laptop overheats, tips?

[strollin]

I'm not a fan of cooling pads as I feel they are a simply band-aid for the real problem.

I would combine the suggestions of Smart Guy and ja6on. Disassemble the laptop and clean it thoroughly as there may be dust and lint clogging the vents as well as the heat sinks. Ensure the fan is working correctly. Since you say the laptop shuts down due to overheating, the thermal paste may be dried out so I would replace it. I don't think it needs to be done on an annual basis but, in this case, I feel it is warranted.

Smart Guy's suggestion to run on a level surface is a good one. He's not talking about level in the sense of being tilted in one direction or the other but rather he is saying that you shouldn't use the laptop on an uneven surface such as a blanket on your bed or sitting on a carpeted floor. Uneven surfaces tend to block the bottom vents and dust & lint are drawn into the vents from blankets & carpeting. I always place my laptop on a solid, even surface to make sure that there is clearance under it to accommodate airflow.

 

[ja6on]

I don't think it needs to be done on an annual basis but, in this case, I feel it is warranted..

i only do it so often as i have a cat and my house gets really dusty.

 

[setishock]

I'm not a fan of them either.
Put a tooth pick in the fan to keep it from spinning and blow it out real good with canned air. If you know how to remove the keyboard take it out and blow out the vents from the inside. Do not use a household or shop vac. If you get a static discharge from either it will kill your computer.
Seriously though if it's acting up that bad heat wise, take it to a shop and let them pop it open and clean it. Taking apart a laptop can get complicated in a big hurry if you've never done it before.

 

[Smart_Guy]

How did it break exactly?

By that I meant what exactly happened; as in the nature of the problem the cooling pad is having. My apologies if I sounded pushy or something there.

If it is a burned circuit, then my suggestion won't apply. But hopefully it is not that and it can be fixed at home with simple tools.

Also be careful not to work on it with the power source connected. Even if it is USB powered. This also goes with the laptop. I'm saying this not just to prevent short circuiting, but also your safety.

Smart Guy's suggestion to run on a level surface is a good one. He's not talking about level in the sense of being tilted in one direction or the other but rather he is saying that you shouldn't use the laptop on an uneven surface such as a blanket on your bed or sitting on a carpeted floor. Uneven surfaces tend to block the bottom vents and dust & lint are drawn into the vents from blankets & carpeting. I always place my laptop on a solid, even surface to make sure that there is clearance under it to accommodate airflow.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Soft surfaces tend to curl and/or raise some of its parts and block openings.

Hard and leveled surface was what I should have said. Thank you for the clarification and please pardon my English, everyone.

 

[bessonberry]

hopefully bumping this thread is okay...

after buying a 200mm cooling pad, my computer's still shutting down when gaming due to overheating. i blew out the air vents from the outside with canned air but that's not seeming to help.

i think it might be time to disassmeble, blow out vents from the inside, and replace whatever i need like the two linked products:

Amazon.com: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound 3.5 Grams: Electronics
Amazon.com: Thermal Pad Ultra 5W/mk 1,5mm (120x20mm): Electronics

i youtube'd for how to replace these with my laptop model, but i find no instructions. anyone have any tips how to replace thermal pads and stuff? like where they are, how to get to em, how to identify, etc. i've never disassembled a laptop before.

 

[BK_123]

Google the manual for your laptop and it should have diagram of where everything under the hood should be, Like Setishock said if you aren't keen on doing it yourself take it to your local computer repair shop and let them do it..

 

[bessonberry]

that's a good tip. i wish i followed it.

i broke a cord, idk it was like metal stripes on plastic or something. it connected something, not entirely sure what it was. i could find out though. are these cord-like things easily bought online?

 

[BK_123]

It depends on what cable it was, Most can be brought online.

 

[bessonberry]

well i was following a disassmebly guide. and in the video it called it the palm rest cable. there were two of them.

http://i.imgur.com/b1XzmHo.png

there's a screenshot from the video.

would this disconnection of palm rest cables prevent my laptop from completely booting up? no errors, no turning on, no nothing.

 

[setishock]

It's a ribbon and most likely just came unplugged. I knew you was going to get in to trouble.
Can you see where on the end of the ribbon it changes from a copper color to a silver color? If you can see that it just came unplugged. On the socket where it came out of are wings either side. Slide the wings out from the socket. It does not come out. It's just a brake to keep the ribbon plugged in.
Slide the ribbon in as far as it will go and with your other hand take 2 fingers and push the brake back in.

What laptop is that?