F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Notebooks Are your Dell laptop acting weird and freezing?

Are your Dell laptop acting weird and freezing?

Are your Dell laptop acting weird and freezing?

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xFqtal_
Senior Member
670
10-21-2026, 10:31 AM
#1
I bought a Dell Latitude 7480 for $129 on eBay yesterday. It said it worked like new in Ubuntu and Pop!_os, but now it freezes every time. It doesn't run long enough to make progress. There is no trackpad or touchscreen, the keyboard lights stay frozen even when I hold down a key, and the power button just restarts everything. I opened up the laptop to find this picture of the drive. You can see lots of bubbles where the old glue was, and some goo sitting right in between the two chips. That looks like it burned. So is my computer broken? Did I do something wrong after buying it that makes it impossible to fix?
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xFqtal_
10-21-2026, 10:31 AM #1

I bought a Dell Latitude 7480 for $129 on eBay yesterday. It said it worked like new in Ubuntu and Pop!_os, but now it freezes every time. It doesn't run long enough to make progress. There is no trackpad or touchscreen, the keyboard lights stay frozen even when I hold down a key, and the power button just restarts everything. I opened up the laptop to find this picture of the drive. You can see lots of bubbles where the old glue was, and some goo sitting right in between the two chips. That looks like it burned. So is my computer broken? Did I do something wrong after buying it that makes it impossible to fix?

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Bartekdwarf
Posting Freak
791
10-21-2026, 09:29 PM
#2
It sounds like your computer's fan stopped working. Can you see if it spins? You're hurting it when you power it on too often. Take out all the dust from everywhere, and then check that the fan actually spinning now.
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Bartekdwarf
10-21-2026, 09:29 PM #2

It sounds like your computer's fan stopped working. Can you see if it spins? You're hurting it when you power it on too often. Take out all the dust from everywhere, and then check that the fan actually spinning now.

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MattLack
Junior Member
28
10-23-2026, 06:24 PM
#3
Great idea! I'm going to take a look at this. Back when I tested the sound, I kept my ear close because I was worried I might have missed something.
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MattLack
10-23-2026, 06:24 PM #3

Great idea! I'm going to take a look at this. Back when I tested the sound, I kept my ear close because I was worried I might have missed something.

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hamoooood
Member
194
10-23-2026, 08:14 PM
#4
Hearing is not enough even if you could. Open up that unit. It needs a full cleaning. I have been using the exhaust side of a shopVac for at least 20 years and have never had a failure. Only a clean machine. Most people use a whipy portable vacuum cleaner. Bah!
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hamoooood
10-23-2026, 08:14 PM #4

Hearing is not enough even if you could. Open up that unit. It needs a full cleaning. I have been using the exhaust side of a shopVac for at least 20 years and have never had a failure. Only a clean machine. Most people use a whipy portable vacuum cleaner. Bah!

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fiskmasen05
Member
62
10-28-2026, 05:06 PM
#5
Ok, I bought a new fan and heatsink. I'm going to put some paste on them... How much is right? Can I just stick the two pieces together without any gaps or squeeze-out? It's hard to find a good guide online. Most people skip over this part!
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fiskmasen05
10-28-2026, 05:06 PM #5

Ok, I bought a new fan and heatsink. I'm going to put some paste on them... How much is right? Can I just stick the two pieces together without any gaps or squeeze-out? It's hard to find a good guide online. Most people skip over this part!

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Evie185
Junior Member
15
10-28-2026, 07:03 PM
#6
Put a tiny bit of thermal paste right in the middle of your CPU. It'll spread around to create a super thin coat that works well. Don't add too much, because it just creates a mess.
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Evie185
10-28-2026, 07:03 PM #6

Put a tiny bit of thermal paste right in the middle of your CPU. It'll spread around to create a super thin coat that works well. Don't add too much, because it just creates a mess.