# Rear Fan Failure



## Larkina (Jan 2, 2006)

I have a Dell Xps/410 computer running Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit, Intel Q6600 2.4GHz. processor, Ati X1300 256mb video card, WD 250Gb Hard drive. I keep getting a message saying Rear Fan Failure on every bootup. I'm concerned that maybe my system isn't cooling down adequately. I would guess that this alert is referring to my CPU cooling unit fan which at the present is running whereas it use to be a great deal quieter. Is it not running at the correct RPMs or what? If I keep running my computer as is will it damage the system's motherboard or other parts? I don't understand what fan it's referring to. The only fans I have in the back is located in the PSU. Could someone please help me to understand whats going on here. Thank you in advance.


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## Hughv (Jul 22, 2006)

"Rear Fan" probably refers to pin 16 in this diagram:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps410/en/SM_EN/techov.htm#wp1053345


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

Scroll to near the bottom of the page and see if you have a card fan as described under card fan. If you have a card fan see if it is operating. If you have a card fan and it has failed it will make the processor fan run faster to provide chassis cooling.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps410/en/SM_EN/parts.htm#wp1474798


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## Larkina (Jan 2, 2006)

I was running a video card with the six pin connectors as you have kindly pointed out but since I've reinstalled the original video card that came with my computer but I keep getting the Rear Fan Failure alert and to press F1 to continue. It seems to me that after uninstalling the video card with the faulty fan the alert should have stopped and the computer should have returned to its normal operational mode. Is it that the six pin video card may have damaged my system? And thank you win2kpro and Hughv. I believe that since installing the new Intel Q6600 processor and changing from a fanned video card to a regular unfanned video card my cpu processor fan is compensating for the extra heat being produced by the Quad processor. I believe this is what you'll was trying to explain to me earlier. The only thing I don't like is the noisey computer fan opposed to the video card that had its own fan.


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## Hughv (Jul 22, 2006)

Check to see if you've accidentally dislodged the cable


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## Larkina (Jan 2, 2006)

If I can explain this correctly Hughv, what I've done was downgraded more or less to a lower end video card from the one that I previously had. I was using a Nvidia 8600GTS 256MB card that did have the six pin connector that I did have connected but after receiving the Rear Fan Failure message I figured I should reinstalled my old video card seeing how the 8600GTS wasn't working. The old video card which is an Ati X1300 256MB card doesn't have the six pin connection so I just left cable unplugged. Didn't have anything to plug into. So yes you are correct. By doing what I did could it have confused the thermal sensors somehow and if so how would I go about resetting them or correcting the problem if it can be corrected. The Ati X1300 video card doesn't have a fan it only uses a heatsink to dissipate heat.


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## Hughv (Jul 22, 2006)

See if you can disable this fan in the BIOS.


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## Larkina (Jan 2, 2006)

I checked and could not find a way to shut the fan down. There is no options for the fan that I could see in the BIOS settings at all. The only option that comes close to my situation is changing the video card from PEG to PCI. I really do appreciate the help you've given me this far. I'm simply tired of listening to this fan.


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