Intel Mac Mini fans run full blast even when off

Hi All,
I have gone through the forums and haven't found an answer to this one. I have an Intel Mac Mini running the latest updated Tiger that I use solely for a media center.
About a week ago, the box started running fans full blast, regardless of whether it was actually turned on or not. As soon as it is plugged in the fans blast.
Otherwise, it seems healthy, and boots normally.
The steps I have taken so far include resetting permissions, verifying the disk, and resetting the SMC in the proscribed fashion.
After this occurred, I downloaded and installed smcFanControl from Lifehacker.com. This reported fan speed of zero and Temperature of zero.
Next I opened the case and insured the fan/HD cable next to the lttle battery was securely fastened as this had been reported to cause this symptom.
What's next? The device is out of warranty and honestly, I don't want to spend any money if I can help it.
Should I take it apart further and see if the other end of the fan/HD cable has somehow worked loose?
Can anyone think of another cause besides a loose cable?
What if I completely disabled the fan? The hardest thing I ever ask it to do is run iTunes and VLC.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Dave

I have refurbished two G5s with LCS and screaming fans (this was avery common problem with G5 LCS macs), the red light on the motherboard could mean the CPUs need to be re-seated. This red LED light appeared on my mac after I had removed the CPUs to add new thermal paste.
If you have done all the necessary basics with no sucess here are a few things to try next.
1 - Coolant
As BDAqua mentioned above, coolant evaporates and often leaks at the 'O' rings, to check this you will need to remove the CPUs from the LCS and check for crystalisation (white rice). If you have leakage, it will be time to drain the block, add new coolant and 'O' rings. This is tricky to do but there is lots of info here and on other sites to help you.
2 - Thermal paste
Replace the thermal paste with Artic MX4.
Try the above and let is know how ou get on.

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HELP!! Mac Mini Fan Runs Full Speed

I have a Mini, 2.0 Ghz Core 2 Duo, (part #MB139LL/A), while working in Photoshop CS4 this morning, the fan for no reason shot up to full speed, will not stop or slow down. I opened the case, the fan controller connection is in place, the wires are not damaged. I followed reset SMC instructions, fan blasts back on as soon as power line is inserted. Computer overall seems to be running unusually slow, so slow that I'm in this support forum through a PC.
I have 2 gigs RAM, system profiler says both DIMMS are fine.
I tried downloading most recent SMC update, install says the computer doesn't need it.
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Tried the SMC reset twice to no avail, using the 'hold button in' as described by another poster here. So I tried it again, twice, without holding in the button. No change.
Considering I'm in the middle of a catalog project and do not have the luxury of waiting on repair - replacement of motherboard, I went to Best Buy last eve and bought a new iMac 24". Now I have the task of re-install and xfer of all apps.
Data and projects have always been stored on an external drive and backed up with Time Machine to another external drive, so continuing the project is a simple matter of plugging them in to the iMac. A horrifying experience with a PC taught me that lesson.
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I opened the mini case and noticed the fan sensor had come unplugged. I plugged back in. Problem solved.

Did it come unplugged from the factory? Or was this due to an installation you or an authorized provider did?

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Hey all.
I recently have picked up an old G5 Quad Power Mac. A system is installed (10.5.8) and the system boots and runs fine...
Only about 2 minutes after startup the fans start to run like crazy (I there is nothing running in the background which uses much CPU power).
Plus - the G5 Quad has liquid cooling so the fans shouldn't work too hard either...
Does anyone have any ideas what to look after? I already replaced the Li-Battery as my machine thought it's 1970 or so...
Or am I facing a mainboard problem? (I am seeing a little red LED in the inside...)
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I have refurbished two G5s with LCS and screaming fans (this was avery common problem with G5 LCS macs), the red light on the motherboard could mean the CPUs need to be re-seated. This red LED light appeared on my mac after I had removed the CPUs to add new thermal paste.
If you have done all the necessary basics with no sucess here are a few things to try next.
1 - Coolant
As BDAqua mentioned above, coolant evaporates and often leaks at the 'O' rings, to check this you will need to remove the CPUs from the LCS and check for crystalisation (white rice). If you have leakage, it will be time to drain the block, add new coolant and 'O' rings. This is tricky to do but there is lots of info here and on other sites to help you.
2 - Thermal paste
Replace the thermal paste with Artic MX4.
Try the above and let is know how ou get on.

