Fan Noise- A Concern???

My G5 is about 4 months old. When I bought it in
10/05, I was amazed at very, very quite it is. I
have now noticed in the past several weeks when the
Mac is being used heavily the fan noise is incredibly
loud compared to what it has been. This is my first
Mac since moving from the "Twilight Zone of Gates",
so I'm not sure if this increased fan noise is
something to be worried about or not?? Any opinions,
greatly appreciated.
1. If the fan noise is the same as before when the computer is idling, then the extra noise must come from the extra revs and is possibly normal.
2. Dust can make fans louder. You have to open it up and spray GENTLY some aerosol spray into the fans. You will be amazed what cloud you will see. How do you open it? Check the online manuals in the Support section [e.g. how to change fans, hard drive etc.].
3. I opened the computer and let it run while open [how to do that is also described in the Support section]. It turned out that one of the three fans [the hard drive one] is just really noisy. Calling Apple, they claimed it on the logicboard and will replace it.

Similar Messages

T530: Unbearable fan noise

Probably similar to this thread, the T530 I recently received has fan noise issues. I've invested considerable time in solving this, but found that a solution can be achieved with reasonable effort only by Lenovo:
Introduction:
Most ThinkPad models do not provide the operating system (or the user) the ability to set the fan speed directly (e.g. in rounds per minute) or in a fine-grained way (e.g. as a percentage of maximum speed). Instead, there are "fan speed levels", usually 9 levels (level 0 through level 7 as well as the level "disengaged"). For each level, a particular fan speed is defined and the Embedded Controller tries to achieve this particular fan speed by measuring the fan speed and adjusting the electrical properties of the fan (e.g. voltage or pulse length or something like this).
The fan noise problem:
Every time the internal temperature sensor reaches 50 °C or so, the fan starts with about 1900 rounds/minute and then quickly goes to about 2737 rounds/minute, where it is loud. Then it takes about 20 seconds, the temperature drops to 45 °C, then the fan is switched off. Then, after maybe other 30 seconds, the cycle repeats and the fan is switched on again, ...
There are major problems with this behaviour, because:
The fan is not running continously, but pulsating.
The fan is running at level 1 at a much higher speed than needed, creating unnecessary noise.
I have measured the individual fan speeds for individual fan speed levels:
The fan speeds at different levels are as follows:
Level 0: 0 rounds/minute
Level 1: 2737 rounds/minute
Level 2: 2944 rounds/minute
Level 3: 3033 rounds/minute
Level 4: 3074 rounds/minute
Level 5: 3597 rounds/minute
Level 6: 3773 rounds/minute
Level 7: 3773 rounds/minute
Level disengaged: 4754 rounds/minute
Solution draft:
A minimum solution to the problem above would be introducing another fan speed level between 0 rounds/minute and 2737 rounds/minute, with about 1900 rounds/minute. The reason this makes a difference is that there is a fundamental difference between laminar flow and turbulent flow, where the laminar flow makes nearly no noise and the turbulent flow makes a lot of noise. (Whether an airflow is laminar or turbulent is easiest influencable by affecting its speed.)
As you can see on the observed mapping from fan speed level to fan speed, level 6 and level 7 map to the same speed.
Thus, no particular fan speed would be lost if the mapping would be changed to the following:
Level 0: 0 rounds/minute
Level 1: 1900 rounds/minute
Level 2: 2737 rounds/minute
Level 3: 2944 rounds/minute
Level 4: 3033 rounds/minute
Level 5: 3074 rounds/minute
Level 6: 3597 rounds/minute
Level 7: 3773 rounds/minute
Level disengaged: 4754 rounds/minute
Solution implementation by user is impossible:
The problem, however, is that, while a user can decide which fan speed level should be active at a particular time, the user cannot decide which fan speed should actually be achieved for a particular level. Thus, the user can either decide to have 0 rounds/minute (which is not particularly sustainable, because the equipment becomes hotter and hotter) or to have 2737 rounds/minute (which is not particularly sustainable either, because both the user and other people arund the user's Lenovo computer are distracted from work).
The mapping from fan speed level to fan speed is actually stored in the Embedded Controller Programm ("ECP"). This Embedded Controller Programm is freely changeable or configurable by the user. Only Lenovo has the source code to this Embedded Controller Programm, and actually only Lenovo may know how to disassemble such a binary Embedded Controller Program in case the user wanted to change it. Thus, even advanced users cannot fix this problem by fixing it where it should be fixed.
It should be noted that, because fan speed is a long lasting issue at Lenovo, a third party has been even developed an after-market hardware solution: TPFC. However, this solution probably voids the warranty, and it work arounds the problem at the wrong place, and it costs time and money and effort to actually install it.
Only Lenovo can fix this problem:
How Lenovo should fix the problem
Thus, this is my call to Lenovo to fix this problem (at least for the T530 series, but probably W530, T430 are also affected). Ideally, the solution should be as follows:
Change the Embdedded Controller Program such that the mapping from fan speed level to fan speed is as follows:
Level 0: 0 rounds/minute (no noise level)
Level 1: 1500 rounds/minute (low noise level, sweet spot)
Level 2: 1700 rounds/minute (low noise level, sweet spot)
Level 3: 1900 rounds/minute (low noise level, sweet spot)
Level 4: 2100 rounds/minute (some noise level)
Level 5: 2600 rounds/minute (high noise level)
Level 6: 3100 rounds/minute (high noise level)
Level 7: 3773 rounds/minute (high noise level)
Level disengaged: 4754 rounds/minute (high noise level)
The reasons for this fan speed design are as follows:
The "sweet spot" where both the fan will run most of the time and where the user would not complain is between 1500 rounds/minute and 2100 rounds/minute. If the fan needs to be faster to keep the system cooled, then the user is likely to run the system with considerable load to CPU or GPU. In this case, there is no option to reduce the fan speed, but also in this case, the user probably accepts the fan noise for the computing power delivered.
The "sweet spot" in terms of CPU load is where the users do not accept fan noise while actually generating only minute CPU load (e.g. during web browsing or writing documents, where the CPU and the GPU is mostly idle). For many users, this is their normal working state (e.g. working in a quiet office, a very quiet library, a quiet bedroom, a quiet boardroom, ...). These scenarios are where Lenovo ThinkPads currently fail to deliver, unnecessarily
The "sweet spot" needs higher resolution (more fan levels allocated to these fan speeds), because slightly different load patterns may make it necessary to go from one level to the next higher level, but then the next level still should be bearable. Conversely, the higher levels (e.g. from 2600 rounds/minute on) do not need such a high resolution, because for most of the users, these levels will be only attained rarely anyway, and then they are accepting the noise.
Currently, there is no fan speed level at the sweet spot. With the proposed fix, there would be 3 fan speed levels at the sweet spot, with a neighbouring fan speed level (2100 rounds/minute) still being bearable when considering the performance delivered.
There is no fan speed level below 1500 rounds/minute. This is ok, because the fan is nearly inaudible at this speed anyway, and below a certain speed, there is a risk (depending on the fan) for the fan to actually not rotate at all (e.g. due to friction).
How much time and effort would Lenovo need for fixing the problem:
The Lenovo engineer responsible for the Embedded Controller Program of the T530 should need less than one day to change the source code of the Embedded Controller Program and to recompile it. The engineer may need one additional day to test this program (e.g. for different types of fans), and there may be a need for an additional day to release the update to the BIOS and ECP. All in all, Lenovo should not need more than 3 engineer-days (maybe worth 1800 USD) to fix the problem.
Why Lenovo should fix the problem:
Probably the whole current T series (T530,T520,T430,T420) as well as the current W series (W530,W520) fails the users in any of these scenarios (among others):
User working in a quiet office.
User working in a quiet library.
User working in a quiet bedroom.
User working in a quiet boardroom.
Thus, the Lenovo T series is currently not usable for many business users and almost all students. This problem should cost millions of USD of revenue, while fixing it would cost it maybe 1800 USD.
Incidental remark: Lenovo subsidiary can do better:
Lenovo has bought the majority of the Germany consumer electronics company Medion. Medion currently offers a consumer level notebook "E7222" for 499€ including German VAT. Despite of this low price, this notebook delivers very good fan control (that is: the notebook is nearly silent when the CPU is near-idle). (However, being consumer-grade, it does not offer a docking-station or a FullHD screen or WWAN.)
What will I personally do:
Some weeks ago, I had a powerful W530. I returned it due to fan noise for cash refund. Now I have the T530 (Serial number: R9RRF26) which has exactly the same problem. The deadline until I can legally request a cash refund runs until 2012-09-07. I hereby ask Lenovo:
To fix the problem and release an ECP or BIOS update until 2012-09-06 (it is doable, see above) or
if the problem cannot be fixed in this time (e.g. due to bureaucracy): provide me with a written statement (e.g. e-mail or forum post is sufficient) that my legal cash refund deadline (German law: §355 BGB) will be voluntarily extended by Lenovo (to some date Lenovo thinks it needs to fix the problem).
If none of the above happens, I will have to return the T530 as well. This is the 2nd chance Lenovo has gotten from me, there will be no 3rd chance. I would have to turn to Fujitsu (they do have business-class machines with big batteries, FullHD, WWAN) and they probably have better fan control.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

