IBook fan?

I recently got a 12-inch iBook G4 and one thing is troubling me. It gets hot. My other laptop got hot too, but never this hot, and it had a fan that kicked on and wouldn't shut off till it cooled down. I've had this machine nearly a week, watched several DVDs on it, and after I noticed the heat problem I downloaded a CPU temperature widget and watched it as the movie played. It displayed temps in excess of 135 Fahrenheit fairly quickly. I know there's supposed to be a fan in here somewhere, but I've never heard it, and getting that hot will kill the machine quickly, so hopefully there's something I can do to cool it down.

My computer's fan doesn't switch on until the machine reaches 144 degrees Fahenheit. I bought this iBook in October of 2004(yea, I've got a dinosaur).
These machines are designed to tolerate those hot temperatures. Your iBook should be just fine
Yeah, it does get a little uncomfortable if you've got it sitting on bare skin.
But other than that, it's not too bad.

Similar Messages

  • Hot iBook, fan comes on for first time, could it be 10.4.5?

    I recently upgraded to OS 10.4.5. In the last few days, I've noticed that the fan is coming on. It never did that before.
    In some cases, it seems to happen when the system is indexing the external hard drive. But the odd thing is--the front left top side of the iBook, where one rests their palm for typing is getting hot. That never happened before either!
    I assume the hard drive is under there. Is the system updating Spotlight's index for the external hard drive in a file on my iBook?
    How can I stop this, stay cool (and calm), and avoid fan noise?
    Sign me,
    An old Mac Plus user who loved his MacChimney and running silent

    Hi, AstroMacMac.
    The Spotlight metadata store (Spotlight's set of indices: there's actually two) for your external hard drive is saved on the external drive. You can tell if Spotlight is indexing in a variety of ways:
    • A white dot pulses in the center of the magnifying glass in Spotlight's icon.
    • Selecting the Spotlight icon shows an indexing progress message.
    The indexing process is resource-intensive, so this may result in extensive virtual memory (VM) swapping. VM swap files are saved on your hard drive. This could account for the heat. For a discussion of Mac OS X memory management and swap files, see my "Problems from insufficient RAM and free hard disk space" FAQ.
    Be sure your iBook's ventilation holes are not blocked. In general, use laptops on a solid surface so the feet will provide appropriate clearance around the vents. If pressed against your lap or on a table with a table cloth or with a place-mat underneath it, this may be block the ventilation openings in the case, whose locations vary by laptop model.
    If you regularly connect and disconnect the external hard drive, Spotlight will check the state of the index each time it is reconnected and will probably re-index the drive. If you do not want Spotlight to index the external drive, see the "Disabling Spotlight indexing while indexing is in progress" section of my "Stop Spotlight Indexing" FAQ.
    You may also want to be sure that there are no hardware faults with your iBook. See my "Apple Hardware Test" FAQ for comprehensive advice on using the Apple Hardware Test in troubleshooting, including running the test in Loop Mode.
    Good luck!
    Dr. Smoke
    Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
    Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
    I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

  • IBook Fan on all the time

    Hi, everybody. I've had my iBook since August and everything has been fine except the past few weeks, the computer's cooling fan began turning on more and more frequently and it is at the point where it turns on everytime I use the computer. This CAN'T be healthy. I remember one guy here saying his fan turned on twice in 8 months. Oh boy!

    Justin, your fan should definitely NOT be coming on more and more often than it used to unless you are using more CPU intensive apps than you used to or unless you are operating it in a fairly hot envinronment.
    Also, your ibook should NOT ever need a rest as was mentioned. It should be able to run 24/7. It should not get continually hotter after the first 20 minutes of operation unless its workload increases.
    Use an app such as Temperature Monitor to find out the actual temperature. Then you can determine if the fan is coming on prematurely or if you are indeed running hot. Anything else is just guessing.
    Run your app called Acivity Monitor to see if you have any processes using a large amount of CPU, such as 50% or more. When just running a web browser and nothing else, the CPU usage of it should only be around 5-15% or so all the time.
    The only time my fan has ever come on in over a year is when ripping a DVD and then only for about 3 or 4 minutes, then it shuts off again for several minutes, etc.
    Again, check what your actual temp is. Mine runs around 115F when surfing the web. If yours runs much hotter than that when doing the same, check for errant processes, (perhaps anti-virus software).

