Mikul asks:
Hey, our MacBook’s fan has been running really loud lately. It used to not at all, and now it does 100% of the time, even when we’re not running anything. Also, the battery has been lasting for a lot less time than it used to. Any ideas of what it is or what we could do?
One thing you can check is the activity monitor (if you use spotlight and search for Activity Monitor). Change the little box up top to say “All Processes” and then sort the list by the CPU option. Chances are something like Safari or Firefox is running really high and when you’re shutting the lid to put it to sleep, that process is still running even though you think it’s not, which is why the battery isn’t lasting as long as it used to. If it’s a program that you recognize (i.e. Safari, Firefox, iTunes) you can select it and choose the stop sign looking button that says “Quit Process” and it will fully kill that program/application.
You can try restarting the computer completely if you haven’t in awhile.
If it continues to be a problem, I’d recommend taking it to your local Apple service centre (click here to visit Apple’s Online Service Assistant to determine your options) and get it checked out. It could be something simple like the battery needing replacement — or something more serious like your hard drive dying a slow, painful death.
It totally sounds like a rogue process to me. I’m betting that it’s a MS Office process that keeps on running in the background. Anyone else?
One of the biggest culprits of hogging those valuable system resources and causing the Fan to constantly run is the printer. A print job that gets stuck has often been a reason behind my fans running constantly. Look for this in your activity monitor.
Since we’re talking battery life, one thing I found is that it is important to re-calibrate your battery regularly to keep it healthy. Maybe this has been talked about before, but if not, here is what I’ve found:
To calibrate the battery:
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter and fully charge the MacBook or MacBook Pro battery until the light on the MagSafe connector changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer. You may use your computer during this time as long as the power adapter is plugged in.
Disconnect the power adapter with the computer on and start using it with battery power. When the battery’s charge gets low, you’ll see the low battery warning dialog on the screen.
Continue to keep your computer turned on until it goes to sleep. Save your work and close all applications when the battery’s charge gets low and before the computer goes to sleep.
Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.
Reconnect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged. You may use your computer during this time.
Repeat the calibration process every two months or so to keep the battery fully functioning. If you use your MacBook or MacBook Pro infrequently, it’s best to recalibrate the battery at least once a month.
If you purchased additional batteries, repeat the calibration process with those batteries as well.
One other thing on new Macbook and Macbook Pros (late 2008 model) is that the processor speed is reduced when the battery is removed. (link to Apple support document)
So simple, a relatively old post.….but this saved my day! For a non-techie, this was a great find. My fan had been running so high for a week; the battery life was zapped and would only charge to 60% despite remaining plugged in for days; and the battery itself was scorchingly hot (moreso than normal). I even took it to the Apple store, where the “geniuses” at the Genius Bar said they couldn’t find anything wrong (??).
I followed your perfectly simple instructions and discovered the culprit.….iTunes. How the “geniuses” couldn’t figure out that iTunes was using 97% of my CPU, I have no idea.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can finally use my computer in silence without burning skin off my legs, and in the time it took me to write this message, I watched the battery life tick up to 96%. Hooray!
Woohoo! Glad we could help.