Hey!
Nobody here mentioned anything about the thermal connection between
the CPU and the heatsink. Maybe cheep dried up thermal grease?
ZaXXoN
On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:18:09 -0500, "MZB" <moo@noway.prudigy.net>
wrote:
>I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
>to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the umpteenth
>time.
>
>My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of warranty.
>
>It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>
>When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
>
>OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
>
>He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan? Where
>is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive dirt that
>is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and if so, is
>there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there something he
>can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to turn/rotate the fan
>easily by hand)?
>
>If he has to remove the fan, how easy is that?
>
>Thanks for any help
>
>Mel
>
I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the umpteenth
time.
My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of warranty.
It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan? Where
is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive dirt that
is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and if so, is
there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there something he
can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to turn/rotate the fan
easily by hand)?
start with the obvious... there are 2 fans. one in the shroud
surrounding the processor, and one in the power supply.
he has to make sure they are both spinning when the power is turned on.
i suspect one is not, (burned out).
also, vacuum for dust around the fins of the heat sink and around the fan.
be careful not to static shock the system.
how does he get "thermal event"? does he see that somewhere on his
screen? event log? bsod?
replacing the fan near the processor is not bad.
i wouldnt replace the one in the power supply, just replace the power
supply.
MZB wrote:
> I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
> to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the umpteenth
> time.
>
> My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of warranty.
>
> It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>
> When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
>
> OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
>
> He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan? Where
> is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive dirt that
> is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and if so, is
> there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there something he
> can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to turn/rotate the fan
> easily by hand)?
>
> If he has to remove the fan, how easy is that?
>
> Thanks for any help
>
> Mel
>
>
On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:18:09 -0500, "MZB" <moo@noway.prudigy.net> wrote:
>I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
>to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the umpteenth
>time.
>
>My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of warranty.
>
>It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>
>When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
>
>OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
>
>He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan? Where
>is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive dirt that
>is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and if so, is
>there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there something he
>can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to turn/rotate the fan
>easily by hand)?
>
>If he has to remove the fan, how easy is that?
>
>Thanks for any help
>
>Mel
>
Have one of his friends that know something about computers look at it
and see if the fans are working.
Your son could look in the back with a flashlight and look at the fans
without having to open it up.
this is a common problem due to a brief stint of defective power supplies
that were shipped in dell dimension models 3000 and 4600. you can order a
replacement power supply from dell spare parts for $29.95 plus shipping
(about $8 if you ask for the least expensive shipping, if you spend over $50
they waive the shipping fee). the last time i ordered a replacement power
supply for this model it was part number n2286. you can ask for that part
and tell them your system tag number and they will confirm compatibility.
dell spare parts 1-800-357-3355
"MZB" <moo@noway.prudigy.net> wrote in message
news:fAM0j.278$j91.211@newsfe02.lga...
>I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
>to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the umpteenth
>time.
>
> My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of warranty.
>
> It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>
> When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
>
> OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
>
> He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan? Where
> is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive dirt
> that is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and if so,
> is there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there something
> he can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to turn/rotate the
> fan easily by hand)?
>
> If he has to remove the fan, how easy is that?
>
> Thanks for any help
>
> Mel
>
well, that's the solution, but you asked what the problem was... the
problem is the thermal sensor in the powersupply that incorrectly determines
that the machine is overheated so shuts down. oddly, i would find that
machines with this defective powersupply would refuse to start if it was in
a cold room... but they sometimes also demonstrated the random shutdown that
you described.
"Christopher Muto" <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:13k7f8l3eduk9a@corp.supernews.com...
> this is a common problem due to a brief stint of defective power supplies
> that were shipped in dell dimension models 3000 and 4600. you can order a
> replacement power supply from dell spare parts for $29.95 plus shipping
> (about $8 if you ask for the least expensive shipping, if you spend over
> $50 they waive the shipping fee). the last time i ordered a replacement
> power supply for this model it was part number n2286. you can ask for
> that part and tell them your system tag number and they will confirm
> compatibility. dell spare parts 1-800-357-3355
>
> "MZB" <moo@noway.prudigy.net> wrote in message
> news:fAM0j.278$j91.211@newsfe02.lga...
>>I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
>>to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the
>>umpteenth time.
>>
>> My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of
>> warranty.
>>
>> It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>>
>> When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
>>
>> OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
>>
>> He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan?
>> Where is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive
>> dirt that is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and
>> if so, is there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there
>> something he can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to
>> turn/rotate the fan easily by hand)?
>>
>> If he has to remove the fan, how easy is that?
>>
>> Thanks for any help
>>
>> Mel
>>
>
>
i tend to agree. if the fan atop the cpu is spinning, then regardless of
the PS fan, i would swap out the Power supply, and if that kept the
computer up, problem solved.
of course i have spares here.
find a nice honest tech to bring the computer to to try swapping the PS.
