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Post by kunuma on Jul 15, 2013 11:36:56 GMT 1
Advice please from all you techie lot, my laptop has started getting red hot within half an hour or so after turning it on - any ideas why? Is the weather just too hot for it!! ;D There are no repair shops within driving distance, so I can't take it for a check up, too heavy to carry anyway! At the moment I'm using it for about half an hour then turning it off at the mains to cool down. Thought it probably wouldn't like a cold drink and a wet towel!!
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Post by Claire on Jul 15, 2013 13:41:32 GMT 1
The fan could have gone. Does it seem quieter than normal? If you know where the fan is (usually at the side, near the back, there are air vents there for the air flow) put your hand there and see if you can feel air coming out.
If you can it may be that the fan isn't working properly or it runs very hot - either way yes the hot weather will be causing it to overheat. Is it actually switching itself off? A lot of them have a fail safe and will do this if they over-heat. My laptop is the same it keeps overheating at the mo.
One solution (apart from switching it off and letting it cool down which is actually probably the best thing to do) is putting a book or something similar underneath the computer when its on, the book should be smaller than the size of the laptop so that you can leave a space under the place where the fan is. This will allow air to circulate around it a bit. (This is what I do as switching it off all the time is not really an option when you need it for work)
Also if you have a lot of programs open at the same time or are watching stuff on youtube, iplayer this will make it work harder and get hotter. So try to minimise how many applications you have open at once (no multi-tasking!)
Hope this helps. If fan is gone you'll have to get it replaced as it will damage the computer using it without fan and it will probably just stop working anyhow.
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allyk
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Post by allyk on Jul 15, 2013 21:54:57 GMT 1
Often there is dust caught up in the heatsink and fan and blowing it out with some compressed air can make a world of difference (or if you can open it up enough to (carefully) vacuum out).
The other thing to check is task manager to see if something is constantly eating the CPU.
You say it's getting 'red hot' but is it actually shutting down or is it just the fan running constantly or is there some other symptom?
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allyk
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Post by allyk on Jul 16, 2013 16:29:26 GMT 1
Uh-oh, kunuma hasn't been online since making that post . . .
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Post by kunuma on Jul 16, 2013 19:22:40 GMT 1
;D I'm just about here, it is only working for a short time before getting really hot, (yes, I mean actually hot to touch, you could boil an egg on it!!) and I'm trying to do an online study course! So it's a pain to keep coming on for a short while and then turning it all off! I've put it on a book - and I've worked out that the vent is at the back, but can't feel any draft or hear any fan?? Now who was it who said dust?? Hmmm, think whoever it was has seen my house!! ;D Will try the hoover trick too! PS what's a CPU?? ( ;D I'm a total technophobe!!)
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allyk
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Post by allyk on Jul 16, 2013 19:39:45 GMT 1
Glad you're still with us The good news is, I don't think you can hurt your computer by leaving it on. They have built-in temperature sensors and will shut down if they get too hot. So there's no need to turn it off just because you think it's getting too hot. I've worked out that the vent is at the back, but can't feel any draft or hear any fan?? The bad news is, if the fan's completely dead, you will need to get that fixed.
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Post by kunuma on Jul 16, 2013 19:55:28 GMT 1
Should it be really obvious to me when it is running?? Trouble is I can't remember what it sounded like before, but I know the computer never got this hot before - it is actually too hot to put your hand on comfortably!! I've always got about three radios going though (to drown out noisy neighbours) so not really aware of what noise things make like I used to be when I lived in the countryside!
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allyk
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Post by allyk on Jul 16, 2013 22:46:09 GMT 1
Should it be really obvious to me when it is running?? Probably. What type of computer do you have? but I know the computer never got this hot before - it is actually too hot to put your hand on comfortably!! Your computer might not have gotten that hot before, but certainly other computers do. By itself that's not particularly alarming, but I would like to make sure the fan's working properly.
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Post by Claire on Jul 17, 2013 0:58:52 GMT 1
As I said before put your hand or face where the fan is and you should be able to feel warm air coming out, also it sounds like...er like a fan! If you can't feel or hear anything from the fan area then the fan has probably bit the dust.
Some computers do run very hot you can't actually touch mine where the fan is without it being painful! Its always better to vent underneath the computer if you can, hence book, or some laptops have little legs which raise them up a bit. But actually it does sound like your fan is bust.
BTW not all laptops will switch themselves off if they get too hot, some will just freeze or you will get the 'blue screen of death' or worse! In this case its really not safe to use it for long without a fan.
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allyk
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Post by allyk on Jul 17, 2013 1:31:41 GMT 1
BTW not all laptops will switch themselves off if they get too hot, some will just freeze or you will get the 'blue screen of death' or worse! In this case its really not safe to use it for long without a fan. It's true that you may get a crash instead of a shutdown, but you won't do any permanent physical damage to the computer by letting it run. Well, I might have some concerns about the harddrive. It's not going to immediately fail or anything, but prolonged high temperatures might reduce it's lifetime. Even still, you really need to get the fan fixed if it's not working.
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