Chip fan problem...

Whitefish · 1 Jul 2006 at 10:50

When I start my PC I get a POST error saying that my 'Chip Fan' has failed. When I open the side of the case I see it's a small fan on the motherboard that's struggling to get spinning. However, if I just knock it with my finger to get it going it can go okay on its own.

I'm guessing I need to replace this fan, but I don't know if that's easy to do. Can I simply unscrew it and put a new one on? If so is there a special sort of fan I need to make sure I get?

Thanks.

Whitefish · 1 Jul 2006 at 11:22

Asus A8N-SLi Deluxe

Whitefish · 1 Jul 2006 at 13:06

Damn, I was hoping it wouldn't be so fiddly.

Ah well, thanks a lot for the help and the phone number.

Whitefish · 4 Jul 2006 at 20:56

subxero said:
Anybody else read this title as 'Chip Pan Problem'?
That's what lack of sleep does

Anyway, have you tried just unplugging it, it might be fine and not need it to be spinning depending on the chipset. What board do you have?

Oh and don't worry about it being fiddly, it's an easy thing to fix

I have an Asus A8N SLi Deluxe. I have wondered about trying it without the fan but I worry about things catching fire. I mean, I assume it has a fan on it for a reason.

Just to clarify, what chip is this exactly? The BIOS or the CMOS or something?

Thanks for the tip about oiling the fan bearings. I'll try that if all else fails.

I did try to phone the helpline, but it gave me three options. One was about PDAs and another was about 'flatscreens' and the final one was 'anything else'. I pressed button 3 for 'anything else' and was told I'd have to use the support forms on the website, all of which are totally unhelpful. I'm going to try and fill one out.

The other option is to try and just do it myself without getting Asus involved. Is there any way I'll be able to get hold of a suitable fan just on the general market, or do I need a specific Asus one? I'd rather pay £5 and do it quickly by myself than **** around with Asus and wait 10 weeks to get a simple fan.