CPU fan failed to start

[pinky6225]

So i came home from work today and switched my PC on and went and made a coffee and came back and the PC wasn't on so assumed I'd not actually turned it on and turned it on again and watched, this time before doing the BIOS check a message flashed up saying the CPU fan failed to start, turn off immediately and service PC which was strange since I'd used it this morning without problems.

 

Didn't need to turn it off as it then powered back down so popped open the case and took the CPU fan out and it was truely filthy with dust (even had a dust layer with the texture of carpet between the fan and the heatsink) so after discovering that the old PC i keep for parts didn't have a working CPU fan I cleaned the existing one and thought i'd try it on the off-chance and everything appears to work (typing this on the PC right now)

 

In two decades of having PC's I've never seen this message before and I've never been that particularly diligent at PC cleaning before so is this likely to be indictive of a bigger problem? Or have i finally found a PC problem that can really be fixed by cleaning?

[legendarytoyou]

If you're using a stock heatsink for your CPU you can get much more efficiency from a Corsair h110 liquid cooler.  Trust me its a lot better than a fan however the onboard CPU fan CAN in many cases be the root cause of a heat issue.  These days motherboards have diverted from onboard fans and use multi-fin thermal takes which are more efficient and cut down the need for higher voltage.

 

On the case of keeping your computer neat and tidy; ABSO-FRIGGIN-LUTELY.  the collection of dust in heatsinks, fans and even horizontal cases can cut down the efficiency of your computer dramatically.  Make it a point to keep a can air-in-can (Ultra-Duster from a local Walmart should do fine) whenever the air gets dusty.  Also its a good idea to set aside a day in the month to carefully remove hardware from your computer and do some spring cleaning.  The electricity from the PSU and circuitry from the mobo attracts more dust than an Egyptian corpse xD.

 

Monthly spring cleaning of you computer can help it run more efficiently and prolongs its life.

[myuhinny]

The fan might of been dirty but depending on how long it was like that can put lots of stress on something like a fan cleaning it might of helped it work some but it might be on it's way out because the dust made it overwork itself to try to keep it running . If it was me I would order a new cpu fan it is always better to be safe then sorry. The cpu is one thing in the computer that you do not want overheating it can cause problems with the computer. I had mine replaced this winter it was making a slight noise I pulled it out took it to a computer place and they ordered a new one for around less then 10 bucks I had to keep the modem side off and a fan blowing on the cpu as the fans noise got louder and louder with each day when the new one came I threw the old one away and put in the new one.

 

I generally clean the outside vents once a month to keep it from getting into the modem and 2 or 3 times a year I shut it down pull the plugs from the outlet and spray the shit out everything inside the modem with a dust remover spray which is pretty much just pressurized air. If you let the inside of the modem collect dust and it gets thicker and thicker soon it can cause problems like fans,overheating and what not. 

[EternalDamned]

Having had more than a little experience fixing this exact problem for many other people I can tell you. Yes you need to clean your fan's regularly if you live in a dusty area or house full of people. I'd also be willing to bet that if your CPU fan was full of dust, your powersupply is as well. I seriously suggest getting a can of air, or if not available in your area, use a vacuum with an exhaust hose and blow out your PSU as well before it fails. Living with 4 kids a dog and a cat, I'm used to it so my cleaning is bi-weekly and only takes about 2 minutes for 2 desktops. the laptops are a bit more complicated, but still doable if you are careful.

[saviliana]

It should be the motherboard auto protection kicks in, not a big deal, unless you smell smoke or overheated something.(Which shows a different message.)

Most time of this message to come up your fan's motor would be completely stuck or the fan's power input overloaded (which means it could be stuck or broken), but sometimes it could also come with motherboard socket fails.

[hentaijin]

If you're using a stock heatsink for your CPU you can get much more efficiency from a Corsair h110 liquid cooler.  Trust me its a lot better than a fan however the onboard CPU fan CAN in many cases be the root cause of a heat issue.  These days motherboards have diverted from onboard fans and use multi-fin thermal takes which are more efficient and cut down the need for higher voltage.

 

On the case of keeping your computer neat and tidy; ABSO-FRIGGIN-LUTELY.  the collection of dust in heatsinks, fans and even horizontal cases can cut down the efficiency of your computer dramatically.  Make it a point to keep a can air-in-can (Ultra-Duster from a local Walmart should do fine) whenever the air gets dusty.  Also its a good idea to set aside a day in the month to carefully remove hardware from your computer and do some spring cleaning.  The electricity from the PSU and circuitry from the mobo attracts more dust than an Egyptian corpse xD.

 

Monthly spring cleaning of you computer can help it run more efficiently and prolongs its life.

I wouldn't say monthly, but every season. Unless you're silly enough to keep your pc on the floor where it will pick up insane amounts of dust, or it's located in a very dusty environment.

Also liquid cooling isn't a must, if you get a good aftermarket cooler it can be a drastic improvement over stock coolers.

I didn't realize this myself until I upgraded my cooler recently to a cool master. My idle temps dropped by about 10 C and my pc is so much quieter.

The only thing is, this baby was huge, a few more millimeters and it wouldn't have fit in the case

 

As far as cleaning, canned/compressed air is by far the best option for cleaning, and I would say is a must. It makes things normally impossible to clean cleanable, like your power supply, which can be dangerous to open.

[markkey]

you cleaned it and it worked.

 

sounds like the fan wasnt spinning fast enough at start up so the mobo bios decided to shut it down. if your cpufan cant get to a certain spin speed when pc boots up, the mobo will think it failed.

 

i had that problem b4.

 

its good to clean your system every 6 months. get  an air canister at pc shop, take your rig, put it outside somewhere with case fans out. obviously place somewhere on the ground that you dont care for.

 

take the air canister and spray like a foot away from pc, and just read the cans instructions, its pretty straight forward.

 

 

if you dont clean pc, dust will build up and kill it. even if you buy a better cpufan, still gotta clean man.

you could buy a better case though that has many dust filters. i have that but i clean ever 6 months anyway.

[Rayblue]

In two decades of having PC's I've never seen this message before and I've never been that particularly diligent at PC cleaning before so is this likely to be indictive of a bigger problem? Or have i finally found a PC problem that can really be fixed by cleaning?

 

Yes, it does. Periodic cleaning (and depending how dusty your place is) ensures that your rig doesn't get bogged down because of dust and heat.

[Hayleyrose2323]

Mine does that too. But I can hear the fan and it sounds perfectly fine. I think its just a software problem to be honest(on my end not yours lol) cuz hell it can do all the stuff i normally do with no problems.

[nutluck]

Yes dirt build up can cause over heating problems, from reducing the air flow the fans give off to just messing up the fans bearings inside. I am a strong believer in there is no such thing as keeping your case to clean. I personally open the case and use compressed air once a month to blow out the inside of the case very well. Once every 3 months I clean the fans by hand, remove the video card to clean the fan on it and remove the liquid cooler radiator to clean out the vents on it really well.

 

The problem with letting dirt build up is everything starts to run hot and it causes parts to wear out faster. Not just your fans but it is bad on your CPU to run hot, or your video card. It will cause those things to fail faster than they should. If you get into the habit of doing what I do it is not a big deal. Once a month you spend about 10 mins opening the case and blowing it out and once every 3 months you spend about 30 mins hand cleaning everything. Considering that can add years of life to your computer parts I consider it time well spent.