Dell Inspiron Fan Fix?

[fallofshadows]

So I've seen how the Dell Inspiron 1545 seems to run at a slightly high temperature. I Generally average in the 50-60 degree C range, although for some reason it's behaving right now at 46 C...

A search online showed me these results, and I wanted the opinions of people who know what they're talking about. Is this a safe idea? I don't want to input anything in my computer that would screw it up.

Here is the explanation and a possible solution for your laptop. It's the BIOS. Most laptop computers are designed specifically for Windows. Therefore, on many models, the BIOS does not control the fan, as is normally the case, but they depend on Windows Power Management. Obviously, Ubuntu is not windows. Therefore, the kernel must manage the fans. Sadly, a majority of laptops do not need this, so the default Ubuntu setup doesn't account for the minority, and far be it for the designers to make all easy and automatic like, detection wise. So this is left up to the user to try and fail to find an answer in the vast twisted jungle of hostiles and beasts known as the Linux community of da interwebz.
Fret not, however. You just need to modify GRUB2, which is what boots Ubuntu, essentially, and input a kernel command that will tell it to manage your fan. The following should work. If it doesn't, sorry. But it really should work.

In Ubuntu (version 10.04 and up)...
Push Alt+F2.
Type (without quotes, obviously) 'gksu nautilus'. Push Enter (or Return).
Enter your password, if necessary.
In the new administrative-be-righted Nautilus File Manager window that has just opened, navigate to 'File System' in the left side panel, then navigate to the 'etc' folder, then navigate to the 'default' folder, then open the 'grub' file. Good.
In the new gedit text editor window that has just opened up, look for the line that reads: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
Now, precisely between the two quotes, without any spaces, copy and paste this exactly: acpi_osi=\"Linux\"
The line should now look like this: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_osi=\"Linux\""
Save the file and exit the gedit text editor.
Now, open the Terminal (Applications>Terminal).
Type: sudo update-grub
Press Enter (or Return) and wait...
Wait...
Has the text stopped moving? If so, you're almost done.
Exit the terminal.
Reboot.
Now the correct kernel/fan behavior has been activated and the fan will work as it should and your excessive heat Ubuntu laptop problems are solved. You're cured. Do something else. Carry on. Don't worry. Be happy. You're welcome. Good luck. Goodbye.

[tommcd]

A search online showed me these results, and I wanted the opinions of people who know what they're talking about. Is this a safe idea? I don't want to input anything in my computer that would screw it up.

acpi_osi=\"Linux\"
The line should now look like this: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_osi=\"Linux\""

This should not cause you any problems. Go ahead and try it. If you have problems then write back for more help.
Just out of curiosity, can you post a link to this info?
You could always remove the stuff you add to /etc/default/grub if it does not fix your problem.

[Jimtheplanner]

Hi Guys I gave it a try it originates from http://www.maximumpc.com/article/new...ially_released

It did not make any large difference for me but its worth a try. My best option is to start my laptop up on the battery wait a minuet or two then plug in the mains. This way my laptop remains cool for the remainder of the session.

Hope this helps....

Jim

[fallofshadows]

I'll post a link when I'm back on my computer.

The fix has worked fine for me I watched my temperature gauge while playing minecraft, it looks like my laptop warms up to 65 degrees C before the fan kicks on, which knocks the temp down to the 40s. It seems like it's acting like it does on windows, so yay!

And I've also noticed that I'm able to play minecraft on higher graphics. Weird, since windows is supposed to be more powerful in the graphics department. Oh well, I am definitely not complaining!

[tommcd]

The fix has worked fine for me I watched my temperature gauge while playing minecraft, it looks like my laptop warms up to 65 degrees C before the fan kicks on, which knocks the temp down to the 40s. It seems like it's acting like it does on windows, so yay!

Glad it worked for you!
Just out of curiosity (yes, I am a curious fellow!), can you post your output of lscpi from the terminal so we can see exactly what hardware this fix works on. This may be beneficial to other folks who have this problem.

[fallofshadows]

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, I somehow forgot to check the forums!

fallofshadows@fallofshadows-Inspiron-1545:~$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Memory Controller Hub (rev 07)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 03)
00:1a.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 (rev 03)
00:1a.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #6 (rev 03)
00:1a.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 03)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 03)
00:1c.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 5 (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 93)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation ICH9M LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation ICH9M/M-E SATA AHCI Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 03)
09:00.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88E8040 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller (rev 13)
0c:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY (rev 01)


I hope this helps! I know it's solved my problems, so hopefully it does the same for anyone else with a dell inspiron. I've had quite a few problems getting started, but now that they're solved, I love ubuntu!

[Unisio]

I have the same problem with high temperatures on an Inspiron 1545 laptop. The fix did not work for me and there's another guide in thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1636686 that did not work either.

