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Imhotep

Ok I recently started having problems with my PC locking up and freezing on me , Iv'e had this PC for a couple of years now and rarely experienced this at all. Once it started to happen very often I unscrewed the case and noticed that my fan connected to my heatsink wasn't running which would explain why it was locking up. Afterwards when powering back up the fan wouldn't run in return the system wouldn't boot up and I couldn't turn back off the system using the power switch so I had to switch off the power from the strip. After turning it off and on about 20 times I might get lucky and it will boot up and run for a few hours then it will eventually lock up and the fan will stop spinning again. So I decided to buy a new fan , I plugged it into the CPU fan connector and it started to work immediately , but by the next day it started back to its previous methods again locking up and this fan wouldn't run now. So I was convinced it wasn't the fan , I plugged both fans into the 2 other fan connectors on the motherboard and they both ran each time I powered up the system , I would just revert to using one of these other connectors but although the fan is running the system doesn't boot up while running off these other two connectors. So im pretty confident that somehow this CPU fan connector started acting faulty all of a sudden and is the issue , my question is I have no idea how to bypass this , why is it that the fan works seldomly or some of the time when powered up in the CPU fan connector , and when finally running why is it that they stop running while already booted up , this was never happening before , I could understand if this was a new system but I've had this system for years and this is the first time Iv'e experienced such a thing. Lastly I thought once they ran off these other two connectors ( I think its power supply fan connector and case fan connector not sure ) I would just be able to use them instead , but although they are running the system still doesn't want to boot up , WHY IS THIS?? Oh and one other thing , I remember before all this happened when in my BIOS there was a moniter that told you your PC temperature and fan speed and what not , when I did manage to get lucky and it booted up , when in the BIOS it was no longer there , I don't know if it was because this new fan didn't support it because it had 3 pins where my last one had 4 pins but anyway I've been trying to resolve this issue for the past week and a half and im fed up now ANY input at all would be greatly appreciated thank you in advance , here are the the specs on my system ,

Intel Pentium D processor 820 each running at 2.8 ghz
1024 MB DDR2
250 GB HDD

madmonkey

Hi Imhotep,

Welcome to PCHF.

You could try using a 3 - 4 pin adaptor, and plug your fan into the power supply instead of the motherboard. This way, the power and speed is not controlled by the motherboard, and will run at a constant speed. 3 Pin to 4 Pin Fan Adapter with Separate RPM Sensor Sleeved [3TO4FANRPM] : Performance-PCs.com, ... sleeve it and they will come

However, this is likely to be a more serious problem than just your fan. The fan will usually continue spinning, even if the CPU temperature is low. If your BIOS (Press F1, F2 or [DEL]) has a section called "Smart Fan Control" or "QFan", make sure it is disabled.

Otherwise your problems are more likely to be either a motherboard (short), or power supply. You said you could understand why this would happen to a new PC, but not a PC you have been using for years? Your answer... Capacitor aging! Your power supply will degrade as time goes by, and as a result will consume more and more power, leaving less for your PC. If your PC is being starved of power as a result, it may well explain your problems. Have a look at eXtreme Power Supply Calculator v2.5 (click on Go Lite), and fill in the specifications of your PC. Be sure to add 15%-20% for capacitor againg. Compare the results with your current power supply.

Imhotep

thanks for your reply greatly appreciate it , that 3 to 4 pin adapter seems like the cheapest resolution. I went through the power supply calculator and it came out to be about 439 watts , and I have a 400 I believe . I don't know if thats due to added peripherals or what , but my question was that site you linked , do you know of any others possibly that accept other payment methods such as money orders , I've been searching but couldn't find any

madmonkey

I don't know any from the top of my head that accept money orders. You would need to contact them directly. I think these are likely to, and are even cheaper than the previous link I gave you: 4pin Power to 3pin Power Adapter Cable - SALE PRICE: $0.98

Your power supply would definately be stuggling with a 400w, so it would be a good idea to purchase one of these also. Added peripherals would definately increase your usage. You could also damage your PC this way.

madmonkey

Marked as answered.

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