kaawee,
Thank you for the considerable thought that you put into your summation / analysis and proposal for a change.
I don't agree that you are wasting your time as we did make EC changes on the X220 and T420s to change fan behavior (along with several other systems). However, not all customers agree that the changes made the system behave the way they wanted and were completely satisfied (hence some of the dissenting opinions expressed here).
We are interested in feedback on T530, W530, T430 fan concerns and we are investigating. It is possible that a future change might be made, but I cannot say for certain that it will, nor can we commit to making this change within 4 days (2 now remaining) from your original posting.
Best regards,
Mark
ThinkPads: S30, T43, X60t, X1, W700ds, IdeaPad Y710, IdeaCentre: A300, IdeaPad K1
Mark Hopkins
Program Manager, Lenovo Social Media (Services)
twitter @lenovoforums
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Extreme fan noise on Retina Macbook Pro "15 2012

My Macbook runs very loud without intensive apps open when I connect it to a Thunderbolt Display for over an hour. I have tested this to great length, it doesn't matter whether it's photoshop, microsoft word or google chrome that's running, it's the fact that it has to power an external display.
I have taken it to Apple Support, however they perform their cooling system tests in 18 degree airconditioning so it's impossible to demonstrate how loud it gets at normal room temperature.
I presented this problem twice within my warranty period, but Apple will simply do their test and deny any problem as the fans barely start up in the cold test environment. They did say that if my laptop overheats and becomes damaged, they will cover the damages because I made the complaint within the warranty period. Now my warranty has expried (I simply didn't have time to waste taking the computer to Apple again within the last two months).
Is there anything I can do to get my laptop fixed? I'm pretty sure the graphics card was faulty to begin with as it cannot take the load of a Thunderbolt Display over an extended period. There are so many documented cases of issues concerning fan noise and overheating with the 2012 rMBP, is Apple not going to do anything about it?!

High CPU usage will make the fans run faster (luder) you can try a SMC reset:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Follow directions for a battery that should not remove yourself. Also have the Apple tech make sure you do not have a bad temp sensor.

17" MBP fan noise

I am assuming that it is the fan, as this noise only comes when i start using the a graphic intensive program (Doom 3).
I am worried because it is quite loud and does not sound like the fan noise of my PB. It is similar in quality to a couple of posts in that it terminates in reving up/ down sound. When the sound is present, it is characterised by the "fliping through a deck of cards" or the "card and bike spoke." It is not too harsh, but enough to cause some concern. It is no where near as bad as the grinding sound posted on an earlier thred.
My question(s) are: What did people with smilar problems do and what was the outcome? Is this noise normal? Should I take it to the not so genius bar for an eval?

As an update. I wated a while before I sent it in for repairs. during that time the noise continued to increase. I noticed that if I proped the MBP at a 10 degree angle using a small book just underneath the sreen area the sound would go away. So, i did this for a while as I was reluctant to part with my MBP. However, the sound retured, even at any angle. So I called apple teck and the unit was off. it returned to me in 2.5 days completly silent! if you put your ear over the W key, you can only hear a quiet flow-- Perfect!

