I cleaned my laptop fan.

Kesa

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So today i decided to prep my laptop to get it ready for my return to starcraft. To do this i need to clean the fan so it wouldn't overheat almost instantly when ever i use it for anything apart from looking at it. Seriously i can't even play a movie on it. This is really something i needed doing a few months after buying it but 5 years later still haven't been able to do it. The problem is the fan is impossible to get to. You can't get in from underneath so can only go in from the top. When i tried this i had to remove the keyboard, touchpad which is impossible because there are metal hooks holding them in place. I cut the hooks off which broke the keyboard and touchpad. Then i realised i had to take out the harddrive, motherboards and a whole load of other plastic stuff to get to the fan. This is when i chickened out and put it back together. Today i decided it is going to get done even if it means destroying it in the process. I used a cutter and cut a panel of plastic out so i could get to it. It is still super loud so i am guessing the heat sink my be the problem (if i can find it). Why do they make it so hard?

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Robert

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Why do they make it so hard?
I suppose it's partly a trade-off for miniaturisation.
(Although in Apple's case, it often seems deliberate.)
 

redrumloa

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One of the reasons I only use a laptop at work, for work. At home it is full size computers.

I cringe every time I hear from a friend or family member I have heard from in over a year, it is usually "my laptop is b0rked, you fixed it".
 

ilwrath

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PROTIP: If you're going to buy a laptop, buy one from the business line of a major vendor who offers on site service packages. Don't actually buy the on site service, but buying a laptop it is available for means you're buying a laptop it is at least possible to service. They do cost a few bucks more for the same spec, but the difference in design is huge. And, as a bonus, they usually have less "features." (Meaning useless buttons tied to manditory crapware.)
 

metalman

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The problem is the fan is impossible to get to. You can't get in from underneath so can only go in from the top. When i tried this i had to remove the keyboard, touchpad which is impossible because there are metal hooks holding them in place. I cut the hooks off which broke the keyboard and touchpad. Then i realised i had to take out the harddrive, motherboards and a whole load of other plastic stuff to get to the fan. This is when i chickened out and put it back together. Today i decided it is going to get done even if it means destroying it in the process. I used a cutter and cut a panel of plastic out so i could get to it. It is still super loud so i am guessing the heat sink my be the problem (if i can find it). Why do they make it so hard?

noise from the fan is possibly a sign of bearing failure, fans are cheap on ebay, but replacement requires total disassembly

if you google it, there are usually disassembly instructions posted online for recyclers
 

Kesa

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Thanks for the moral support guys.

@metalman. I saw a video years ago that showed how to dismantle and reassemble. Unfortunately the laptop they used, although was the same model, had differences that made following it impossible. One difference was that the video he had had no metal hooks preventing removal of the keyboard but mine did. I think it was aimed at recyclers or repair guys.

@Red. I agree that buying a laptop is a bad idea but at the time it suited my needs.

@ilwrath. Thanks for the tips!

@Robert. Love or hate Apple my Macbook Air has pretty much been turned on nonstop since i bought it 2.5 years ago and it is going great.
 
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