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My right fan hums when using my Macbook Pro for about 30 mins plus… But when watching videos on my 15" Macbook Pro, the right fan starts to work hard (louder hum). After watching a movie for about an hour the Macbook Pro then turns off. Anyone experienced this? Or knows the problem? Here are the specs: 15" MBP (2006 model) 1.83Ghz intel duo core processor 2GB memory 667 MHz bus speed OSX - Snow Leopard

Is the machine getting very hot? It is possible that the fan is trying to cool the machine but can’t so the machine turns off to protect itself. I have seen iBooks with faulty fans that don’t turn on because they know they will get very hot very quickly.

I had the same problem with an HP laptop. I purchased a USB powered stand with fans for it and the problem was solved. I don’t know if it would work for you but those units are inexpensive and generally useful in reducing heat problems in modern laptops. Ralph

try installing a fan control application to see if it will help. http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Utilities/E… if not you fan could be inoperable and would need to be repaired. If there is an apple store close to you i would stop in for an opinion even if it is out of warranty. They may be able to diagnose the issue and you can then deiced how to address the problem. I would suggest self install for a fan but you will need to set 2-3 hours of time aside to do that. -Varsity

well, make sure your airvents are not blocked for starters. whats your OS version - there have been issues. older machines and newer software often just does not work reliably (seems like a conspiracy - you upgrade the software and suddenly the computer needs upgrading…)

Im having the same problem with my MBP I will try backing up , bring it to apple for check and if it the Fans are the problemi if they are I will replaced them throug IFiXIT and as well a good cleaning in the interior , hope this may help keep my 2006 model for another 3 years as a living room computer.

Because your system is most likely out of warrenty, why not open it up, remove all the dust, and apply AS5?

Fan Control 1.2 works great on my Intel MacBook Pro 17" (non-unibody) The settings are in the System Preferences. I set mine to 2500 RPM min and 50 C to 80 C thresholds. Keeps my temperature below 55 C most of the time. It’s fantastic. www.lobotomo.com/products/FanControl/

Snow Leopard is your problem. I work IT support for a small college. We have seen a ton (20-25 machines ) of MacBook Pro’s of your “vintage” experiencing overheating problems once upgrading to snow leopard. Our best solution has been to downgrade to leopard. If you can’t do that the fan control software is the best solution

Check your fans aren’t clogged too. Your system log should tell you if the shutdown is caused by heat.

I had this same issue where my laptop would suddenly shut off when watching video. I spend months researching and I would hear that it could be the logic board, fan control, hard drive, graphic card, mountain lion, etc. Finally I removed the RAM that I had upgraded back to the stock RAM and it’s back to normal. So it looks like my RAM went bad somehow.