CPU Fan Error Press F1 Error When Booting Your Computer: How To Fix

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When Windows stops loading and a black or blue technical window appears, it can confuse most users. But sometimes the problem can be solved quite simply.

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What does the “CPU Fan Error! Press F1 “

Users may encounter an error whose full text literally looks like this:

CPU Fan Error! Press F1 to Resume or CPU Fan Error! Press F1 to Run SETUP.

If you translate this phrase, you can understand its meaning. After turning on and at the beginning of the boot, the computer goes through a self-test, as a result of which an error with the operation of the fan on the processor was revealed. So the computer prompts the user to fix the problem by entering the UEFI settings (BIOS) or ignore it and continue working.

More often than not, you just want to press the F1 key, as the computer suggests, and continue with the normal boot. However, in this case, the user takes risks – you need to be really sure that there are no problems with cooling the processor, and it will not overheat.

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Why does the “CPU Fan Error! Press F1 “

At the very beginning of the computer and later, the UEFI system (or BIOS) provides the correct voltage for the equipment and monitors its operation, including the fan speed. Their status is determined by detecting the rotational speed of the blades, which can be adjusted in the UEFI (BIOS).

A mistake “CPU Fan Error” arises when the system detects a reduced number of revolutions of the cooler or its complete stop. Needless to say, the processor’s active cooling system provides operating temperatures for it. Without a cooler, any time-consuming task will quickly lead to overheating of the device, so it is no coincidence that the computer warns the user about the problem.

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How to fix “CPU Fan Error! Press F1 “

1. See if the fan (cooler) is spinning

If the system signals a fan rotation error, it is logical to assume that something is physically wrong with it. To do this, you will have to examine the system unit from the inside. You will need to carefully remove its cover and see if, in principle, the fan rotates. It may well be that it is jammed due to dust, or the cables from the power supply that have gotten between the blades are interfering with it.

Most likely, the situation can be easily resolved. The wires can be removed and tied up with plastic ties, while dust can be easily removed with a brush or blowing compressed air into the cooler. If the fan clogs up quite hard, then it will have to be dismantled for a while. To do this, you will either need to unscrew the screws or snap off the latches. Of course, such a check should be carried out with the computer de-energized from the power supply.

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2. Is the fan connected correctly?

The fan on physical examination may be clean and even spin easily when moved by hand. But the cooler does not want to spin when the computer is running. It may just be incorrectly connected to the correct connector on the motherboard.

The connector itself has a special key, which seems to prevent it from being inserted in an unnatural way into the connector. But people can be inattentive or just do it for the first time. Some, however, contrive to make a mistake, applying, moreover, physical strength. And the three fan wires drive inexperienced users into a stupor at all.

In addition, it happens that users plug the three-pin plug of the cooler into the four-pin connector on the motherboard. Everything seems to be working and spinning, but the system cannot recognize the RPM sensor and the “CPU Fan Error” error appears. In this case, you need to select a compatible cooler or disable fan rotation control in the UEFI (BIOS) (see point 5 below).

In the picture on the left – the connector on the motherboard, on the right – fan headers with different numbers of pins. The pin assignment is always identical: 1 – “minus”, 2 – “plus”, 3 – speed sensor, 4 – speed control

Sometimes the mistake lies in connecting the cooler to the wrong connector. On a motherboard (especially an advanced one), there can be several such fans at once. The CPU cooler connector is marked as CPU_FAN, but there is a similar one nearby CHA_FAN…

Only this connector is suitable for case fans. Any cooler must be connected exclusively to the connector intended for it, and you will have to check the coincidence of the slots on the connectors. The computer can be turned on – everything will work as expected.

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3. Increase the number of revolutions of the fan

You can increase the fan speed programmatically in the BIOS (UEFI). The error we are describing may just arise due to the low speed – it seems to the system that the cooler simply does not rotate.

It is likely that you have manually changed these settings at some point in the past. In this case, you will need to disable the function called Smart Q ‑ FAN (it may be called differently) to intelligently control the fan speed. You can save the settings and exit by pressing the F10 key.

In the same section, you can usually find the rotational speed of the cooler at which the error will no longer be displayed. The user will have to gradually increase the speed, exit the BIOS (UEFI) while saving the settings, reboot and look at the result.

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4. Replace the fan

Sometimes, which rarely happens, the fan may not rotate due to its own breakdown. You will need to check if the device is working. This can be done by applying a voltage of 5 to 12 volts to the connector. In such a situation, a Krona battery or four AA batteries connected in series will do.

The negative pole of the battery must be connected to the first contact of the connector (black wire), while the positive pole must be connected to the second contact (yellow or red wire). If the fan does not turn on when connected to such a circuit, then it can be considered physically broken. You need to buy a new one.

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5. Activate Ignore RPM monitoring

An unpleasant mistake can be avoided even if the cooler is physically connected to the wrong connector on the motherboard, or the user deliberately limited the number of revolutions to reduce noise. It is necessary to disable the rotation control function in the BIOS (UEFI), which will help resolve the situation.

But it is only necessary to take such a step when realizing the risks of processor overheating. It will not be superfluous to configure additional temperature control of working devices using specialized programs, for example, SpeedFan.

In BIOS (UEFI), find the option CPU FAN Fail Warning (or similar, for example, CPU FAN Speed, etc.) and disable it by setting the value Disabled or Ignored… Save your settings and restart your computer.