PowerBook running warm/hot & fans almost always running

Does anyone else have their fan(s) constantly running? I can be doing something as simple as checking my e-mail on a flat table like surface and before I know it both fans are running. Back a couple years ago Apple replaced my fan under the screen under AppleCare, now it is buzzing again and being out of AppleCare coverage I'm not rushing to have it replaced. Any ideas why my book's fans are always running? Anyone else have this?

Hi, PBJohn. Assuming for the moment that your hardware is working properly and your fans are running to remedy an excessive heat buildup, plausible reasons for the heat might include:
1. accumulated dust and crud inside the Powerbook, obstructing the fans and/or the cooling airways;
2. multiple CPU-intensive processes running at once, including processes running in the background that you've forgotten or never known about;
3. insufficient heat-transfer paste between the processor and the heat sink;
4. lack of routine maintenance and periodic cache cleanup;
5. an overly full hard drive;
There are probably others I'm forgetting, but this list gives you some things to check.
For 1, flip back the keyboard and blow the interior out with compressed air, then remove the bottom panel and do the same to the underside of things. Make sure the air intake and outlet vents are unobstructed.
For 2, open Activity Monitor and see what's running. If you have Tiger installed, turn off Widgets — they're incredibly CPU-intensive. Drive indexing can also consume a lot of CPU cycles and produce constant hard drive activity.
3 is quite unlikely, unless you've dismantled the Powerbook and separated the processor and heat sink yourself, wiping off the transfer paste and then forgetting to apply any when reassembling.
For 4, run the background maintenance tasks manually and/or download Onyx and use it to run them and clean the various caches.
Mac OS X: How to force background maintenance tasks (logs and temporary items)
For 5, make sure your hard drive has at least 3GB and preferably at least 5GB of free space available at all times.
If you check on all these things and still can't reduce the constant operation of your fans, you may have a hardware problem.

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Battery is extremely hot and fan is always running

Battery is extremely hot and fan is always running. Regardless if I am watching a video or writing a document

SMC Reset, check the power and magsafe links
Hold option and click on the battery icon to check the condition, may be going bad.
Don't let it get too hot, it may go pop. It's been known to happen, but not so much on Mac's.
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Is it free to take my macbook air to an apple store to get a check because the fan is always running?

is it free to take my macbook air to an apple store to get a check because the fan is always running?

Yes, the diagnosis at the apple store is free, ....have them find out what is wrong for you
However its totally normal for the fan to be always on, on your macbook Air.
SMC (System Management Controller) could be causing the fan to misinterpret temp. an SMC reset would likely fix this.
If you can HEAR the fan all the time, it might be running noisy due to dust/junk in the fan blades and hub.
If you have pets or a dusty room, fans trap dust and pet fluff like a magnet. Might just need a cleaning.

Hi there, i bought my macbook 1 week ago and its working fine. BUT the fan is always running and it is very annoying? what should i do

hi there, i bought my macbook 1 week ago and its working fine. BUT the fan is always running and it is very annoying? what should i do

Take it back to the store where you bought it for a hardware check and/or exchange/refund.
If they say "that's normal" then get your money back.
Nothing worst than a annoying fan you can't do anything about.
I has a eMac that did that, sounded like a vacuum cleaner running all the time, I'm so glad I trashed it and will never buy a machine I can hear running in a near silent library.
Some advice, the higher end models with a dedicated graphics do tend to operate cooler, it's the one's with only CPU graphics (Intel) regardless if a Mac or PC that tend to make a lot of noise.
Graphics should have never been put on the CPU, it just doubles the heat and doubles the fan noise.

Fan is alway running on my new dv7-4290us. Should I exchange for a new one or is this normal?

