My computer halts for short times intermittently. Is it related to my fan making a lot of noise?
I have two problems with my computer.
The system is halting for short times intermittently so the computers becomes almost impossible to use for short times that can happen just when the computer has booted up, then after some usage the computer is usually behaving as normal.
The computer gets very noisy at times when the fan makes a lot of noise.
Are the problems related? I ran the system test suite and it found no errors. Now when I run the computer with an external monitor and with the internal display turned off then my computer is seemingly working well for a long time (several hours) without a single problem.
Are my 2 issues related? I went to a computer repair store to have the fan changed and they put in a new fan. still the computer is noisy from time to time, is it a problem with the builtin graphics? can I expect improvement now that I've disabled the internal monitor and I use an external monitor only?
What could otherwise be the cause of the error? Could it be faulty RAM, the graphics cards or the harddrive? My computer is a Sony Vaio laptop and I've had it since 2012.
14.04 hard-drive multiple-monitors ram fan
edited May 17 '15 at 12:18
Galgalesh
4,93112453
asked May 13 '15 at 8:43
Niklas RosencrantzNiklas Rosencrantz
97962348
|
show 3 more comments
I have two problems with my computer.
The system is halting for short times intermittently so the computers becomes almost impossible to use for short times that can happen just when the computer has booted up, then after some usage the computer is usually behaving as normal.
The computer gets very noisy at times when the fan makes a lot of noise.
Are the problems related? I ran the system test suite and it found no errors. Now when I run the computer with an external monitor and with the internal display turned off then my computer is seemingly working well for a long time (several hours) without a single problem.
Are my 2 issues related? I went to a computer repair store to have the fan changed and they put in a new fan. still the computer is noisy from time to time, is it a problem with the builtin graphics? can I expect improvement now that I've disabled the internal monitor and I use an external monitor only?
What could otherwise be the cause of the error? Could it be faulty RAM, the graphics cards or the harddrive? My computer is a Sony Vaio laptop and I've had it since 2012.
14.04 hard-drive multiple-monitors ram fan
edited May 17 '15 at 12:18
Galgalesh
4,93112453
asked May 13 '15 at 8:43
Niklas RosencrantzNiklas Rosencrantz
97962348
2
how is it related to Ubuntu/linux?
– Ron
May 13 '15 at 8:53
@Ron I run Ubuntu/linux to troubleshoot my problem(s) but the results are inconclusive. I just tried disabling the internal monitor and use an externa monitor instead and I wonder what I can expect from performing the changes.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 13 '15 at 8:57
2
What's the output offor szFile in /proc/*/status ; do awk '/VmSwap|Name/{printf $2 "t" $3}END{ print "" }' $szFile done | sort --key 2 --numeric --reverse | headwhen both problems happen?
– Fabby
May 14 '15 at 21:57
@Fabby I recently experienced the problem again and I'm going to try and run that command and see what it does next time it occurs which it will do for sure. I really would like to know if the hardware is broken and I must leave the computer to a repair store.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 17 '15 at 5:55
2
Not sure the two issues are related. A worn-out fan is likely to be slowed down. The CPU temperature might raise, to a certain point where the CPU will either completely freeze or trigger a reboot. However, everything is possible when it comes to hardware. One can imagine that the increased fan drag causes minor voltage variations on the board, in turn causing a freeze. So just to be on the safe-side, I'd replace the fan to rule it out. Also, do you have similar issues with other operating systems?
– youri
May 17 '15 at 8:42
|
show 3 more comments
I have two problems with my computer.
The system is halting for short times intermittently so the computers becomes almost impossible to use for short times that can happen just when the computer has booted up, then after some usage the computer is usually behaving as normal.
The computer gets very noisy at times when the fan makes a lot of noise.
Are the problems related? I ran the system test suite and it found no errors. Now when I run the computer with an external monitor and with the internal display turned off then my computer is seemingly working well for a long time (several hours) without a single problem.
Are my 2 issues related? I went to a computer repair store to have the fan changed and they put in a new fan. still the computer is noisy from time to time, is it a problem with the builtin graphics? can I expect improvement now that I've disabled the internal monitor and I use an external monitor only?
