Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

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xieu90

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by xieu90 »

I am also a novice
but i think linux has some problem in driver,firmware or programm
cause with a brandnew computer and on the floor (so no dust no pillow and in room temperature) it is still hot.
at least hotter than xp
xp idle 34-39 (speedfan)
linux(ubuntu,mint) 44-55 (lm-sensor)
(idle = running nothing, only windows or linux, or + firefox with only 1 website)

there might be also standard diference in temperature programms.
so i checked xp and linux with my own nose and comb too.
the result : linux is hotter than xp

long ago i tried to use compiz with my desktop (which has ati card, and of course it had problem with driver)
before install driver from ati website / driver with envy , the temperature was cool/warm
after install its temperature is always hot = 100% load when I play games in xp (so even when i just get pass gdm and get into linux it will be that hot and stay like that until i shutdown the computer)

that was only an example
back to topic
so i think there is something wrong with driver of something (cpu ?, cpu fan controll ?, harddrive ? videocard ? or ram ?)
but that is only a guess of a novice.
what do you think then ?

a joke:
may be because linux is becoming another vista and that hot temperature becomes standard ?
if so then we are moving along with earth, everything will be hot, and everyone will be hot


















what did you think hot means ? sexy? roasted ?
^^
I thought of roasted ^^ :lol:
lumi

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by lumi »

Mint actually fixed my overheating problem. In my last weeks with XP, it had got to the point that my Dell Inspiron 6400 would shut down at least once or twice a day. It was so annoying that I switched to Linux - and never had that problem again ;)
catilley

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by catilley »

Any OS will burn a laptop, depending on how you use it. Do you watch DVD's while on your laptop? It doesn't matter about the brand or OS that is running on it, it will get hot playing them. Do you keep your vents vaccumed or blowed out? If you don't, your laptop will run hot. I've never had an OS to overheat a laptop. In fact, this is the most ridiculos thing I've heard of regarding this issue. Mabye you should try Puppy Linux out. If that makes your laptop overheat, you either need to take it to the shop (or dump preferably) or consider buying a new one. If after buying a new one and everything works right, if Mint overheats it, then mabye I'd believe it.
Husse

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by Husse »

This is in the end controlled by BIOS
If for some reason the fans do not start or run properly the BIOS will shut down the computer before it is in danger of being destroyed
hunkirdowne

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by hunkirdowne »

Husse wrote:This is in the end controlled by BIOS
If for some reason the fans do not start or run properly the BIOS will shut down the computer before it is in danger of being destroyed
While I certainly agree, the problem I had -- and I think it is at least similar to The Picker's issue -- seemed to be a software (OS) issue at least with respect to turning fans on as needed to maintain temperature below threshold. This appeared first on Ubuntu Hardy and was a repeatable issue when I booted Ubuntu and non-existent when booting WinXP. For reference, I'm listing some Ubuntu forum threads:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=771258
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=821597
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1070474

Hardy was where I first noticed I had a problem but I don't recall if it was with the original install, initial update, or a subsequent update where the problem first appeared. I was not using Mint or Debian actively at the time. The problem disappeared with an upgrade to Intrepid. The laptop on which I had a problem is no longer in commission due to a hardware failure that has not been thoroughly diagnosed and I'm not ruling out the temperature issue as at least a contributing factor to it's demise, but it saw quite a bit of service over the years so maybe something totally unrelated failed.

More information available upon request but I think I've probably posted more than enough for a side note to this thread. ;-)
tacoz

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by tacoz »

Given these threads... I was rather nervously curious when I installed Mint 8 on a new Samsung R522 that I bought the wife for Christmas. It's had about four weeks of Mint usage... and going well!

Initially I tried to dual boot it with the pre-installed Windows 7 but that crashed the boot process entirely and neither system was able to boot. With the second attempt I elected to use the whole disk and made new partitions... the web cam, microphone, HDMI to the big screen, wireless connection all worked first time. The only additional apps I added were skype, sound-juicer and dvd:rip. Finally I have the whole family using Mint and there are only two instances of Win7--both running in Virtualbox--one in my workplace and one on the kid's PC and that only because they teach IT at high school via the Microsoft platform.

But to get back to this topic of hot laptops... we've watch DVDs, skype, etc and there is definitely no excessive heat problem here. Maybe the fact that we live in Zululand where heat is an issue anyway puts this machine in a context. Unlike most folk around here, we don't have air conditioners but the house is cool enough. Point is... when I first saw these threads around Christmas and over the weeks watched the cpu/fan performance... I'm not fussed about the current heat output (normal) and once again... I applaud Mint!
hunkirdowne

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by hunkirdowne »

tacoz wrote:Given these threads... I was rather nervously curious when I installed Mint 8 on a new Samsung R522 that I bought the wife for Christmas. It's had about four weeks of Mint usage... and going well!
First, I'm glad things are going well. Mint8 is impressive to say the least.

