Windows 95/98/ME Slow Down the CPU Speed

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brad
  • Start date Start date
B

Brad

Hi,

I have two WinBook XL2 laptops with Windows 98se. Most of the time, I use
them off line (off the Web) and I don't need the CPU running at full speed
(400Mhz). The problem is the noisy fan that cools the CPU. This fan is not
defective since it is noisy on both laptops and it runs constantly after a
warm up period.

I could not find anything in "Setup" or the manual that allows you to
reduce the CPU speed.

Is there a utility that would allow me to slow down the CPU, thus
reducing the heat up so the fan doesn't constantly run?

Thanks in advance, Brad

Before you type your password, credit card number, etc.,
be sure there is no active keystroke logger (spyware) in your PC.
 
On the web or off the web, makes no difference. Laptops run hot and when
you're actually using them for much of anything OR you fail to take proper
precautions to leave all of the venting clear of obstruction, you're going
to get the fast fan mode. And it's not necessarily the CPU fan that is doing
it. Could be a chassis venting fan, or even one dedicated to cooling the
video chip.

Unfortunately, the manual for that model doesn't show the motherboard
layout, but the BIOS description and instructions are fairly clear. If there
is a way to control CPU speed, other motherboard speeds and/or fan speeds,
it will be in BIOS setup. From what I can glean from the manual and other
literature, your BIOS has none of these options and you are stuck with what
you have.

Best thing you can do is to make sure the laptop is sitting on a hard
surface, not your lap or a soft surface of any kind.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Brad" <bpetria@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:485bb2df.5296260@news.verizon.net...
> Hi,
>
> I have two WinBook XL2 laptops with Windows 98se. Most of the time, I
> use
> them off line (off the Web) and I don't need the CPU running at full speed
> (400Mhz). The problem is the noisy fan that cools the CPU. This fan is
> not
> defective since it is noisy on both laptops and it runs constantly after a
> warm up period.
>
> I could not find anything in "Setup" or the manual that allows you to
> reduce the CPU speed.
>
> Is there a utility that would allow me to slow down the CPU, thus
> reducing the heat up so the fan doesn't constantly run?
>
> Thanks in advance, Brad
>
> Before you type your password, credit card number, etc.,
> be sure there is no active keystroke logger (spyware) in your PC.
>
 
"Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote in message
news:O2sWpPv0IHA.4364@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> On the web or off the web, makes no difference. Laptops run hot and when
> you're actually using them for much of anything OR you fail to take proper
> precautions to leave all of the venting clear of obstruction, you're going
> to get the fast fan mode. . . .
> Best thing you can do is to make sure the laptop is sitting on a hard
> surface, not your lap or a soft surface of any kind.

Office supply stores now sell "lap desks" with a rigid
surface for the laptop and a soft cushion underneath
for the user's knees.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
 
Cool! That covers half my Christmas list.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Don Phillipson" <e925@SPAMBLOCK.ncf.ca> wrote in message
news:u7GG2Jw0IHA.416@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote in message
> news:O2sWpPv0IHA.4364@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>
>> On the web or off the web, makes no difference. Laptops run hot and when
>> you're actually using them for much of anything OR you fail to take
>> proper
>> precautions to leave all of the venting clear of obstruction, you're
>> going
>> to get the fast fan mode. . . .
>> Best thing you can do is to make sure the laptop is sitting on a hard
>> surface, not your lap or a soft surface of any kind.
>
> Office supply stores now sell "lap desks" with a rigid
> surface for the laptop and a soft cushion underneath
> for the user's knees.
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)
>
>
 
"Don Phillipson" <e925@SPAMBLOCK.ncf.ca> wrote:

>Office supply stores now sell "lap desks" with a rigid
>surface for the laptop and a soft cushion underneath
>for the user's knees.

Errmmm...lap desks predate laptop computers by a long way. They are
very useful for laptop computers, though.

