# Fan stays on, Computer won't start



## Joe67

Computer Model: Compac Presario SR5050NX
Condition: Purchased August 2007 brand new - only 7 months old

I couldn't find the answer to this problem no matter what word combinations I used to Google it. So any help would be greatly appreciated.

About 5 days ago I shut down my computer after I was done using it. The computer shut down and the monitor went blank, but the power button stayed lit and the fan started running loud and fast. I had not even heard the fan while the computer was on. But suddenly it was running at supersonic speed. 

The fan would not stop running no matter how long I held the power button pressed in. Finally, I unplugged the computer and the fan stopped running.

When I plugged the computer back in the fan started running loud and fast again, and the power button was lit up again, but the monitor stayed blank and the computer was not actually running. The reason I say this is because my monitor did a self test and confirmed that it was fine, but that something was wrong with the computer.

I then unplugged the computer again. The same thing kept happening over and over again, even after I waited as long as 40 minutes.

I then called HP/Presario support, and they had me open up the computer case. I then took out my RAM cards and a battery per their instructions, then put them all back in. When I plug the computer back in the same problem happened. I simply could not get my computer to turn back on again, no matter what I did, and no matter how long I waited. So support told me they would send me a Fedex box to mail the computer to them for repairs.

So I gave up and left my computer alone and unplugged for the last 5 days. Then yesterday I decided to plug it in again just to check it. 

To my surprise the computer started running normal again! The fan was running slow and quiet, and I used the computer for about 5 hours. But when I shut down the computer the EXACT same problem happened again. 

Once again the computer shut down and the monitor went blank, but the power button stayed lit and the fan started running loud and fast. The fan would not stop running no matter how long I held the power button pressed in. I then unplugged the computer. 

When I plugged the computer back in the fan started running loud and fast again, and the power button was lit up again, but the monitor stayed blank and the computer was not actually running. 

So when I get home from work I will try again. I am pretty sure, though, that even if it turns on and runs normal again I will have the same problem as soon as I turn the computer off again. And I can’t keep waiting 1-5 days for the computer to “fix” itself between uses. So I can see no choice at this point but to ship it off to HP/Presario for warranty repairs.

The box will arrive today from HP. But I am afraid they will get the computer, plug it in, and it will start working fine. Then they will return it to me and I will have the same problem again. I plan to include a note with the computer, but I'm worried that it won't matter as they probably just want to process the repair as fast as possible.

So does anyone have any idea what could be causing this problem? Again, any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## forcifer

which fan is it? in some pics i have found, the computer has 3. is it stuck on a aluminum thing that is on the motherboard, is it on the back panel of the case, or is it in the powersupply? i think it may be a fan problem which is very odd but not unheard of. the powersupply fan is mostly likely because of how wierd its acting but thats also the most expensive


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## VazT

sounds to me that the Power supply is starting to fail. You can buy a power supply tester at Circuit City or Best Buy or something for around $20 and test it yourself. It is a very simply task to perform. I would do that before I sent it anywhere or take the power supply out of the PC and take it to a shop to have it tested. I would almost be certain that your powersupply is the problem.


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## Joe67

forcifer said:


> which fan is it? in some pics i have found, the computer has 3. is it stuck on a aluminum thing that is on the motherboard, is it on the back panel of the case, or is it in the powersupply? i think it may be a fan problem which is very odd but not unheard of. the powersupply fan is mostly likely because of how wierd its acting but thats also the most expensive


I have 2 fans, and they are very close to each other. One is at the back of the computer, and one is just inside and has some sort of filter/screen under it. 

I believe it is the fan that is inside the computer that is spinning really fast, and I think it is attached to the motherboard.


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## forcifer

so the one thats not atttached directly to the side of the case? if so, there should be a little 3 wire cable running out of it. try to unplug this, and go through the whole turn on, attempt to shut down thing. do this very quickly if possible. if the computer doesnt shut down, then pull the plug (lol) on it asap to make sure the computer doesnt over heat. if it does shut down immediately, then you should be fine.


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## dai

some systems are set so the fans keep running after the computer shuts down by design
if it's over the shutdown tempreture they stay on until it comes down before shutting off
it will still be under warranty contact them and they will soon say if this is the case


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## VazT

OK - now if the fan that is attched to the Motherboard inside the computer is running - that is different. That is the fan that cools the CPU and as dai has said (above) some manufactors design is to run even is the system is off. This could be caused by the heat sink being clogged by loads of dust or the thermal compound that is between the heatsink and the CPU needs to be removed and reapplied.


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## warrior6977

I had this exact problem yesterday where the CPU fan came on like a jet engine and the PC didn't start and the monmitor was blank. I simply opened the case, blew out ALL the dust bunnies, in the case and on all the boards and heatsink, fans etc, reseated all the power supply cables/connectors, especially the main pcb fan and 20 pin connector on the main pcb. When I plugged it back in, everything was fine. Yay!

Just clean all the dust from the heatsinks and reseat all the connectors. I did not fool around with the cpu or thermal paste etc. 

Warrior


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## shotgn

Please do not reopen a 2 year old thread...im sure the original posted has since figured out the problem...


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## Eva2010

good article..thanks for sharing


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