laptop fan won't spin regardless of load semi- [Solved]

[kmiles]

Hi, this topic isn't really solved. I don't have the means to try the possible solution right now but I will mark it as solved for now.
The root cause of my problem is probably Windows Fast Startup.
j2mcgreg links the reason(and solution): https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=383611
I can't change that setting since i broke win10 on the SSD whilst trying out distros on a flash drive. Now I can't boot to it.
To make matters worse, I can't move off some of my files on the SSD. Gives me "error splicing file: permission denied".
I think those files are encrypted by windows or that my local acccount in windows has ownership.
I might lose those files when I try to re-install/ repair windows.
I've marked j2mcgreg's solution as the answer for those in a similar state.

Here's the original post:

Hi, I am a linux newbie and I've only been using MX for the past week so I am sorry if I don't fully understand what is being asked of me.

Fan doesn't spin on my asus zenbook UX305LA laptop and prevents me from doing heavy tasks. Just having youtube open on the browser, cpu peaks at 90`C.

Here is my QSI:

Code: Select all

System:
  Kernel: 6.1.0-17-amd64 [6.1.69-1] arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/antiX/vmlinuz quiet splasht nosplash lang=en_US kbd=us 
    persist_root splasht
  Desktop: Xfce v: 4.18.1 tk: Gtk v: 3.24.36 info: xfce4-panel wm: xfwm v: 4.18.0 vt: 7
    dm: LightDM v: 1.26.0 Distro: MX-23.2_x64 Libretto January 21  2024 base: Debian GNU/Linux 12
    (bookworm)
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: ASUSTeK product: UX305LA v: 1.0 serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: ASUSTeK model: UX305LA v: 1.0 serial: <superuser required> UEFI: American Megatrends
    v: UX305LA.206 date: 08/03/2015
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 21.8 Wh (62.1%) condition: 35.1/56.0 Wh (62.6%) volts: 11.3 min: 11.3
    model: ASUSTeK ASUS Battery type: Li-ion serial: N/A status: discharging cycles: 547
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core i5-5200U bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Broadwell gen: core 5 level: v3
    note: check built: 2015-18 process: Intel 14nm family: 6 model-id: 0x3D (61) stepping: 4
    microcode: 0x1D
  Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 2 tpc: 2 threads: 4 smt: enabled cache: L1: 128 KiB
    desc: d-2x32 KiB; i-2x32 KiB L2: 512 KiB desc: 2x256 KiB L3: 3 MiB desc: 1x3 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 748 high: 799 min/max: 500/2700 scaling: driver: intel_cpufreq
    governor: ondemand cores: 1: 798 2: 798 3: 600 4: 799 bogomips: 17559
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
  Vulnerabilities:
  Type: gather_data_sampling status: Not affected
  Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled
  Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion; VMX: conditional cache flushes, SMT vulnerable
  Type: mds status: Vulnerable: Clear CPU buffers attempted, no microcode; SMT vulnerable
  Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI
  Type: mmio_stale_data status: Unknown: No mitigations
  Type: retbleed status: Not affected
  Type: spec_rstack_overflow status: Not affected
  Type: spec_store_bypass status: Vulnerable
  Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Retpolines, STIBP: disabled, RSB filling, PBRSB-eIBRS: Not
    affected
  Type: srbds status: Vulnerable: No microcode
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel HD Graphics 5500 vendor: ASUSTeK driver: i915 v: kernel arch: Gen-8
    process: Intel 14nm built: 2014-15 ports: active: eDP-1 empty: HDMI-A-1 bus-ID: 00:02.0
    chip-ID: 8086:1616 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: Realtek USB2.0 HD UVC WebCam type: USB driver: uvcvideo bus-ID: 1-5:6
    chip-ID: 0bda:57cb class-ID: 0e02 serial: <filter>
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.7 compositor: xfwm v: 4.18.0 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: iris gpu: i915 display-ID: :0.0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.00x11.22") s-diag: 582mm (22.93")
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 model: AU Optronics 0x212d built: 2013 res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 166
    gamma: 1.2 size: 293x165mm (11.54x6.5") diag: 336mm (13.2") ratio: 16:9 modes: 1920x1080
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6 Mesa 22.3.6 renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 5500 (BDW GT2)
    direct-render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Broadwell-U Audio vendor: ASUSTeK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:03.0
    chip-ID: 8086:160c class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: Intel Wildcat Point-LP High Definition Audio vendor: ASUSTeK driver: snd_hda_intel
    v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 chip-ID: 8086:9ca0 class-ID: 0403
  API: ALSA v: k6.1.0-17-amd64 status: kernel-api tools: alsamixer,amixer
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.0 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse status: active
    2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin 4: pw-jack type: plugin
    tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Wireless 7265 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel modules: wl pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s
    lanes: 1 bus-ID: 02:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:095a class-ID: 0280
  IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter>
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter type: USB driver: r8152 bus-ID: 1-3.3:8
    chip-ID: 0bda:8153 class-ID: 0000 serial: <filter>
  IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8 bus-ID: 1-4:4
    chip-ID: 8087:0a2a class-ID: e001
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 1 state: up address: <filter> bt-v: 2.1 lmp-v: 4.2
    sub-v: 1000 hci-v: 4.2 rev: 1000
  Info: acl-mtu: 1021:5 sco-mtu: 96:6 link-policy: rswitch hold sniff
    link-mode: peripheral accept service-classes: rendering, capturing, object transfer, audio,
    telephony
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 582.33 GiB used: 10.35 GiB (1.8%)
  SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
  ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: Samsung model: SSD 860 EVO M.2 500GB size: 465.76 GiB
    block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: 4B6Q
    scheme: GPT
  ID-2: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 type: USB vendor: SanDisk model: SanDisk 3.2 Gen1 size: 116.57 GiB
    block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: N/A serial: <filter> rev: DL17 scheme: MBR
  SMART Message: Unknown USB bridge. Flash drive/Unsupported enclosure?
Partition:
  Message: No partition data found.
Swap:
  Alert: No swap data was found.
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 60.0 C pch: 46.5 C mobo: N/A
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Repos:
  Packages: pm: dpkg pkgs: 2060 libs: 1053 tools: apt,apt-get,aptitude,nala,synaptic pm: rpm
    pkgs: 0 pm: flatpak pkgs: 0
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list
    1: deb [arch=amd64] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list
    1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list
    1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
    2: deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list
    1: deb https://mirrors.aliyun.com/mxlinux/mx/repo/ bookworm main non-free
Info:
  Processes: 236 Uptime: 1h 39m wakeups: 2 Memory: 7.65 GiB used: 4.27 GiB (55.8%) Init: SysVinit
  v: 3.06 runlevel: 5 default: graphical tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: 12.2.0 alt: 12
  Client: shell wrapper v: 5.2.15-release inxi: 3.3.26
Boot Mode: UEFI
SecureBoot enabled