Second, what I have been attempting to describe with respect to laptops overheating (and possibly one desktop but I have not been able to pin down the exact cause yet) is something that came along all of a sudden like with Ubuntu Hardy, I believe but possibly sooner, and ended with either Intrepid or Jaunty -- the former, I think. In any event, this phenomenon is not evident in Linux Mint 8 Helena, Ubuntu Karmic, or Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 so whatever the problem was seems to have been fixed. Although I was not using Linux Mint prior to the problem being solved, I can say that the problem I had existed on both the Ubuntu and Debian platforms.

Finally, if someone is having a hot laptop issue now and they are using an updated kernel, I would say it is a separate issue.

My dos centavos.

Enjoy!
grizwald
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Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by grizwald »

I have a H/P laptop which overheats on a regular basis. I discovered after trying an assortment of fixes that it was caused by collection of lint piled up on one side of the microprocessor heatsink inside the Laptop. This gets sucked in through the air vent on the base of the unit and over time accumulates over the internal heatsink fins on top of the microprocessor allowing the heat to build up to quite high levels. Obviously diving into the Laptop innards is not for the feint hearted but happily access to the microprocessor heatsink isn't too difficult. I removed the appropriate cover, gently unscrewed the heatsink retaining screws and removed it. There is no need to remove the microprocessor. Then the dust was brushed off the fins and any more dust inside the laptop is removed. I next re-smeared the thermal conductive paste evenly over the base of the heatsink before returning it to its original position. Everything now runs cool again for several more months before the process needs to be repeated.

Obviously this isn't the cure for everyones overheating problems but if your fan runs at high speed and the air coming out of your Laptop is very hot, then you may like to give this solution some thought.

Good Luck.

G.
hunkirdowne

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another distr

Post by hunkirdowne »

grizwald wrote:I have a H/P laptop which overheats on a regular basis. I discovered after trying an assortment of fixes that it was caused by collection of lint piled up on one side of the microprocessor heatsink inside the Laptop.
G.
You obviously need to begin a new thread -- may I suggest "Lint burns laptops"? :^)

Seriously, good advice. I had a desktop overheat in a similar manner (pet hair).
TheMintyCanadian

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by TheMintyCanadian »

optimize me wrote:Have you seen this yet: http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Edgy ... sensors.29

It's kind of old, but may still be relevant.

Hey, thanks for the reply.

I did see this thread after a search, before I posted my own.

There's nothing really in there in the way of help - lots of comments about how it could be other things, like fluff, dust, etc. But I have easily tested that out of the equation through switching to and from Win 7 to Mint and being able to see no problem with the fans under Win7.

Most of the tech stuff in there is Greek to me, but I don't think there was actually anything in there that suggests a solution given my circumstances.

If I'm wrong about this last assumption, I'd be more than happy to be corrected :D

Cheers,
Dave
turkka

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by turkka »

Actually I remember having such difficulties which were (ultimately) solved with a vacuum cleaner... :D

But as that sentence isn't very informative, I'll try to get something else done.
When I was trying to get the 'ondemand'-governor working it never did because the files /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq and scaling_max_freq were both the same, highest the CPU could go... So no wonder it never worked until I corrected the min_freq file.

After that one scaling worked fine for me. But temperatures dropped some 20degrees celsius after the oh-so-technical vacuum-cleaner operation...

I can't remember which version of Ubuntu it was, but I guess it was like 8.10 or something, and I never have seen anyone complain about that bug, so I guess it hasn't happened often.
keljaden

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by keljaden »

I think your problem is both the fault of your hardware, and linux. Make sure you are able to decrease the CPU speed of your laptop (speed step). Also, if it has gotten that hot before, your thermal paste is probably messed up so I suggest getting some high end stuff (i suggest arctic cooler mx-2 as it is what I use). take off your heatsink and using q-tips and isopropanol (99% alcohol) clean off the CPU and heatsinks old thermal paste, make sure the surface is dry(using q-tips again) and apply a similar amount of thermal paste. (i didn't suggest as5 because if u put to much it melts your cpu).

I have run a lot of different distributions and heat has yet to be a major problem.... My friend has a gateway laptop (bought a yr old) and he cleans it regularly and it still suffers from overheating. His cpu gets to 80C just running Killing Floor.

Try making sure the laptop is clean and you have good thermal paste on there and it is set up internally before accusing the devs of not being attentive to errors. If it is really such a problem and you have ruled out all other possibilities make a detailed bug report...

I agree that the devs for some things *cough* amarok *cough* don't always pay attention to the bug, but more than just reporting the error on the forums is necessary for action to be taking. If you want us here at the forums to help you, post EVERYTHING you can about the laptop. Often times the error is something you would not even have realized (like how cario dock prevent skypes video from working...)
turkka

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by turkka »

If you were pointing that message to me its not necessary any more. I was just giving other people one more possibility where the heating problem may be. I don't have that machine any more, though its still in use. I gave it to my elderly mother :D

As she does nothing cpu-intense with it thats a fine piece of equipment for her.

Besides it was Acer Aspire 1362, which was kinda notorious for its tendency to overheating.