What could otherwise be the cause of the error? Could it be faulty RAM, the graphics cards or the harddrive? My computer is a Sony Vaio laptop and I've had it since 2012.
14.04 hard-drive multiple-monitors ram fan
edited May 17 '15 at 12:18
Galgalesh
4,93112453
asked May 13 '15 at 8:43
Niklas RosencrantzNiklas Rosencrantz
97962348
I have two problems with my computer.
The system is halting for short times intermittently so the computers becomes almost impossible to use for short times that can happen just when the computer has booted up, then after some usage the computer is usually behaving as normal.
The computer gets very noisy at times when the fan makes a lot of noise.
Are the problems related? I ran the system test suite and it found no errors. Now when I run the computer with an external monitor and with the internal display turned off then my computer is seemingly working well for a long time (several hours) without a single problem.
Are my 2 issues related? I went to a computer repair store to have the fan changed and they put in a new fan. still the computer is noisy from time to time, is it a problem with the builtin graphics? can I expect improvement now that I've disabled the internal monitor and I use an external monitor only?
What could otherwise be the cause of the error? Could it be faulty RAM, the graphics cards or the harddrive? My computer is a Sony Vaio laptop and I've had it since 2012.
14.04 hard-drive multiple-monitors ram fan
14.04 hard-drive multiple-monitors ram fan
edited May 17 '15 at 12:18
Galgalesh
4,93112453
asked May 13 '15 at 8:43
Niklas RosencrantzNiklas Rosencrantz
97962348
edited May 17 '15 at 12:18
Galgalesh
4,93112453
asked May 13 '15 at 8:43
Niklas RosencrantzNiklas Rosencrantz
97962348
edited May 17 '15 at 12:18
Galgalesh
4,93112453
edited May 17 '15 at 12:18
Galgalesh
4,93112453
edited May 17 '15 at 12:18
Galgalesh
4,93112453
4,93112453
asked May 13 '15 at 8:43
Niklas RosencrantzNiklas Rosencrantz
97962348
asked May 13 '15 at 8:43
Niklas RosencrantzNiklas Rosencrantz
97962348
asked May 13 '15 at 8:43
Niklas RosencrantzNiklas Rosencrantz
97962348
97962348
2
how is it related to Ubuntu/linux?
– Ron
May 13 '15 at 8:53
@Ron I run Ubuntu/linux to troubleshoot my problem(s) but the results are inconclusive. I just tried disabling the internal monitor and use an externa monitor instead and I wonder what I can expect from performing the changes.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 13 '15 at 8:57
2
What's the output offor szFile in /proc/*/status ; do awk '/VmSwap|Name/{printf $2 "t" $3}END{ print "" }' $szFile done | sort --key 2 --numeric --reverse | headwhen both problems happen?
– Fabby
May 14 '15 at 21:57
@Fabby I recently experienced the problem again and I'm going to try and run that command and see what it does next time it occurs which it will do for sure. I really would like to know if the hardware is broken and I must leave the computer to a repair store.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 17 '15 at 5:55
2
Not sure the two issues are related. A worn-out fan is likely to be slowed down. The CPU temperature might raise, to a certain point where the CPU will either completely freeze or trigger a reboot. However, everything is possible when it comes to hardware. One can imagine that the increased fan drag causes minor voltage variations on the board, in turn causing a freeze. So just to be on the safe-side, I'd replace the fan to rule it out. Also, do you have similar issues with other operating systems?
– youri
May 17 '15 at 8:42
|
show 3 more comments
2
how is it related to Ubuntu/linux?
– Ron
May 13 '15 at 8:53
@Ron I run Ubuntu/linux to troubleshoot my problem(s) but the results are inconclusive. I just tried disabling the internal monitor and use an externa monitor instead and I wonder what I can expect from performing the changes.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 13 '15 at 8:57
2
What's the output offor szFile in /proc/*/status ; do awk '/VmSwap|Name/{printf $2 "t" $3}END{ print "" }' $szFile done | sort --key 2 --numeric --reverse | headwhen both problems happen?