  • IBook fan always runs when charging

    I recently purchased a refurb 12" iBook G4 1.33mhz. Whenever I have the charger plugged in, the fan runs (even when the iBook is flat on a desk). Since the fan is fairly loud, I find this really annoying.
    Is this normal behavior? The fan seems to kick in around 57C.

    Hi DrewV,
    No, it's not normal. Try resetting the PMU .
    John

  • Ibook fan works while charging + heating + wrong time indicator

    Hi ,
    i ll try to explain the problem, i dunno what to do with it.
    Well, something is wrong with fan or battery , i plug adapter to ibook and fan is starting to work , the temperature is normal, shown 49- 51 C. My ibook is 7 month old , and it just started one month ago. So after charging , when it shown , that the battery is charged 100 % , working time indicator shows only 2hours of work , and it works two hours, which is not right, cuz it always worked not less then 4 h. It s not all the time , if i turn off computer or make restart or take away the battery or smth like that , it starts to work normally , and after while the problem repeats. Pls do not suggest me to calibrate battery or smth, i tried everything, if u ll have additional questins- ask , i really want to solve the problem!!! cuz it s annoying to listen to that sound and to realize that something is wrong with it.
    best regards,
    Anton Golovan ( Tallinn , Estonia )

    Heat is the enemy of computers. What is ambient air temp where you are using the computer? Also, the iBook cools through the bottom of the computer case (it gets warm because it designed that way. Make sure air is circulating around the base (not sitting in your lap or on soft cloth). I owned my iBook for 4 months before I really even realized it had a fan. But, I keep my house cool in the winter. I guess as far as fans go, if the device gets a warm temp condition that needs the fan, let it run. Buy a second battery if you need longer life. You might want to look into one of those aluminum lattop bases that helps to absorb heat from the base of the laptop and dissipate it into the surrounding air.
    The battery life indicator will change depending on the power consumption. For example, I am sitting here with a browser open, typeing this. Screen brightness is at 75% and the hard drive is off. It shows 3 hours and 41 minutes. If I were to play a video, this would drop to maybe 2 hours and few minutes. It all depends on what is going on with the machine. Stop the video it wil jump back up. Battery perfomance is also affected by temperature. When the battery is fully charged according to OS X, what does the indicator on the bottom of computer say (hit the button on the battery, how many green leds light). If not all the LEDs light the battery is not full charged and may need replacement.
    The fan may becoming on with the power adapter because of your power settings. I have my power settings to maximize CPU and performance when on the power adapter. That is often enough of a difference to cause the fan to come on.
    You have reset the PMU and recalibtrated the battery, so I don't think there is much you can do here. Is it just the battery indicator that is indicating only two hours and the battery lasts longer than that or does the battery indeed run out in 2hours. I am not clear.

  • IBook fan not turning on anymore

    Hi!
    I'm using my iBook G4 (1.33 GHz) for about 9 months now and most of that time i played some game every now and then (hardware intense games like Halo or World of Warcraft). Normally, the fan started working for a few minutes and everything was fine. But in the last days (it's really hot here in Vienna...), the fan never turned on. Even when I'm playing WoW and the temperature reaches 72 degrees C, the fan doesn't turn on (normally it starts at about 65 C). I'm really wondering if this has got something to do with the 10.4.7 update because I didn't play for a few weeks and now this problem arised.
    Are there any known problems with this update? Or is there some software that allows me to turn on the fan manually?
    Thanks in advance,
    Marco
    iBook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

    I have had my iBook g4 1.42ghz for almost a year now. I have not once heard the CPU fan turn on, not even when playing Doom 3.
    Then again, my CPU rarely passes the 55 degree mark.
    It should be the case that if the CPU gets too hot, the iBook will shut itself down.
    Does anyone know the max temp for the CPU before failure?
    My main concern is not for every single instance you would expect the fan to come on, so much as accumulated damage to the mainboard from maintaining such high temps. Maybe you should run a hardware test? Heck, with everything you have already tried, you may as well boot to the install disk and run disk repair and repair permissions. I can't imagine what could be wrong with the filesystem\permission that would cause this, but sometimes a little nonsensical voodoo magic cures problems that should not be related to these things.
    Good luck, and keep an external fan blowing on your machine until this is resolved.

  • IBook 12" 1.33 Question about the Fan?

