Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
Your system fan is an important component of your system. If the fan fails your system could fail or some components could even be damaged.
What does it mean when my computer wont boot up and it says system fan error and check system fan?
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be curt, but the message means exactly what it says: you need to check the fan in your system.
What fan? What's a fan? Which fan? And why?
Fair enough, let's review one of the most under-appreciated components of your system.
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Almost every computer has one or more fans that blow air through the inside of the computer case. This is true for laptops as well as desktops. In fact, the system fan is a critical component. If the fan fails your computer may overheat and damage other critical components.
There may be more than one fan.
For desktop machines there's typically at least one fan in or near the power supply. The power supply itself can generate a fair amount of heat, and having a fan nearby not only keeps it cool, but also ends up moving air through the rest of your computer's enclosure.
There may sometimes be a second fan near the front of the computer, just behind the faceplate. This fan, in conjunction with the fan at the back of the computer, helps to keep air moving through the computer. One will push air in, and the other will pull air out.
In some cases there's yet another fan, directly on or over the CPU. The CPU is another source of a great deal of heat. Placing a fan near the CPU itself keeps cooler air blowing over it to help dissipate some of that generated heat.
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As I said, the system fan is a critical component. So critical, in fact, that in recent years additional circuitry has been added to computers to allow the computer to monitor the fan and make sure it's working properly.
So, which fan?
On this there's no standard that I'm aware of.
My recommendation: check them all. If your system is failing to boot because of a problem with one or more of its fans, it's important to check it out. You'll need to open the case and see which one isn't working. If you're not comfortable doing that, particularly if you have a laptop, then you'll need to take your machine to a technician for diagnosis.
Article C3073 - July 2, 2007
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
I`ve got a warning! from easy tunes program :system fan=0.Please help me.Thanks!
Posted by: anca at July 8, 2009 12:58 AMI changed the battery in my computer now when I start it I get "CPU Fan failed" (but the fan is running) press F2 to enter bios however it shuts down before I can get into the bios. Can you suggest some way to get this fixed?
Posted by: Malcolm Walters at March 16, 2010 8:04 AMYou mention having a fan over the CPU blowing cool air on it. While this is not the worst thing in the world, in 80% of cases ("cases" excuse the play on words) it's far better to have a fan taking hot air AWAY from the CPU.
The CPU heatsink and fan are pushing air in a specific direction - a fan blowing TOWARDS that is actually acting counter to the CPU's own fan. There is also the issue of blowing external dust and other particles directly onto the heatsink and CPU fan from outside the case.
Above the CPU have a fan blowing air out.
With modern high perfomence design or gaming GFX cards I would not go into the fray without at least 2 120mm fans - preferably 3 or even more.
One surprisingly good ploy is to have two side by side at the back of the case, the bottom one sucking air in, the top one blowing air back out.
In fact I would only even have one "input" fan on just about any set up. and then 2 or 3 output fans.
Rapid 120mm fans are great.
Finally, many cases have a lot of obstruction between the front input fan and the main heat generating area of the MOBO (HDD bays, lighting, cabling, optical drives, the butt end of a GFX card etc etc) It's often better to have fans on the back of the case where air flow between it and the components it is trying to cool is less obstructed.
Just to re-iterate though. ONE input fan (the lowest fan vertically) and 2 or more exhaust fans - set HIGHER than the input fan (remember - heat rises)
Great advice regarding cooling here though.
I've seen many a computer needlessly damaged for want of a couple of fans that probably wouldn't cost more than $15 for the lot.
Oh and DON'T PUSH YOUR PC INTO A CORNER - HAVE SOME AIR FLOW AROUND IT.
Paul
Posted by: Paul Clarke at December 24, 2011 12:37 PMI have a system fan has failed, get it serviced.
Posted by: Lee at January 4, 2012 12:46 AMmy cpu and case fan both work but sounded like it was the case fan so i took it out but still there now i think its the cpu fan but it works it just goes high and low on the sound and sometimes makes a blender noise. how do i fix it so is does not brake as i have has it sent to hp during the first 3 to 5 months i had it because it got so loud and grindy that it finally did not power up even to the bios and when i got it back it has worked until last year and i think those aio boot disk with pe on them are corrupting the hardware as they replaced the motherboard and hard drive but i tried to take the hot melted thermal compoun d of of the cpu and stil not doing right. Thanks for reading all of this and please reply asap. bye.
Hey when i start my system it wont boot up and it is saying that sys fan-N/A. what should i do
09-Jan-2012