UGH! CONTINUED!
December 20th, 2010 |So a few days ago the fan in my laptop started sounding HORRIBLE. And it’s been getting worse. Today was spent backing up everything before trying to draw as that tends to heat up the CPU and trigger the fan. I mean, it was sounding pretty gnarly when I drew the last comic, but now I try to draw and I’m worried more than Photoshop crashing on me… I’ve looked into replacing the fan myself and it’s going to cost at least $40 I don’t really have at the moment just to get the part. Probably more with shipping and all that. As I don’t want to cause the source of the comics to melt down, I’ve got to hold off on drawing for a little bit. But I still want to end the year with comic #260 (that is the last 4 updates I said I’d do), so I may try to do a shit ton of updates before Christmas. But first, I’m going to get the laptop looked at, make sure I need a new fan before spending the money, and if the laptop’s out of commission for a few days, I may just half to start the end-of-year break earlier than I wanted. (I do intend of getting at least one more comic up this year though if nothing else.)
Why not take this week off to work on the laptop and update again next week? Because a bulk of the break is suppose to be getting the comic back on track and that requires a lot of work on the computer that will be in various states of cautiously not up to the task for a few days. That said, that which I can do without Photoshop or CPU intensive programs (to keep fan running as long as possible until fixed), like scripting/plot outlines/general planning stuff, I will.
We’ll have to play this week by ear. If I have to take the break early, I’ll post some kind of filler image to let people know. If you’d like to donate so I can try to keep the computer working, it’d be much appreciated, but don’t feel obligated. Once again, thanks for the patience!
Try using a can of compressed air with the straw attachment. Blow out the fan thoroughly. If that doesn’t work, get a can of non-conductive silicone spray lubricant. Use the straw attachment and carefully spray around the fan axis. That’s probably where the fan has dried out and gathered dirt.
Might be worth aralditing a 80mm case fan or something siimilar over the bottom vent and running it from the same header on the motherboard as the busted fan – not great for portability, but it’s a quick $7 fix if you get really desperate
Makes your laptop look completely badass too, I’ve been using something similar for a few months now
If you live somewhere cold, place the laptop in the path of the cold air that comes down off of even the best insulated window. At the extreme side, are you crazy enough to do some of the computer work in a sheltered area outdoors?
My lap top has done that many of times and I’ve fixed it loads. I had something stuck in the fan apparently. I’d check to see if there is something stuck in it before you go and spend the money to have it replaced. Like Patjade said, just use one of those cans of compressed air to spray it out. You’re supposed to do that your lap top at least once a month anyway