    I am looking to purchase an apple laptop for class and work. I have a HP laptop now that runs great and is fine, except the underlying problem is windows just plain ***** and I'm tired of all the crap that goes wrong with windows. I have a mac desktop, the new iMac 20" core duo, but am looking to replace this laptop since I may need it for school and work.
    My question is geared towards those that use their iBook with light/moderate use...does the fan run constantly and is it loud? I think the most annoying thing about this HP laptop is sitting in class or a meeting and the fan is running and its LOUD! So, if I were typically using microsoft office (i.e. word, excel) or photoshop, would the fan be running a lot?? Thanks for any advice!

    Have to politely disagree with this comment... an iBook's fan can be quite loud! It's quite obvious when it's on vs. when it's off!!
    And it could run while using Office depending upon
    a) air circulation issues
    b) background indexing
    c) hard drive room
    etc.
    But having said all that, I don't think this should prevent you from buying an iBook as the fan will rarely come on under normal operating circumstances.
    Until recently, after upgrading to the laste OS and security update, and seemingly ONLY when indexing an external hard drive, our iBooks' fans have practically never come on at all.

  • =( My iBook is still dead!!! (with included symptoms of a dying iBook)

    I bought my iBook last May2004. I loved my iBook and took really good care of it. After one year of usage, all of a sudden my iBook stopped working -- a month after my warranty had expired... It all started with the "sleeping problem" -- when it didn't want to go to sleep even after my lid was already down... there were even times when it got really hot in my bag because it didn't sleep... then sooner the problem got worst... it wouldn't boot normaly -- it would boot 1 out of 4 times of trying to boot-it-up... I also got the weird screen with different funky colors... then one day, all I hear is my iBooks fan when I press the power button... I brought it to the Mac Shop in the Philippines and they are charging me about P30,000 ($555-US) because they said it "might" be the logic board. I decided not to get it fixed here because I couldn't afford such amount... when I went to pick it up and got their invoice, their invoice mentioned "probable logic board failure"... the word "probable" kinda smells fishy... did they really check what was the problem?... ANYWAYS,... 5 after I took it back from the shop I decided to remove the battery and let it sit there for awhile...3 months after, I used my power cord to power up my laptop and used my boot cd to boot up my iBook...supprisingly, it worked... then I decided to shut my laptop off and get my battery charging... after my battery was fully charged, i turned my laptop on again and it was still working... , i unplugged my power cord and left my laptop running on battery and it still worked...BUT,... when I got tired of enjoying my again working iBook, I put my laptop in a sleep mode by closing its lid... then its LCD lights didn't automaticaly turn-off like usual even if the lid was already down... so I opened it again and pressed my space button to try to get it running but now it just went to a blank screen... again, all I hear is a fan when I turn it on and that was the last of it working... what's up with my beloved iBook?... I personaly know 7 other people (friends)experiencing the problem -- not including those I've meet in the internet -- you don't wanna know how many they are. PLEASE HELP! MY iBOOK is still DEAD!!!!!!
    Note: Phrases that are underlined and are in bold letters are the usual symptoms of a dying iBook G4. Believe me. I've search all over this discussion board since 2005 and all I see are people expressing their deep sorrow and grief about their dead iBook G4. I miss me iBook so much and all that is in it. It is still sitting in my bag waiting to be resurrected. A few days ago I planned to get a MacBook because I really missed my iBook, but upon stumbling upon this Discussion Board again, I still feel much dissatisfaction from both old and new users of iBooks and MacBooks -- from the same logic board issues. I dare you find it out yourself by surfing around this Discussion Board.
    To those who are in my shoes: "I feel your agony"
    To those who's iBook still works: "You're one of the lucky few...but just wait...huh."
    To those who are planning to buy one: "True. iBooks and MacBooks are really cool with very cool design and very good OS. But my friend, think it over plenty of times. Im not telling you to not buy one but its really painful to wake-up one day and your beloved iBook/MacBook is DEAD and its now just as useful as a paperweight or probably a doorjam or maybe even a cutting board. Believe me, I know."
    Unless APPLE would decide to backup their systems with a 3year warranty(WHY NOT?), I wouldn't....
    Mr. Steve Jobs, Sir, with full respect, that's my dare to you.
    ilogboy
    Feb. 21, 2007
    iBook G4:1064MHZ/256MB/40GB/COMBO   Mac OS X (10.3)  

    on some G4 iBooks similar problems could be caused by display cables - they wear out and can cause electric short
    or color issues.
    in any case it supposed to be diagnosed properly.

