A8Js overheating problem.

Since the time I installed Vista 64 bit, I've noticed sometimes (well, ONLY sometimes) my laptop overheats and then shuts down itself. Then I have to leave it off for an hour or so and then switch it on again.

How do I rectify this?

 

I could use some help here!!!

 

Are you sure it is overheating? HAve you checked the temps? Monitoring them? Use NHC or any other program to verify overheating?

How are you overheating your laptop, since you state this only happens "sometimes"? Are you gaming or just doing normal tasks?

If you laptop was overheating, then it would be occuring more often when you do similar tasks that orginally caused it.

This may be a driver issue, for example my desktop GPU drivers will cause my computer to crash, because the memory wouldn't dump, this happens roughly every 1-3 days for me when I am gaming.

 

If it really is overheating it might the the ACPI driver for 64bit. Maybe it doesnt control the fan right under 64bit and lets the laptop overheat.

 

well.........it happens during normal usage
when I put my hand near the exaust I cant feel any air(usually i can, but when it is heating up, i cant), that means the the fan isnt working. How do I check the temperatures and how do I get the NHC software?

This is happening since the time Ive formatted my PC and installed Vista64

 

Here is the website for NHC:
http://www.pbus-167.com/

Here's the site for SpeedFan:
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

You may also want Everest Home:
http://www.lavalys.com/


Well the warm air still can't tell us what's going on inside the laptop, but it is a good indication, in terms of comparison of when you first got the notebook and now. Is the notebook significantly hotter than before?

You may also have dust, hair, lint and etc, blocking the vents, causing the notebook to get hot and overheat, once again using a program to monitor the temp would also verify this.

How long have you had your A8js? Basically every 3-6 months you will need to clean the vents, with a can of compressed air.

Once you download some of these programs, tell us what your temps are.

 

Does the fan ever run? If it never turns on in Vista 64bit then I would download a linux live cd. Run something that demands alot of CPU power and see if the fan stays off. It might be a broken fan.

Dont use NHC for Vista. Doesnt work right under Vista 32bit and doesnt work at all under 64bit. Not sure about the others and 64bit.

 

OK........Ive owned the laptop since Febuary, so its been quite a while.
Can you explain to me how to clean the vents?
And also, I cant install ACPI driver its gives an error saying Install Failed.

 

NHC is not compatible with Vista64

 

well and there was a mistype........i meant I cant feel any air......thats when it overheats and shuts down..........then after an hour or so when i turn it on, i can feel the exhaust blowing out warm air.

note: whenever the overheating thing happens, i cant feel the exhaust blowing out air.

 

hello?????

 

You've got a problem with V64 and your temp management monitor or fan control in the BIOS/MB - if the fan isn't running at all then there's a driver problem and of course it will eventually overheat with nominal use and shut down. Something wasn't correctly installed during your OS conversion; others will have to suggest how to get the correct items back installed, as I don't know anything about Vista-64; this is another (unfortunate) example of how Vista is not yet a solid system.

 

Why dont you install Vista 32bit? If that also causes problems then send it in to Asus to get it fixed.

 

ok do you really think the ACPI driver is important??

 

OK and here are my idle temperatures:
Local Temp: 46 degree celcius
Remote Temp: 52 Degree celcius
Core 0: 34 degrees celcius
Core 1: 36 degrees celcius

 

The ACPI driver is essential. If you do not have the ACPI installed correctly there's no wonder the fan is not working correctly.

If the fan is not running at all after Vista starts although it runs during POST, then it's almost certainly a driver problem. For the sake of your notebook, I suggest trying to get a good driver for Vista 64 or otherwise switching to another OS.

 

Well, actually the fan doesnt work during POST also. Then when I restart my laptop it starts working.

 

Fan on/off during POST suggests BIOS problem.

Do you have the latest BIOS for your computer? If not, try upgrading. If so, try downgrading.

But first, solve the vista ACPI driver issue and see if that takes care of the problem. I think you were given the suggestion to turn off UAC or run the ACPI installation with Admin privileges, to avoid the installation error.

