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Dimension 8400 noise when cold
I've read a lot of articles here about 8400 fan noise, but
haven't seen the following symptoms described. Before I call tech support (it's still under on-site warranty), I'd like to get some theories about what the the problem is. If the two-year-old 8400 has been in standby or power off overnight in a room that's roughly 50F or colder, when it starts there is a grinding/whirring noise that sounds like a motor bearing beginning to fail. If I restart a few times the noise does not disappear. But if i let the high-pitched grinding continue for ten or fifteen minutes and then do a power-on restart, the noise is gone and remains gone so long as the computer is operating at normal room temperatures. The 8400 is in use all day every day and the problem has become more persistent over a two-month period. Has anyone had the same symptoms with an 8400? Any idea what the cause might be? --David |
#2
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Dimension 8400 noise when cold
"J David Ellis" wrote in message ... I've read a lot of articles here about 8400 fan noise, but haven't seen the following symptoms described. Before I call tech support (it's still under on-site warranty), I'd like to get some theories about what the the problem is. If the two-year-old 8400 has been in standby or power off overnight in a room that's roughly 50F or colder, when it starts there is a grinding/whirring noise that sounds like a motor bearing beginning to fail. If I restart a few times the noise does not disappear. But if i let the high-pitched grinding continue for ten or fifteen minutes and then do a power-on restart, the noise is gone and remains gone so long as the computer is operating at normal room temperatures. The 8400 is in use all day every day and the problem has become more persistent over a two-month period. Has anyone had the same symptoms with an 8400? Any idea what the cause might be? --David Open the case before you boot it next time (cold) and look at the fans first: CPU case fan (under the green shroud ), power supply fan (either can be listened to via the back of the tower), or the video card fan if your card has an active heatsink fan (you can try temporarily stopping this fan with a pencil eraser or perhaps the plastic end of a pen). Also look for cables rubbing the case fan or the video fan. Beyond that, look/listen in the direction of your hard drives or optical/CD/DVD drives...... Stew |
#3
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Dimension 8400 noise when cold
Most likely the CPU fan. Actually, this symptom is pretty common.
Usually the noise will go away as the computer warms up (without restarting). It could also be another fan or even a disk drive, but when I've seen it, it's generally the CPU fan. Fortunately, it's a generally easy fix (new fan). J David Ellis wrote: I've read a lot of articles here about 8400 fan noise, but haven't seen the following symptoms described. Before I call tech support (it's still under on-site warranty), I'd like to get some theories about what the the problem is. If the two-year-old 8400 has been in standby or power off overnight in a room that's roughly 50F or colder, when it starts there is a grinding/whirring noise that sounds like a motor bearing beginning to fail. If I restart a few times the noise does not disappear. But if i let the high-pitched grinding continue for ten or fifteen minutes and then do a power-on restart, the noise is gone and remains gone so long as the computer is operating at normal room temperatures. The 8400 is in use all day every day and the problem has become more persistent over a two-month period. Has anyone had the same symptoms with an 8400? Any idea what the cause might be? --David |
#4
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Dimension 8400 noise when cold
Stew and Barry, thank you very much for the prompt and
thoughtful replies. --David |
#5
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Dimension 8400 noise when cold
The Inspiron 6400 has a thermistor test that fails at around 50F
and below, that the computer takes as a temperature of 255C (very hot), and it goes in full fan on, cache off, and slow crawl forward mode until you reboot it. V12 Bios upgrade fixes it. I mention it because, if there's a sensor test on the diagnostics disk, you may find it fails it when cold ; the temperature matches exactly what happens on the 6400. Put it in a cold room and try the diagnostics out (just that one, if it will let you). -- Ron Hardin On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk. |
#6
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Dimension 8400 noise when cold
Those re the classic symtoms of a fan whose bearings have worn out. When the
fan first starts especially from a cold condition, the play in the bearings cause the fan to wobble and vibrate. Quite often as you've discovered, once the fan reaches operating temp and speed the wobble goes away and the fan appears to run fine. "J David Ellis" wrote in message ... I've read a lot of articles here about 8400 fan noise, but haven't seen the following symptoms described. Before I call tech support (it's still under on-site warranty), I'd like to get some theories about what the the problem is. If the two-year-old 8400 has been in standby or power off overnight in a room that's roughly 50F or colder, when it starts there is a grinding/whirring noise that sounds like a motor bearing beginning to fail. If I restart a few times the noise does not disappear. But if i let the high-pitched grinding continue for ten or fifteen minutes and then do a power-on restart, the noise is gone and remains gone so long as the computer is operating at normal room temperatures. The 8400 is in use all day every day and the problem has become more persistent over a two-month period. Has anyone had the same symptoms with an 8400? Any idea what the cause might be? --David |
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