I just got my new dv7-4290us from the HP store and after a little while of playing with it, I noticed that the fan seems to always be running. It's not spinning very fast, just kind of a soft blowing or purring sound but audible for sure. Is this normal for this notebook or notebooks with quad cores and dedicated graphics? I called HP tech support and asked them if it was normal for the fan to run all the time, but they where kind of clueless with, 3 different guys giving me 3 different answers. I did mess around with some power management settings and the HP Thermal program but that didn't help. Turning off the fan always on setting in the bios just causes the fan to blow up every 20 seconds, so that is not a solution. There wasn't a bios update on the driver page, so I don't know about that as a fix. Otherwise everything seems to be functioning properly with no BSOD or lockups so far. The computer doesn't seem to be running hot (core temps stay under 50°c under light load) and the fan doesn't sound unhealthy like it has a bad bearing or anything. I just want to know if the fan always running at a low speed thing is normal on these machines. From my expereince with notebooks the fan alway running is a sign that your system is not cooling properly, so I wanted to get a second opinion from fellow users before I go through the hastle of exchanging this for a new one.

Does this happen on AC power only? There maybe an option in BIOS for 'Fan always on while on AC power'.
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Fan is always running loudly on Macbook Pro

I've had my Macbook Pro for just over three years now, and I haven't had a problem with the fan before now. A month or so ago I started noticing the fan was always on a constant hum, not so much that it was a problem, but just present. I figured I was just doing too much with it, even though I don't use much other than word, safari, and iTunes. Over the last couple weeks, however, I've noticed the hum just getting louder constantly. I've tried restarting the computer several times, and I can usually go about 10 minutes after that without the fan being loud, sometimes less if I try to play a video.
At this point there are times when it literally sounds like there's a motorcycle in my laptop, and I can feel a vibration when I type. However, I got a monitoring app and it says the temperature and fan speed are both at a normal temperature. I'm not sure what this means for my laptop, and I really want to fix this problem.
Any thoughts?

First try a SMC reset:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
If there is no change, open the MBP and look inside. Your MBP may very well have dirt and debris that needs to be cleaned out.
If that is not the case, run an Apple Hardware Test:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509
Note that an error free AHT is NOT definitive.
The last resort is an appointment at an Apple store genius bar for a free evaluation.
Ciao.

PB G3 Series Wallstreet Running VERY hot; Fan working?

My 250MHz Wallstreet (Family M4753) is lately running much hotter than usual. Several days ago, the memory module in the upper bay stopped working (cooked?), but I left it installed. Yesterday, the PB actually over-heated and locked up. I forced it to shut down, removed the battery and VST Zip drive, and unlatched and tilted the keyboard out to help it cool. But it stayed just as hot until I finally unplugged the power cord about 45 minutes later. Today I put the now cool machine back together and it fired up just fine, except for the still dead memory module. I only ran it for about 20 minutes and then did a normal shut down to keep it from overheating again. I have rarely, if ever, heard the fan running in this machine...it is so quiet.
I have three questions: First, how often should the fan normally run in this machine? Second, how can I verify that it is actually running (I think all I hear running is the HD spinning). Third, is there an air filter somewhere that might be blocked thus making the fan useless?
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Jim

I've had this problem with my MacBook aswell. When I took it in to the Genius Bar, they explained to me that the vents were getting a little old and dirty. I got them replaced for free. This is just one senario for your problem with many different answers. Something you can do to maybe help prevent further issues would be to clean it up a little bit (especially near the vents!), and to make sure you don't have your MacBook sitting on any surface that could ruin/clog the vents, such as blankets, pillows, etc. I hope this helped! (:

Fan noise - AE 1900 WT - fan is always running

Hi all,
Apologies for the double post, but I thought a new topic was in order after all. My AE-1900 WT sounds like a jet engine - the fan is always on. I am running the same installation of Windows Vista Basic that came with the machine a year ago. I used to have BumpTop installed, but I uninstalled it. I use AVG anti virus and chrome (usually with about 5-10 tabs open) Is there some kind of solve for this? I just checked the task manager and all of the chrome.exe processes add up to about 400MB of memory being used. Would I be better off using FF or limiting the number of open tabs in Chrome? Are there any wizards for controlling the fan noise? This noise is in a main living space and is really driving me nuts.
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Hi Bas,
Thanks for the advice. I unscrewed all the screws in an effort to open it up, but (A) the CDRom tray was in the way, and (B) the top of the case seemed to be holding on for dear life and I did not want to risk breaking off any plastic clips that hold the case together. Any hints on how to remove the case in case I need to do that? In the meantime, I took a powerful vacuum cleaner and went over all of the vents a couple of times at point blank range (I think I heard the fan spin). Knock on wood, it is operating quietly for now.
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Re: Satellite L550D-12E - fan is always running