 

I just got me an A8Js and very happy about it, only flaw I see is the air vent is on the right hand side. Can't figure out why

 

To keep the left-hand side of the notebook relatively cool during gaming, the heatsink and therefore fan are placed on the right-hand side.

 

ok thanks guys ive got the ACPI driver working
lets see whether the fan goes off or not

 

HI, I recently installed Vista 64 bit and have the same overheating problem, did the ACPI driver work for you? And where can I download it?

 

acpi got to working.......but it still didnt help
download the acpi driver from the asus forum on this website....then when u run it..right click it and select run as administrator

 

Are there other versions of the ACPI driver on the support website? (even older ones) You could try those.

Also try writing a different BIOS (newer, older).

These might affect your issue (hopefully, in a positive way).

 

sa_ill-

Did you ever get a solution to this problem? I just intsalled Vista-32 on my A8JS and my fan is not working properly. I think its a BIOS or ACPI issue. Speedstep is no longer working either. My cpu stays pinned @ 2ghz whether it is under load or not. Everything worked fine under XP32 but i would like to solve the problem under vista rather than go back to XP.

 

I replied on your other thread.

 

Ok so i have a little more info on this problem. I have now loaded Vista X64 with the same results.

If i boot the laptop without the power cord, speedstep works fine even if i plug it in once vista has booted.

If i boot the laptop with the power cord in, it sticks @ 2Ghz.

The fan speeds are not working at all either. The fan speed stays at whatever rpm it does when the laptop posts. So... if you are booting it from cold (like when i woke up) The fan is off because the laptop is cold. It continues to boot(power cord in) to vista and when it gets there it overheats because the CPU is pinned @ 1.3volts @ 2ghz and fan control does not work because it stays at what it does when it boots.

I have since then rebooted so that the bios sees how hot the system is at and it runs the fan @ 100% where it stays in vista regardless of what my system load is.

I am super frustrated with this because I love my laptop and think its lame to go back to XP due to this stupid problem.

I tried to post to Asus tech support but after a years use, the Serial number sticker has rubbed away and now its not legible at all. Infuriating. I wonder if asus does that on purpose hoping people loose their serial numbers....

 

It's an odd problem. Despite having other problems with my A8Js (see this thread) I never had problems with the ACPI and the fan buying stuck at a given rpm. I used windows XP and Vista32bits and never had any problems. Don't know about Vista64.

 

I would suggest you try a third OS (Vista 32 and 64 are not sufficiently different to make a determination). Try a live-linux CD for instance. If the fan doesn't change speeds there either, it's probably the BIOS. (although ACPI drivers are not guaranteed to work well in Linux)

I don't remember, did I suggest reverting to an older BIOS, or updating to a newer one, or just rewriting the current version?

Also try resetting the BIOS to default settings.

 

Hello, I saw your post and have the same problem as you with regard to overheating. I recently upgraded my a8jp from mce to vista 32 bit and the laptop overheats after recovering from sleep or hibernate modes. It also will overheat after a cold boot where the CPU fan is idle. I contacted ASUS tech support but all they say is to install the ATK driver which I have done but it hasn't fixed the problem.

 

Does the fan ever run? If not, it may be faulty.

Also, is Vista 32 supported for the A8Js? Maybe the ATK drivers are incompatible and that's why the fan doesn't run. In that case, the best thing to do is go back (upgrade ) to XP.

 

My son's A8js was overheating and shutting down, and it apparently was a fan problem. The fan is being replaced as I type this. Not sure exactly what was wrong with the fan though (yet) as it's still being stress tested with the new fan to be sure problem is fixed.

 

I am having exactly the same problem with my A8Js. I have tried to upgrade to Vista twice, and always end up going back to XP, because I cant correct the fan issue. It works perfectly on XP and does the same as others have said once vista is installed.

 

If you have installed ATK drivers for Vista, then I'd say they are buggy.

If you have not, then that is the problem. You should have ATK drivers for the power management to function properly, including fan control.