SOLVED: Installed temp monitor applet. decode results?

[frascati]

I had posted this topic some months ago and marked it "solved" since there seemed no solution. Recently I got to wondering anew and was more successful at finding links in the forums pertaining to the question I had about constant fan running and heat issues with linux compared to Winxp.

http://forum.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.ph ... 1&p=469105
http://forum.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=90&t=78954

http://www.webupd8.org/2011/06/linux-ke ... e-fix.html

I performed the workaround described in the third/last link above. Did not seem to have an affect.

My PC
* Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 Processor (Santa Rosa, 2.2GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* Linux Mint 11 dvd install
* 15.4” WSXGA Display (1680 x 1050)
* 256MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M Workstation GPU
* 2GB DDR2 667MHz RAM (1 x 2GB Configuration)
* 100GB 7200RPM Seagate 2.5” HDD
* DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
* WiFi, Ethernet, Modem, and Bluetooth Connectivity

I installed the monitor applet per the instructions...

sudo apt-get install lm-sensors sensors-applet

sudo sensors-detect

answer the questions y/n

Finally, restart to load all the sensors. Once back at the desktop, right-click on the top panel and choose "Add to Panel." Select "Hardware Sensors Monitor" and click the "Add" button, then "Close." Right-click on all the sensors that appear and choose "Preferences." Click the "Sensors" tab. There you can select/de-select all the relevant sensors and adjust their low and high values as well as set alarms if desired.

Here is a screen shot of the results...

Screenshot.png

I right click on the temp icons and choose "preferences --> sensors" but they are not very explicit as to exactly what temps correlate with what hardware except that the first temp is "disc temp" and the last two temps are "core temps". I realize that the sensors were identified at the time I was answering YES/NO upon setup in the terminal, but must I now go back and take notes in order to correlate the right sensor to the icons on the bottom panel?

Screenshot-1.png

Can anyone help me decipher a little of what I'm seeing? 75C, 67C seem to be a bit high for having one open window connected to the web and no other discressionary processes running.

Do these temps seem appropriate?

[wyrdoak]

Glad I only had 5!

If you right on one of them then go to preferences then the sensors tab you should see something like udisks and libsensors the udisks should be you HDD temps. In libsensors your core temps should read something like Core 0, Core1 with a checkmark to the right of them, uncheckmark the ones you do not wish to see this should make it a little easier to understand what you are seeing things like temp1 are other sensors on you motherboard you may or may not wish to monitor.

[frascati]

I marked this solved. Mostly success, but a little chagrined.


This laptop is only three years old, very well maintained, and used in extremely clean envirionments. So, you guessed it, I didn't think to check for dust in the airways.
I locked the blades of the fan to keep them from spinning an then applied a vacuum to reverse the flow through any/all heatsinks and passageways that would collect debris/dust/lint. I got an ASTONISHING amount out of the machine in this fashion. It may be considered slightly unwise to apply as much suction as I did (along with blowing 60psi compressed air into the side exposure of heat sink while the vacuum was drawing), but I decided it was the lesser of two approaches likely to end with disastrous results (the other being dismantling this beast; which I tried once some time back, and found to be a maddening puzzle of interlocking bits and panels and had to back away from). If I ever HAD to tear into it for to replace or repair a fundamental part, I'd be wiling and able. But not simply to get at dust. It's a very well sealed unit with discrete entry/exit for cooling, so drawing against the normal flow at this point is likely to have removed 98 percent of any blockage within.

The temps have dropped an average of 18C across the board, even while running demaning applications. Fan still runs continuously, but at a much slower RPM. The fact that the fan runs continuously on this HP to begin with is likely the reason for the three year accumulation and near total blockage.

Despite my negligence, perhaps this thread can be a heads up for others to check for dust blockage.

I would still like to know if there is an easy way of identifying the source of each temperature icon in the panel if anyone has this knowledge.