Mac Mini Fans run when computer is off

I have a 2009 Mac Mini that has a system fan that runs full blast as soon as the power supply is plugged in(unit is off). When I turn it on the fan stays full blast. I have tried resetting the SMC and PRAM. I'm assuming a component failure on the logic board but I figured I would check with the good people here to see if I'm missing anything.
Thanks in advance.

Do I have to do the AHT from the install disc? I did do an AHT from the HDD
Likely that means you're no longer on 10.6.8 as it shows.
Yep, MOT is Motor, but I think can be sensor for the motor 7458 is the RPM I believe, but not sure it can go that high in reality.

Random Overheating/Fans Running Full Blast

Hi there,
Ever since I received my Early 2008 Mac Pro a couple of months ago, it would randomly begin blowing the fans at full blast and continue to do so no matter which OS I boot to, Mac OS X, Windows, or even Linux discs. iStat Pro reads that my Northbridge is running at 249º F, which is completely ridiculous, since all of the internal components to the machine are running very cool. This Northbridge sensor is appearing to throw the fans into overdrive. It sounds like I'm working next to a vacuum cleaner. It's very loud and irritating to work next to.
Unfortunately for me, I don't live near an Apple store, or have the means to get to one. Apple also will not let me send in my machine. About a month ago I had the chance to drop my machine off at an Apple store, but the geniuses were very confused about the problem. 2 Weeks later I received a phone call explaining that my problem was fixed. They never explained to me how the problem was fixed. I had a friend drive out to the Apple store and pick up my machine for me, but when I turned it back on, it still ran full blast. Nothing was different.
I came back from work one day and to my surprise the machine was completely silent. It has been randomly going from full blast fan speed to normal fan speed ever since, fixing itself every few days. I have 0% CPU usage at all times, yet the machine thinks it's overheating.
So now I ask you, Apple Discussions Board members, what can I do to resolve this annoyance? I have:
Reset PRAM
Reinstalled Mac OS X
Unplugged the computer for days on end
Swapped Hard Drives
Taken RAM out
Tried SMCFanControl
Taken out that little CR2032 battery on the mainboard
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Yesterday I popped in my disc and did an Apple Hardware Test. It passed with flying colors after hanging up and appearing frozen for 10 minutes. Found that little button behind riser A and pushed it for 5 seconds, rebooted a few times, unfortunately it did not work.
Also where is the Apple Hardware Monitor? Are you sure you don't mean Activity monitor? I couldn't find where the temperature/fan readings are in Activity Monitor.
The fans turned off, however, today when my computer woke up from sleep mode. They were off for about ten minutes when all of a sudden the fans kicked on full blast. This was strange because the computer would usually gradually increase over a 15 second period... not immediately. So now it's still stuck here, making noise :\

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The system still crashes, leaving the fans running a full speed. Then, I noticed that only 1 CPU is being recognized. :"(
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Is it feasible to buy a CPU off ebay to replace mine? If so, is it a straight forward operation or very tricky?
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Thanks for the reply and link, japamac. That thread didn't pop up in my search.
After following your link, I ran the Apple Hardware Test. The detailed test took right at an hour and a half (three times longer than it said) and returned no problems.
I restarted and both CPUs showed up in the Activity Monitor and things were fine for about 20 minutes, then the system simply froze, while I was running Safari and Firefox. But, no loud fans this time.
Upon a hard restart and then a soft restart, I'm back to one CPU.
Since only one CPU is showing up, I don't have a faulty one to deselect (I installed the "Processor" System Preference from the Developer>Extras>PreferancePane) or disable via Terminal.
So, I've got a couple of questions:
1. Where are the error logs that I should look at?
I've opened the Console, but can find no mentions of "panic" or "cpu," other than some 3 year old references under "Java."
2. More importantly, *how do I know +which CPU+ has failed*?
I see no references to "CPU 1" or "B" or "0" or "A." It's as if I've suddenly got a Single 2.3 G5.
3. Any possibility that this is a software issue?
I'm wondering if a recent update of Safari could somehow be a culprit. I had it open and also had Firefox open, both with 10-12 tabs. I know they can be memory and processor hogs.
Anyway, I will reseat the CPUs and grab a serial number while in the process and report back after a while.
Thank you for your help.

