[delawaredrew]

My Dell Inspiron 8500 has begun suddenly shutting itself off. No windows shutdown procedure, just turning itself off. Seems to happen during cpu heavy operations like streaming vids or spyware scans. Also seems to be very hot during the same times. I recently added another 512mb of cheap ram, and the heat seems to be emanating from that area. All the usual fan noises seem to be present. The keyboard gets warmer than I remember and the underside is actually hot at times.
When it shuts off it will restart, the length of time it stays back on seems to be related to how long it was off. The cooler it gets the longer it runs. Is there a thermal "fuse" that kills power when it is too hot, could the new ram be causing overheating? I use a laptop cooler at home and it rarely happens there, but on the road it is happening a couple of times per night.

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Hello,
Have you checked the vents for clogs of dust?
If the vents get cloged up the air flow will be reduced, causing poor cooling ability.
A can of compressed air (air compressors are too powerful) Will help to clean out the dust build up.
Yes, the computer will shut off due to heat.

[hfcg]

Hello,
Have you checked the vents for clogs of dust?
If the vents get cloged up the air flow will be reduced, causing poor cooling ability.
A can of compressed air (air compressors are too powerful) Will help to clean out the dust build up.
Yes, the computer will shut off due to heat.

[techpro5238]

I would like you to download and install the program Speedfan. When you are done installing Speedfan open and look for 3 columns. One should have temperatures, the other should have voltages, and the last one should contain your fan speeds. When you have found this information please post to me in a column such as this: (Example)

Temperatures

Temp1: 30 C
Temp2: 60 C
HD0: 44 C

Voltages (only for desktops)

5V: 5
3.33V: 3.24

Fan Speeds

Speed1: 2480 RPM

(Remember this is just an example, please post your exact information)

If you are running on a Dell Laptop please follow these steps then post your temperatures, voltages, and fan speeds:

• Open Speedfan
• Click Configure on the Main Screen
• Go to the Options Tab
• Check the: "Enable DELL Support (use this function only on DELL notebooks)" check box
• Click Ok then Close Speedfan
• Start Speedfan once again

Then post your temperatures, voltages, and fan speeds.

[delawaredrew]

hfcg - yes I have tried to ensure no dust build-up. It was the first course of action, but nothing much turned up.

techpro - downloading today, thanks for the tip. I'll post back when i get some results for you

[delawaredrew]

Temps
HD0 44C
TEMP1 34C
DIMM58C
CPU59C
GPU49C
FANS
FAN1 5588RPM
FAN2 0 RPM
FAN3 922RPM

CPU USAGE
30 - 80%


ACPI TEMP 33.5C

GREAT APP



DO I have a Fan 2? Perhaps that is what I hear when I think the fan steps up its speed. As a side note, I first noticed the high cpu usage when I updated to the latest (non-beta) firefox.

Edited by delawaredrew, 01 March 2008 - 04:27 PM.

[techpro5238]

From what I can see, your temperatures are way out of wack. Are those really at idle? Can you clean out your computer, with a compressed air can? Also, try redoing your thermal paste, if you are up to the task of fighting your way through pieces of computers down to the motherboard. How long have you had this laptop, has it ever been cleaned?

[delawaredrew]

From what I can see, your temperatures are way out of wack. Are those really at idle? Can you clean out your computer, with a compressed air can? Also, try redoing your thermal paste, if you are up to the task of fighting your way through pieces of computers down to the motherboard. How long have you had this laptop, has it ever been cleaned?

I will let it cool overnight and get a new reading after it has been running at true idle for a while, for comparison.
I thought the temps were high for the mem and cpu. But do not know how to address that. DO I have a Fan 2? Why is fan 3 so much slower than 1?

It is 3-4 years old, and I do have pets and other dust creators. Never been taken throughly apart and cleaned, I have the mem and "C" covers off the bottom now, and the heat probs seem to be minimal. But I have been avoiding embedded video and other processor intensive sites, cause that seems to be when the problems arrive.
The first time I remember it happening was immediately after Firefox updated last (2.0.0.12 or something). FF often occupies huge chunks of the CPU time according to Task Man. I uninstalled and reinstalled but no changes there.
I will gladly take it apart if needed, no fear of that. I fix things for a living, not comps but everything from home appliances to medical office equipment. Just tell me where to start.... Does the thermal paste degrade with time?

[techpro5238]

I thought the temps were high for the mem and cpu. But do not know how to address that. DO I have a Fan 2? Why is fan 3 so much slower than 1?

You can address the CPU, by redoing thermal paste and cleaning the heatsink, as it does collect dust. If your fan 2 says 0 RPM I would be guessing it is just a sensor, but does not have a actual fan. I highly doubt you have a fan 2 . As for fan 3 and 1, some fans just run faster than others. Who is the manufacturer of this laptop?

The first time I remember it happening was immediately after Firefox updated last (2.0.0.12 or something). FF often occupies huge chunks of the CPU time according to Task Man. I uninstalled and reinstalled but no changes there.

Sadly Firefox, is a resource hog for all computers . No matter what PC, it works on, it steals many resources. One of its few bugs.

Just tell me where to start.... Does the thermal paste degrade with time?

Thermal paste does degrade with time, and little by little it deteriorates. If you could say, it loses its effectiveness. Thermal paste makes the CPU have better conduction with the heatsink for better temperatures. If it degrades then we see what happens in your case, melting CPU .

