Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

[Blzer]

I guess I don't know how to explain it unless I record it, but it's not very good let me tell you. So I lost all of my crap on my own hard drive somehow and now I'm using my dad's laptop. Suddenly as of yesterday, after a long-ish amount of activity on the computer (well, about 20 minutes) it starts making clicking sounds in the back near the vent. When I close it to put it to sleep, I look at the back and it starts shooting out smoke and sparks. I've never seen anything like it!

Luckily, this computer is still working. But does anyone even know what kind of symptom this is or what it is called, so I can either prevent it or ask someone maybe at Fry's how to fix this? I fear I'm going to screw something up with the computer.

If I get a camera from some friend later tonight I'll record what I'm talking about.

Thanks for anyone that understands what this is. It's very weird.


EDIT: I'm guessing it has something to do with the fan. I think maybe when I start hearing the clicking, the fan is trying to kick in but fails to. I don't know what it means when I close the computer that smoke comes out of the vent, but I'm guessing somehow the internal fan broke. I don't know for sure though.

[Burns11]

Re: Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

Is this a desktop or a laptop?

Nevermind, it's obviously a laptop, what make/model?

Edit again: I just saw your edit, it does sound like the fan, I just wanted to make sure nothing else might have been kaput near the fan.

[Blzer]

Re: Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

Well to answer your question, it's a Dell Latitude D620 laptop.

[mgoblue]

Re: Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

I'd back everything up right at this moment, just in case. Probably the fan, but magic smoke is never good....

[Blzer]

Re: Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

I'd back everything up right at this moment, just in case. Probably the fan, but magic smoke is never good....

Problem is I can't back everything up. My external crapped out about six weeks ago.

I'm having many hardware issues here...

[Burns11]

Re: Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

Looks to me like it's almost definitely the fan, it doesn't sit close enough to anything that might throw sparks (like the power supply and such).

I probably wouldn't run it like that, even for short periods before it heats too much. It's definitely replaceable, and shouldn't be too hard to get too (you'll have to remove the keyboard to get to it).

[Blzer]

Re: Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

I took it to Fry's and it stopped doing it. In fact, the fan was even running for them. It's running just fine now... I don't know what it was. I guess just walking into Fry's fixes it, eh?

[Burns11]

Re: Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

It was causing a short in the motor, it's likely the short melted the piece of wire causing the short back to no longer connecting.

You should still probably replace the fan, it might work now but it could die all the way at any time. Not that you would damage the laptop necessarily if it did, but you'd hate to be in the middle of something and have the thing shut down due to overheat and you lose what you are working on or, worse yet, have it shut down while the HDD was writing and lose data that way.

[Blzer]

Re: Weird computer overheating issue (or something?)

Ah okay, thank you for your help.