– Fabby
May 14 '15 at 21:57
@Fabby I recently experienced the problem again and I'm going to try and run that command and see what it does next time it occurs which it will do for sure. I really would like to know if the hardware is broken and I must leave the computer to a repair store.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 17 '15 at 5:55
2
Not sure the two issues are related. A worn-out fan is likely to be slowed down. The CPU temperature might raise, to a certain point where the CPU will either completely freeze or trigger a reboot. However, everything is possible when it comes to hardware. One can imagine that the increased fan drag causes minor voltage variations on the board, in turn causing a freeze. So just to be on the safe-side, I'd replace the fan to rule it out. Also, do you have similar issues with other operating systems?
– youri
May 17 '15 at 8:42
2
2
how is it related to Ubuntu/linux?
– Ron
May 13 '15 at 8:53
how is it related to Ubuntu/linux?
– Ron
May 13 '15 at 8:53
@Ron I run Ubuntu/linux to troubleshoot my problem(s) but the results are inconclusive. I just tried disabling the internal monitor and use an externa monitor instead and I wonder what I can expect from performing the changes.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 13 '15 at 8:57
@Ron I run Ubuntu/linux to troubleshoot my problem(s) but the results are inconclusive. I just tried disabling the internal monitor and use an externa monitor instead and I wonder what I can expect from performing the changes.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 13 '15 at 8:57
2
2
What's the output of
for szFile in /proc/*/status ; do awk '/VmSwap|Name/{printf $2 "t" $3}END{ print "" }' $szFile done | sort --key 2 --numeric --reverse | head when both problems happen?– Fabby
May 14 '15 at 21:57
What's the output of
for szFile in /proc/*/status ; do awk '/VmSwap|Name/{printf $2 "t" $3}END{ print "" }' $szFile done | sort --key 2 --numeric --reverse | head when both problems happen?– Fabby
May 14 '15 at 21:57
@Fabby I recently experienced the problem again and I'm going to try and run that command and see what it does next time it occurs which it will do for sure. I really would like to know if the hardware is broken and I must leave the computer to a repair store.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 17 '15 at 5:55
@Fabby I recently experienced the problem again and I'm going to try and run that command and see what it does next time it occurs which it will do for sure. I really would like to know if the hardware is broken and I must leave the computer to a repair store.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 17 '15 at 5:55
2
2
Not sure the two issues are related. A worn-out fan is likely to be slowed down. The CPU temperature might raise, to a certain point where the CPU will either completely freeze or trigger a reboot. However, everything is possible when it comes to hardware. One can imagine that the increased fan drag causes minor voltage variations on the board, in turn causing a freeze. So just to be on the safe-side, I'd replace the fan to rule it out. Also, do you have similar issues with other operating systems?
– youri
May 17 '15 at 8:42
Not sure the two issues are related. A worn-out fan is likely to be slowed down. The CPU temperature might raise, to a certain point where the CPU will either completely freeze or trigger a reboot. However, everything is possible when it comes to hardware. One can imagine that the increased fan drag causes minor voltage variations on the board, in turn causing a freeze. So just to be on the safe-side, I'd replace the fan to rule it out. Also, do you have similar issues with other operating systems?
– youri
May 17 '15 at 8:42
|
show 3 more comments
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
Another possibility is that it is a software issue. I had the same thing on my laptop. When it happened, I opened "System Monitor" and saw that one process was using 2GB ram and 100% of one core.
What can I do to diagnose this?
When it happens again, open the system monitor and check if some process is using a lot of ram or cpu. If this is the case, it is probably a software problem.
(In my case it was the Anaconda sublime plugin. After removing that plugin, everything worked again.)
answered May 17 '15 at 12:22
GalgaleshGalgalesh
4,93112453
Thank you. But how do I open the system monitor? Is itps -alin the terminal?
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 18 '15 at 4:17
2
@Niklas in stockholm Open it just like any other program. Type "system monitor" in the dash.
– Galgalesh
May 18 '15 at 5:16
add a comment |
It's probably a hardware problem, not a software problem, and the two problems in your question are probably related.