5870 fan noise

My main concern at the moment is the random occuring fan noise which my 5870 has begun displaying over the last month. It isn't a flat out dying sounds like I'm accustom to with case fans or cpu coolers. Several posts from a quick google search pointed towards it being the fan itself having descended from its original seating and now rubbing against the inside of the graphics card casing while others make mention it might be dust/debris having become caked inside.
Despite extensive compressed air can cleaning, the noise still exists. Pressing upwards on the fan whilst it is moving eliminates the entirely. I'm really just looking for an answer on whether or not this should be RMAed before it fails on me or if I should go about attempting to oil the bearings which I'm worried would end with me unable to RMA.

If it's the fan rubbing on the housing then I would think it would be better to RMA while it's fairly new & under warranty.

X61s fan noise

Hello,
I have newly aquired a Thinkpad x61s and Im wondering what is normal and what is not in these computers, this question concerns the fan noise. In my opinion its on the whiny side but I would like someone with experience to listen to it and tell me what they think.
Heres the link to it: http://rapidshare.de/files/40904318/x61sfan.wav.html . Sorry for the one minute wait, but Rapidshare is the easiest way to share files like this.
(Fan is also running almost constantly, but from what I've understood this is normal?)
An opinion or two would be greatly appreciated!

Hello Warner,
please check this page out.
You´ll find plenty of tools.
Follow @LenovoForums on Twitter! Try the forum search, before first posting: Forum Search Option
Please insert your type, model (not S/N) number and used OS in your posts.
I´m a volunteer here using New X1 Carbon, ThinkPad Yoga, Yoga 11s, Yoga 13, T430s,T510, X220t, IdeaCentre B540.
TIP: If your computer runs satisfactorily now, it may not be necessary to update the system.
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Fan noise in HP pavillion dv4-2126TX

Hi, I bought a Pavilion dv4-2126TX five month before. I am currently using with Ubuntu OS. The fan noise is annoying even when i run small jobs and feels like working in server or PC machine. Could you please suggest some program to control the fan noise automatically for linux machine. Also, i want to know the minimum temperature of CPU (i-3, quad core). Becoz when I checked in my laptop it shows always above 60 degree. Thanks in advance.

HI,
sabaribi wrote:
Hi, I bought a Pavilion dv4-2126TX five month before. I am currently using with Ubuntu OS. The fan noise is annoying even when i run small jobs and feels like working in server or PC machine. Could you please suggest some program to control the fan noise automatically for linux machine. Also, i want to know the minimum temperature of CPU (i-3, quad core). Becoz when I checked in my laptop it shows always above 60 degree. Thanks in advance.
That temperature is not a problemin fahrenheit or celsius.
Intel states that Tj is 90 degrees Centigrade. You are not even close to that. I wouldn't be concerned until temps are within 10% of Tj.
Do be advised that I do not see Linux listed as a supported OS. The problem is that the features of setting power options that are present in Windows might not be available in Ubuntu desktop.
Keep an eye on BIOS updates during this year. Perhaps an update that will change the CPU ramp will be released. Currently there is no update available that addresses the issue.
Best regards,
erico
****Please click on Accept As Solution if a suggestion solves your problem. It helps others facing the same problem to find a solution easily****
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Annoying fan noise

I like everything about the new macbook air but except the fan noise. It is annoying that i am considering return it.
Watching Hulu(Flash based) is actually okay, acceptable fan noise.
Using Netflix is still okay, acceptable.
But when i use the Dishnetwork Sling player plugin to watch streaming video, and fan noise is so audiable that become annoying.
Looking at Acitivity Monitory, the system is about "60-65%" idle, while the plugin process CPU is 120-140%.
A 60-65% idle system can case the fan to be that loud, i couldn't imagine what will come next.
is Dish Sling plugin to blame? how many other software in future use in macbook air(not optipized for Lion i guess?? ) will have such fan issue?
return it and get a macbook pro instead?

fatapple wrote:
is Dish Sling plugin to blame?
Probably at least partially.
My fan, and I think everyone's fan, is running at a high rate of speed for certain high-intensity processes, especially concerning video rendering. The Air is an excellent machine with enough "horsepower" to do a great many things that heretofore were only reasonably possible on a MBP. There are tradeoffs though. one of them being a smaller fan,in a smaller package, is going to run with a little more intensity for the same task.
For me, the fan is a minor annoyance, offset by the advantages of the Air. But that's just me.
However, as Lion matures, and so do the developers abilities to turn out drivers and plug-ins that use resources more efficiently, we'll surely see some of these issues move in a positive direction.

