Most computers suffer from heat problems. Towers are usually
cooled by powerful fans that take heat away from the heat sink on the
processor chip.
Laptops are susceptible to overheating. When the temperature
reaches a certain point the computer will sense this and attempt to shut
itself off rather than cook itself. Laptops are famous for
overheating because they are thin and they don't have large fans or air
movement.
Most of the air that circulates has to come out the bottom of the case.
If the case is on your lap, then where does it go? It is actually
gaining heat from your body. Even though they are called Laptops,
they should be kept off your lap.
Also, it's a good idea to not put them down on the couch or the floor.
There is no place for the heat to go and the temperature will rise
quickly. If you must put them down, shut the case so that they can
go into hibernate or sleep mode. This will allow the machine
to cool down and not acquire heat.
Sometimes a laptop will shut down for no apparent reason as the heat
rises even if it is put down on a desk or table. Some causes of
this are:
The fan is not working
The fan is clogged with dust.
The small air holes in the bottom are partially or
fully blocked with dust.
The heat sink is no longer working.
The temperature sensor is not working.
How can you diagnose the problem?
The first thing to check is the fan. They are
quiet so in order to hear them, you have to get in a quiet place and
put your ear near the case vent holes and listen. If the fan
is broken, then take it to a authorized repair person and let them
replace the fan.
If the fan is running and the temperature is
excessive, it could be dust clogged and heat dissipation is
diminished. You will be able to see evidence of dust
accumulation around the vent holes.
What can you do?
If your computer is shutting down, your best bet is
to take it to an authorized dealer and repair facility. They
have seen the problem before.
If you are brave, you can take the back off the
computer. There are tiny screws that you can't lose.
Once you do that, you can:
Look at the fan blades. If they are coated
with a greasy layer of dust, try to clean them with a Q-Tip.
Be careful not to touch any of the components.
Gently blow out any dust accumulation inside the
machine.
Make sure the vent holes are clear on the cover
that you just removed.
If your laptop shuts down just rarely, you can put
something under it like a couple of 1"x1" pieces of wood cut to
length that sit on your desk. We use a plain old wooden
trivet, but you can get fancy with a slick styled trivet like the
one below:
On the PC go to power management and make sure you
don't have high performance set. You should have Balanced or
Power Saver set ... never High Performance
If you are on a MAC avoid flash content as it
strangely heats up the machine. You can download some software
to hype up the fan. Just do a Google on MAC overheating and
you'll get a ton of advice. It's a big problem with the slim
profiles.
If you don't use the battery often, just pull it
out.
A Kitchen Trivet for your Laptop
The best solution
Use an Auxiliary Fan
One of the best solutions is to buy a fan that will
sit under the machine and allow air to circulate. Some of
these come with big, but quiet fans. One you might look at is
fully reviewed in the video below. Isn't it great to be
reading the Saugeen or Kincardine Times and to be able to integrate
video so easily? Can you imagine trying to do this in a
traditional newspaper? The world has moved on for sure
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