When a computer fan gets old it wears out and the fan blades aren't mounted snugly on the bearings. This causes the fan to make noise and friction causes the fan to slow down, sometimes to less than half of its normal operating speed. The fan has to run more of the time to compensate and makes more noise. In addition, it can cause the processor to overheat, especially when the processor is working hard starting up the operating system.
When you took the computer to the computer repair store, they diagnosed the intermittent hanging and the fan noise as being caused by a worn-out fan, which was a reasonable diagnosis, and so they replaced the fan, hoping to solve both problems, but the problem still remains unsolved.
Since overheating can also cause intermittent hanging and excessive fan noise, plan B would be to check the aluminum heat sink on top of the CPU to determine if it is so clogged up with dust and debris as to be unable to effectively circulate hot air away from the processor. If necessary replace the aluminum heat sink or at least have it disassembled from on top of the processor, have it properly cleaned, remove the old thermal paste, apply new thermal paste and remount the heat sink on top of the processor. This painstakingly complicated procedure would normally be a job for a computer repair store, and it's easy to break something if you don't know what you're doing. Despite its being complicated, it doesn't take much time for an experienced technician to properly do it. Depending on the circumstances, it could even be done while you waited in the store.
Circumstances being what they are with ordering computer parts, it may or may not be possible for the computer repair store to order a new aluminum cooling block for your laptop if you decide to go that route. The new aluminum cooling block normally comes with the fan securely mounted on top, eliminating the possibility of noise and overheating being caused by a bad job at mounting a new unmatched fan on top of an old cooling block. If the fan is not securely mounted on top of the aluminum heat sink, then it will vibrate and make noise, and the processor will overheat.
I obviously don't know for sure if the aluminum cooling block is clogged up with dust, but at least it's something to check. Another thing to check is the processor temperature. Psensor is a graphical application for monitoring hardware sensors, including CPU temperatures, GPU temperatures and fan speeds. If the speed of a fan is slower than normal and that fan is spinning all the time, this is a good indication that the fan is starting to wear out due to friction on the bearings.
You can install Psensor with the command sudo apt install psensor.
answered May 17 '15 at 6:17
karelkarel
58.6k13128147
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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active
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2 Answers
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active
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Another possibility is that it is a software issue. I had the same thing on my laptop. When it happened, I opened "System Monitor" and saw that one process was using 2GB ram and 100% of one core.
What can I do to diagnose this?
When it happens again, open the system monitor and check if some process is using a lot of ram or cpu. If this is the case, it is probably a software problem.
(In my case it was the Anaconda sublime plugin. After removing that plugin, everything worked again.)
answered May 17 '15 at 12:22
GalgaleshGalgalesh
4,93112453
Thank you. But how do I open the system monitor? Is itps -alin the terminal?
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 18 '15 at 4:17
2
@Niklas in stockholm Open it just like any other program. Type "system monitor" in the dash.
– Galgalesh
May 18 '15 at 5:16
add a comment |
Another possibility is that it is a software issue. I had the same thing on my laptop. When it happened, I opened "System Monitor" and saw that one process was using 2GB ram and 100% of one core.
What can I do to diagnose this?
When it happens again, open the system monitor and check if some process is using a lot of ram or cpu. If this is the case, it is probably a software problem.
(In my case it was the Anaconda sublime plugin. After removing that plugin, everything worked again.)
answered May 17 '15 at 12:22
GalgaleshGalgalesh
4,93112453
Thank you. But how do I open the system monitor? Is itps -alin the terminal?
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 18 '15 at 4:17
2
@Niklas in stockholm Open it just like any other program. Type "system monitor" in the dash.
– Galgalesh
May 18 '15 at 5:16
add a comment |
Another possibility is that it is a software issue. I had the same thing on my laptop. When it happened, I opened "System Monitor" and saw that one process was using 2GB ram and 100% of one core.
What can I do to diagnose this?
When it happens again, open the system monitor and check if some process is using a lot of ram or cpu. If this is the case, it is probably a software problem.
(In my case it was the Anaconda sublime plugin. After removing that plugin, everything worked again.)
answered May 17 '15 at 12:22
GalgaleshGalgalesh
4,93112453
Another possibility is that it is a software issue. I had the same thing on my laptop. When it happened, I opened "System Monitor" and saw that one process was using 2GB ram and 100% of one core.
