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

[Charlie Brown]

... If Grub is erased after repair, will I still be able to boot to the persistent usb I'm using currently?..

You can boot with usb or other media (no matter persistent or not) no matter there's only Windows on disk or Linux or both, even when there's no hdd/ssd :)

... What should I use to flash a win.iso on a usb in linux?..

There was a "WoeUsb" but sadly it's not available on Debian 12 (it seems it's available with Snap or one needs to install the new version "WoeUSB-ng" manually , however I don't want to confuse you ). Ventoy might be simpler, or Rufus on another Windows machine. (... or "dd" in a terminal ...)

... Will it try to repair the ssd with the .iso in the thumb drive?..

Not the ssd but will try to repair Windows system (and/or Windows bootloader, hence it may erase grub, but again, no problem)

... Will it erase everything during repair?..

Nope, will just try to repair whatever is missing / broken about Windows. (Your "Users" directory will stay there as is ). Unless you click to reinstall (format etc..)...

[kmiles]

... but since Live USB boots should be immune to that, I have my doubts about that being the issue.

Did you say that you might be able to update the BIOS?

1. I don't understand what you mean that it's immune but what do you suspect is the issue?

2. I could try, though I'm most definitely afraid to break the only laptop I have access to. It'll be a while before I have access to another.

I remember seeing BIOS updates up till 2019 at ASUS' Support page for my laptop model when I was reinstalling the DPTF driver (to try to fix the disconnecting charger issue),
though I have no idea how to do that, and am afraid to brick the whole thing.

... If Grub is erased after repair, will I still be able to boot to the persistent usb I'm using currently?..

You can boot with usb or other media (no matter persistent or not) no matter there's only Windows on disk or Linux or both, even when there's no hdd/ssd :)

There was a "WoeUsb" but sadly it's not available on Debian 12 (it seems it's available with Snap or one needs to install the new version "WoeUSB-ng" manually , however I don't want to confuse you ). Ventoy might be simpler, or Rufus on another Windows machine. (... or "dd" in a terminal ...)

Not the ssd but will try to repair Windows system (and/or Windows bootloader, hence it may erase grub, but again, no problem)

Nope, will just try to repair whatever is missing / broken about Windows. (Your "Users" directory will stay there as is ). Unless you click to reinstall (format etc..)...

1. I am was under the assumption that the Grub of my persistent usb was on the windows ssd when I asked that. I got confused.
I now know that I can still boot to MX even without the ssd in the laptop.

2. I'd much rather be confused and then learn how to do it in linux than wait to find someone I can borrow a laptop from.
Though I do have the rufus portable.exe and ventoy .exe. I'll use them instead if I get a chance to.

3. What I meant was when I get to the "repair your computer" part, will the installer(usb drive) try to fix the ssd(windows) using the .iso in the usb drive? I am just curious.

4. That's nice to know. I'll go down that path if I'm unable to retrieve the locked files.

Thanks for the help, good sirs.

[Charlie Brown]

... was under the assumption that the Grub of my persistent usb was on the windows ssd when I asked that ...

Your usb has its own partitioning scheme: MBR (Master Boot Record) and Grub ( and grub.cfg file), and SSD has its own scheme: GPT ... and Grub and ESP partition etc...

In the meantime I forgot to add one more option: VirtualBox .. (Can install with "MX Package Installer" with 2 clicks from the initial tab) ... you can use your Windows iso there on Linux, either for any Windows related things and to use Rufus (the King) ...

... will the installer(usb drive) try to fix the ssd(windows) using the .iso in the usb drive?..

Yep. In fact what you're doing is to prepare a "Windows Installation Media" (no matter usb/dvd etc.) and just repair (whatever it finds broken or missing comparing with the defaults there) rather than install. That's also used to repair boot problems and those blue screen errors mostly, that makes people crazy: "Something.dll could not be found" .. then you search the web and find it and put in place, this time "System32 something rundll error" ... (Grrr)


In case you need: Skip the first steps and go on with Step 3

I hope that doesn't cause heat when fan is not working :)

[MXNewFan]

I just bought a Win10 laptop & more stupidly a used chromebook (I wasn't even drunk). The difference of running youtube on either of those is palatable compared to MxLinux, but comes with an obvious invasion of privacy. Among other things, both Chrome & Windows immediately served up ads related to prio Ebay searches done on my Linux machine!!! My Linux machine was UNPLUGGED, OFF & No LAN. (ie, The ad served on MS Edge was for sign vinyl that I'd never searched for on the new computer and had incidentally searched for on Ebay, on the Linux machine a DAYS if not a WEEK prior.) It seems that maybe the Windows & Chromebook lifted data from my Internet Router data or got it from my IP records.

On Linux, Youtube serves ad differently & differently, I get mostly inappropriate obnoxious ads (Do you have foot fungus, etc?) that come with the YouTube SKIP button. I think that button actually acts as click bait! The obnoxious ads are to make a person click! Once an ad gets skipped the Memory & CPU usage skyrockets (also temp & the fan that I could hear before I cleaned my fan.) I can watch it happen now by leaving the video running, opening another tab & running Firefox about: Memory. The spike comes just before an ad is served up. The sensor module verifies this. But now my fan is clean & working properly to take the heat down.