Intermittent metallic fan noise

Occasionally, I hear this metallic fan-like noise going on in my Mini. I have heard this on and off before, not on a daily basis though; rather it happens every few months. I called Apple Support around a year ago about it (before it was out of warranty), but I can't remember what it is or if I should be concerned about it.
This morning, it occurred upon waking the computer up for the first time from it's overnight sleep. The noise built up slowly, then went on for 5 minutes or so, and eventually stopped. This is the usual pattern; however, it can last much longer. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it happening, as I hadn't done anything other than wake the computer, and there isn't any specific time it begins. Sometimes, it will happen after the Mini has been working for serveral hours, and not necessarily doing anything that's very taxing, such as researching on the internet or while writing a document or email.
Any idea what it is and if I should be worried?

Just to clarify, this is a mid-2007 built Mini that I bought new at my local Apple store, in June 2008. The Optical Drive, SuperDrive 8x, was replaced in Dec 2009, after repeated failures to read discs that worked fine in my MacBook Pro, would not seat discs properly, and would not eject discs after they got stuck inside the drive.
This can't be an Optical Dirve issue, as there was nothing in the drive when this noise happened. It is very much a fan noise, but not sure why it would be happening so sparadically.

No fan noise and heating up

Hey to all,
I have a macbook pro running on leopard since a few months.
I was reading this topic about high noise of the fan nad heating up on the left side (above and below.
Well i have the same thing ( heating up that is)but "NO FAN NOISE".
Since i dont hear anything, meaning that the fan doesnt work at all?
Should i be worried?
Thanks in advance for all replies.
Greets,
Pedro
Message was edited by: Pedrosan

You should never be worried - it's not good for you!
If you are concerned I think the first step should be downloading and installing the "iStat Pro" widget, easily located in the downloads section of Apple's web site. It will show you up-to-the-second system-wide temperatures as well as the speed of your fans.
It may be that you just haven't been doing anything with your system that taxes its resources enough to cause the fans to ramp up.

Sounds like Right Hand side fan noise

I've had my powerbook for over year now. I don't have the AppleCare. Ever so often I will hear a noise coming from the right side of my laptop. It doesn't seem hotter than usual. It doesn't happen all the time, but every now and then. I'm a bit concerned as I don't want my system burning up. Any suggestions of what it can be or how iIcan fix the issue?

The fan (fans) will come on once in awhile if the processor load is high. As long as its not too loud, just normal fan noise, what you are describing may be normal. When the fan runs take a look at the Activity Monitor to see what the processor load is.
A couple thing you could try if you are concerned...
Run Apple Hardware test included on the original OS DVD, Disk one. Insert the disk and reboot holding down the Option key. You will be presented with a menu, select "Apple Hardware Test" and follow the instructions. The long version of the test will test the fans, memory etc. When you insert the disk (before you re-boot) there should be an Apple Test Readme file in the finder.
Also... Download one of the temperature sensor utilities. Here's one:
http://www.bresink.com/osx/TemperatureMonitor.html
This will give you a look at the temperature of the Battery, Power supply, Processor and hard drive. There's also a widget or two on the Apple web site.
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/

Yoga Pro 2 Fan noise tweak fix?

Anyone we can tweak the EC for yoga pro 2 like was done for the yoga 13
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Idea-Windows-based-Tablets-and/Yoga-13-Fan-Noise/td-p/902693/page/84

The MBA (at least my old 2010 model (which was a total lemon)) definitely has a substantial fan which kicks in under load (gaming etc.). You don't see vents because they just use the crack along the hinge line to get the air in and out. Yes, this means there's less exposed vent area but you still have to worry about blocking it say you were using it on top of a blanket or something.
Also if your MBA ingests, say, enough cat hair to block the fan intake, then good luck getting at it to clean it out. I had an old Dell gaming laptop that became unusable until I opened it up and pulled the 1/8" mat of cat fur off the face of the heat sinks.
Over time the inside of your laptop can start to look like that furnace filter you haven't goten around to changing in a year or two, depending on how the airflow goes. Usually the air gets pulled through a heat sink and the outer face of the fins can collect stuff.
Someday the power dissipation may be such that we can have completely sealed dust-proof machines, but until then environmental concerns over time are still a big pain.
Z.

