Hi guys.. I have a dell demension desktop 8200. This morning when i turned it on i got the message: system alert..previous fan failure. f1 to continue f2 to setup..i can see into the back of the computer and it's not on.

is it safe to assume my fan has died?
how do i know if its a fan or a power supply (??)
is it supposed to run all the time or just when the system gets hot enough?
and is this a fix that I may be able to do on my own?

I'm clueless..so any insight would be helpful. thanks
Lisa

Take the side of the case off and to see inside better. The case fans are fairly easy to replace. You didnt say which fan wasnt working though. The processor fan is a little more complicated.