Help! Am I Killing My Laptop?

[The Lady Eve]

Lenovo T60 laptop. Three weeks ago got a fan error message. Had it hosed out and everything was fine.

Today there was an annoying grinding noise. I turned the laptop off and when I tried to boot up got the fan error message again.

On a hunch, I slapped the laptop around the fan area and presto - it worked again. In fact, it's running silently like it used to do.

I mean, ? Right now I'm in the boonies and the tech help has been semi-clueless - just trying to hang on till I get back home.

Any theories? Suggestions?

 

[Rett Mikhal]

Ah, the T60... What once was great (IBM) has been undone (Lenovo). I gave up on mine a few weeks ago.

The fan is vertically oriented. This means blowing it out is very difficult. If the fan is getting the boot error (FAN ERROR!) and refusing to start, it needs to be cleaned. You'll have to download a schematic with a detailed list of instructions on how to remove the keyboard and get to the fan. Once you get to it, you don't have to disassemble it. You just need to blow it out with canned air and grease it with WD-40 or other lubricant.

I would highly suggest doing it. High temperatures are not ideal and eventually will kill it.

 

[The Lady Eve]

Thanks, Rett. I thought it might be something like that. Although it's still behaving, for now. It's a tough little machine but the previous IBM models were really, really good.

 

[Rett Mikhal]

Those IBM thinkpads were indestructible. The Lenovo versions... not so much.

 

[KJbushway]

That makes sense. thats why I will stick to desktops, just take of the side clean the fan put it back on.