Dell Latitude D420 Cooling Fan Run Continuously

I've got a Dell Latitude D420, which is running WindowsXP Professional. This is a good little netbook computer, and just the right size and weight, both for my wife to easily handle, as well as to travel with.

We bought this unit used, and it seems to be working fine, although I've noticed that the cooling fan seems to run almost continuously when the laptop is on. The computer doesn't seem (feel) like it's running unusually hot, so we can't account for why the fan seems to be always running. Does anyone have any suggestions of what we might want to try as a diagnostic? Anybody familiar with or in favor of using something like InstallSpeedFan, or a similar cooling fan utility?

 

The couple of 3 netbooks that I have seen, the fans do run all the time. Lots of stuff packed in a small space with not much room around it as the fan should run all the time. Fans on Desktops run all the time also. Don't know why you would think that there is a problem. When the fan doesn't run, then you should be concerned as there would be a BIG problem.

 

Okay, good insights. And yes, I've opened up these netbooks, and I'll willingly concede that there are lot of jam-packed little components under the hood - all generating a goodly amount of heat, that needs to be dissipated.

So, I'm not sure that the continuously running fan even constitutes a problem (or not), although I am still interested whether one of these nifty cooling/fan utilities might be an approach to just a diagnostic of the situation.

I am wondering whether a small "tweak" might get the fan running more intermittently, and yet still be enough to prevent The China Syndrome (I loved that movie).

 

It ain't broke, so don't try to fix it. If you want to get one of those cooling things that a netbook or laptop sits on that has the USB fans, that would be fine. Just remember that it is drawing power from the netbook and it will shorten the time that it will run on the battery alone. You will have to plug it in and charge it more often or leave it plugged in. Granddaughter has a netbook that is probably about a year old now and just has a thing that she sits on her lap that is adjustable in the tilt angle and no fans and it does fine. I use one on my notebook that has no fans and is adjustable and has a big hole in the middle. Ran a laptop on it for over 5 years and not the first problem.

 

I came across a laptop with the "Fan Running at High Speed all the Time" Syndrome After searching far and wide I got some compressed air (sold in cans at electronics stores or office suppliers). I blew back through the exhaust vent and a very large cloud of dust came out. It is working well now and that was a few years ago (and I noticed that the two cooling fans had air intakes in the base and recommended it was not used sitting on carpet ). The draw-backs that have been have suggested to that method are that it can spin the cooling fan/s backwards and generate a reverse supply of power, also that the dust could be pushed back into the enclosed sections of the laptop and it could settle on a lot of other components.

If you want to try cleaning the dust out yourself, consider those provisos. Get it cleaned out professionally if you are keen.

Matt