--
Tim Slattery
MS MVP(Shell/User)
Slattery_T@bls.gov
http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
 
I thought so, but with my Swiss cheese memory... Anyway, they ARE the
perfect gift for several people I know.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Tim Slattery" <Slattery_T@bls.gov> wrote in message
news:l53o54pj3ikes8thgeedq22uhoao6dupq7@4ax.com...
> "Don Phillipson" <e925@SPAMBLOCK.ncf.ca> wrote:
>
>>Office supply stores now sell "lap desks" with a rigid
>>surface for the laptop and a soft cushion underneath
>>for the user's knees.
>
> Errmmm...lap desks predate laptop computers by a long way. They are
> very useful for laptop computers, though.
>
> --
> Tim Slattery
> MS MVP(Shell/User)
> Slattery_T@bls.gov
> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
 
Gary S. Terhune wrote:
> I thought so, but with my Swiss cheese memory... Anyway, they ARE the
> perfect gift for several people I know.
>
I think in the old days they were called "knee trays", and were quite
good for eating dinner while sitting in front of the TV. I still have a
couple I gave my parents as Christmas presents around 40 years ago. Made
of plywood with a nice veneer, they have a little moulded border and
underneath a sort of loosish "bag" of upholstry fabric half filled with
bean bag, err, beans. I use them all the time for my laptop.

--
Peter in New Zealand. (Email address is fake)
Collector of old cameras, tropical fish fancier, good coffee nutter, and
compulsive computer fiddler.
 
On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:40:35 GMT, bpetria@verizon.net (Brad) put
finger to keyboard and composed:

> I have two WinBook XL2 laptops with Windows 98se. Most of the time, I use
>them off line (off the Web) and I don't need the CPU running at full speed
>(400Mhz). The problem is the noisy fan that cools the CPU. This fan is not
>defective since it is noisy on both laptops and it runs constantly after a
>warm up period.
>
> I could not find anything in "Setup" or the manual that allows you to
>reduce the CPU speed.
>
> Is there a utility that would allow me to slow down the CPU, thus
>reducing the heat up so the fan doesn't constantly run?
>
> Thanks in advance, Brad

Short version:

Try CPU cooler software such as CPUidle, Rain, or Waterfall.


Long version:

FWIW, your laptop appears to be manufactured by Twinhead International
Corp. At least that's what the BIOS ID strings appear to be telling
me:

62-3500-001159-00101111-071595-440BX
62-3700-001159-00101111-071595-440BX

Here are the report files for your AMI BIOS (137 is for a laptop with
an ESS modem, 135 is for a Lucent winmodem):

http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/Winbook/P98WR135.RPT
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/Winbook/P98WR137.RPT

There are many features in the BIOS setup which have been hidden from
the user, but I still don't see anything that may resolve your issue.
Notably, the Hardware Monitor section has no temperature, voltage, or
fan related settings.

I suggest you try CPU cooler software such as CPUidle, Rain, or
Waterfall, to name a few. IME CPUidle will drop your CPU temperature
by at least 10degC during periods of low activity, at least in a
desktop machine.

See http://www.benchtest.com/cooler.html

The specs for your laptop ...

http://www.winbookcorp.com/support/xl/xl2/xl2specs.htm

.... state that your main chipset is Intel's 443BX (north bridge) and
PIIX4e (south bridge), and that your IO chipset is National
Semiconductor's NS97338 Super I/O Controller.

The latter "manages the interface to the floppy drive, serial ports,
infrared port and parallel port." Unlike other IO chips, the NS97338
does not appear to have any hardware monitoring capability, but I'm
not sure about this (I can't find its datasheet).

The Celeron and Pentium II CPUs have an on-die thermal diode. The
443BX/PIIX4e datasheet shows this diode connected to an external
thermal sensor which is in turn connected to a "System Controller" or
to the PIIX4e south bridge via an SMBus.

I'd try a hardware monitoring program such as Motherboard Monitor 5:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Info/Motherboard-Monitor.shtml

.... or Speedfan:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Windows-Widgets/System-Utilities/SpeedFan-Temperature-Monitor.shtml

Everest Home Edition also has a Sensor tab under the Computer
category:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Info/Everest-Home-Edition.shtml

One or other of the above programs may be able to tell you if you have
a software accessible temperature sensor in your machine.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.
 
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