Sorry if I didn't make myself clear on the issue, just talking in principle.
declan.mullen

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by declan.mullen »

I would like Mint 9 LXDE to manage the speed and temperature of my laptop's CPU so as to run the laptop optimally and to not allow the CPU to overheat to the extent that it causes the laptop to turn off .

On my laptop, Mint 9 LXDE with its default configuration and default set of packages (but with the latest updates installed) is failing to achieve this and is on occasion allowing the CPU to get so hot that the laptop turns off (it doesn't even attempt to shutdown the OS before turning off).

This forum subject/thread has been going a long time and lots of software solutions have been suggested but many of them were suggested a long time ago. What is the current recommended software solution to ensuring Mint 9 LXDE does not allow the CPU to run so hot that the laptop turns off ?

My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 5150 with a 3.2GHz Mobile Pentium 4 CPU.

Many thanks.
grizwald
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Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by grizwald »

I pointed out once before that the overheating problem with laptops can very often be caused by lint partially blocking ventilation vents. Best solution is to make certain this ISN'T the problem before tweaking any software.
Grizwald.
declan.mullen

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by declan.mullen »

What is the currently recommended software to have Mint LXDE 9 detect that a CPU is approaching an unsafe high temperature and then attempt to reduce the temperature by increasing fan speed and/or stepping down the CPU's GHz ?

With my laptop, I've noticed that Mint LXDE 9 is not attempting to drop my CPU down from its 3.2GHz top speed step to its lower 1.5GHz speed step, when the temperature is way above its safe temperature (eg 75 C), and as a result my laptop is subsequently turning off.

See http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 20#p329820 for details of laptop.

FYI, I'm monitoring:
The temperature via /sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp
The speed via /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq
declan.mullen

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by declan.mullen »

grizwald wrote:I pointed out once before that the overheating problem with laptops can very often be caused by lint partially blocking ventilation vents. Best solution is to make certain this ISN'T the problem before tweaking any software.
Grizwald.
Many thanks Grizwald. I've cleaned out the significant amount of lint from the cpu fan and now Mint seems to be able to manage the cpu fan/temp/speed very well. As you pointed, no need for extra software. Many thanks.
grizwald
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Location: Brisbane Australia.

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by grizwald »

My pleasure Declan, pleased my post was able to help you.
Cheers,

Griz.
TexasProud

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by TexasProud »

Mint 7 also throttles pc computers. Oddly as time goes by the throttling will stop and everything is normal. (I'm talking a month or so after install). It will ramp back up with updates and even the screensaver can make it kick back in throttle. The throttling I've seen is definately not the harddrive but the fan. A throttled harddrive will click, often clicking like crazy. What I've seen and heard is the fan racing loudly at full speed as if the system can't quite digest something and is getting stuck.

I've never installed on a physically dirty system, so dunno 'bout that but I'm sure it would overheat. I would tend to think if you can "smell" something going on when the system throttles that there's something swelling up and going out on the motherboard and a motherboard replacement could be necessary unless you are handy with a soldiering iron -- and hopefully you have a friend who has a computer shop or a really good geek friend who can check/fix/replace that motherboard for you. Sometimes motherboard issues are just a little beyond the ordinary to detect and repair. Various people have described that smell as "sorta smells like perfume" while others say it smells like "plastic". If the fan is going out, it will go out. They sorta sound like they are groaning. Don't use a computer with a bad fan. Get that fixed asap.

If it's just the new Mint installation, take note of when it happens (were you downloading, downloading or playing an installed game, updating or a screensaver started up). When the throttling starts, what I did was restart the system. I've left it going before to see if it would stop throttling on it's on, and it just kept throttling. Restart stopped it and the system purred like a kitten. Once you get past all those initial updates and other program installs you want, you've got one really fine operating system in a purring system. I keep trying out newer Mints and other Linux OS, and even Windows. I always go back to Mint 7. It is my all time favorite but there are initial issues that do work out. It's sorta like Mint 7 tries to swallow an elephant all in one bite, panics, then gets it all digested and all is well.

I won't install any Linux OS on anyone else's computer unless they agree to let me keep it at least a month to make sure all the bells and whistles are working correctly -- and all the warts and freckles are taken care of, particularly since that throttling issue usually doesn't crop up until after the updating begins.

But of course, I can't see your computer or what it's doing, so you need to really do what you think you need to do to protect your computer when that throttling starts.

By the way, I've never had to do anything more than restart the system to "fix" the throttling, and once it's fixed, it's fixed - IF it's the Mint OS. And you will have to do this several times over the course of a month, then it's a done deal.
eagle52997

Re: Mint burns laptops, please don't leave it to another dis

Post by eagle52997 »

I have been running various Ubuntu distributions on my Inspiron 5150. I also was having problems with overheating. I did not have overheating problems with windows (unless I was running Warcraft 3 or WoW). I have had some success with a plugin called dellfand. I cannot recall whether I read about it on the ubuntu forums or somewhere else. I hope this is helpful for you, I am planning on trying Mint on my laptop as well, and will let you know how my experience is as well.
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