forum
Thanks ken

[kerkk1]

tried to replace battery [10 minutes out of system]- reset Bios and still the same fan always running- going to try to replaced fan with heat sink - fan combo --any other ideas-
Thanks Ken :p

[saphalline]

Hmmm... I guess at this point it's starting to look like the CPU is just running a bit hot. In which case your first inclination about the thermal pad going bad might be valid. Do you have experience with Arctic Silver? AS 5 is the newest stuff and you can find it at CompUSA and other computer stores. I would suggest just removing the current heatsink, clean off the CPU and heatsink with 91% or higher Isopropyl alcohol (can be found in the Pharmacy department of most major stores), and re-assemble everything with new AS 5 in place.

My idea is that if the cooling was sufficient at some point, it can be again. Redoing the heatsink with Arctic Silver is a relatively cheap option and just might work. If not, then you'll have to look into the more expensive option of buying a new HSF unit.