system fan has failed! presario sr1820nx

hi,

this problem with this computer started about a year ago while my wife was using it. when the computer is starting, it goes to its diagnostic screen where it shows the hard drives, then it says 'system fan has failed!' (it WAS only half the time, now it does it every time. the fan does indeed spin (i know because i leave the side off, could this be my problem?) so i know the fan is working (whether it is working at the proper speed, i am not sure of). i also have a case fan, and it's working as well.

I've done considerable 'tune up' to it (i thought my 'tune up' would fix the problem) between the time that i only got the error half the time and now (i get the error every time now). i reapplied arctic silver and made sure that the computer was free of dust, then reseated the ram and plugged and unplugged all the connections in the computer.

i noticed that if i go into 'setup' (pressing f1) i can bypass the error.

i have read that it's possible that this fan is 'special'. it may be a rare voltage and when it goes bad, simply switching a cheap fan with it is a waste of time.

i have all kinds of diagnostic tools to my disposal, and other computers to use in the meantime, so there's no rush and no need to leave work 'half done'. i'm willing to break it right down to bare bones. i just want to fix this the right way, once and for all (and this is my idea of fun anyway).

the cpu is an athlon64 and i'm guessing it has 1gb of ram.

i really would appreciate some expertise if you would be so kind.

thanks.

Hello and welcome to Bleepingcomputer.

System fan has failed?

Do you have a PSU that has sensors wired to the motherboard?

Have you entered the BIOS setup utility to check POWER section and check out the status of the system cooling fans?

Bruce.

hi Bruce,

thanks for the welcome, though i've been a member for about 4-5 years

"System fan has failed?"
that's what it says, but both the case and cpu fan are working.

"Do you have a PSU that has sensors wired to the motherboard?"
i'm not sure what you mean. are you asking if it's (the cpu fan) a 3-wire fan? if so, it is a 3-wire fan plugged into the motherboard. by the way, the motherboard is a8n-la. i'm almost certain it's asus. i'll double-check.

"Have you entered the BIOS setup utility to check POWER section and check out the status of the system cooling fans?"
i did check in the bios under 'hardware' and it told me that the temp was around 50 (not sure if it's farenheit or celsius). it was, however inching upward as i was watching it run. i will double-check this as well, hoping for more info.

i'm putting the computer back on the bench as we speak (had to take it down for the misses).
thank you for your expertise. i'm aware that you really know your stuff.

the hardware monitor in the bios has stated:
approximately two minutes after i turned the computer on it read 50 celsius/123 farenheit. cpu fan speed was 1678rpm and system fan 901rpm. the computer slowly got hotter. about 15 minutes later the temp reads 58 celsius/136 farenheit. cpu fan speed 1875 and system fan speed 1076 rpm.

still unable to say with certainty that the motherboard is an asus, but it definitely is an A8N-LA it has asus and nvidia chips

the info offered in the bios is not offered in the 'power' tab. i don't think the 'power' tab offers any info that will help us. i can post a pic and host it at imageshack if you want to see for yourself. it would be no bother. this is what it says:

after AC power failure stay off, power on, or auto
WOL in S4 enabled or disabled.

what does 'WOL in S4' mean? could this be an adjustment of fan speed or alarm?

i just checked again and the temp is 59 celsius/138 farenheit. cpu fan speed 1926 sys fan 1124 rpm.

i also just checked the power supply. it has a fan of it's own and it is spinning. all fans (three) are visibly spinning. I am unaware of any sensors native to the power supply, and honestly have never known such a thing existed.

maybe my arctic silver job wasn't good enough. maybe i should re-do it.

Did you clean all of the dust of for the cpu cooler and the rear fan?

That is an Asus mobo.

WOL = Wake On LAN. Unsure of the S4 on Asus mobos.

The system fan speed seems a little slow. I would think it should be around 2000 RPM like the processor speed.

Some PS`s do have an internal temp sensor and adjust speed accordingly. Just a way of helping to keep the machine quiet. My aftermarket PS dual fans with one having been hooked up to the sensor which went bad. I just bought two matching fans of the same size and bypassed the bad sensor. Not recommended for the Novice as even unplugged PS still retain a charge.

While it would not hurt to check your thermal paste job, to much can be just as bad as to little, I do not think that is the problem.
One of the fans is sending a bad\wrong signal through the third wire to the motherboard. Those temps are to warm if the PC is only at idle which it would be while you were watching them climb in the BIOS.

ThunderZ is correct with what I meant by a sensor from your PSU to the motherboard.