Has anyone come up with a solution to this problem?

[pierreu1]

Note I do not have a Dell. See the signature for compete specs. 5 year old laptop. I would love to try the following, but it asks me for a user that I don't have the password for. I log in, for security, with another user. I tried to use many of the potential passwords I used (from time to time) for the (main) user, but I cannot remember it since I haven't used this way to log in for more than one year. I should have written it somewhere. In any case, is there a way I can do this as sudo in the terminal window? Or is there another way?

My fan was working, but not enough to cool down the machine. I tried to follow some fixes, but they disabled my fan (it looks like). This was in Oneiric. In desperation, I upgraded to Pangolin in the hope the upgrade would fix this, but it --obviously--did not.

Thank you for your help. (I am learning Ubuntu, but I am not good .... yet! )

So I've seen how the Dell Inspiron 1545 seems to run at a slightly high temperature. I Generally average in the 50-60 degree C range, although for some reason it's behaving right now at 46 C...

A search online showed me these results, and I wanted the opinions of people who know what they're talking about. Is this a safe idea? I don't want to input anything in my computer that would screw it up.

Here is the explanation and a possible solution for your laptop. It's the BIOS. Most laptop computers are designed specifically for Windows. Therefore, on many models, the BIOS does not control the fan, as is normally the case, but they depend on Windows Power Management. Obviously, Ubuntu is not windows. Therefore, the kernel must manage the fans. Sadly, a majority of laptops do not need this, so the default Ubuntu setup doesn't account for the minority, and far be it for the designers to make all easy and automatic like, detection wise. So this is left up to the user to try and fail to find an answer in the vast twisted jungle of hostiles and beasts known as the Linux community of da interwebz.
Fret not, however. You just need to modify GRUB2, which is what boots Ubuntu, essentially, and input a kernel command that will tell it to manage your fan. The following should work. If it doesn't, sorry. But it really should work.

In Ubuntu (version 10.04 and up)...
Push Alt+F2.
Type (without quotes, obviously) 'gksu nautilus'. Push Enter (or Return).
Enter your password, if necessary.
In the new administrative-be-righted Nautilus File Manager window that has just opened, navigate to 'File System' in the left side panel, then navigate to the 'etc' folder, then navigate to the 'default' folder, then open the 'grub' file. Good.
In the new gedit text editor window that has just opened up, look for the line that reads: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
Now, precisely between the two quotes, without any spaces, copy and paste this exactly: acpi_osi=\"Linux\"
The line should now look like this: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_osi=\"Linux\""
Save the file and exit the gedit text editor.
Now, open the Terminal (Applications>Terminal).
Type: sudo update-grub
Press Enter (or Return) and wait...
Wait...
Has the text stopped moving? If so, you're almost done.
Exit the terminal.
Reboot.
Now the correct kernel/fan behavior has been activated and the fan will work as it should and your excessive heat Ubuntu laptop problems are solved. You're cured. Do something else. Carry on. Don't worry. Be happy. You're welcome. Good luck. Goodbye.

[pierreu1]

I followed this fix#23:

So, did what I was told:

sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

(Changed the grub as specified in the fix and then updated the grub.)

$ sudo update-grub to update /boot/grub/grub.cfg

But, I got this:

/usr/sbin/grub-mkconfig: 11: /etc/default/grub: splash: not found

Not sure what I should do!


FIX

Thanks , i read your posts on "Linux Forums" and i will use this for my problems :

1. For CPU Fan and Fn keys :

first. sudo apt-get install sensors-applet
next. sudo sensors-detect

next. answer yes to everything.

exit then restart computer.

next. sudo gedit /etc/default/grub and then change

GRUB_CMLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

to read

..."quiet splash acpi_osi=Linux"

next. sudo update-grub to update /boot/grub/grub.cfg

exit then restart computer

Then System/Admin/Services and disable ACPID power management and reboot

[pierreu1]

BIOS INFO


# dmidecode 2.11
SMBIOS 2.4 present.
38 structures occupying 1295 bytes.
Table at 0x000DF010.

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
Vendor: Phoenix Technologies LTD
Version: 6.00
Release Date: 07/12/2007
Address: 0xE4480
Runtime Size: 113536 bytes
ROM Size: 1024 kB
Characteristics:
ISA is supported
PCI is supported
PC Card (PCMCIA) is supported
PNP is supported
APM is supported
BIOS is upgradeable
BIOS shadowing is allowed
ESCD support is available
Boot from CD is supported
ACPI is supported
USB legacy is supported
AGP is supported
BIOS boot specification is supported
Targeted content distribution is supported

Handle 0x0001, DMI type 1, 27 bytes
System Information
Manufacturer: TOSHIBA
Product Name: Satellite A100
Version: PSAA8C-SK400E
Serial Number: 76050474Q
UUID: 0414D160-0A56-11DB-A70E-00A0D146D8CE
Wake-up Type: Power Switch
SKU Number: Not Specified
Family: Not Specified

