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Need Help Newbie here :(

1621 Views 25 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  flavallee, 
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Hi guys this forum is really great and I appreciate all the help that u guys have offered to the community. I actually have a problem that is concerning me right now and that is cleaning of the cpu fan. Well, my pc has been on the floor for quite a few years and I heard that dust clogs up really quickly. I just wanted to ask how do I exactly clean my cpu fan. I Google online and found no support or videos or guide on how to clean my cpu fan because it's already quite outdated XD. I'm also kinda broke (am a student) thus buying compressed air or servicing it would not be a optimal choice. I always seen online that u can actually dismantle the fan to clean it. Any ideas how do I do it for my compaq presario sr5480cf pc? I found a manual about how does my pc looks exactly like in the inside (I managed to remove the cover) and I am quite confused now. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you!
Edit : took a photo of the inside, which cable do I remove?

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TheShooter93
Here is a can of compressed air for $6.84: http://www.amazon.com/RCA-10-Canned-Air-TPH303/dp/B004WLK4K4/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1414119978&sr=1-2&keywords=compressed+air

If you cannot afford that, you can carefully blow into the case to remove dust from your components. This isn't generally something I advise, but only done if nothing else is available.

No need to remove the "cover" -- screw that back on and just blow the dust out of your case.
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No need to remove the fan and clean out the dust behind?
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flavallee
From what I can see in your photo, the processor heatsink under the cooling fan is packed with dust and debris.

The only way that you can properly clean the heatsink is to remove the cooling fan.

The 4 small screws that secure the cooling fan to the heatsink need to be removed.

Note: Be careful NOT to confuse and remove the screws that secure the heatsink to the motherboard.

Once that's done and you can move the cooling fan aside, carefully unplug its red/blue/yellow power cable from the motherboard so you can completely remove it from the case.

After the cooling fan and heatsink have both been cleaned, reverse the steps to put everything back together.

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A home vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment on the end of the hose is what works for me.

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TheShooter93
freakgunner1 said:
No need to remove the fan and clean out the dust behind?
Click to expand...
It depends on how much dust is actually in your case. I personally do not remove the fan when I use compressed air in my case, but if you have enough dust to warrant it then there is no harm in it.
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flavallee
The heatsink in that photo appears to be in the same condition as a few old desktops that I've serviced.

A can of compressed air probably won't clean it properly, and the cooling fan will need to be removed first.

Dusty homes and those with animals can cause this problem to occur in a year or less.

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I'm kinda confused with the four screws. There's so many screws :( any tips?
Ps :I think I'm just gonna remove the fan from the heat sink and clean the heat sink from there , have no thermal paste at the moment :(
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flavallee
Just remove the cooling fan from the heatsink.

There's no need to remove the heatsink from the processor.

The easier you make the job, the better.

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Looking more closely at your photo, there may not be any screws holding the cooling fan to the heatsink.

There may be plastic tabs holding it in place.

I worked on a Compaq Presario desktop that had plastic holding tabs instead of screws.

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flavallee said:
Just remove the cooling fan from the heatsink.

There's no need to remove the heatsink from the processor.

The easier you make the job, the better.

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Looking more closely at your photo, there may not be any screws holding the cooling fan to the heatsink.

There may be plastic tabs holding it in place.

I worked on a Compaq Presario desktop that had plastic holding tabs instead of screws.

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Click to expand...
Hmm yea that's what I planned to do. I dun see any plastic tabs :( and the fact that the fan is slanted..?
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flavallee
It looks like you successfully removed the cooling fan. :up:

Move it aside and then carefully unplug its 3-color power cord from the motherboard.

You may have to wiggle it as you pull up on it.

Be real careful not to break or damage it.

Remember the cooling fan's position so you don't replace it backwards or upside down.

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flavallee said:
It looks like you successfully removed the cooling fan. :up:

Move it aside and then carefully unplug its 3-color power cord from the motherboard.

You may have to wiggle it as you pull up on it.

Be real careful not to break or damage it.

Remember the cooling fan's position so you don't replace it backwards or upside down.

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Click to expand...
Erm this is kind of awkward because it is originally slanted LOL haha XD
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flavallee
You have the photos to refer to, so you shouldn't have any trouble reinstalling it in the correct position.

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The problem is there are actually quite a lot of screws, kinda scared, :( pardon me :(
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flavallee
Pardon my bad eyes.

The second photo is at a different angle, so it looked like you had already removed the cooling fan.

I can see now that it's still attached to the heatsink, and it appears to be held in place by plastic clips and not by screws.

If you're not sure how to remove the cooling fan, you should get someone computer-knowledgeable to help you.

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Can you kindly point out where's the plastic tabs? Thanks :)
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Bump. Sorry :(
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texasbullet
I would just put back the fan where it was and buy yourself a few cans of compressed air and just blow the dust away. No need to remove anything from your computer. Make sure your computer is unplugged before attempting this.
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Hello I would like to bump this again. My fan is really getting loud and my friend also advised me not to use compressed air because it's really dirty. I have already unscrewed the fan, but it is still appears to be firmly stuck on the heatsink. May I know where is the clip? Thank you!
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flavallee
You have NOT unscrewed the cooling fan.

You've unscrewed the heatsink unit.

The cooling fan unit is held in place to the heatsink unit by black plastic tabs.

If you look carefully, you'll see them.

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The problem is the black plastic tabs seems to be permanently secured at the fan, I'm not sure if I'm actually touching the black tabs. Can u kindly point out where are the black tabs? Maybe circling the black tab with a circle on paint? Thanks :) I know u are busy but I will appreciate it. Thanks :)
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