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It's interesting to look at the films he likes. It doesn't seem to be curmudgeonly complaining. I think he's a published action novelist, so he's probably approaching things from a writerly angle.
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This, my 15yo "social" laptop, spends much of its run time on soft surfaces, such as laps. As a consequence, I need to regularly open it up and pull the dust bunnies out of its airways. (I run a top bar temp monitor, so I can see when it's not breathing too well.)
This morning I got to it. Of all the machines I've had to clean, it's among the most accessible. Unclip battery, 3 captive screws and 4 sliding clips to remove the keyboard. Pry up the "switch cover" above the keyboard. 2 more screws and the fan is out.
As expected, major dust bunny almost blocking the airflow from fan into heatsink fins. Vacuum cleaner made short work of that.
Brushed out the fan as best I could without disassembling it, decided to finish with the vacuum. Applied to outlet area, fan spins up to "normal" sort of revs. Vacuum applied to fan input face, fan sounds ready for takeoff. Sure enough, a clatter, and I now have an (n-1)-bladed fan. 
Still appears to work, doesn't sound any different, and the CPU temp is about 15C lower. Might not survive too many repeats of that adventure, though.
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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I reckon you don’t have much time to look for a replacement. Use it wisely 
Mircea
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Be careful with the vacuum, I've 'fried' a laptop motherboard with static like that.
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Hardware guy from way way back, before this newfangled MOS appeared. Look at one of those chips the wrong way and it would zap itself.
Anti-static procedures are automatic. (Slighlty) conductive brush, vacuum nozzle nearby.
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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Vacuum isn't the best option (statics) - probably air-spray will help you extend the lifetime of the fan...
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." ― Albert Einstein
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ditto. I have a can of compressed air upstairs in office and downstairs in den. TX is filled with dust. Which reminds me, that I need to do my regular dust purge. Folks, pay attention. It can save you money.
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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With a vacuum, you have a reasonable chance of knowing where the debris winds up. With canned air, it goes into the most inaccessible recesses...
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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use both. either one can move dust in wrong places. main thing is keep the dust from accumulating. Heat is number one enemy of my computers. Have to replace a laptop because of poor cooling because of dust. learned my lesson
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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Which is why I unscrew the fan before vacuuming.
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To add to what the others say, the loss of a blade will affect the fan balance, which will likely also affect the fan bearings detrimentally - remember that fans spin at around 2KHz and have tiny, tiny metal balls running in ABS races.
The balance problem may also hasten the departure of other blades, which will likely jam the fan and prevent it turning at all. If you leave the lappie alone for even a moment, turn it off until you have a new fan installed!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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A bit like this...
Java, Basic, who cares - it's all a bunch of tree-hugging hippy cr*p
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"Fans spin at 2kHz" - you sure about that? 120,000 rpm?
"Love justice, you who rule the world". Dante.
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I like my computers really cool.
Or, I'm an idiot and made a mistake. I suspect the latter.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Simple kinda mistake. I tested a 40mm fan, 12V, using a magnet and Hall sensor. Got about 6,000 rpm (in free air).
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Tch! You know that accurate fan speed testing can only be done in a vacuum ... 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Bugger. And Ooooh! - it was in a gravity field - that 9.8m/s/s really screws things up. Forget I mentioned whatever it was we were talking about.
"Love justice, you who rule the world" -Dante Alighieri
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Peter_in_2780 wrote: "social" laptop
Yeah, let's call it that.
Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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Very strange: why is it "on dusty laps" so much that it needs surgery ? Buy a desk, or workstand that covers the lap ?
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
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My laptop vendor gave me the hint that apparently the Eco program in the dish washer does work to remove dust, just make sure you leave the screen open and place it in the lower basket.
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Well, you're "running" it in reverse and it won't have been designed for that. But if the motor has permanent magnets, you're also generating current by blow-running it at any significant speed. The fan may survive over-speed, but the electronics it's connected to - even/especially if the machine is powered off, may not. 
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I will echo what Bill wrote. It is a good idea to get a little lap pad for the computer to sit on when not on a desk. That insures the fans are unobstructed so they can do their job.
Here are the products Amazon has : Amazon Laptop Desk[^]
"They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers! Can I get an amen?"
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those work for laptops. have feet and some little fans.
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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I had the heatsink work partially loose on my desktop, and as a result the CPU temperature rose to around 100C. But I reseated the heatsink and it's still soldiering on, tough old birds, these chips.
Paul Sanders.
If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter - Blaise Pascal.
Some of my best work is in the undo buffer.
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