My fan is not working properly and my computer is overheating. It is a 2.66 GHz Pentium 4 and has plenty of RAM but I can barely run any programs or games. I wanted to open it up and clean out the dust that may be slowing the fan down but I can't figure out how. Can you help?

Corey, August 2007

Thanks to everyone's help on this page. My Vaio was overheating as well. After removing the top plate under the keyboard, I removed the heatsink / fan assembly in teh upper left corner. I then removed the two fans and carefully placed them face up on the motherboard. When I pulled out the heat sink, the cooling fins were almost completely clogged with dust. I pulled a 1" x 1" dust bunny out of the space between the small fan and the fins!! No wonder the damn thing was overheating.

Kevin B, April 2012

In regards to removing the speaker/ power button trim piece on Sony Vaio Notebook PCG-FRV25, model PCG-9J2L: DO NOT FORCEFULLY PRY IT UP! There are small spring-loaded latches on the piece near the ESC, F5, F11, and DELETE keys. They are very well hidden and you must press the keys down to see them. A strong light helps here! Open the laptop as far as the screen will allow. Then press down the ESC key and use a small flat blade screwdriver to disengage the latch and GENTLY lift up just enough to free the latch. Repeat with the other latches. Lastly, pivot the piece up toward the LCD and it will come off very easily. I broke a latch trying to force the piece off after reading the prior post and hope my post will save you guys some time and heartache.

If you have stumbled on this thread because your exact model has problems booting off the hard drive occasionally, ie., OPERATING SYSTEM NOT FOUND message or hard drive doesn't show up in BIOS, I discovered there was too much solder flux on the connector where it is soldered to the motherboard. I scrached most it off using my fingernail and then used a q-tip soaked in rubbing alchohol to get the rest off. The machine boots first time every time now and runs alot better. You DO NOT have to remove any screw on the bottom to do this procedure, but you must remove the speaker trim, the keyboard, the metal plate, and a piece of angled metal that covers the connector. Be aware there is one small black screw that is shorter that the rest on the metal plate. It goes in the hole above the Ethernet connector. Also, remember to disengage the locks on the ribbon connector of the keyboard before removing it from the motherboard.

keepoodammit!, October 2009

how do i fix a key to my keypad on my sony vaio laptop VRN series?

Gary, June 2008

Corey,
Try blowing out the dust through the fan vent holes located under, at the rear, and just above the audio/video connections. You can very successfully remove dust through this method.

The fan unit is enclosed in a metal case and you will not be able to clean the fan by opening up the computer case. This is why I recommend just using compressed air such as the type you buy in an aerosol can from the computer-electronics store.

If you do need to open the case to replace the fan, the trickiest part is that you must remove the black trim piece that is just below the LCD screen. It is the part that covers the speakers and the power button is located in. To remove this, you must very carefully pry up from under it with a thin yet strong tool. There is risk of breaking the trim piece, so only do this with extreme care, and realize that the risk is your own and I am not responsible. The other screws are located under the unit and are obviously marked.

Once the black trim piece is removed, there will be a ground cable and I believe another wire connector to remove. There will be one screw that holds the keyboard in place, and then you will need to disconnect the thin wire cable that connects to the keyboard. This involves lifting up on a plastic piece on top of the connector and then sliding the connector from it's socket.

After the keyboard is removed, there will be a metal cover that needs to be removed next. Make careful notes regarding the location of all screws as some (case screws also) are of various length. Under the metal plate, you will see the location of the fan unit. I have not removed mine as of yet, so I cannot provide details. The screws will be visible so it should not be too difficult. One important thing to remember is that the fan unit includes a heat sink that bonds to the cpu. After removing this material you will need to replace it with similar material, or the liquid type material available at computer stores before you re-assemble. Failure to do this WILL result in the cpu overheating. The bonding material is what allows heat to transfer from the cpu to the heat sink and then the fan provides cooling. You will also need to discharge static before touching any electronic parts. You may want to purchase a grounding strap.

Re-assemble in reverse order, carefully remembering to re-connect cables and ground wire.

Here is a link to an affordable refurbished fan unit: http://store.luluusa.com/a8115824a.html

I am not connected with the above source in any way, so I am only providing it because I found them to be the most economical source.

I do not accept responsibility for any consequences related to using this information. You do so at your own risk. However, I do wish you success in your efforts.

Jeff

Jeff, August 2007