Handle 0x0002, DMI type 2, 8 bytes
Base Board Information
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Product Name: CAPELL VALLEY(NAPA) CRB
Version: Not Applicable
Serial Number: Not Applicable

Handle 0x0003, DMI type 3, 17 bytes
Chassis Information
Manufacturer: No Enclosure
Type: Other
Lock: Not Present
Version: N/A
Serial Number: None
Asset Tag: No Asset Tag
Boot-up State: Safe
Power Supply State: Safe
Thermal State: Safe
Security Status: None
OEM Information: 0x00001234

Handle 0x0004, DMI type 4, 35 bytes
Processor Information
Socket Designation: U2E1
Type: Central Processor
Family: Other
Manufacturer: Intel
ID: E8 06 00 00 FF FB E9 AF
Version: Genuine Intel(R) CPU T1
Voltage: 3.3 V
External Clock: Unknown
Max Speed: 2048 MHz
Current Speed: 1860 MHz
Status: Populated, Enabled
Upgrade: ZIF Socket
L1 Cache Handle: 0x0005
L2 Cache Handle: 0x0006
L3 Cache Handle: Not Provided
Serial Number: Not Specified
Asset Tag: Not Specified
Part Number: Not Specified

Handle 0x0005, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
Socket Designation: L1 Cache
Configuration: Enabled, Socketed, Level 1
Operational Mode: Write Back
Location: Internal
Installed Size: 64 kB
Maximum Size: 64 kB
Supported SRAM Types:
Burst
Pipeline Burst
Asynchronous
Installed SRAM Type: Asynchronous
Speed: Unknown
Error Correction Type: Unknown
System Type: Unknown
Associativity: Unknown

Handle 0x0006, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
Socket Designation: L2 Cache
Configuration: Enabled, Socketed, Level 2
Operational Mode: Write Back
Location: External
Installed Size: 2048 kB
Maximum Size: 4096 kB
Supported SRAM Types:
Burst
Pipeline Burst
Asynchronous
Installed SRAM Type: Burst
Speed: Unknown
Error Correction Type: Unknown
System Type: Unknown
Associativity: Unknown

Handle 0x0007, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
Internal Reference Designator: J19
Internal Connector Type: 9 Pin Dual Inline (pin 10 cut)
External Reference Designator: COM 1
External Connector Type: DB-9 male
Port Type: Serial Port 16550A Compatible

Handle 0x0008, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
Internal Reference Designator: J1A1
Internal Connector Type: None
External Reference Designator: Keyboard
External Connector Type: Circular DIN-8 male
Port Type: Keyboard Port

Handle 0x0009, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
Internal Reference Designator: J1A1
Internal Connector Type: None
External Reference Designator: PS/2 Mouse
External Connector Type: Circular DIN-8 male
Port Type: Mouse Port

Handle 0x000A, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
Designation: PCI Slot J8B1
Type: 32-bit PCI
Current Usage: Unknown
Length: Long
ID: 0
Characteristics:
5.0 V is provided
3.3 V is provided

Handle 0x000B, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
Designation: PCI Slot J9B1
Type: 32-bit PCI
Current Usage: Unknown
Length: Long
ID: 0
Characteristics:
5.0 V is provided
3.3 V is provided

Handle 0x000C, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
Designation: PEG Slot J6C1
Type: 32-bit PCI Express
Current Usage: Available
Length: Long
ID: 6
Characteristics:
5.0 V is provided
3.3 V is provided

Handle 0x000D, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
Designation: PCI Express Slot J7C1
Type: 32-bit PCI Express
Current Usage: Available
Length: Long
ID: 8
Characteristics:
5.0 V is provided
3.3 V is provided

Handle 0x000E, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
Designation: PCI Express Slot J8C1
Type: 32-bit PCI Express
Current Usage: Unknown
Length: Long
ID: 0
Characteristics:
5.0 V is provided
3.3 V is provided

Handle 0x000F, DMI type 10, 6 bytes
On Board Device Information
Type: Sound
Status: Disabled
Description: HD-Audio

Handle 0x0010, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
String 1: This is the Intel Calistoga
String 2: PSAA8C-SK400E,S3A2422D004

Handle 0x0011, DMI type 12, 5 bytes
System Configuration Options
Option 1: Jumper settings can be described here.