Problems with new Yoga 2 Pro (battery, fan noise, yellow, screen orientation, on-screen keyboard)

I purchased the Yoga Pro 2 on Thursday October 17. I love the computer for so many reasons, (especially since it replaces my 4 year old Compaq that was 6.5lbs!) however, I am also having a few issues with it.
It is the i7/8GB/256GB model from BestBuy. I am experiencing the same yellow issue as is mentioned by many on here. I didn't realize it, though, until reading these forums and then comparing to my old computer and my ipad and iPhone. A little disappointed, though it looks like Lenovo may be working on a solution.
But the real reason I originally came to look at this forum is because of 2 things: my fan and battery.
The fan (on the right side of the keyboard) is always on! I didn't expect this, and am wondering if mine is a lemon or if others are noticing the same thing. It's pretty noticeable, especially in a quiet room. I was showing off my new computer to a friend and the very first thing she said was that it was loud! She was using a MacBook pro, which wasn't making any noise at all.
The second thing is the battery... I am attaching 4 photos all taken within a few minutes of each other. If you cant see them, they are all of the battery meter on my screen. I am listing the time of day (to show how much time passed), percent remaining, and time remaining:
10:04 (88%) 306 hr 15 min
10:05 (88%) 8 hr 48 min
10:09 (86%) 4 hr 54 min
10:29 (81%) 5 hr 12 min
I feel like my computer just cant make up its mind!!
Another issue I had... I turned on my computer to show it to a friend (same friend who said it was noisy) and the screen image wouldn't flip when in any of the modes. This means I showed her the stand mode with an upside down image. Even in tablet mode I couldn't get it to flip. I turned the computer off and then on again, and luckily it decided to work, but it was frustrating, and I hope it's not something that becomes an issue.
Also, when I have the computer in tablet mode, the keyboard automatically pops up when I click somewhere to type... but this doesn't happen in stand mode or tent mode. Is this normal? I would have thought that the keyboard would appear in any of those modes, since the real keyboard is not accessible in any of them. And of course now that I am testing it out while writing this, none of the modes (including tablet) is having the keyboard come on screen. Of course, I know I can always choose the icon on the task bar to bring up the keyboard, but it would be nice if the computer did it automatically since it knows there is no other keyboard accessible in those modes. Is this an issue anybody else has had?
I really do enjoy using this computer, but some of these issues really need to get worked out if I am going to keep it. I'd love to hear if anyone is experiencing anything similar, and if there are any good fixes!

I just got a Lemontine Yoga 2 Pro i5/8GB/256GB from lenovo.com and the silver one from BestBuy in the same configuraiton. The silver one has no issues except for the crazy number of hours remaining on the battery which is fine, doesn't bother me. The fan noise is very quiet, and you can only hear it if you put your ear up to the vents in a quiet room.
Now the Clementine one...It was heating up pretty good. I put my ear to it on many occasions and can hear nothing at all, the fan is either missing LOL or doesn't work. I had an issue where I left the thing on for 4 hours, but sleep is configured after 5 hours. When I tried to use it, it showed me the screen brielfy, then blank. Tried hard reset, called Support, nothing. Support says its dead. Ok, an hour later, it turned on. I'm guessing it was too hot and was in some mode to protect itself, like a smartphone that is left out in the sun for some time, it won't power on till its cooled down.
I'm still in process of trying to get a hold of Lenovo to swap it, but since they no longer sell this configuration, I doubt they'll be able to get me a new one.
The silver one from BestBuy us solid though, love it, best in class in my opinion...actually got it from Future Shop sorry...from Canada, but they're essentially the same store.

