CPU Fan Not Working

Well, I am using the family laptop and it is a Satellite M105. It is the one affected by the battery recall. Somehow we missed the recall and we never got it replaced plus Toshiba cancelled program for a free replacement for the older generation of Satelites.

Anyways, the CPU fan is not working and it is ALWAYS heating up. The battery cannot hold a charge and we are in a process to order a new one soon. For the meanwhile, is there anyway to see if the problem is something else?

We're using Ubuntu and just to say, my siblings had not taken good care of this laptop. That is one of the reasons why we're using Ubuntu...(little brother thought hitting a computer would fix it... )

 

Wow, anyone.........?

 

If you are still using the original battery, then it is probably on it's last legs and you should either buy a new one or just accept that it is what it is. If you are using a utility like CoreTemp or Speedfan you could confirm the temp.

I have found that Toshiba laptop fans are replaceable if you are willing to open up the case. The fan you can get off eBay, just make sure that you buy it new. What I would do is while you are in there is go ahead and clean out your heatsinks and blow the rest of the dirt out of your case.

 

Thanks for the reply TabbedOut.

Yea, that's what I thought, it must be the battery. Anyways, I have tried opening the laptop and I've broken a small part of it. I took out all the screws, hard drive, and RAM, yet it still won't budge to come out. Are those programs for Ubuntu/Linux?

Do you know of any guide to open it up?

 

I'm not sure if I misunderstood your post, but I do not believe that the battery is the source of all of your problems, just that a battery losing it's charge after two years isn't unexpected.

I have only disassembled Toshiba tablets, but that being said I can't imagine yours being much different... I would just go over it again and make sure you got out all of the screws and take out EVERYTHING (CD-ROM, flash memory cards, etc) to make sure you got them all. One thought: if your siblings were not as careful as they should have been with this computer could they have glued the case together?

As far as a Linux equivalent, I am not sure.

 

Here is a disassemble guide.

Depending on the nature of the recall, I wouldn't keep the battery in that laptop. Some recalls are because the battery is a firehazard. You should call Toshiba and beg them to replace it. (BTW, I'm having trouble finding reference to the recall on the support site. Any links?)

 

Link to battery recall info

 

I forgot to add earlier: If you are comfortable, I would go ahead and replace Toshiba's thermal compound on your CPU and GPU. In their infinite wisdom it seems that Toshiba decided to use this clay like substance on my Portege 3500, Tecra M4, and again in my M700... it stands to reason that they would use it on their other models as well. Not only this, but they also like to spread it on THICK. A nice thin layer of your thermal compound of choice probably would not hurt.