Handle 0x0012, DMI type 15, 29 bytes
System Event Log
Area Length: 16 bytes
Header Start Offset: 0x0000
Header Length: 16 bytes
Data Start Offset: 0x0010
Access Method: General-purpose non-volatile data functions
Access Address: 0x0000
Status: Valid, Not Full
Change Token: 0x00000001
Header Format: Type 1
Supported Log Type Descriptors: 3
Descriptor 1: POST error
Data Format 1: POST results bitmap
Descriptor 2: Single-bit ECC memory error
Data Format 2: Multiple-event
Descriptor 3: Multi-bit ECC memory error
Data Format 3: Multiple-event

Handle 0x0013, DMI type 16, 15 bytes
Physical Memory Array
Location: System Board Or Motherboard
Use: System Memory
Error Correction Type: None
Maximum Capacity: 2 GB
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Number Of Devices: 2

Handle 0x0014, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0013
Error Information Handle: No Error
Total Width: 32 bits
Data Width: 32 bits
Size: 512 MB
Form Factor: SODIMM
Set: 1
Locator: M1
Bank Locator: Bank 0
Type: DDR2
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 533 MHz
Manufacturer: Not Specified
Serial Number: Not Specified
Asset Tag: Not Specified
Part Number: Not Specified

Handle 0x0015, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0013
Error Information Handle: No Error
Total Width: 32 bits
Data Width: 32 bits
Size: 512 MB
Form Factor: SODIMM
Set: 1
Locator: M2
Bank Locator: Bank 1
Type: DDR2
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 533 MHz
Manufacturer: Not Specified
Serial Number: Not Specified
Asset Tag: Not Specified
Part Number: Not Specified

Handle 0x0016, DMI type 19, 15 bytes
Memory Array Mapped Address
Starting Address: 0x00000000000
Ending Address: 0x0003FFFFFFF
Range Size: 1 GB
Physical Array Handle: 0x0013
Partition Width: 2

Handle 0x0017, DMI type 20, 19 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
Starting Address: 0x00000000000
Ending Address: 0x0001FFFFFFF
Range Size: 512 MB
Physical Device Handle: 0x0014
Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x0016
Partition Row Position: Unknown
Interleave Position: Unknown
Interleaved Data Depth: Unknown

Handle 0x0018, DMI type 20, 19 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
Starting Address: 0x00020000000
Ending Address: 0x0003FFFFFFF
Range Size: 512 MB
Physical Device Handle: 0x0015
Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x0016
Partition Row Position: Unknown
Interleave Position: Unknown
Interleaved Data Depth: Unknown

Handle 0x0019, DMI type 23, 13 bytes
System Reset
Status: Enabled
Watchdog Timer: Present
Boot Option: Do Not Reboot
Boot Option On Limit: Do Not Reboot
Reset Count: Unknown
Reset Limit: Unknown
Timer Interval: Unknown
Timeout: Unknown

Handle 0x001A, DMI type 24, 5 bytes
Hardware Security
Power-On Password Status: Enabled
Keyboard Password Status: Unknown
Administrator Password Status: Enabled
Front Panel Reset Status: Unknown

Handle 0x001B, DMI type 25, 9 bytes
System Power Controls
Next Scheduled Power-on: 12-31 23:59:59

Handle 0x001C, DMI type 26, 20 bytes
Voltage Probe
Description: Voltage Probe
Location: Processor
Status: OK
Maximum Value: Unknown
Minimum Value: Unknown
Resolution: Unknown
Tolerance: Unknown
Accuracy: Unknown
OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x001D, DMI type 27, 12 bytes
Cooling Device
Temperature Probe Handle: 0x001E
Type: Fan
Status: OK
OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x001E, DMI type 28, 20 bytes
Temperature Probe
Description: Temperature Probe
Location: Processor
Status: OK
Maximum Value: Unknown
Minimum Value: Unknown
Resolution: Unknown
Tolerance: Unknown
Accuracy: Unknown
OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x001F, DMI type 29, 20 bytes
Electrical Current Probe
Description: Electrical Current Probe
Location: Processor
Status: OK
Maximum Value: Unknown
Minimum Value: Unknown
Resolution: Unknown
Tolerance: Unknown
Accuracy: Unknown
OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x0020, DMI type 30, 6 bytes
Out-of-band Remote Access
Manufacturer Name: Intel
Inbound Connection: Enabled
Outbound Connection: Disabled

Handle 0x0021, DMI type 32, 20 bytes
System Boot Information
Status: <OUT OF SPEC>

Handle 0x0022, DMI type 129, 16 bytes
OEM-specific Type
Header and Data:
81 10 22 00 01 01 02 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 08 01
Strings:
Intel_ASF_001
Intel_ASF_001

Handle 0x0023, DMI type 136, 6 bytes
OEM-specific Type
Header and Data:
88 06 23 00 FF FF

Handle 0x0024, DMI type 150, 14 bytes
OEM-specific Type
Header and Data:
96 0E 24 00 01 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
Strings:
ABSOLUTE(PHOENIX) CLM

Handle 0x0025, DMI type 127, 4 bytes
End Of Table