On the subject of heat (or "Angie! BE COOL!!")

Joey Special · 09-29-2007, 09:39 AM

My computer almost fried itself.

Now, this is not a RaiRO specific problem, but I'm hoping that someone up in here happens to have some knowledge and is generous enough to share. Here's the situation:

(SHORT VERSION: My computer crashed when it almost overheated, I think. SCROLL DOWN)

Everytime I log on to Ragnarok, it seems my cooling fan has to work a little harder than normal. In the past this troubled me, but after years of on-and-off playing and no incidents I just accepted that when I play RO, my computer is gonna get a little (more) noisey.

However on the day of September yesterday, two-thousand thisyear, "incident" occurred. I was running about in Rachel, talking to every npc I could find, and trying to figure out how to enter the sanctuary. If my computer was struggling any worse than normal, I did not notice. As I was talking to a certain young lad (I believe his name was Phobe), I hit the "next" or "close" or whatever button on the npc dialogue, and my screen went BLACK.

In fact, my monitor's LED changed from green to yellow, as in "hooked up right, but not receiving signal." Most alaming of all, my computer began to emit some urgent sounding beeps. After a few moments of bewilderment, I hit the power button, and she eagerly went silent. After a few minutes, I tried turning it back on. The beeps sang out again, and I could hear the cooling fan lurch into overdrive, seeming to accelerate indefinetly. It did not take long for me to hit the button again.

After a more lengthy pause, when I could be assured that the machine had throroughly cooled, I tried once more, and found it to boot up as normal, with only a few extra grumbling clicks from the hardware.

(SHORT VERSION: Begin reading again.)

Things seem to be even keel now, but I am reluctant to try RaiRO again without learning what I can. If you have any tips on how to get my computer to be cool, please condescend to share them.

**McTahr** · 09-29-2007, 09:47 AM

Alright, the very first thing to do is head out to your local Wal-Mart or what have you, and buy a can of compressed air. You'll want to disconnect all cords from your PC, take it outside (Make sure it's not raining. >.>), and start taking off the side panels. Blow out all the areas that have got a lot of dust in them, and the "problem" areas, such as around video cards, hard drives, the power supply, and the processor itself. Built-up dust can contribute to overheating problems. Don't remove any components, or touch anything inside, and always touch the metal chassis of the computer before anything else. Be sure to read the label for the air, and use it properly, do not spray at an angle.

Also, if your computer has a lot of wiring, see if you can't buy some Zip-ties (The little plastic things that "zip" around something and hold together), and tie some of your bigger cables out of the way of the air-flow. Be careful not to un-plug anything while doing so.

If you have a bit of computer know-how, it's actually not a bad idea to pull the heat sink on the processor and clean that, along with re-applying the heat compound. Though if you don't know what that means in the slightest, it's not worth it to try it and possibly damage something.

And finally, you might look into what your over-heat warning settings are in your BIOS, and set the auto shut-off a bit lower, to prevent any accidents.

Edit - Also, environment's an important thing too. Don't run a computer in an especially hot room, don't block fans, etc. Give it a little room to breath in the back, mainly. And, if you at least know how to hook up a fan, you might look into seeing if your case has another spot for a fan to be added. It helps if you built the computer in the first place, though, because the motherboard might not have room for another fan, and you'd need a converter to hook it straight to the PSU.

Meister · 09-29-2007, 10:30 AM

Gonna move this up to the general computer forum to gain a bit of exposure, just in case anyone would otherwise miss it.

Demetrius · 09-29-2007, 01:20 PM

Dude, that is a straight up video card issue. It could be caused by overheating due to dust or whatnot, or the thing could be wearing out. Cleaning out the dust is a good idea, so is upgrading your RAM, video card and power supply. Having massive overkill in the available computing power department will help keep your components from overheating under a load.

Eltargrim · 09-29-2007, 01:23 PM

Azmodon has said what needs to be said. Just a warning about taking it outside; be very very careful. Personally, I'd recommend cleaning it out in a room with good airflow that is cleaned frequently, but that's my own irrationalism.

Good luck.

Quote:

Dude, that is a straight up video card issue. It could be caused by overheating due to dust or whatnot, or the thing could be wearing out.

Emphasis mine. Something I forgot to take into account; your fan might just not be working efficiently enough to provide the heating you need. How old is your computer?

Quote:

so is upgrading your RAM, video card and power supply. Having massive overkill in the available computing power department will help keep your components from overheating under a load.

Totally unnecessary right now. If this is the first incident, and happened under load, the issue can most likely be dealt with some routine maintenance. Plus, having "massive overkill" would prevent overheating under the same load. No guarantees if you put it under a heavy load (For, of course, heavy load is a relative term).

Also, recommending an upgrade when you don't know what their components are in the first place probably isn't the best course of action. I occasionally encounter heating issues, and I hardly need an upgrade. What I do need is better airflow, and probably a better CPU cooler.

Joey Special · 10-01-2007, 04:18 PM

Thanks for the tippos, folks. I like the dust idea, which I had considered myself, though when I looked in there it didn't seem too bad. Nevertheless I will deal with that dust. This computer isn't wery old, and I've sure as heck played RO on older computers with inferior video cards (although any excuse to upgrade video card is fairly tempting). As for RAM, I think it's already set to "overkill" (1 gig should be plenty for RO, yeah?).

