Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Problems And Troubleshooting Of System Overheating

System overheating is not good for any computer. It can cause it to stop anytime without any warning. It makes the fan to whiz heavily and can be damaging to the microprocessor, although, may not  happen unlikely due to the auto-switch system built into the process to put it off  before getting toasted(as computer jargon goes). However, it can still happen if the process failed to auto-switch off to the detriment of the microprocessor and sometimes can cause harm to the motherboard.

There are various causes of the computer system to overheat. They are mainly as a result of the location where the computer is kept, other things like overloading to failure in part of components. 

A not well ventilated space can keep the fan from cooling and debris-filled  environment can be a consequential reason for a microprocessor heat-sink and fan to accumulate dust and it can also prevent air to circulate within and out of the CPU.

There is rare cause of overclocking.  This is when one adjust the CPU settings above specifications they are meant to run. When this occurs there is pressure on the system to perform some tasks at the highest condition, leading to more weight on the CPU to generate extra heat within, thereby failing within a very short period of time.

In a very rare cases, another cause  is the power supply. If the power supply is higher than the one intended for the power pack or charger it can affect a system putting more pressure on the components like the resistors inside the power pack or changer. For a desktop or a laptop, it can cause it to receive excess supply of current passing through the transformer to the system motherboard. If such a state of steady supply continued for a long time it can accumulate heat energy on the power carry chips to overheat.

If you are experiencing overheating in your computer system there are ways to troubleshoot it by following the process step by step below. 


(a) Cause by the position the computer system is placed

Step 1: Remove anything covering where the cooling fan is located.


Image of a CPU displaying its vents


Step 2: Don't place the vent of the system facing the wall or any thing that will prevent it from receiving cool air.

Step 3: Make sure the position of the computer is perpendicular to the side where the fresh air is coming from within the room


(b) Cause by accumulated debris or dusty environment


Step 1: Make sure where the computer is placed not receiving debris or dusty.

Step 2: Always clean the area where the computer system is located of dust.


Image of a Typical Cooling Fan


Step 3: Make sure to dust the cooling fan inside the system with brush or administer a compressed air can.


Image of  Cooling fan and Heat-sink on top of a  Microprocessor

Step 4: Make sure the microprocessor cooling fan and the heat-sink is not accumulating debris or dust it proper if there is any dirt.


(c) Cause by Overclocking of the CPU


Image of Start-up screen and where to locate setup key  -  courtesy of  computinghelp.info


Step 1:  Go into Basic Input And Output System(BIOS) by depressing the rightful key displays by your system during Start-up screen. It ranges from F2 key(most likely the commonest of all), DEL, F10 to CTRL+ ENTER key. 


Image of Computer BIOS


Step 2: Locate and revert to the 'Default settings'.  Save and exit. 



Step 3:
 Put off your system, remove the power cable from main power supply and hold down the power button for about 10 seconds( XT reset).

Step 4: Open the system remove and replace the small battery on the motherboard  to clear the CMOS.

For more on overclocking visit this LINK


(d) Cause by high power supply. 

Step 1: Check the output/input of your changer (it is usually written on the changer) and power pack (at the label on the side of  where the power cable is attached to the computer) against the main power supply of your home.

Step 2: If there is not constant power supply it is advisable to get a UPS. It can stabilize and control the amount of current coming from the main.