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Cleaning Dell Inspiron 5100 Cooling Fan Part 3

[ad#Clean Fan]

Recently my notebook has been giving me a lot of trouble. When I run too may applications, or sometimes when I’m watching DivX shows, the CPU will suddenly slow down. I can feel hot air coming out of the exhaust port When I place my hand there.

This is a continuation of a series of posts that document how I cleaned the cooling fan.

Step 9: Clean the fan with a damp cotton bud, cleaning all the accumulated dust.

Step 10: Clean the cooling block as well. The layer of accumulated dust actually becomes an insulation layer that prevents heat from dissipating effectively. You have to reach all the way to the back to clean the grill too, since a lot of dust gathers there are blocks the exhaust air flow.

Step 11: This is how a clean grill should look like (I hope!)

Step 12: Make sure the fan housing is dust free as well

Step 13: Look around the rest of the notebook and clean any hair, dust or food crumbs.

Step 14: Eww, look at all the dust!

Step 15: Put everything back, by reversing steps 8 to 2.

Done! Turn on your notebook to make sure it still works. Your notebook will run at a lower temperature now.
Links to:

Part 1 of 3
Part 2 of 3

Cleaning Dell Inspiron 5100 Cooling Fan Part 2

[ad#Clean Fan]

This is a continuation of a series of posts that document how I cleaned the cooling fan.

Step 5: Look for a big hole in the middle of the notebook. Remove the screw. Remember to keep the screw in a safe place. I have taken photo from two angles.

Step 6: Remove the metal plate that protects the innards of your notebook from stuff that drops between your keyboard keys. You may want to gently clean any dust you see with a damp cotton bud.

Step 7: You will see the cooling fan being covered by a panel. Remove the three screws covering the panel. Remember to store the screws in a safe place.

Step 8: Remove the cooling fan. Note that the fan’s power cable is kept in place with a clip. You may carefully remove the clip. I placed a piece of paper over the keyboard and put the fan on top of the paper.

Links to:

Part 1 of 3
Part 3 of 3

Cleaning Dell Inspiron 5100 Cooling Fan Part 1

[ad#Clean Fan]

Well, I guess it was time to give the cooling system a cleaning.

If you own a Dell Inspiron 5100 notebook, you may need to do this periodically. Otherwise you may find that your notebook will overheat and shutdown unexpectedly. An alternate solution is to download software that allows you to control your cooling fan. However, the best way to solve this is to clean the fan. The weakness in this notebook model is the ventilation fan cannot be accessed from the outside. You have to take apart your notebook.

This is a step-by-step guide for cleaning your Dell Inspiron 5100 ventilation fan. Warning: This voids your warranty. Warning: Don’t do this if you don’t know what you’re doing. Warning: Watch out for static discharge! Warning: Turn off your notebook before attempting this. You can print out these instructions first or write them down.

Step 1: Lay your screen flat. Make sure you do this with enough lighting.

Step 2: Use a screwdriver to pry open the blue panel. There’s a little opening at the right hand side of the panel. (Pardon the dust)

Step 3: Use a screwdriver to remove four screws that are holding the keyboard down. Make sure you keep all the screws in a safe place, and group them together so you don’t mix them up.

Step 4: Gently flip back the keyboard to lie against the touch pad. Watch out for the cable connecting the keyboard to the motherboard. Don’t break this cable. (Notice how I’ve cleaned the dust from the monitor). You should be able to see the cooling fan on the right hand side. See how dusty it is!

Links to:

Part 2 of 3
Part 3 of 3