I used Live USB Maker to create a persistent usb (persist_root) on a 128GB thumb drive since I haven't moved my files off of the ssd that has Windows on it. I think I broke win10 while trying out different distros since I can't boot to it but I can still access the files in the ssd so it's not an urgent issue.

sensors:

Code: Select all

$ sensors
coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0:  +48.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:        +48.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:        +47.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

asus-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
cpu_fan:     25500 RPM
temp1:        +49.0°C  

acpitz-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
temp1:        +49.0°C  (crit = +108.0°C)

iwlwifi_1-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:        +36.0°C  

pch_wildcat_point-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:        +46.0°C  

BAT0-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
in0:          11.31 V

cpu_fan reports an ungodly high rpm and I am also concerned with both the high and crit temp being same value.
Running sensors-detect only gives "coretemp" as the only sensor listed.

Code: Select all

Driver `coretemp':
  * Chip `Intel digital thermal sensor' (confidence: 9)

To load everything that is needed, add this to /etc/modules:
#----cut here----
# Chip drivers
coretemp
#----cut here----

I found out about pwmconfig and this is what it gave me:

Code: Select all

Found the following devices:
   hwmon0 is acpitz
   hwmon1 is BAT0
   hwmon2 is AC0
   hwmon3 is pch_wildcat_point
   hwmon4 is asus
   hwmon5 is iwlwifi_1
   hwmon6 is coretemp

Found the following PWM controls:
   hwmon4/pwm1           current value: 255
   
 ...(ommitted)
 
 Giving the fans some time to reach full speed...
Found the following fan sensors:
cat: hwmon4/fan1_input: No such device or address
   hwmon4/fan1_input     current speed:  RPM
   
...

Testing pwm control hwmon4/pwm1 ...
cat: hwmon4/fan1_input: No such device or address
  hwmon4/fan1_input ... speed was  now 
/usr/sbin/pwmconfig: line 455: let: threshold=3*/4: syntax error: operand expected (error token is "/4")
    It appears that fan hwmon4/fan1_input
    is controlled by pwm hwmon4/pwm1
cat: hwmon4/fan1_input: No such device or address
    Fan hwmon4/fan1_input has not returned to speed, please investigate!

I can see that there is an issue with it not compatible or not being detected but I don't know what I should do with this info or what the next step is.

Any kind of help is appreciated.

[MXNewFan]

Hi- I just resolved a similar issue on my computer. My fan (that didn't look dusty from the outside) was clogged inside at the junction of the cooling fins. This was only visible after removing the fan from it's housing.

Once clean and back together with a clean fan Firefox / youtube does initiate a higher initial cpu /memory usage but immediately the fan comes on (not roars) and pulls the temperatures down to 40's in seconds.

If yours hit 90C (the critical level of my system) if you are lucky it might just be the system shutdown and the fan locked to prevent damage. Try cleaning out the fan without removing the cooling plate from the CPU (if you have to, make sure you have replacement thermal paste on hand.) Once you disturb that junction the paste should be replaced. Factory thermal paste is rated to withstand temps from -40C to 200C. 90 C shouldn't decompose the paste. The temperature settings apparently differ by CPU model. High and Critical are different on mine by 10 degrees.