Hi there!
We have a Toshiba L550D-12E and we're pretty satisfied with the device itself - if there wasn't the noisy fan. The fan ALWAYS runs audibly and I can't find any setting in the BIOS of its control .
To my verxy sorrow I also can't find a support contact form to contact Toshiba so i hope that anybody here will know a solution...thank you very much!
Kindly regards,
Matthias

Fans performance is controlled by fan table stored in BIOS.
Fan table contains info about the temperature levels and how and when the cooling fan has to start and stop rotating.
I guess this has been improved in BIOS to keep the temperature at lower level. This would protect the parts from damage due to high temperature.
As far as I know you can change this a little bit.
In Toshiba HWSetup in CPU tab you can set the CPU to always low or dynamically would recommend checking both options
Furthermore in Win 7 power option you can change the cooling method to more battery friendly state this should slow down the fan rotation too.

Fan is always running - very loud!

I've had this problem for several days and I'm at a loss. The fan on my Macbook is constantly running at a high speed, from the moment I turn it on until I turn it off. The computer does not feel hot, so I don't know why it's running so loudly.
I've reset the SMC and PRAM, and checked to make sure that there isn't an old print job in the printer queue - all the advice I've seen elsewhere online - and none of it has done any good.
According to iStat, the fan is going at 6200rpm, and the CPU temp is 45 degrees F.
Is there anything else I can try to calm the fan down? It's driving me crazy. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Correction - the temperature was in C. It's currently running at 111 degrees F! I can't figure out what's making it run so hot. I've seen elsewhere that I should check the Activity Monitor, but I have no idea what to look for there. Help?

Re: Satellite P200-1K8 - Fan is always running on Windows 7

Hi
I just updated my P200-1K8 to Windows 7 from Vista. I used the upgrade route, rather than a clean install. My BIOS is version 2.5
Since the upgrade, I have noticed the fan is permanently running, even when the laptop is idle or doing very little. I seem to remember this was a problem when I first got the laptop, but it was cured by a BIOS update.
I have checked the download pages and cannot see a BIOS for Windows 7 or a newer version than 2.5
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>How do I run the VAP and look/configure what the fan is doing?
The VAP is running automatically!!! You dont need to start it manually
I dont know who it works with Win 7 but in Vista you could change the power management settings.
Check this Toshiba How to:
http://forums.computers.toshiba-europe.com/forums/ann.jspa?annID=41
This point is interesting:
+TOSHIBA Power Saver Settings -> Cooling Method+
+Specifies a CPU cooling method for either maximum CPU performance, or better battery life with reduced CPU performance. If the sound of the CPU fan seems too loud, a setting that optimizes battery life will also cause the CPU fan to turn on less frequently.+

Is it bad to (almost) always run MacBook Pro using the adapter?

Question is in the title.
If you always run your laptop with the adapter, would that have a negative impact on the battery life/performance due to not being used as much?
15.4" Macbook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8)

This is no problem, just make sure you calibrate your battery regulary! I do it at least every month!
Quoted from Apple: Calibrate the battery in your MacBook or MacBook Pro every month or two to keep your battery functioning at its fullest capacity.
Mac OS X 10.4 Help - Calibrating a MacBook or MacBook Pro battery:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh2339.html
Hopefully this is helpfull or solved your problem.
Please see the "helpfull" and "solved" button's on top off this message! Apple: Why reward points?

SendToKindle causing Fan to always run?

My fan's been running constantly lately and I found this info. Was wondering if anyone else has this issue.
http://superuser.com/questions/423772/bash-process-uses-90-cpu-comes-back-on-com puter-restart
also, what is (process) bash?

When was the last time you did a SMC and PRAM reset? That should take care of this for you. How you do that is:
1. Turn off your iMac and unplug everything from it for 30 seconds.
2. Plug in the power cord, keyboard and mouse only.
3. Press the power button and immediately hold down the Option, Command, P & R keys until you hear the second gong then release the keys. Your machine will start up normally, then check for the issues you are having.
Regards,
Roger

MBP runs very hot, fans nowhere to be found.

