What are computer fans

I have a Gateway Solo 9300 Laptop, and it was working fine for a while. Now the fan runs all the time on the laptop making it very annoying. Once I boot the laptop up, it starts and does not stop. Fans are not supposed to stay on all the time to cool the laptop I believe? It used to never stay on all the time. It would come on once in a while, but not stay on. How do I get the fan to stop. A friend said the operating system is telling it to stay on? Should I put Windows XP on it instead of 98?

Thank you for the help...the noise is driving me nuts, especially in an airplane when it is quiet, and the only thing you hear is my laptop fan running all the time.

Brian M

This question was answered on September 3, 2003. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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Hello Brian,

Laptop fans are suppose to stay on all the time It is what prevents your system from over heating They do not turn off until the power is off Now as far as i know what could have happen is the CPU in your laptop has a heat sensor to make the fan speed up or slow down depending on how hot it was, in order to keep the CPU at a ideal speed You might not have noticed it because it runs more quietly at times, but overall it is still always on Now for it constanly staying on and making a loud noise, from what i know, it could be two things One, your CPU is constantly being used and needs to be cooler So the fan does not get the chance to slow down Two, the fan may need to be oiled and properly lubricated after being in use for so long, because not it is harder to spin which is causing it to make that loud annoying noise I am sure if your still under warranty by the Gateway manufacturer that you can buy another fan at a pretty decent cost that will run smoother and quietly while preforming your task you on your laptop

I hope this has helped you

Good luck

- stanley alexander

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Posted by Student of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on September 3, 2003

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