Removal of these screws allow the removal of the TOP of the laptop, which will also involve removing the laptop keyboard, which is where the deviousness comes into play!įrequently laptops have hidden clips that hold the top of the casing onto the chassis, as well as the screws on the bottom. The screws are most likely to be on the bottom, inside deep pits in the moulding. This is where it gets tricky: Laptops are held together by both deeply-recessed tiny screws and devious means. To investigate why the fan has stopped turning you will have to dismantle the laptop chassis, removing either the TOP or BOTTOM cowling to get at the fan. As a result they can and will breakdown from time to time.
The electro-mechanical components are, like any mechanical parts, prone to wear and tear. Inside a laptop there are only solid-state components like the motherboard, and electro-mechanical parts like the optical drive, the hard disk drive, and the FAN. The CPU is shutting the laptop down to prevent itself from frying (or worse, melting). SO - if you are certain that the fan isn't starting then THAT is why the laptop is shutting down - without a steady rush of cooling air across the CPU, it can overheat in seconds, literally. The fan should start immediately that you power up. I would suggest that you DO NOT take your laptop apart, as it requires a degree of familiarity with computers that I don't think you have.Īlso have you checked that all drive slots are empty and no usb devices are connected?Īny laptop that is shutting down as quickly as yours is - my first guess would be that it is overheating.īut you'll have to be sure of this, otherwise you'll be off on a wild goose chase.
You put the straw into the aerosol head and using the other end, direct the pressurized air in and around all the vents on the laptop, in the hope of dislodging whatever is blocking the flow of cooling air. One easy option is to buy a can of compressed air that comes with a little plastic straw. You may have to take the laptop apart in order to clean it out sufficiently. This can damage the laptop circuits.ĭust and fluff and bits of stuff (flakes of skin, bits of biscuits, hairs from clothes or pets) all build up and impede the flow of fresh air which would otherwise cool the CPU down. If the fan DOES turn for those 4 seconds, you then should check for signs of fluff that has built up on the fan grille, or on the fan blades themselves.ĭO NOT MOVE THE FAN WHEN CLEANING IT!! - If the fan moves when the laptop is turned off, the winding in the fan motor can generate electricity, reversing the flow, sending it back into the laptop. Look to check if you can see it turning, if it doesn't (even for those 4 seconds - it should start turning immediately) then that is a reason for the shutdown.