Fan Has Begun to Stay On Continuously

[jelarv]

For the first 3-4 months of owning my W520, the fan rarely came on.  For some unknown reason, it comes on all the time now, even when I'm only running Outlook.  Further, it steps up to the fastest of its two speeds, which can be quite loud.  I haven't made any major changes or added any new programs.  Is there a way to determine why it's now running all the time?  It worries me that there is a strain on the system that should be removed or a sign something isn't configured correctly. 

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

download TPfancontrol, this will tell you whether the fan behaviour is related to overheating or not.

Also, have you done any sort of BIOS update lately? Also, does uninstalling the Thinkvantage power manager solve the issue you are having?

[jelarv]

Thanks for the advice.  I spent about 10 minutes searching Lenovo's site for that file name and can't find it.  Could you please direct me to the URL?

[xtsubarublazin]

TPFanControl is non-lenovo software. A Google search would be your best friend in this case.

[ThorsHammer]

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jelarv wrote:

  I haven't made any major changes or added any new programs.

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Do you know how famous those words are? 

[JDay]

Remove the keyboard and clean out the fan. Dust will build up in the heatsink/fan assembly over time which will cause the system to get hotter.