S4 as far as I know is associated with the USB wake feature of the motherboard, I may be incorrect mind you, but it has to do with the ability of a USB device to wake the computer up, the same as wake on LAN has the same ability.

Companies who write BIOS code for motherboards, like to change things around a bit and sometimes make it difficult to use one BIOS setup to determine another.

Here is my suggestion, download the following two programs and compare the readings of both with windows running.

I am sure you have heard of these before, but they are fairly useful and fairly accurate.

Speed Fan http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

HWMonitor http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

Compare the readings and post back what your readings are from each program.

Bruce.

ThunderZ is correct with what I meant by a sensor from your PSU to the motherboard.

S4 as far as I know is associated with the USB wake feature of the motherboard, I may be incorrect mind you, but it has to do with the ability of a USB device to wake the computer up, the same as wake on LAN has the same ability.

Companies who write BIOS code for motherboards, like to change things around a bit and sometimes make it difficult to use one BIOS setup to determine another.

Here is my suggestion, download the following two programs and compare the readings of both with windows running.

I am sure you have heard of these before, but they are fairly useful and fairly accurate.

Speed Fan http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

HWMonitor http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

Compare the readings and post back what your readings are from each program.

Bruce.

HW Monitor is the best temperature monitor program

hi killerx525,

yep, it's been cleaned out spotless. heat sink fins, blades, everything. new arctic silver



hi ThunderZ,

"WOL = Wake On LAN. Unsure of the S4 on Asus mobos."
in either case, it doesn't relate to fan speed or sensor.

"The system fan speed seems a little slow. I would think it should be around 2000 RPM like the processor speed."
i think so too. i read a thread while doing a google search that revealed the possibility that a defective chip on the motherboard may be cause of the problem. the thread ultimately suggested that the guy with the problem "just live with it because the alternative is to replace the motherboard" and i have worried that this could relate to me as well.

"Some PS`s do have an internal temp sensor and adjust speed accordingly"
i have a corsair TX750 that i want to put in it, but it lacks a 4pin connector to the motherboard, and i still don't know if it has a temp sensor either. it DOES have an impressive fan. i need to solder together a molex to 4pin connector as soon as i get in the computer closet. i'm pretty confident it would be suitable after i make these arrangements. it's brand new.

"One of the fans is sending a bad\wrong signal through the third wire to the motherboard. Those temps are to warm if the PC is only at idle which it would be while you were watching them climb in the BIOS"
i actually stuck a small screwdriver against where the wire is connected to the pegs on the 3wire socket to see if there might possibly be a substandard connection, but that is not the case. i have other computers, so i will see if i can find a fan that is that same size. maybe that it will solve this problem.

i did point another fan in the computer toward the cpu and now the temp is hovering around 55 to 56 celsius. the cpu fan is just not cooling like it should.


thanks for all the replies.

To increase the rear fan speed you can use speedfan.

An external fan with the side panel off of course will help in the cooling, but does not necessarily indicate a bad processor fan.

It could still be the case fan. If the case fan is not pulling enough hot air out then the processor fan is only blowing preheated air back onto the heat sink\processor.

Having the side panel off and using an external fan is allowing the preheated air to escape as well as introducing more cooler air into the case. Basically that is what a case fan does except it is drawing the heated air out of the back which in turn draws cooler air in through the front.

Bruce,

i have definitely heard of speed fan and am vaguely familiar with HWMonitor. it's a coincidence that the bios program is also called 'hardware monitor'. I will definitely install both. This computer has been used as a dual boot with linux ubuntu, so we'll be looking for a temperature monitoring program that works with that operating system as well.

so for me it's install, install, look for a fan, and change out a psu. this has been a good computer, so this is little work in comparison to the gain.
I'll keep you informed.


thanks Bruce, killerx525, and ThunderZ.
I will be back with developments.

sorry killerx525 and ThunderZ, we cross posted.

i have a new case fan. it's not optimal. it's an el-cheepo fan that you plug into the molex connector, and it runs at high speed, but it should determine if the case fan speed is inadequate, i would think. i'll swap that out right now. if only for testing.

the temp is still at 55/131 so it looks like the extra fan is making a 5 degree difference in celsius.

Bruce,

This computer has been used as a dual boot with linux ubuntu, so we'll be looking for a temperature monitoring program that works with that operating system as well.

I have Windows 7 on one hard drive and UBUNTU 10.10 on another hard drive I switch over to in my BIOS setup utility.

I like them both.

Bruce.