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Subject: Re: Computer Trouble - Advice requested

Author: martin fierz

Date: 15:32:49 05/17/04

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On May 17, 2004 at 17:04:25, Stephen Ham wrote:

>On May 17, 2004 at 15:14:56, Timothy J. Frohlick wrote:
>
>>http://www.comtek4u.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=1
>>
>>Steve,
>>
>>Read the above.  Your hard drive is probably OK.  Try looking for overheating
>>problems with the CPU. If the cooling fan and heat sink is even a little bit
>>loose then you could get all the problems you mentioned.  Trust me.
>>
>>Don't be a Griswold as in National Lampoon's Vacation and spend $500.00 when a
>>$7.00 fan/heatsink is to blame.
>>
>>TJ
>>
>>PS A 3 year old hard drive that is little used should not fail. The power supply
>>or the CPU fan/heat sink is much more likely to fail.
>>
>>
>Dear Tim,
>
>Thanks very kindly for the sage advice. It seems that I'll need to replace my HD
>regardless (it's got "bad spots). Nonetheless I promise to check my fans and
>heat sink.
>
>Personally, I don't think my CPU is "hot." I live in Minnesota and so the
>weather is frequently cold for several months of the year. The CPU sits on a
>concrete floor in the coldest part of my unfinished basement. Still, I know that
>AMD's can often get hotter than Pentiums, but I just don't think that's the case
>here.
>

besides the computer troubleshooting lesson, you also need a physics lesson :-)
the weather in minnesota has next to nothing to do with your CPUs temperature.
the CPU is not sitting on a concrete floor at all, the CPU is sitting on the
mainboard inside the computer case, and is thermally well isolated from your
cold concrete floor. CPUs, a couple of square inches in size, use something like
50 Watts.
if you ever touched a 50 Watt light bulb, you got an approximate idea of how hot
that would get if it didn't have a powerful cooler and fan on top :-)
the main things governing your CPU temperature are the heat conductance to the
cooler, and the fan. if one of these isn't working properly (e.g. too much dust
in the fan after years of use), the CPU overheats, and the computer either is
smart enough to shut down or dies.

so much for the physics. i don't believe the theory about the hot CPU disturbing
your HD though :-)

cheers
  martin


>All the best,
>
>Stephen



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