HP TouchSmart 610-1280qd CTO Desktop PC Fan Noise

Hi,
Can you tell me if a loud CPU fan is normal for this computer?
The CPU fan is working very hard and the CPU and GPU are all ~38 degrees Celcius. The bios reports 1100 CPU Fan Speed and 3800 system fan speed. It sounds like my CPU fan is actually spnning faster than that.
Thanks
SOLVED: I spent some time with technical support and they had a model in the lab and confirmed that the loud fan noise is not by design. I returned my Touchsmart and received a new replacement and it is almost silent. I checked the BIOS and the fan speeds are reporting 1100 CPU Fan Speed and 2100 system fan speed with the same low temps above. I believe in my original machine they did not install fans right by swapping the plugins on the motherboard; I do not have solid evidence of this though.
I hope this help and just know that these machines should be very quiet most of the time other than some low level harddrive access noise.

Hello sal4303. I understand your screen is going blank.
Have you tried changing the settings for how long it takes your monitor to turn off? Here are the instructions.
Let me know if this has an effect on your issue.
Have a lovely afternoon!
Please click the white star under my name to give me Kudos as a way to say "Thanks!"
Click the "Accept as Solution" button if I resolve your issue.

Big fan noise problem: the rear fan won't shut off, the BIOS won't update, systemupdate locks up

I received new ThinkStaion (oh boy, lots of memory and CPU speed, yay!)
I unfortunately left the originally installed Vista OS on there. Very much regretting that as I believe it contributes to the following problems (BIOS).
So the original problem was that after just a month of using my new ThinkStation, the System Board died, and it had to be replaced. Honestly, all I did was choose the sleep or hibernate option in Vista to shut down. Afterwards,poof! didn't even get the proper Power lights on the system. I diagnosed this with the online docs and then sat for a few hours on our tech support line doing all the same things to re-diagnose it.
So after the replacement, the rear fan will not shut off. Jet engine noise all day. I went into the system settings and selected "Quiet" for the Fan settings but that did not help.
Research on this forum resulted in the possibility of a BIOS update fixing the problem. Comparison to my co-workers systems which arrived at the same time shows this BIOS is woefully out of date, so even if it does not fix the fan issue I want to update it. However, everything I've tried to do is failing for one reason or another.
(The fan issue does need resolution since in one week I will end up sharing an office (first time in many years, thanks IBM for nothing!) so since I don't want us both to have to wear noise cancelling headsets, I'd like to fix this without having to just pull the @#$@ power to the fan. Grrrr. )
I downloaded what I felt were the appropriate Lenovo apps to update both the BIOS and the serial number but none seem to work properly from the command line in Vista. One of the two (can't recall which) asks me to reboot and it never actually shuts down. Eternal "Shutting Down" message. Ga! The other throws some gosh awful
systemupdate le
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-69701
eternal reboot
BIOSD attempt:" 2xjy26usa
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-69701
error 1275 no admin priv - I AM the administrator account, there is no other acct to use!
Then I decided Vista might be the problem and found sites recommending flashing the BIOS from a bootable USB. So I started down that path and after burning the wrong version, finally geting the AIK Vista tools installed and to the point of trying to make the USB bootable, it won't allow me to put the OS boot on it. Ah, for the days when a simple "sys a:" took care of that.
So, after reformatting the USB and pounding my head in the wall, keyboard, etc. I am at my wit's end. What to do. I just want the fan noise to go away.
This does seem to duplicate other forum messages but I can't get anywhere on this. Help!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

FYI to all the helpful folks here (and any looking to shut their jet engine off as well): Flashing the BIOS did the trick.
First I had to find a website with DOS OS files and put those on the USB instead of Vista. Oldie but a goodie, but at least it booted! No other versions would.
I had been intending to use the WinPhlash utility that Lenovo supplied with the BIOS update but since I was booting from DOS that was useless. However, I found a DOS version of it and used that instead. Boom baby! Flashed and rebooted.
It did take two boots to get it back to normal (first one gave very alarming messages about no operating system being found but I think it was just a remnant of the reboot that was triggered from the DOS session). A second boot returned life to normal and blissful silence from the server. And I was finally able to get the model and serial number back in there to get rid of the bootup message it throws for that too.
Ahhhhhhh.
Thanks to all for the hints - I believe I had gotten the idea of flashing the BIOS to solve this from some other thread I found here. This is a very nice forum to have bookmarked.

Fan Noise- A Concern???

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