I built Le Black Beast a couple/three years ago.  I have a dual core processor; so, it has a CPU fan.  Well, like an idiot, I decided to blow out the interior of the case with canned air (at least I didn't use my compressor set on 90 lbs).  You guessed it, I must have done something with the fan on the CPU because every time I boot up cold, after the IDE scan, I get 4 beeps and the message "CPU Fan Error!, Press F1 to resume".  Hit F1 and everything is fine.  SpeedFan indicates the CPU temperature is withing parameters and the fan on the CPU works - I have checked it with the side off the case.

This is only a minor annoyance, but I would be thankful if anybody could tell me how to fix the problem.

Thanks

Is the fan spinning?  As long as its spinning, you should be fine.  You might have just damaged the sensor in BIOS when the compressed air spun the fan.

Check the wiring on the fan.  You may have loosened the third wire that sends RPM readings to the cpu.

Canned air really isn't the best thing to use when cleaning a computer.  It does more to blow dirt into places it doesn't belong than anything else. 

At least twice a year, I remove my CPU fan and heatsink and then separate the two.  I gingerly clean the blades of the fan and then inject a few drops of high grade oil into the bearing cavity on the back of the fan, with a hypodermic needle.
Then the heatsink gets a good scrubbing at the kitchen sink.  A little soap and water works miracles in maintaining the efficiency of the heatsink. 
During reassembly, I apply a new coating of heat sink grease.

This bit of TLC keeps my fans working efficiently, year after year.
I just revitalized a heatsink and fan I put into a PC in the year 2000.  It was getting noisey, but now it runs like the day I first installed it, eight years ago.

Good Luck to ya!

The Shadow 

Well, that works too. 

Will do!  Received it today, will probably install this weekend.  Need to go to Fry's and get some thermal grease (or whatever it is called).

What is the best way to clean the top of the CPU to get the old grease off?

Thanks

thorin

So, replacing the CPU cooling fan on your system requires re-mounting the CPU as well--must be an Intel CPU?!  My AMD system (it's older) has the heat sink attached separately from the fan--so I can remove it for cleaning the heat sink fins without disrupting the seal.

I use *Arctic Silver*.  They have a good tutorial here: Route to Product Instructions for Arctic Silver 5

Quote:


This is what I have done the last few times--seems to work great!

Ok, got some Arctic Silver; took the old fan off, cleaned the top of the Intel CPU with the two part Arctic cleaner.  Put a very thin coat of Artic Silver on the top of the CPU; re-installed CPU (because of notches, it will only install one way); install new fan on top of the CPU and attach it to the motherboard.  Turn on power, all fans start turning; monitor is on for around 30 seconds (on meaning green light is on) then sign comes on the monitor saying it is going to sleep.  Light on monitor goes yellow; fans continue blowing, but the computer never even begins to boot up (can't start up in safe mode).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  The only thing I can think of is that somehow I shorted out the CPU and it is now trash?  Before I go get a new CPU, anybody got any suggestions?

Thanks

Try re-seating you CPU, memory, and graphics card.  Double check all the important wires inside, especially the power supply wiring harness that connects to the motherboard.  I almost always knock something loose when I mess around inside the case.