My 5 year old laptop fan started screaming last week so I fixed it myself

Got an old Dell from 2019 that I use for my flooring invoices and estimates. Last Tuesday it started making this noise like a dying cat every time I opened a PDF. Pulled the bottom cover off and found a clump of dust and cat hair the size of a grape blocking the fan. Spent maybe 20 minutes with a can of compressed air and a little brush to clean it out. It still works fine now and saved me probably $80 at a repair shop. Has anyone else found way more gunk inside their laptop than they expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellas561d ago

My 2017 HP had the same thing happen except the fan actually died two weeks later because the bearings were already worn out from years of strain. A quick dusting might feel like a fix but you might be masking a bigger problem if the motor was already overheating. If that fan seizes up mid-estimate you will lose way more than 80 bucks in time and pissed off customers waiting on a quote.

zarap141d ago

Respectfully @stellas56, sometimes a quick dusting buys enough time to save for a proper fix without risking a total breakdown.