After the fan is clean, if it still doesn't work, you might try removing the battery and power cable and then hold the start button for about 30 second before then rebooting. If that doesn't work, I'd probably swap out the fan. If your fan was making odd noises before the problem, I'd probably order a new fan before starting the project.

[Dennis-TW]

I've only been using MX for the past week

Hi there, did the fan work until recently?

MXNewFan gives some good advice, but if the fan was working before installing MX, then the more likely problem is a missing driver or configuration.

[chrispop99]

Welcome to the forum.

As a first step, have a look in the BIOS/UEFI to see if there are any fan threshold settings. If it's set to 'quiet' by default, try another setting.

Chris

[kmiles]

Hi again, thank you all for those that replied.

After the fan is clean, if it still doesn't work, you might try removing the battery and power cable and then hold the start button for about 30 second before then rebooting. If that doesn't work, I'd probably swap out the fan. If your fan was making odd noises before the problem, I'd probably order a new fan before starting the project.

I've fully cleaned the fan and heatsink and repasted the cpu since I've been opening up the laptop to remove the ssd out of fear of reformatting it(I haven't copied my files to something else) instead of the usb drive I was flashing distros to try out. I have always disconnected the battery and held the power button as I didn't want to accidentally short something whilst I was cleaning inside or removing/plugging in the ssd. Also, the fan hasn't been making any weird noises and was audible when idle(in Windows). I have no means to replace the fan currently.

Hi there, did the fan work until recently?

MXNewFan gives some good advice, but if the fan was working before installing MX, then the more likely problem is a missing driver or configuration.

Yes, that fan was working but only in win10. And ever since I borked the OS, I haven't been able to test whether it still works in win10. I'm a bit scared of the laptop suddenly shutting down due to overheating whilst copying my files off of the ssd so I haven't tried to do so yet.
I should say that the charging port or the battery is probably damaged since it sometimes keeps disconnecting and then goes back to normal again (battery condition is 62.6% of the original). I don't have another computer where I can continue to troubleshoot and that keeps me from re-installing windows on the ssd.

Welcome to the forum.

As a first step, have a look in the BIOS/UEFI to see if there are any fan threshold settings. If it's set to 'quiet' by default, try another setting.

Chris

The welcome is appreciated. There are no fan control nor power settings in the BIOS. The laptop is 7 y.o. and I didn't update the bios so it doesn't have such options.

From your replies, I think that it's either a configuration or driver/compatibility problem that I'm having. Though I might be completely wrong.

[j2mcgreg]

@kmiles wrote:

There are no fan control nor power settings in the BIOS. The laptop is 7 y.o. and I didn't update the bios so it doesn't have such options.

Often setting up an administrator's password in the bios will reveal many otherwise hidden controls.

[Charlie Brown]

... I think that it's either a configuration or driver/compatibility ...

Yes. Cause it works on Windows, same Bios, same hardware, same being clean/dirty ...

Is it the same when plugged in and when on battery ? (It may be due to tlp )

Code: Select all

sudo nano /etc/tlp.conf

TLP_ENABLE=1

change to 0 , save, close, reboot.

[Charlie Brown]

In the meantime (at least till you repair it) you can boot Windows indirectly using the "Boot Rescue Menus" on live session at welcome screen.

In case you manage to boot Win. this or that way: Disable "Fast Startup" there (as it doesn't really shutdown it keeps most devices engaged, though this may not be related to that).

[kmiles]

Often setting up an administrator's password in the bios will reveal many otherwise hidden controls.

I see. I didn't know about that.

Yes. Cause it works on Windows, same Bios, same hardware, same being clean/dirty ...
Is it the same when plugged in and when on battery ? (It may be due to tlp )

Code: Select all

sudo nano /etc/tlp.conf

TLP_ENABLE=1
change to 0 , save, close, reboot.

I don't know whether or not it works when on battery since I always leave it plugged in incase it starts disconnecting again.

In the meantime (at least till you repair it) you can boot Windows indirectly using the "Boot Rescue Menus" on live session at welcome screen.

In case you manage to boot Win. this or that way: Disable "Fast Startup" there (as it doesn't really shutdown it keeps most devices engaged, though this may not be related to that).

Will disabling fast startup on the bios have the same effect?
Also, watching a youtube vid actually keeps temp at 80`C minimum and peaks at 94`C.

I'll try the solutions tomorrow since it's midnight where I am. See you then

[Charlie Brown]

Though they're not exactly the same disable that, too.

In case it's still the same: Install the most recent Liquorix kernel from "MX Package Installer" , reboot.

P.S. This is not a must, just btw: Since you don't have any Broadcom and Realtek wifi devices you can open "MX Cleanup" beforehand and "Remove Unused Wifi Drivers"... cause they (dkms packages recompiling) take too much time "for nothing" and give errors etc.. when installing a new kernel ...