Fan not spinning on Optiplex GX-150

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I have here an Optiplex GX-150.

It's been really flaky, and crashing a lot before. Now that I'm trying
to install W2k on an empty hard drive, the installation crashes with a
blue screen every time. The spot where the crash happens changes, but
the blue screen goes away too fast to read the actual error message.

So I'm inclined to think that it's a faulty hardware issue. I
tested the memory with Memtest86, and no errors. I did a full surface
scan on the hard drive without a hitch.

But as I opened the computer, I noticed that the fan that's mounted
on the power supply unit does not spin. But it gets really hot.

Is it supposed to spin all the time, or only when needed? Though I
guess it's not working, since it does get hot, and doesn't spin even
then. And even with power off, the fan does not spin freely.

But I'm still wondering, why would the fan cause Windows not to
finish installing properly... I would assume that if the PSU
overheated enough, I wouldn't be even able to start installing
Windows. Also I would think that the PSU would affect also Memtest
and Drive Fitness Test.

Is it possible to replace just the fan? Or do I have to get a
replacement PSU?

Any other ideas I could try to confirm the diagnostics?

--
Mikko Peltoniemi
Film & Video Editor, Avid Technician at large.
http://editor.is.dreaming.org