HT201624: Vintage and obsolete products
Learn about Vintage and obsolete products
Q: fan runs constantly
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Aug 16, 2012 7:08 PMby Allan Jones,andbeonetraveler wrote:
Did you try ?
G4s don't use the SMC system. That came in with Intel iMacs.
Nick,
Have the fans always run constantly or is this new behavior? G4s have a fan and some older Macs don't have the fan linked to a thermostat like newer ones. I have a G4 tower that is compemporary with the G4 iMacs and its fans runs at constant speed.
Normally, I'd advise you to open up the computer and clean out the cobwebs. Computers inhale a lot of dust. However, with the G4 iMac, take-apart is not for the novice computer repair person. If reassembled incorrectly , you will fry its brain.
Sometimes, a runaway background process can make a computer run hot. Use the computer for a while without a restart and then open Activity Monitor in Applications > Utilities. Once it opens, you'll find a "Show" option in the upper part of the window. That option defaults to "My Processes." Change it to "All Processes."
Now quit any user apps you had open except for Activity Monitor. Find the column in AM labeled "%CPU" and highlight it to sort by process demand. Watch the list of processes as they bubble up and down.
What you are looking for is any process that, with the computer at idle, is using more than about 10 percent of the processes. If you see one, note its name and post it here. The we can see if you can get rid of it.
If you are running any "pay for" third-party anti-virus/internet security software, expect to have a hot computer.
