Windows 10 Can I Replace a Failed Fan with DIY Help from YouTube?

[Fenway16]

Support Assist cane up with an alert this morning. Fan failure. Is that something I can replace with a little utube help.

 

[Fenway16]

Went to Dell site - ran diagnostic - NO ISSUES - Can I assume all ok? It did come up with "urgent" BIOS update from April of 2020. Should I do that? Been running fine -- thanks.

 

[Neemobeer]

If it's a desktop, they're pretty easy to replace. Laptops it just depends on the model and how easy they are to open.

 

[patcooke]

I'd run the BIOS update. If the Dell diagnostic reports ok (and if there is a fan problem I'd expect it to detect and report it) then I'd just see if any other problems arise. If the fan has/is failing you're likely to experience other problems cause by temperature - such as screen display memory problems, obscure errors etc.

 

[Fenway16]

Core Temp app just came up with "core temp 0" is critical! I should shut down I guess.

 

[Fenway16]

Just ran it again. Normal this time.

 

[patcooke]

I'd be having strong doubts about core temp app. If it's conflicting with Dell's software that's bad enough but if it's conflicting with its own reports . . .!

 

[Fenway16]

So ignore Core Temp.? Ran it again - still ok. I am going to run support assist locally and see if it clears everything. Thanks.

 

[patcooke]

So ignore Core Temp.? If it conflicts with its own findings it seems to be very suspicious.

 

[Fenway16]

I ran support assist yesterday. It came up with 3 driver downloads which I installed. No mention of fan problem at that time. So hard to know what's going on. Thanks.

 

[Fenway16]

Did the bios update today. Core temp is showing 3 areas of overheating. I am going to take the back off and see if I can see any dust accumulation. That often causes overheating, right? I watched a utube vid and it doesn't look too difficult to remove cover - a lot of screws. Not sure what else to do about the problem. It seems very hot so I have turned it off for today. Thanks.

 

[Fenway16]

I turned it back on and it is not overheating at all. It's been running for about an hour. I don't understand why hot sometimes and not others. I even played angry birds 2 which usually heats it up and it only heated a bit. Core temp did not flash a critical alert throughout the whole time. Hmmm.

 

[Josephur]

Sounds like you have a fan that is going on the outs, or it's sensor is going bad. Best to just replace it now and save yourself the headache later.

 

[Fenway16]

So a system that is not even 2 years old - is already in need of medical care. I will look at utube to see how to do that. Thanks.

 

[Josephur]

If it's not even 2 years old it's possibly still under warranty?

 

[Fenway16]

No - warranty one year only.

 

[Fenway16]

So a fan or a sensor. That sounds like a computer repair shop. It still is running well below max temps - only when I play angry birds does it heat up. So I play a little and then stop. Otherwise no heating up for normal browsing etc. I am going to keep using it.

 

[Fenway16]

Run a stress test on CPU & GPU in Dell Support Assist application & check if there is any thermal error detected.

Download & save Intel Dynamic Platform & Thermal Framework (IDPTF) driver from the support site.

Open device manager- expand IDPTF – right click on the driver & click on uninstall (check the box that says delete driver). Do not restart the computer, install the IDPTF driver saved on your desktop.


This was another help suggestion from a user to a user on the Dell site who was experiencing heat issues.
Anyone here familiar with the IDPTF driver - thanks.

 

[Josephur]

IDPTF is an Intel driver that can limit your CPU to control thermal throttling, but also can be used along side power plans to make sure your laptop saves battery when in low power mode etc..

It's not a bad idea to update the IDPTF driver if it's out of date.

If you take it to a local shop (I own such a shop) I would have them test fan(s) under load, replace any that fail, as well as apply new (brand name good stuff) thermal paste on the CPU and GPU as needed (the factory stuff sucks, even in some brand new laptops). Long term damage can be done if you just keep running it at high temps.

 

[Josephur]

Oh I almost forgot, it's also good to check what power profile you are using when plugged in to power, and unplugged. My guess is that shipped with a Dell preferred power saving plan applied, which is probably best. If the power plan gets corrupted, or is set incorrectly I have seen it cause issues. There are methods to restore the default Windows 10 power plans which work on most devices, but some really need the manufacturers profile to be applied.

Which Dell system is this exactly?