The most annoying thing about it all to me was that there were no aggravating circumstances. It was a cooler day than many in the past, the machine had only been turned on for about an hour or so, and all I was doing was talking to an npc, I mean, it's not like this occurred under a hurricane of activity.

Anyway, thanks again. Time to grab a can of air.

09-29-2007, 09:39 AM	#1
Joey Special no rule against it Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The bottom of Indiana Posts: 6	On the subject of heat (or "Angie! BE COOL!!") My computer almost fried itself. Now, this is not a RaiRO specific problem, but I'm hoping that someone up in here happens to have some knowledge and is generous enough to share. Here's the situation: (SHORT VERSION: My computer crashed when it almost overheated, I think. SCROLL DOWN) Everytime I log on to Ragnarok, it seems my cooling fan has to work a little harder than normal. In the past this troubled me, but after years of on-and-off playing and no incidents I just accepted that when I play RO, my computer is gonna get a little (more) noisey. However on the day of September yesterday, two-thousand thisyear, "incident" occurred. I was running about in Rachel, talking to every npc I could find, and trying to figure out how to enter the sanctuary. If my computer was struggling any worse than normal, I did not notice. As I was talking to a certain young lad (I believe his name was Phobe), I hit the "next" or "close" or whatever button on the npc dialogue, and my screen went BLACK. In fact, my monitor's LED changed from green to yellow, as in "hooked up right, but not receiving signal." Most alaming of all, my computer began to emit some urgent sounding beeps. After a few moments of bewilderment, I hit the power button, and she eagerly went silent. After a few minutes, I tried turning it back on. The beeps sang out again, and I could hear the cooling fan lurch into overdrive, seeming to accelerate indefinetly. It did not take long for me to hit the button again. After a more lengthy pause, when I could be assured that the machine had throroughly cooled, I tried once more, and found it to boot up as normal, with only a few extra grumbling clicks from the hardware. (SHORT VERSION: Begin reading again.) Things seem to be even keel now, but I am reluctant to try RaiRO again without learning what I can. If you have any tips on how to get my computer to be cool, please condescend to share them. __________________ Harrison Bergeron, Harrison Bergeron.

09-29-2007, 09:47 AM	#2
McTahr For the right price... Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,268	Alright, the very first thing to do is head out to your local Wal-Mart or what have you, and buy a can of compressed air. You'll want to disconnect all cords from your PC, take it outside (Make sure it's not raining. >.>), and start taking off the side panels. Blow out all the areas that have got a lot of dust in them, and the "problem" areas, such as around video cards, hard drives, the power supply, and the processor itself. Built-up dust can contribute to overheating problems. Don't remove any components, or touch anything inside, and always touch the metal chassis of the computer before anything else. Be sure to read the label for the air, and use it properly, do not spray at an angle. Also, if your computer has a lot of wiring, see if you can't buy some Zip-ties (The little plastic things that "zip" around something and hold together), and tie some of your bigger cables out of the way of the air-flow. Be careful not to un-plug anything while doing so. If you have a bit of computer know-how, it's actually not a bad idea to pull the heat sink on the processor and clean that, along with re-applying the heat compound. Though if you don't know what that means in the slightest, it's not worth it to try it and possibly damage something. And finally, you might look into what your over-heat warning settings are in your BIOS, and set the auto shut-off a bit lower, to prevent any accidents. Edit - Also, environment's an important thing too. Don't run a computer in an especially hot room, don't block fans, etc. Give it a little room to breath in the back, mainly. And, if you at least know how to hook up a fan, you might look into seeing if your case has another spot for a fan to be added. It helps if you built the computer in the first place, though, because the motherboard might not have room for another fan, and you'd need a converter to hook it straight to the PSU. __________________ Gone. Last edited by McTahr; 09-29-2007 at 09:50 AM.

09-29-2007, 01:20 PM	#4
Demetrius In need of a vacation Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Peoples Republic of Vermont Posts: 3,236	Dude, that is a straight up video card issue. It could be caused by overheating due to dust or whatnot, or the thing could be wearing out. Cleaning out the dust is a good idea, so is upgrading your RAM, video card and power supply. Having massive overkill in the available computing power department will help keep your components from overheating under a load. __________________ DFM, Demon seed of Hell who fuels its incredible power by butchering little girls and feeding on their innocence. Demetrius, Dark clown of the netherworld, a being of incalculable debauchery and a soulless, faceless evil as old as time itself. Zilla, The chick. ~DFM Wii bishie bishie kawaii baka! ~ Fifthfiend

10-01-2007, 04:18 PM	#6
Joey Special no rule against it Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The bottom of Indiana Posts: 6	Thanks for the tippos, folks. I like the dust idea, which I had considered myself, though when I looked in there it didn't seem too bad. Nevertheless I will deal with that dust. This computer isn't wery old, and I've sure as heck played RO on older computers with inferior video cards (although any excuse to upgrade video card is fairly tempting). As for RAM, I think it's already set to "overkill" (1 gig should be plenty for RO, yeah?). The most annoying thing about it all to me was that there were no aggravating circumstances. It was a cooler day than many in the past, the machine had only been turned on for about an hour or so, and all I was doing was talking to an npc, I mean, it's not like this occurred under a hurricane of activity. Anyway, thanks again. Time to grab a can of air. __________________ Harrison Bergeron, Harrison Bergeron.

09-29-2007, 10:30 AM	#3
Meister Pure joy Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 10,689	Gonna move this up to the general computer forum to gain a bit of exposure, just in case anyone would otherwise miss it.