Hi all! A client brought a laptop with a common problem of crazy slowdowns during operation. In this article I show how easily this problem can be solved.

Pictured is a Dell inspiron 6400 laptop. Pictured is a Dell inspiron 6400 laptop.

The laptop is very old, a Dell inspiron 6400 model, but it’s too early to “bury” it. It is still suitable for some functionality. Externally, the device is in good condition, without mechanical damage, but with traces of long-term use. And the client did not want to say goodbye to it and buy another one, since he was satisfied with it. For this reason, I had to figure out what the problem was. The system was really very stupid, full use was very problematic.

I learned from the client that apart from carrying out an “upgrade”, namely adding a RAM strip to the laptop, no one else had ever done anything else. But you can’t take their word for it, maybe the laptop was bought second-hand from someone. I decided to start by carrying out preventative cleaning and updating the thermal paste.

It is relatively difficult to disassemble the laptop, since it is necessary to disconnect the matrix with the lid from the rest of the case. Without certain skills, it is better not to climb or carry out such cleanings on your own.

In the photo the process of disassembling a laptop In the photo the process of disassembling a laptop In the photo the process of disassembling a laptop In the photo the process of disassembling a laptop

Having disassembled the laptop, a “felt boot” of dust and dirt was expectedly waiting for us in the cooling system. The cooler was completely clogged, hence the overheating and slowdowns during operation. The thermal paste had dried out quite a bit, I think it had served its 10 years or more, I also cleaned everything and applied new one. I removed the remains of the old one with effort; I had to use a special tool, which I wrote about in another article . It was very lucky that the laptop did not have time to catch the same overheating from which it would not have been pumped out.

The photo shows the condition of the cooling system. The photo shows the condition of the cooling system. The photo shows the condition of the cooling system. The photo shows the condition of the cooling system.

I put everything back together and the system worked more stably. I tweaked the software a little more, checked the hard drive for weak sectors and monitored operating temperatures under and without load.

The photo shows the processor. of this laptop The photo shows the processor. of this laptop The photo shows the operating temperature of the laptop The photo shows the operating temperature of the laptop

Now the laptop will be able to serve its owner well for some time. Try to take care of your equipment, carry out maintenance on time to avoid disastrous consequences associated with breakdowns due to simple overheating.

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