  • New PB 15" Fans, SMS, Temps, Gfx and other related questions!!

    Hi All,
    Apologies if this is a long one - I have a few points to raise.
    As a new 15" PB user I have spent the last week or so scouring these boards for information on my new baby. Much of it has been interesting, and I'd like to address a few of the issues raised.
    Fan Noise
    Some folks have mentioned a constant but quiet noise from a fan on the unit. i too am aware of this, but it is not the cooling fan, but the HARD DRIVE. I recently upgraded my whisper quiet iBook with a Seagate Momentus 5400rpm 80 GB drive, and the sound on my new PB is exactly the same as that which began after this HD upgrade -these hard drives are slightly noisier than slower models, but i'm happy to live with it as it is non-intrusive.
    As to the fan/s themselves on the powerbook - when do they actually turn on? I'm used to the iBook fan kicking in after 20 minutes or so of World of Warcraft, but I have still yet to hear my Powerbook fan outside of running the Apple Hardware Test. How hard do you need to push the machine before they come on?
    Temperatures
    I can see that there is an issue with most temperature readers in that they don't update on the PB properly. I'm using the latest version of Temperature monitor which seems to update, however the readings seem weird to me:
    Graphics Processor 100C, Power Supply Bottom 48C, Processor Bottomside 40.8, Processor /Controller Bottomside 41.5C, Hard Drive 36C, Trackpad 32.5C.
    Are these in line with evryone else's? I am concerned specifically about the graphics processor reading, which is odd, as I am simply sitting here typing this with no other apps open. initially thought the program may have picked up on the battery charge rate, as it varied from 97-100, but sometimes it will change erratically for no apparent reason.
    Ticking in 3D apps
    This may or may not be a new one. When I'm playing 3D intensive games with the sound muted I notice a ticking noise coming from the centre of the unit under the keyboard - it's not hard drive related. The ticking changes in speed depending on the scene shown on the screen, and seems to be consistent with the frame rate, i.e the ticking slows down as the framerate does. Anyone else notice this really weird behaviour?
    Apple Hardware Test
    When I received the unit a few days ago i ran the Apple Hardware test and was surprised that when we got to the video memory part the screen suddenly went allpatchwork coloured for about 15 seconds. The screen then returned to normal and the test was 'passed'. Is this normal?
    Sudden Motion Sensor
    The AMS tracker tool at kernalthread.com didn't work on my SMS equipped iBook - I really wanted to try out the little toys the author made where you rotate your machine and the display rotates to suit - a bit like a £1400 version of Warioware Twisted...
    Anyway, it doesn't work on my new PB, even though it was specifically designed to do so. I have noticed some issues on here about SMS, so does anyone else with a new Hi res powerbook have the same problem?
    Well that's about the total of my observations for the moment - any comments/suggestions would be most gratefully received!
    15"PB HiRes, 1.5GB Ram etc   Mac OS X (10.4.3)  
    15"PB HiRes, 1.5GB Ram etc   Mac OS X (10.4.3)  
    15"PB HiRes, 1.5GB Ram etc   Mac OS X (10.4.3)  

    Hi David --
    I have comments that might help with regard to a few points in your post.
    Re fan noise: I have a Seagate Momentus 100 GB 5400 rpm factory installed and it's whisper quiet. I can't hear it over the noise of my typing even in a quiet room.
    Re temps. I, too, have Temperature Monitor v. 3.1 installed. It was the first temp monitor (credit to Ned Snowing for turning me on to it) that appears to update its temperature readings on my PB. I have six temp readings, like you, but none of them are marked graphics processor. Where you have graphics processor, I have "Battery Temperautre." Maybe it's because you have the October 2005 revision PB and I have the February 2005 revision, i don't know.
    My temps, starting with "battery" and then following the same ones as you outlined in your post, are: 31, 41.4, 40, 43, 35, 33 all º C. That 100º C reading you have has to be wrong, because it would surely well exceed the outer limits for the machine -- I don't see any category with a specified outer limit temp higher than 82º C.
    Can't help on 3D gaming, not really what I use the PB for.
    As for the AHT, I haven't run it in a while, but if I remember correctly, the patchwork graphics for 15 minutes thing that you describe is just the AHT doing its thing and testing your PB's graphics capabilities as part of its diagnostic process.
    Finally, as far as the Sudden Motion Sensor issue goes, you might find the following (I warn you, very long) thread regarding the effect that upgrading to 10.4.3 (which I see you are running) had on people's SMS. Here's the thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=228309&tstart=50 the long and short of things appears to be that on many people's PB's (mine included), upgrading to 10.4.3 appears to have messed with System Profiler's ability to report accurately the status of the SMS. It also effects the AMS and the ability of the programs you described to tap into the SMS. You need to read the entire thread carefully to get all the subtleties of what's going on, and no one seems certain as to whether the problem is just a reporting one or whether the issue goes deeper and actually implicates the functionality of the SMS itself. I'm done with it, frankly, until Apple comes out with either a statement (unlikely) or a new update (likely) that hopefully fixes the situation. It's bee reported to death through proper channels.
    -- JDee