What can I do to diagnose this?
When it happens again, open the system monitor and check if some process is using a lot of ram or cpu. If this is the case, it is probably a software problem.
(In my case it was the Anaconda sublime plugin. After removing that plugin, everything worked again.)
answered May 17 '15 at 12:22
GalgaleshGalgalesh
4,93112453
answered May 17 '15 at 12:22
GalgaleshGalgalesh
4,93112453
answered May 17 '15 at 12:22
GalgaleshGalgalesh
4,93112453
answered May 17 '15 at 12:22
GalgaleshGalgalesh
4,93112453
4,93112453
Thank you. But how do I open the system monitor? Is itps -alin the terminal?
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 18 '15 at 4:17
2
@Niklas in stockholm Open it just like any other program. Type "system monitor" in the dash.
– Galgalesh
May 18 '15 at 5:16
add a comment |
Thank you. But how do I open the system monitor? Is itps -alin the terminal?
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 18 '15 at 4:17
2
@Niklas in stockholm Open it just like any other program. Type "system monitor" in the dash.
– Galgalesh
May 18 '15 at 5:16
Thank you. But how do I open the system monitor? Is it
ps -al in the terminal?– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 18 '15 at 4:17
Thank you. But how do I open the system monitor? Is it
ps -al in the terminal?– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 18 '15 at 4:17
2
2
@Niklas in stockholm Open it just like any other program. Type "system monitor" in the dash.
– Galgalesh
May 18 '15 at 5:16
@Niklas in stockholm Open it just like any other program. Type "system monitor" in the dash.
– Galgalesh
May 18 '15 at 5:16
add a comment |
It's probably a hardware problem, not a software problem, and the two problems in your question are probably related.
When a computer fan gets old it wears out and the fan blades aren't mounted snugly on the bearings. This causes the fan to make noise and friction causes the fan to slow down, sometimes to less than half of its normal operating speed. The fan has to run more of the time to compensate and makes more noise. In addition, it can cause the processor to overheat, especially when the processor is working hard starting up the operating system.
When you took the computer to the computer repair store, they diagnosed the intermittent hanging and the fan noise as being caused by a worn-out fan, which was a reasonable diagnosis, and so they replaced the fan, hoping to solve both problems, but the problem still remains unsolved.
Since overheating can also cause intermittent hanging and excessive fan noise, plan B would be to check the aluminum heat sink on top of the CPU to determine if it is so clogged up with dust and debris as to be unable to effectively circulate hot air away from the processor. If necessary replace the aluminum heat sink or at least have it disassembled from on top of the processor, have it properly cleaned, remove the old thermal paste, apply new thermal paste and remount the heat sink on top of the processor. This painstakingly complicated procedure would normally be a job for a computer repair store, and it's easy to break something if you don't know what you're doing. Despite its being complicated, it doesn't take much time for an experienced technician to properly do it. Depending on the circumstances, it could even be done while you waited in the store.
Circumstances being what they are with ordering computer parts, it may or may not be possible for the computer repair store to order a new aluminum cooling block for your laptop if you decide to go that route. The new aluminum cooling block normally comes with the fan securely mounted on top, eliminating the possibility of noise and overheating being caused by a bad job at mounting a new unmatched fan on top of an old cooling block. If the fan is not securely mounted on top of the aluminum heat sink, then it will vibrate and make noise, and the processor will overheat.
I obviously don't know for sure if the aluminum cooling block is clogged up with dust, but at least it's something to check. Another thing to check is the processor temperature. Psensor is a graphical application for monitoring hardware sensors, including CPU temperatures, GPU temperatures and fan speeds. If the speed of a fan is slower than normal and that fan is spinning all the time, this is a good indication that the fan is starting to wear out due to friction on the bearings.
You can install Psensor with the command sudo apt install psensor.
answered May 17 '15 at 6:17
karelkarel
58.6k13128147
add a comment |
It's probably a hardware problem, not a software problem, and the two problems in your question are probably related.