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I have had my Mac Mini for almost two years now and i love it, i love it because i switched from Windows, but now i kind of miss Windows so i was going to buy a Windows PC but then i read somewhere that the new 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo Mac Mini can run Windows XP, so i have few questions if that is true...
1. How well will Win XP run on the new 1.66 GHz Mini with 1 Gig of RAM?
2. Which version of XP do i need to buy and where is the best place to buy it?
3. I know this might be a dumb question since Windows Vista is not out yet but do you think i will be able to use Vista as well?
Vista requires 512 of RAM for the basics and 1 Gig of RAM for max performance.
That's all i have for now, thanks in advance.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Mac Mini 1.42 GHz G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9) It's small...?

1) If ou run it with Boot Camp (i.e. in a dual-boot environment, rather than through virtualization), it will run as well as on a PC with 1 GB of RAM, a 1.66 Ghz Core Duo processor and GMA 950 integrated graphics (quite well, but unsuitable for recent 3D games).
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3) The Mini should be able to run Vista (some people have already installed Beta versions of Vista on Intel Minis) but how well, I don't know.
BTW Boot Camp is actually Beta software, and its license ends in February 2007 (or earlier if Leopard is released before then).
If you need more information, you can also ask in the Boot Camp forum.

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Hey there folks,
I have a Mac Pro (early 2008, MacPro 3,1) with the OEM Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT graphics card.
Last night when I got home from work I booted up the machine and the fan on the 8800 came on full blast, it has always done this for 3-4 seconds on boot and would then spin down again. The thing is this time it never spun down, it kept going full blast and has ever since. The card is not under heavy load and is cool to the touch. The fan keeps going full speed so long as the machine is on, regardless of activity. Only when it goes to sleep or is shut down does the fan stop.
I've tried resetting the PRAM, resetting the SMC, and even ran Apple Hardware Test and it returned no errors. I have iStat Menus installed but I don't believe it is capable of showing feedback on the card. I haven't been able to find much online about this issue and there are apparently no Mac versions of Nvidia's control and monitoring software for their cards.
I took it into the local Apple store today and the Genius Bar almost immediately told me its a flat-out replacement issue. The machine is out of coverage so ordering a new copy of the same card is expensive ($380). I've looked into other, newer cards like the ATI 5770 or 5870 through Other World Computing and they seem like good options.
Has anyone else come across this problem or know of a workable solution?

I replaced the card. At first I took it to the Apple Store but the person there said its basically just a somewhat common hardware failure on the card. Not much to do but repair or replace it.
Rather than spend the time and money to have them diagnose it further just to tell me the same thing I replaced it outright with a card from Other World Computing; the ATI Radeon HD 5770. IT was a good alternative for my machine which, due to it's hardware configuration, has only a few to pick from as viable replacements. It's been working fine so far, no complaints. Just be aware it is a BEAST of a card and puts out a lot of heat.

Powermac G5 Fans Running Full Blast

Hi, I read several posts about fans but do not have any crash or freeze issues associated with the fans in my G5 server constantly running on high... Fans are on full blast for two days now, no software updates or hardware changes have been made to the server
Other than the Fans running the computer is working fine
Here is what I have tried so far;
• shut down and unplugged power cord for a few minutes
• disconnected Ext FW drives
• cleaned out dust from inside case (very little)
• checked fan connection (dual fans)
• reset SMU
• tech tool pro test
None of the above has had any effect. The only thing that will shut the fans down is putting the server to sleep. Sleeping the computer knocks everyone off the server so that is not an option -
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Thanks

A fan issue is usually related to the SMU. I see that you tried that, but if you used the +push the button on the motherboard+ method, try the +unplug the power cord+ method as described here
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1436
under +Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)+. As stated, "wait two minutes." It does not say "at least" two minutes or "about" two minutes.

Mac Mini fan running loudly after Safari upgrade

Mac Mini 2GHz is around 2 months old. All been fine until yesterday. When running Safari (it seems) and not necessarily heavy usage fan starts runningvery loudly. In the previous 2 months NEVER heard the fan or at least it's been very quiet, so am quite concerned. It appears that this has coincided with updating to the very latest Safari release 3.1.1.
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thanks
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The new Safari release supposedly has some issues with Flash media files and with Windows Media files -- and will require updates of the helper programs that display those formats.
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Sleeping G5 often makes fans run full blast and machine unresponsive

the only thing new lately is that I installed Leopard 10.5.3 on my dual 2.0 GHz G5 tower.
I usually sleep my machine all the time
now it's a crapshoot whenever I sleep it whether or not it will go to sleep normally, or freeze in a state of screenless unresponsiveness with the fans running on full blast with no way to stop except a hard shut down or power kill
other than this the machine is literally working just fine. Never interferes with my work.
I don't know if this is 10.5.3 related or not, but I do wonder.
I started up from an applecare disc and did a full diagnostic and everything checked out
I guess I'll have to test Tiger sometime again but that'll be a pain because I'm already addicted to Leopard
I just hope this old faithful tower isn't going dead on me. and I wish there was some official word if this was just a 10.5 thingy