  • Merge mailbox contents of iBook G4 & MacBook

    I'm wanting to merge the mailbox contents of "Mail" Version 2.1.3 (753.1) from my old iBook G4 (Mac OS X Version 10.4.11). The message says "you can't use this version of the application Mail with this version of Mac OS X (10.6.4). I'm aware I could "forward" them through my ISP, but is there a simpler solution please.

    My iBook fan comes on every once in a while when things really start to get hot. It runs for a while and then shuts off. Crashing before the fan comes on might be due to something other than just heat.
    A dead fan should give an error code with the Apple Hardware Test.
    Keep in mind, even a dead iBook has value for a lot of people, either parted out or whole. A marginally working one might even have more.
    Check out this thread for suggestions:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1007567
    Good luck!

  • Fans never turn on, ever.

    The fans on my iBook never turn on. I have only heard them in action once, and it was for about a quarter of a second. I don't understand whether there is something wrong with my computer, or if this is just how the iBook works. I read the articles on the G4's fans and cooling system, but didnt get much info. Anyone?

    Hi kazooiedog and welcome to Apple Discussions.
    My iBook fan very seldom comes on, and then only when I'm playing a game. It was quite alarming the first time it happened. To check that operating temperatures are as they should be you can download and install iStat Nano Widget which will tell you all sorts of other interesting info.
    Good luck,
    Adrian

  • IBook tried to kill itself

    I closed my iBook like always and it went to sleep.
    I went out for 5 hours and when I got home my iBook fan was running at full speed and the sleep light was off. I don't know if this was for a few minutes or hours.
    When I opened the iBook there was a blank/black screen and no response to mouse or keyboard. The iBook disipates heat through the keyboard and is not supposed to be able to stay on with the top closed.
    I wonder how many years of life was taken off its life expectancy tonight.
    I will do a complete hardware check from the startup disk and see what if anything is reported... even though I just did that a week ago.
    Has anyone else experienced this?

    LOL, a suicidal ibook, that $ucks...
    Athough the blank screen is weird, was the ibook
    plugged in when you left it? The ibbok sometimes
    turns back on when the charger is taken out, or
    plugged in, even if the lid is closed... So if there
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    waken the ibook up, are your clocks still on the
    correct time?...
    I don't beleive you've lost much/any of youre ibooks
    lifetime, how hot was it when you came home?
    Hope it won't happen again...
    Regards
    C
    Hiya:
    The iBook was plugged in THEN put to sleep. It wasn't disturbed in any way. No power fluctuations (My daughter was home and said nothing like that happened). It was hot to the touch.
    Something else I noticed... I used the iBook for a while last night after this happend and shut it down, plugged it in, and this morning it was still charging. It usually only takes about 3-4 hours from a flat battery but it took almost 8 hours to charge from a 1/3 charged battery. It did eventualy charge though.

  • Fans on 17" 1.67GHz HD screen

    What can I use to monitor the fan speed on my 17", I use iStat Pro widget but it says I have two fans and they are running at 0 speed. I mailed them to report that it' seems not to show fan speed but no reply (4 weeks ago)
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    Thank you, that did the trick, both the fans do come on and sound just like my iBook fan. The test disc did a left and right fan burst.
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  • Time to upgrade, but concerned...

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    Thanks. Derek =]

    1. Ive heard the new macbooks overheat like a
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    I got mine 5 months ago and when I first got it, it did run hot. But after the firmware update, it's been beautiful. I mean it never seems to get hot. Not even toasty-warm.
    And I rarely noticed the fans running, though, of course, sometimes they do.
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  • Third party webcam

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