You were correct; it may have been a fluke. The first day was the warning
message.The second day I got a message reminding me of the warning. To date,
I haven't had any since. The fan is apparently running ok. However, I
believe I'll do what you recommend and have a spare here just in case it
dies altogether. I believe I can replace it ok but not sure how to order a
new one. When ordering a replacement, are they identified by size, by brand
name, voltage or some other ID? This should be a stock factory installed
Dell part.


Many Thanks for your input,

Don


On Fri, Jul 4, 2008 at 12:20 PM, Thomas Mayer <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> My first thought is that their was a one time error in getting the message.
> I would consider three options:
>
> Keep using the computer and see if it happens again.
> Keep using the computer for a while with the case cover off and physically
> check the fan operation if the message reoccurs.
> Replace the fan. Unless it is a unique fan, it is only a few dollars,
> fairly easy to replace and gives peace of mind.
>
> Tom
>
>
>
> Donald DeWitt wrote:
>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> I have a 4.5 year old Dell Dimension 8400 running XP. When I turned on the
>> computer this morning there was a message at the top of a black screen:
>> CPU
>> fan failure. Press f1 to continue or press f2 for setup. By pressing f1
>> the
>> computer continues to boot up normally. Opening up the computer and doing
>> a
>> close-up inspection, the fan seems to be working normal, (that is no
>> unusual
>> sounds or vibrations). The computer also undergoes a thorough cleaning
>> inside and out two times a year and it is located in an air-conditioned
>> environment.
>>
>> Question: what should I be doing now to confirm that in fact there is a
>> fan
>> problem?
>>
>> Don DeWitt
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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