clean out dust bunnies

[shashgo]

Hi,

I have a dell inspiron 2200 laptop, and every so often I hear the fan whirring like crazy inside.  This leads me to believe that there might be a good amount of dust inside.  So can anyone walk me through how to open the case to get at the fan and the heatsink or whatever else

[stevejohnson1958]

No need to open the case.

Just purchase a can of compressed air from your local office supply store and direct the air to any/all of the exposed vents and this should be sufficient.

Use caution when you use the compressed air around the fan, though.  Making the fan spin faster than intended is not good for its bearings.

[reddevilggg]

mmm....laptop fans do speed up every so often because of how the processor is used. If the cpu has not got alot to do then it runs slowly, but once the cpu is given a big job to do it runs at a higher speed which will make it hotter, thus needing more cooling.

Look at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpeedStep
and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerNow!

This will explain things more.

Unless the fan is making whineing or gringing noise, then this might be dust.

[shashgo]

perhaps there is nothing wrong right now and that there isnt a whole lot of dustbunnies inside, but I would like to know what to do when the time comes.

By the way I have sprayed air by all the vents and they look clean.  But couldnt there be dust inside

[stevejohnson1958]

Another thing to keep in mind...

Even though it's called a laptop.  It's not a good idea to use it on your lap.  You will be blocking the vents thereby obstructing the flow of air...which will definitely make your fan run harder.

[drmsucks]

  But couldnt there be dust inside

Sure, check your manual or the Dell site for instructions for "opening" your case.

[stevejohnson1958]

I really wouldn't recommend opening the case...unless you feel comfortable doing so.  Taking it apart..as well as putting it back together, may be more challenging than you expected.

For directions on opening a laptop case...you'll need a Service Manual, since the regular User's Guide does not cover this procedure.

[drmsucks]

I really wouldn't recommend opening the case...unless you feel comfortable doing so. 

I absolutely agree.

[shashgo]

well i took a look at most videos on youtube and such, but even though I took all the screws from the back and the sides out, I still cant get the case open.  Its a spare laptop so even if it gets junked, I wont be loosing that much.  Actually this is for a learning experience, so every bit of help is appreciated

[rockerest]

Often, there are plastic clips and other discouraging items to keep the average user from opening a laptop case.  Check for those and release them carefully so you don't snap anything.

-rock

[stevejohnson1958]

Dell™ Inspiron™ i1200 and i2200 Service Manual