Fan quit working on laptop. I've heard conflicting information from stores today about whether or not new computer is needed or this being repairable. When I turn on computer, it says "system fan error - please turn off system and check your system fan" and then screen goes black. Is this repairable or not? Also, if not repairable, is it possible to get documents and music from hard drive put on new computer? Again, depending on what store I was at, information I was given differed.

depending how computer savey you are, you could open it up . clean heat sink and apply new thermal paste to the processor. not too moch, but not too little

check whether the fuse is connected properly.check any loose connection.keep me updated for further sugestion

First check to make certain the fan is plugged into the motherboard.

Follow the connector from the cooler unit to the m.b.

When you've located the proper plug - unplug it and then re-plug it back in, making sure it is firmly plugged in (make sure you turn off the power and unplug from the wall before doing any of this).

Then look at the fan closely and make sure it's not overly dusty or dirty.

This can clog up the fan and cause it to stop working.

If you've done all this and powered back up, and it's still not working - then you need to get a new fan.

Do not run your system without this cooling fan because you can fry your CPU.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OIL OR LUBE FAN THIS CAN END IN DISASTER

hope this helps

http://www.filehoo.com/download/Partition-Magic-8,0.aspx when you download partition magic you will have the option to make rescue to disks to boot from make these disks then change your first boot device your to floppy drive this will give you options to partition then partition only the good sectors of your hard drive and install an operating system to the good partition
Partition Magic 8.0 description
Partitioning your hard drive plays an essential role in maintaining your computer-preventing conflicts, protecting data, improving efficiency, and increasing performance. PartitionMagic allows you to create, resize, merge and convert partitions without destroying data. Award-winning

PartitionMagic Pro from Symantec is a leader in hard-drive partitioning software. PartitionMagic Pro allows you to create, resize, move, and convert partitions without destroying your data. You can quickly and easily create partitions, which can act as file drawers on your hard disks for storing valuable information such as data files, applications, and operating systems.

Storing information in separate partitions helps you organize and protect your data, safely run multiple operating systems, and reclaim wasted disk space.

also you could use a linux operating sytsem 100% free
or you could buy a disk you can get one for around $4.50 "cheap" or download one
http://www.ubuntu.com/download

http://www.ubuntu.com/download

Ubuntu 10.10 Latest Version

Ubuntu is a linux operating system which can repair hard drives widows have corrupted and cant be repaired by windows operating systems

Hope this helps you

You need to find out what's wrong before you can fix it, so:

These instructions are for WinXP (WinVista or Win7 will vary).

Login to the system as an "administrator"
START > Control Panel > System > Hardware (tab) > Device Manager (button) >
1. click VIEW (drop down menu)
2. select "Show Hidden Devices"
3. select each USB device one by one, checking each for any entries under "Conflicting Devices,"
under the "Resources" (tab). If a device has no resources tab, then just check "Device Status"
to see that Windows thinks that "This device is working properly."

What you're checking for here is resource conflicts (DMA I/O addresses). In the case of a conflict,
you'd get "device not available or being used by another application."

We have different car but my car also have the same problem last time and what i do was i go to car parts shop and ask for the fan for my car. and there you have the option whether to ask them directly change for you or you can DIY. I manage to DIY since it benefits me.
So I open the front hood and look on the fan. Its not really complicated there. Just need to open some screw so that i could take out the fan frame and unattached the old fan wire from the wire socket. Then you will be able to take out the fan together with its frame.
Take off the old fan from the frame and change with the new fan. and put it back as the way you open it before.

Remember, do the car wiring check before you change your fan. Maybe some fuses has burn out or there is some wiring conflict. How do you know there is wiring conflict was by trying whether the electronic devices inside your car functioning properly or not.

If the fan is not running, your computer will definately have a problem very soon. Sometimes, the fan is just clogged up by dust and debris. Head down to a local computer store or one of the box stores and purchase some compressed air dusters.
Dust out the fan and vents as best you can. If the fan still does not spin, your computer will easily overheat and, in all probablilty, shut down on you at random.
If left for too long, this could cause multiple other problems for your computer. I would recommend you look at getting the fan replaced as soon as possible if you cannot get it to work by dusting it out.
Good Luck!

fans can die without any reason that's possible and because of that your laptop is shutting down due to overheating because the processor isn't being cooled so you may need a new fan (but test the pin if there is any voltage there). it could be the motherboard not giving any power to it.

you may also have a problem with the DC socket not charging your laptop thats easy to test, plug the charger into the laptop with the battery and without switching it see if there is an amber light that shows the ac is fine.

I do not want to alarm you, but you may have overheated your computer. To check, think about where you kept your computer and what was the climate? constantly working in a hotter climate or even having worked on your computer for very long periods of time with out shut down, can cause over heating. If you did not, the fan or sink could have been broken or stopped working properly, there fore, overheating occurs. this wouldn't be your fault because you didn't know it happened. If you know how to take the casing off your computer, do so carefully and make sure to ground yourself. Then plug in the power cords, and turn on the computer, checking to see if the fan circulates. If it doesn't, then you have a fan and harddrive problem.

(Means, you can buy a new computer, yah!)lol (sorry, just trying to put a positive on the negative!)

I'm guessing that there was a short circut. The drive got too much power, and it wasn't expecting it so it short circuted. In any matter, you must get a new drive, for the one you have now doesn't work, and there is a small percentage chance that it will ever work again. However, if you go to a computer store, they may be able to recover your information on your drive and put it on the new one. Good luck.