Question:

How to troubleshoot a laptop that became significantly slower after cleaning the fans?

I have a Legion 5 15ITH6 laptop with i5-11400H processor, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, RTX 3050Ti graphics card, and Windows 11 Home operating system. I bought it in March 2023 and it was running smoothly until recently. I noticed that the temperature was reaching 90°C and the fans were very loud when playing Elden Ring, a game that usually gave me 40-60 FPS. I decided to clean the fans using a toothbrush and blowing air into them, following a video tutorial. However, after I restarted the laptop, everything became much slower. Elden Ring now only gives me 14 FPS and the temperature stays below 50°C. Other applications and tasks are also affected by the slowdown. I don’t know what caused this or how to fix it. Can you please help me?

Answer:

If you have a laptop that suddenly became much slower after cleaning the fans, you might be wondering what went wrong and how to fix it. This article will guide you through some possible causes and solutions for this problem.

Possible causes

There are several factors that could affect the performance of your laptop after cleaning the fans, such as:

• Dust or debris. Even though you cleaned the fans, there might be some dust or debris left inside the laptop that could interfere with the airflow, the cooling system, or the components. This could cause overheating, throttling, or damage to your laptop.
• Loose or damaged connections. When you opened the laptop to clean the fans, you might have accidentally loosened or damaged some cables or connectors that link the fans, the motherboard, the CPU, the GPU, or the RAM. This could cause malfunctions, errors, or reduced performance.
• Software or driver issues. When you restarted the laptop after cleaning the fans, you might have encountered some software or driver issues that could affect the performance of your laptop. For example, you might have some background processes running that consume a lot of CPU or RAM, or you might have some outdated or incompatible drivers that cause conflicts or errors.

Possible solutions

Depending on the cause of the problem, there are different ways to troubleshoot and fix your laptop. Here are some general steps that you can try:

• Check the fans. Make sure that the fans are working properly and spinning at the right speed. You can use a software tool like [HWMonitor](https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html) to monitor the fan speed and the temperature of your laptop. If the fans are not spinning or spinning too slowly, you might need to open the laptop again and check the connections or replace the fans. If the fans are spinning too fast or too loud, you might need to adjust the fan settings or clean the fans again.
• Check the components. Make sure that the components of your laptop are properly connected and functioning. You can use a software tool like [CPU-Z](https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html) or [GPU-Z](https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/) to check the specifications and status of your CPU and GPU. If you notice any discrepancies or errors, you might need to open the laptop again and check the connections or replace the components. You can also run some benchmarks or tests to see if your laptop is performing as expected.
• Check the software and drivers. Make sure that your laptop is running the latest version of Windows 11 and that you have updated all the drivers for your laptop. You can use the Windows Update feature or the Lenovo Vantage app to check for updates and install them. You can also use a software tool like [Driver Booster](https://www.iobit.com/en/driver-booster.php) to scan and update your drivers automatically. You should also check the startup programs and background processes that are running on your laptop and disable or uninstall any unnecessary or suspicious ones. You can use the Task Manager or a software tool like [Autoruns](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns) to manage them.

Conclusion

Cleaning

the fans of your laptop is a good way to improve the cooling and performance of your laptop, but it can also cause some problems if not done carefully. If you have a laptop that became significantly slower after cleaning the fans, you should try to identify the cause of the problem and apply the appropriate solution. Hopefully, this article has helped you troubleshoot and fix your laptop. If you still have any questions or issues, you can contact the Lenovo support team or visit a local service center for further assistance.