When a computer fan gets old it wears out and the fan blades aren't mounted snugly on the bearings. This causes the fan to make noise and friction causes the fan to slow down, sometimes to less than half of its normal operating speed. The fan has to run more of the time to compensate and makes more noise. In addition, it can cause the processor to overheat, especially when the processor is working hard starting up the operating system.
When you took the computer to the computer repair store, they diagnosed the intermittent hanging and the fan noise as being caused by a worn-out fan, which was a reasonable diagnosis, and so they replaced the fan, hoping to solve both problems, but the problem still remains unsolved.
Since overheating can also cause intermittent hanging and excessive fan noise, plan B would be to check the aluminum heat sink on top of the CPU to determine if it is so clogged up with dust and debris as to be unable to effectively circulate hot air away from the processor. If necessary replace the aluminum heat sink or at least have it disassembled from on top of the processor, have it properly cleaned, remove the old thermal paste, apply new thermal paste and remount the heat sink on top of the processor. This painstakingly complicated procedure would normally be a job for a computer repair store, and it's easy to break something if you don't know what you're doing. Despite its being complicated, it doesn't take much time for an experienced technician to properly do it. Depending on the circumstances, it could even be done while you waited in the store.
Circumstances being what they are with ordering computer parts, it may or may not be possible for the computer repair store to order a new aluminum cooling block for your laptop if you decide to go that route. The new aluminum cooling block normally comes with the fan securely mounted on top, eliminating the possibility of noise and overheating being caused by a bad job at mounting a new unmatched fan on top of an old cooling block. If the fan is not securely mounted on top of the aluminum heat sink, then it will vibrate and make noise, and the processor will overheat.
I obviously don't know for sure if the aluminum cooling block is clogged up with dust, but at least it's something to check. Another thing to check is the processor temperature. Psensor is a graphical application for monitoring hardware sensors, including CPU temperatures, GPU temperatures and fan speeds. If the speed of a fan is slower than normal and that fan is spinning all the time, this is a good indication that the fan is starting to wear out due to friction on the bearings.
You can install Psensor with the command sudo apt install psensor.
answered May 17 '15 at 6:17
karelkarel
58.6k13128147
add a comment |
It's probably a hardware problem, not a software problem, and the two problems in your question are probably related.
When a computer fan gets old it wears out and the fan blades aren't mounted snugly on the bearings. This causes the fan to make noise and friction causes the fan to slow down, sometimes to less than half of its normal operating speed. The fan has to run more of the time to compensate and makes more noise. In addition, it can cause the processor to overheat, especially when the processor is working hard starting up the operating system.
When you took the computer to the computer repair store, they diagnosed the intermittent hanging and the fan noise as being caused by a worn-out fan, which was a reasonable diagnosis, and so they replaced the fan, hoping to solve both problems, but the problem still remains unsolved.
Since overheating can also cause intermittent hanging and excessive fan noise, plan B would be to check the aluminum heat sink on top of the CPU to determine if it is so clogged up with dust and debris as to be unable to effectively circulate hot air away from the processor. If necessary replace the aluminum heat sink or at least have it disassembled from on top of the processor, have it properly cleaned, remove the old thermal paste, apply new thermal paste and remount the heat sink on top of the processor. This painstakingly complicated procedure would normally be a job for a computer repair store, and it's easy to break something if you don't know what you're doing. Despite its being complicated, it doesn't take much time for an experienced technician to properly do it. Depending on the circumstances, it could even be done while you waited in the store.
Circumstances being what they are with ordering computer parts, it may or may not be possible for the computer repair store to order a new aluminum cooling block for your laptop if you decide to go that route. The new aluminum cooling block normally comes with the fan securely mounted on top, eliminating the possibility of noise and overheating being caused by a bad job at mounting a new unmatched fan on top of an old cooling block. If the fan is not securely mounted on top of the aluminum heat sink, then it will vibrate and make noise, and the processor will overheat.
I obviously don't know for sure if the aluminum cooling block is clogged up with dust, but at least it's something to check. Another thing to check is the processor temperature. Psensor is a graphical application for monitoring hardware sensors, including CPU temperatures, GPU temperatures and fan speeds. If the speed of a fan is slower than normal and that fan is spinning all the time, this is a good indication that the fan is starting to wear out due to friction on the bearings.