Christopher Muto wrote:
> well, that's the solution, but you asked what the problem was... the
> problem is the thermal sensor in the powersupply that incorrectly determines
> that the machine is overheated so shuts down. oddly, i would find that
> machines with this defective powersupply would refuse to start if it was in
> a cold room... but they sometimes also demonstrated the random shutdown that
> you described.
>
> "Christopher Muto" <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
> news:13k7f8l3eduk9a@corp.supernews.com...
>> this is a common problem due to a brief stint of defective power supplies
>> that were shipped in dell dimension models 3000 and 4600. you can order a
>> replacement power supply from dell spare parts for $29.95 plus shipping
>> (about $8 if you ask for the least expensive shipping, if you spend over
>> $50 they waive the shipping fee). the last time i ordered a replacement
>> power supply for this model it was part number n2286. you can ask for
>> that part and tell them your system tag number and they will confirm
>> compatibility. dell spare parts 1-800-357-3355
>>
>> "MZB" <moo@noway.prudigy.net> wrote in message
>> news:fAM0j.278$j91.211@newsfe02.lga...
>>> I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
>>> to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the
>>> umpteenth time.
>>>
>>> My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of
>>> warranty.
>>>
>>> It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>>>
>>> When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
>>>
>>> OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
>>>
>>> He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan?
>>> Where is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive
>>> dirt that is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and
>>> if so, is there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there
>>> something he can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to
>>> turn/rotate the fan easily by hand)?
>>>
>>> If he has to remove the fan, how easy is that?
>>>
>>> Thanks for any help
>>>
>>> Mel
>>>
>>
>
>
"MZB" <moo@noway.prudigy.net> wrote in message
news:fAM0j.278$j91.211@newsfe02.lga...
>I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
>to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the umpteenth
>time.
>
> My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of warranty.
>
> It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>
> When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
at most, open the lid and clean the dust and dirt out
if this doesn't fix it
most likely a fan has failed and needs replacing, take it to someone who
knows how to do it
"MZB" <moo@noway.prudigy.net> wrote in message
news:fAM0j.278$j91.211@newsfe02.lga...
>I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much attention
>to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for the umpteenth
>time.
>
> My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of warranty.
>
> It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>
> When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
>
> OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
>
> He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan? Where
> is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive dirt
> that is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and if so,
> is there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there something
> he can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to turn/rotate the
> fan easily by hand)?
>
> If he has to remove the fan, how easy is that?
>
> Thanks for any help
>
> Mel
>
Mel -
The error message indicates to me that the CPU is overheating and that the
system is shutting down due to that.
1) The heatsink and fan could be terribly dusty and in need of cleaning with
air.
2) The CPU fan could be entangled, unplugged or might have failed altogether
3) The heatsink itself may be loose or somehow become unseated.
The fan/shroud assembly is very easy to access and clean or remove/replace
if necessary.
Stew
>"When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal
>event."<
THANKS a lot for your comments.
I got this email from my son:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thanks for forwarding the responses. I took the computer apart, gave it a
good cleaning and had a look. The top fan (attached to the power supply)
does not spin when I power it up. It was a little too difficult for me to
take out without completely dismantling a lot of circuitry, so I couldn't
really inspect it beyond that...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
So, my question:
I'm wondering if this is the fan that comes WITH the power supply. So if
you get a new power supply then you get the new fan???
I assume if the fan does not come on when the computer if powered up, then
that is the problem??
Please provide suggestions on how to proceed and I'll forward that to my
son.
Mel
"Jay B" <jayB@audiman.net> wrote in message
news:tKM0j.1089$TW5.1027@newsfe09.lga...
> start with the obvious... there are 2 fans. one in the shroud surrounding
> the processor, and one in the power supply.
> he has to make sure they are both spinning when the power is turned on.
> i suspect one is not, (burned out).
> also, vacuum for dust around the fins of the heat sink and around the fan.
> be careful not to static shock the system.
> how does he get "thermal event"? does he see that somewhere on his screen?
> event log? bsod?
>
> replacing the fan near the processor is not bad.
> i wouldnt replace the one in the power supply, just replace the power
> supply.
>
>
> MZB wrote:
>> I know these topics have come up before, but I haven't paid much
>> attention to them, so hopefully some patient soul can explain this for
>> the umpteenth time.
>>
>> My son just called. He has a Dell Dim 3000 desktop. It is out of
>> warranty.
>>
>> It keeps shutting off. In general, it might go 30-50 minutes.
>>
>> When he turns it back on, it mentions it went off due to a thermal event.
>>
>> OK, I need some suggestions as I really am not a hardware person.
>>
>> He can remove the hard drive cover. Now, is there more than one fan?
>> Where is/are the fan(s)? What should he look for? Could it be excessive
>> dirt that is impeding the fan? Or is it most likely the fan is shot and
>> if so, is there a generic replacement he could buy somewhere? Is there
>> something he can do to see if the fan is shot (should he be able to
>> turn/rotate the fan easily by hand)?
>>
>> If he has to remove the fan, how easy is that?
>>
>> Thanks for any help
>>
>> Mel
Re: what is the problem here (fan??) 
Linear Mode