I believe I have solved this problem for now.
I opened up my G5 and used compressed air to blow out all the months of dust buildup in the machine.
I re-seated every single removable component inside (RAM, PCI cards, graphics card, etc)
I also pushed the PMU reset button once and then put the machine back together.
I proceeded to sleep it and wake it up about 5 times in a row, and it didn't exhibit the blowing fans problem and the light was "snoring" as it normally should in sleep mode.
A few days later, the machine hung up after being put to sleep AGAIN with the fans kicking up and the light on my cinema display staying one dim level without the "snoring."
This time I disconnected my Belkin USB hub and I have not seen the problem resurface since.
The interesting thing is that cleaning out the machine and resetting the PMU sure seemed to help.
So maybe it was a combination of things that were the culprits.
I also wonder if I can ever use this perfectly good and only 1 year old Belkin USB 2.0 hub ever again.
My father uses the same model on 10.5.4 as well on his MacPro without any problems. I am on a G5.
I wonder if there's a firmware on the Belkin USB hub that could be in need of upgrading or if I simply cannot use this hub w/ this computer anymore.
(luckily I don't need it urgently right now)
I will report back if the problem happens again, but for now, since the computer has been sleeping totally fine for days now since removing the USB hub, I am marking this question as answered and hope that this info can help other people.
If anyone has anything to add to this thread or knows about the specifics I've discussed above, please feel free to respond more.
Thank you

Mac Pro fans run full speed after installing Solid State Drives

I recently visited the Genius Bar at my local Apple store because my Mac Pro's fans were running at full speed after installing 2 solid state drives. The genius told me that it was because the drives themselves are so small they don't touch the metal tab on the motherboard that reads the drive's temperature, so it defaults to running full speed. Does anyone know how to fix this problem? I've tried smcFan Control but it doesn't let me set the actual fan speed. I'm getting 5200 rpms on my Boost A and B fans, and this causes an insane amount of noise. Can anyone help?

Which model Mac Pro?
I have an SSD in a 2009 (MacPro4,1). I removed it from the 2.5 in stamped metal can, and just installed the bare circuit board onto the SATA connector. It does not make any contact with the metal tab below the SATA connector. The only trouble I have is that Tech Tool Pro says its temperature is not optimum when it does disk tests.

Fans running full blast.

Alright.. I was plugged into the wall with my MBP and I flipped my computer over to take out the battery to check the serial for the battery exchange thing. Then i flipped it back over and knocked off the magsafe connector off. So obviously, my computer shut off. I wasn't doing anything important, no biggie. But since it started up, my fans are running on full blast and I've never ever been able to hear my fans ever running before now.. Any ideas?

My first thought is that one of the two thermal sensors came unplugged with it being upside down/jerked; if so then it needs opening up and reconnecting by Apple. It shouldn't do this so warranty kicks in.
It might be worth resetting the power manger first though?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303319

Mac Mini Fan Running Very Loud

Hello,
The other day whilst play Rome: Total War I noticed the fan on my Mac Mini (bought new in 2012 with fusion drive, quad i7 2.3GHz, 8GB Ram) was blowing a gale. I downloaded MagicanPaster to monitor the Mac Mini and this occurred every time I played RTW, or when I exported a file on iMovie. I know a bit about computers, but not anything about technical stuff so wanted to check that my Mac Mini was behaving within "normal" parameters. The MagicanPaster reported the following whilst exporting an iMovie file:
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RAM
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Hard Drive
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Temperatures
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The Temperature of the CPU is my biggest concern, but like I said I don't know if that's just what happens when using iMovie.
Thanks for any help,
Ashley

woodturner wrote:
Joe Bailey wrote:
I have the same Mac mini as you do but with 16GB of RAM. Normally in a room with an ambient air temp of 41℃ the average temperature of the four CPUs is around 55℃.
You actually keep your room 'normally' at 105 degrees fahrenheit, the equivlent of 41℃ ?
No the room temperature is more like 74℉ but the ambient air sensor in the Mac mini "sees" a temperature of 41℃ in its immediate vicinity which is inside the Mac mini enclosure. 105℉ is more like the Outside Air Temperature during the summer here in Texas.

Intel Mac Mini fans run full blast even when off

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