This might be a bit hard, as laptops are a real pain in the (you know where), to get into. Who is the manufacturer of your laptop?

Things you will need

• Screwdrivers of different sizes and types
• Thermal Compound

We can get started when I know the manufacturer. Please note, that some warranties might be voided, if you do this yourself and mess up somewhere along the lines. Your OEM (Manufacturer) will not help you, if you went ahead to open and work on the laptop yourself.

That doesn't mean that you will though. You are getting expert assistance here if I do so say myself .

Regards,
TechPro5238

[delawaredrew]

I thought the temps were high for the mem and cpu. But do not know how to address that. DO I have a Fan 2? Why is fan 3 so much slower than 1?

You can address the CPU, by redoing thermal paste and cleaning the heatsink, as it does collect dust. If your fan 2 says 0 RPM I would be guessing it is just a sensor, but does not have a actual fan. I highly doubt you have a fan 2 . As for fan 3 and 1, some fans just run faster than others. Who is the manufacturer of this laptop?

The first time I remember it happening was immediately after Firefox updated last (2.0.0.12 or something). FF often occupies huge chunks of the CPU time according to Task Man. I uninstalled and reinstalled but no changes there.

Sadly Firefox, is a resource hog for all computers . No matter what PC, it works on, it steals many resources. One of its few bugs.

Just tell me where to start.... Does the thermal paste degrade with time?

Thermal paste does degrade with time, and little by little it deteriorates. If you could say, it loses its effectiveness. Thermal paste makes the CPU have better conduction with the heatsink for better temperatures. If it degrades then we see what happens in your case, melting CPU .

This might be a bit hard, as laptops are a real pain in the (you know where), to get into. Who is the manufacturer of your laptop?

Things you will need

• Screwdrivers of different sizes and types
• Thermal Compound

We can get started when I know the manufacturer. Please note, that some warranties might be voided, if you do this yourself and mess up somewhere along the lines. Your OEM (Manufacturer) will not help you, if you went ahead to open and work on the laptop yourself.

That doesn't mean that you will though. You are getting expert assistance here if I do so say myself .

Regards,
TechPro5238

Dell Inspiron 8500, long out of warranty.
I assume a hotter CPU will operate more slowly? I remember this running at or about 2 ghz when I first got it, now 1200mghz seems to be average.
I can see some obvious places to start disassembly, but would like an more experienced guide.

[delawaredrew]

Something is definitely out of order in this thing. At first start up this is what I get from Speedfan:
Fan 1 - 3463
Fan 2 - 4869
Fan 3 922

HD0 29 C
Temp 1 36C
DIMM 42C
CPU 56 C
GPU 38c

This is after having been off all night, totally cooled down. How can the CPU temp have reached 56C immediately. Is there a sensor that is giving bad data or something.? And Where did fan 2 come from? It has never shown up before. My CPU is at about 130 deg F as soon as I start it?

[techpro5238]

Something is definitely out of order in this thing. At first start up this is what I get from Speedfan:
Fan 1 - 3463
Fan 2 - 4869
Fan 3 922

HD0 29 C
Temp 1 36C
DIMM 42C
CPU 56 C
GPU 38c

This is after having been off all night, totally cooled down. How can the CPU temp have reached 56C immediately. Is there a sensor that is giving bad data or something.? And Where did fan 2 come from? It has never shown up before. My CPU is at about 130 deg F as soon as I start it?

You are very inquisitive about your PC. Just sit back and relax while we take care of all of that thinking . The sensor could be giving you a bad reading but after taking averages in my head it adds up to be that. I am betting there is a major dust build up on the microprocessor thermal assembly. Fan 2 is a dead sensor. Follow the instructions in this link:

http://support.dell....mal.htm#1000001

And you will have to reapply your thermal paste. Follow the instructions for that here:

http://www.arcticsil...nstructions.htm

You will need the thermal compound as every time you take off that assembly, you have to reapply the paste.

[delawaredrew]

You are very inquisitive about your PC. Just sit back and relax while we take care of all of that thinking . The sensor could be giving you a bad reading but after taking averages in my head it adds up to be that. I am betting there is a major dust build up on the microprocessor thermal assembly. Fan 2 is a dead sensor. Follow the instructions in this link:

http://support.dell....mal.htm#1000001

And you will have to reapply your thermal paste. Follow the instructions for that here:

http://www.arcticsil...nstructions.htm

You will need the thermal compound as every time you take off that assembly, you have to reapply the paste.

Thanks for the thoughts,
I am in the middle of nowhere, so getting new thermal paste is gonna take a few days. In the mean time I got curious and popped the keyboard out, no sign of much dust under it, but did not go any farther. Been running sans Ram cover and "c" cover on a twin fan cooler, no shut downs but speed fan does read high still. Also downloaded the dell fan control app in your sig, but that is a little more than I want to play with as of now.

Edited by delawaredrew, 07 March 2008 - 02:20 PM.

[techpro5238]

It's fairly easy. I force my fan speeds to 4000 RPM at all times . Note, that you have to use some type of alcohol or peroxide to remove the OLD thermal paste which is pregiven with the computer. Also, don't remove the motherboard, or CPU by accident and follow the instructions to the word. Laptops aren't really built to be opened in their life time, plus they are a pain to get into .