I'm running windows on my 17-inch unibody macbook pro via bootcamp.
Currently, the only programs I have running are chrome and speedFan. Speedfan tells me my GPU is around 80 Celsius and both cores are around 65 Celsius. When I launch a game, the temperatures all exceed boiling and soon after the computer shuts down.
Google searching tells me that getting the fans to run was a real problem a few months ago but I haven't seen much discussion on the topic lately. Anybody know anything?

Apple has decreed that a NOISELESS MacBook/Pro with a long battery capacity is for more preferable than any overheating issues. Especially when running Windows and games. So it is our fault for running THAT OS and for wanting to play games. What is completely ignored is that if we want to play games with the wall adapter plugged in, there is still no attempt by the fans to correct rising temperatures.
I tried Speedfan — all it did was scare me. It did nothing for speed control, it only reported CPU temperature.
What I found VERY helpful was elevating the MacBook Pro off the desk and setting up a fan to provide a strong continuous blast of cool air under the aluminium case.
Probably long overdue is a Boot Camp driver providing effective temperature control for us gamers.

Satellite P300 - fan is always running

Hi ,
This is my first Toshiba laptop and is a very good product in every part, but the noise is to high !
I have compared it with a little more expensive notebook using the same CPU and equivalent video card from Nvidia (9600).
With the other notebook the fan is inaudible when you don't play a game or charge the CPU, with the Toshiba the fan never stop!
This is very painful when you use it for many hours ...
I have underclocked the CPU to 800 Mhz and activate the energy saver for the ATI card in the control panel , like is in battery mode.
But no chance after 4/5 minutes the fans start and never stop , just the desktop started and doing nothing grrr
The CPU is 39/40 degree and the fan cool cool and cool again , some time stop for 10 seconds when it reach 37 degre and start again for long long time :(
With a processor reduced at 800 Mhz and a 3D graphic card doing nothing in reduced mode is not normal to have this level of noise. Another laptops with the same component inside don't have this problem.
I thing a bios update is needed to change the threshold when the second level of fan speed start, 40 degree is not so hot for a CPU !
I'm thinking to change it if Toshiba don't do nothing about that.
Hope some engineer listen me please, its a good
very goord laptop and so beautiful.
Kind regards and Merry Christmas,
Patrick

There "is" a solution to this problem but no one is going to like it as the problem is very similar to what happened to the very first Sony Playstation 3 model which suffered from a simple flaw but with the devastating yellow light of death results. Most of Toshiba's laptops suffer from a bad heat sink compound so the heat isn't being transferred effectively from the cpu/gpu to the heat sink thus causing the fan to overcompensate. I discovered this after my p300-1cn conveniently started going wrong after the warranty expired.
First the fan started overworking itself which in turn caused it to start getting noisier and noisier. Then the teltale signs the fan was on it's way out. (Then the mouse started freezing which was explained by the shared processors fighting to get rid of the heat.)Being an experienced pc boffin I thought it would be a 10 minute job just like changing the heatsink in a standard pc so I contacted Toshiba who happily put me in touch with their component supplier and a week and 40 later I had a new cooling fan with heatsink. It was then I discovered not only did both the cpu and gpu share the same heatsink, but replacing this thing ended up being a 6 hour job because even with the disassembly guide I found on the internet, I had to disassemble every single component to get to the cooling fan.
I did note that the thermal compound pads didn't look great on either the old or the new heatsink but once I had it fitted and everything put back together again I had total silence and a massive jump in performance and speed in my laptop. That was 4 years ago and it's just recently started getting noisy again but meaning this time I'll have to change just the thermal compound this time but now I know what I'm doing, all it's going to cost this time will be a 5 tube of arctic silver thermal compound reapplied to the heatsink as the fan although overworked at the moment, is still healthy.
So in a nutshell if your fan becomes overactive, then the thermal compound requires changing.

PowerBook running warm/hot & fans almost always running

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