Where it gets interesting is Rumble recently started serving up ads that use a similar "SKIP" click bait button as YouTube. And now very same youtube problem happens if watching a Rumble video! So are these video servers using the same code, the same ad server or same method of acquiring our private data (directly from our computers rather than snooping for IP records.) I have a firewall up. Could clickbait give the advertiser permission to violate the firewall? I don't know. All the excess CPU & memory excess use seems to correlate. I'd sure appreciate enlightenment!

In the process of trying to find out about Linuxizing the used up Chromebook (it had it's final update apparently & on version 93) I read about a "read-only" jumper to be found on the motherboards that has to be removed or something to install Linux. Maybe similar is true for some Win10 builds too? Again I don't know. But thought I'd throw it out there as a possibility for why your fan worked in Windows but not with Linux.

[Stevo]

Currently using the Ublock Origin extension is working for me in Firefox to block all added Youtube (and a lot more) ads. I can't believe how intrusive they are if I happen to switch it off.

Ebay may have shared (sold) your IP address' Linux search data with Microsoft and Google. There probably a lot of other stuff going on, too.

[MXNewFan]

Thanks I may try UBlock again. I reinstalled FF after cleaning w/no add-ons. Maybe skeptical, but ad blocks seem like a trade off of who a user allows to collect their data.
Interesting about ebay.

[kmiles]

Hi dudes, I forgot about the forum. Sorry about that.

Fan still doesn't spin and I still haven't got windows to be bootable yet but I'm saving up for a used fujitsu lifebook A579 (screen is a downgrade but I can live with that).
I'll do the fixes, like updating the bios, once I've got the new(to me) laptop and transferred all my data.

Also, when I last had the windows ssd in the laptop and tried to fix it, I tried every option in the RE but none worked.
Startup Repair, Command prompt(SFC, DISM), Rollback Update, re-install(keep files), and System Restore (I had restore points but I couldn't select a drive to restore from).
Some tried to run but failed, others didn't run at all.

I don't know if this laptop has something like what @MXNewFan mentioned, but for now, I've concluded that the fan is broken since even when in the windows RE, fan did not spin. I could not find a replacement fan for the model I have.

[MXNewFan]

@kmiles

Have you tried to find a fan in computer stores nearby? Most have good fans kicking about. The fan might not be the issue however.

Sometimes when there's a serious overheating, a fuse gets blown (or a jumper or bios have to be reset), if you are lucky to keep from frying chips. Then the system should not start up at all.

There's a bios setting like "fan always on" , or is it set to off? This shouldn't be the issue but you could try it the opposite setting and switch it back if it makes no difference.

You could also try resetting the bios: disconnect the power, the battery and the auxiliary battery (like an RTC) for 30 seconds. As overkill to be sure it's dead, hold down the power button several seconds before plugging batteries back in. (This resets the default bios to factory settings.)

Test the fan. With the fan removed using a multi meter look for continuity. A long time ago, I tested a computer fan by wiring up a penlight battery, but the voltage rating on the fan can't be exceeded by the battery and sort of dumb way to check. A local computer store could test it correctly in a few seconds. Just bring in the fan. If its not the fan, it's the board, a blown fuse or bios setting.

If you can't find a fan for your specific model, and sure the fan is dead, I'd look for fan w/ same physical size & electrical ratings. Many have universal computer connector but if not, solder on your old fan wires & connector onto the new fan. Before you do this, test your fan.

My fan was clogged to the max. The dust that looked like felt, not visible until the fan was removed, padding between the fan exhaust port and the metal fins. The reason FF and YT combo cause the heating was both are very cpu and memory intense programs, running at the same time. Both FF & YT changed how they process data I think but had I run games or something similar it would have likely over heated too. Looking for dust in a laptop fan is not the same as for old desktops. There was no visible dust in my laptop fan- it was caked against the fins, hard to see even with fan out it was so compacted & discolored.

PS My handle was about me being a new fan of MX, no connection to this stupid mistake of mine.

[kmiles]

Update:
I found out what was encrypting some of my files, but also, I've broken win10 a lot worse whilst trying some fixes. : )

Windows uses EFS (encrypting file system) to encrypt certain files/folders as opposed to bitlocker.

I tried to use Hiren's BootCD to fix windows but I just made it worse, it no longer boots up to winRE now. it just takes me to terminal with "Windows failed to start".

It's not really urgent for me to try and fix it right now since I'm currently pre-occupied with the new laptop I got. An Acer Extensa 15 (EX215-23-R5EG).
I'm saving up for a flash dive and SSD to make a backup/s of win11 before trying to get linux on it.

@MXNewFan
The fan is clean and I haven't tried looking for new fans at stores nor have I tried to test the fan itself. I have no way to test the fan for now since I don't have small enough wire to get inside the 3-pin connector to test it. I don't think that there is a fuse blown since I'm still using the laptop right now( or at least I think I don't). There's no fan control option in the bios even after making an admin password (prolly cause it's an old laptop and its a slimbook).

I'll still try to get the fan fixed (once I've checked that its broken) but I'm fine with it not working since I'll be using this laptop for testing purposes once I've got the Acer setup how I like it (of course, dualbooted with linux on it).