I was using my PC earlier and heard a clunking sound inside and the PC restarted, but worked. Anyway i switched it back off and took a look inside and my CPU fan had fallen off. This had never happeend before and the Fan/heatsink had been held on by a glue like compound and was held on by the metal clips at either end of the heatsink. When i put it back on it seemed solid enough and didnt move much, so how the hell did it fall off? I was only using Word at the time.
Alex

Yeah, if you had been using Open Office or Works instead - then that probably would not have happened . . .

LOL

Hey I tel, AMD rulez!

Luckily your computer only restarted! If you were using an AMD cpu, it's a miracle that the processor or motherboard weren't damaged. If you go to www.tomshardware.com, they did a video where they showed what happens to Athlon processors when a heatsink comes off. The P4 just slows down to a safe temperature and the P3 shuts down, but leaves everything in tact. I would suggest checking on the processor heatsink once a month and everytime you lift and move the computer.

He never said he was using an AMD CPU. The only way an AMD CPU would have lasted was if it was one of the K6 line of CPU's. No Athlon would last that long. Well, maybe a Slot A Athlon due to the huge head spreader, but no other kind. And yes, that would never have happened if you had been using Open Office. Make sure it's still plugged in, too.

Well, the fan vibrates slightly, so long time use might have nudged it off. If the computer is new, then the techs at the store probably did a s---ty job putting on the heatsink. And like others say, if you bang your computer around it only stand to reason that things might get knocked off.

(additional reason not to be to violent with the computer is that it might actually damage your harddrive... it works like one of those, now old, LP players, you had to stand still in the room when those played else the record would skip...at least if you had a cheap lightweight one.)

Normally though, the brackets press the heatsink so tight against the socket that it stays on no matter what.