You can install Psensor with the command sudo apt install psensor.
answered May 17 '15 at 6:17
karelkarel
58.6k13128147
It's probably a hardware problem, not a software problem, and the two problems in your question are probably related.
When a computer fan gets old it wears out and the fan blades aren't mounted snugly on the bearings. This causes the fan to make noise and friction causes the fan to slow down, sometimes to less than half of its normal operating speed. The fan has to run more of the time to compensate and makes more noise. In addition, it can cause the processor to overheat, especially when the processor is working hard starting up the operating system.
When you took the computer to the computer repair store, they diagnosed the intermittent hanging and the fan noise as being caused by a worn-out fan, which was a reasonable diagnosis, and so they replaced the fan, hoping to solve both problems, but the problem still remains unsolved.
Since overheating can also cause intermittent hanging and excessive fan noise, plan B would be to check the aluminum heat sink on top of the CPU to determine if it is so clogged up with dust and debris as to be unable to effectively circulate hot air away from the processor. If necessary replace the aluminum heat sink or at least have it disassembled from on top of the processor, have it properly cleaned, remove the old thermal paste, apply new thermal paste and remount the heat sink on top of the processor. This painstakingly complicated procedure would normally be a job for a computer repair store, and it's easy to break something if you don't know what you're doing. Despite its being complicated, it doesn't take much time for an experienced technician to properly do it. Depending on the circumstances, it could even be done while you waited in the store.
Circumstances being what they are with ordering computer parts, it may or may not be possible for the computer repair store to order a new aluminum cooling block for your laptop if you decide to go that route. The new aluminum cooling block normally comes with the fan securely mounted on top, eliminating the possibility of noise and overheating being caused by a bad job at mounting a new unmatched fan on top of an old cooling block. If the fan is not securely mounted on top of the aluminum heat sink, then it will vibrate and make noise, and the processor will overheat.
I obviously don't know for sure if the aluminum cooling block is clogged up with dust, but at least it's something to check. Another thing to check is the processor temperature. Psensor is a graphical application for monitoring hardware sensors, including CPU temperatures, GPU temperatures and fan speeds. If the speed of a fan is slower than normal and that fan is spinning all the time, this is a good indication that the fan is starting to wear out due to friction on the bearings.
You can install Psensor with the command sudo apt install psensor.
answered May 17 '15 at 6:17
karelkarel
58.6k13128147
edited 25 mins ago
answered May 17 '15 at 6:17
karelkarel
58.6k13128147
answered May 17 '15 at 6:17
karelkarel
58.6k13128147
answered May 17 '15 at 6:17
karelkarel
58.6k13128147
58.6k13128147
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2
how is it related to Ubuntu/linux?
– Ron
May 13 '15 at 8:53
@Ron I run Ubuntu/linux to troubleshoot my problem(s) but the results are inconclusive. I just tried disabling the internal monitor and use an externa monitor instead and I wonder what I can expect from performing the changes.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 13 '15 at 8:57
2
What's the output of
for szFile in /proc/*/status ; do awk '/VmSwap|Name/{printf $2 "t" $3}END{ print "" }' $szFile done | sort --key 2 --numeric --reverse | headwhen both problems happen?– Fabby
May 14 '15 at 21:57
@Fabby I recently experienced the problem again and I'm going to try and run that command and see what it does next time it occurs which it will do for sure. I really would like to know if the hardware is broken and I must leave the computer to a repair store.
– Niklas Rosencrantz
May 17 '15 at 5:55
2
Not sure the two issues are related. A worn-out fan is likely to be slowed down. The CPU temperature might raise, to a certain point where the CPU will either completely freeze or trigger a reboot. However, everything is possible when it comes to hardware. One can imagine that the increased fan drag causes minor voltage variations on the board, in turn causing a freeze. So just to be on the safe-side, I'd replace the fan to rule it out. Also, do you have similar issues with other operating systems?
– youri
May 17 '15 at 8:42