problem with laptop vents

hi there, dont know if im posting in the right section but was wondering, i bought a compaq laptop a few weeks back and when i checked the underneath today there was a white powder accumilating all at the vent by the fan?? does anybody know what this is? im not sure weather to take it back or if this is actually normal or not?? ive tried googling it but cant find any results at all so it doesnt look like a common thing.

thanks.

 

It's dust.

 

thanks for the reply soviet, it is actually a white powder around the fan vent.

 

can you post some pictures

 

It's dust.

 

hi bulik, its difficult cause my webcam is built in and i have no other camera, its not much but its all accumilating in the fan vent.

 

soviet its definatly not dust, i know the difference between dust and white powder, no offence ment or nethin.

 

maybe your laptop has a cocaine addiction...?

seriously tho, i'd install hwmonitor and monitor temps to make sure everything is running fine. as for the dust, using compressed air to blow it out and use a damp cloth to wipe it clean. do this every couple of months or so to ensure you dont get buildup which would lead to the system running hotter.

 

anthrax?

 

You need to take your notebook to a drug intervention, paul1.

 

yeh thanx 4 the stupid childish replys, lot of good u r, thank you for the good replys aswell

 

You're welcome.

 

Hmm paul, are you definately sure its not dust, i know after a while i get a "white like powder" although not completely white.

Im not sure what else it could be to be honest, your saying its fairly new so its quite strange.

The only other white powder that im aware is, would be some really old, dried out thermal paste. (Had this with my old athlon processor in my old machine.)

 

Well without seeing any pictures it is a little hard to diagnose. If the substance is by the vents on the bottom of the laptop then it probably came from the outside environment since that is where air is sucked in. Have you used the laptop in a different environment recently; kitchen, bathroom?

I considered the dried old thermal paste or even something left over from the manufacturing processes, but that would likely manifest itself around the side vent where air from the inside was being blown out, not on the underneath where air is being sucked in from the outside.

 

Must be dandruff.

 

yeh must b soviet, i cud understand it if it was you sittin by it but i actually wash my hair strangly enough.

 

cata and jake, thank you 4 ur responses, i havent moved the laptop from the frot room since ive had it.

 

Ah! Frat room? A student?

Maybe your mates are having a laugh on you?

Cheers!

 

Hmm, what about its original packaging? Anything strange inside of the box/wrapping?

 

i live on my own, checked the wrapping cata, nothin out of sorts, really weird,its like a very fine white powder.

 

Okay, guessed wrong...

Have you cleaned it once or twice and it comes back? Or, is this the first you've seen of it?

Probably left out at the factory overnight and the settling dust/white powder is what you're now witnessing.

Blow it out once and see if it returns.

 

Ok, well like tiller says, give it a blow, if it is definate powder then i'm not sure at all, if it seems like something more permanent then my bet is hot air bombing the plastic, somethings leaves grainy white, i have this with my sony vaio (since the pannel slightly goes over the fan, the plastic has become a grainy white.

 

Just take it to the store where you bought it. If you bought it online or from a supermarket I'd suggest you go to a professional store and have em look at it, if your sure it not just dust ...

 

Yes if it keeps returning then it has me puzzled, maybe wipe it clean (and/or blow it out with compressed air) and use it in a different room for a day or two and see if it returns, that would probably separate if it is coming from the computer or the surrounding environment.

 

Question about that compressed air. Is it also ok to just blow trough a straw to clean your vent? Seems cheaper to me

 

^ LOL, whatever floats your boat. you can lick up all the gunk as well. it's up to *YOU*

LOLOLLLLLL

 

Yes you can blow it, just try to blow it from the side away from the vent and not inside the laptop.

 

Dude if you want to at least have a shot at appearing to be of larger intellect than Soviet, get your grammatical skills in line. Also, that is just a stupid childish "comeback", illogical since unless Soviet stalks you i don't think he's going to be anywhere near you. Perhaps since you claim it is fairly new, you may open it up to get a look at the innards. Maybe this powder is from a fan shaft grinding against plastic producing a fine powder, could be worth a shot, you'll have to open it up anyways to look for dust accumulations.

 

@thinkpadknowsbest

+1 rep.
Most clever answer, never would have thought of a fan twisting itself to death, and it would explain the dust, although i'm surprised your laptop doesn't sound like a tractor ;P

 

HI Paul1,

As you can see from this thread everyone is trying to help you to settle your problem. But we are all guessing on what that could be. for starter we can't see what kind of powder is that and in what position. We can just visualize it through your description. It would be faster if you can really provide us with picture of your problem. And can you add if you can hear any scraping noise especialyy when you are holding your notebook with the fan running.

 

If it's around an intake vent and not an outlet vent, I'd think it's not from inside the laptop