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Flashing Lights!

post #1 of 5
8/16/05 at 3:05am
Thread Starter 
Well, I've had my 8790 for about a year now and I've been recently getting spontaneous restarts, win32k.sys blue screens, and heating/noise problems. I took 1 of my 2 512k sticks of RAM out and the bluescreens/reboots/startup problems were fixed...so I was right in my guess that one stick was bad. Now I have the number lock and caps lock lights flashing on and off consistantly at 1 second intervals. Anyone know what this means? Is it a heat warning? Thanks!
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post #2 of 5
8/16/05 at 11:48am
Thermal Meltdown?

The machine is overheated to a critical point when that lighting sequence starts.

Have you ever cleaned out the system's exhaust/cooling system?
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post #3 of 5
8/16/05 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 
I have opened it up and cleaned out some of the dust bunnies, but I'm not sure if I did it in all the right places. Any suggestions?
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post #4 of 5
8/16/05 at 11:40pm
Sure.

There are actually three places to address. First, is under the keyboard. The keyboard can be "lifted/released" by depressing the "stays" that are located above the "ESC", "F5/F6", "Prt Sc" and "*" keys. Gently lift off the keyboard after it has been released and blow out the entire area with "canned air". Then, it's an attack on the cooling system. Use a toothpick to "hold down the fan blades" and blow air into each of the cooling system intakes on the bottom of the machine. I also cover the vents a bit so that there will not be any "back blasts" from this procedure. After you have completed this, remove the multiple screws that are holding the plate to which the smallest fan is attached (Memory/CPU Compartment). After you have removed the plate, spray that are with compressed air. I do this procedure twice since one step may force "crap" into the channels previously cleaned.

CAUTION: I would recommend that the unit be unplugged from the A/C power source and that the battery be removed prior to starting. This is because compressed air, if "angled incorrectly" or applied too close to a surface area will cause condensation and may cause some electronic components to "short out".

Finally - Turn on your laptop and immediately depress the Fn+F10 sequence to activate the "Max Fans" state. Run the unit this way for about three or four minutes to insure that anything loosened by the cleaning procedure is ejected from the system.

Good luck and let us know if this works for you.
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post #5 of 5
8/17/05 at 11:16pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks! I'll give that a try. I always wondered how to get under the keyboard. Thanks a lot for all your help.
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