How To Diagnose and Fix an Overheating Laptop
http://www.howtogeek.com/67660/how-to-diagnose-and-fix-an-overheating-laptop
/
Links and other information useful for screenreader users inserted by Dan.
One of the most common issues with aging laptops is overheating, something
many people aren’t sure how to fix. We’ll help you figure out what’s causing
the heat and how to keep your notebook functioning at a lower temperature.
Overheating computers can cause a lot of problems, from seemingly random
blue screens to data loss. You might not even know that it’s the root of
your issues, and before you know it you have a burnt-out motherboard on your
hands. Let’s go step by and step and see how to deal with overheating
computers. We’ll be dealing primarily with laptops, but most of the same
principles apply to desktops as well.
Find the Heat Source
Air Flow and Heat Transfer
The first thing you need to do is figure out where the heat is coming from.
No air flow means no heat transfer, so figure out where the air vents are.
Are they blowing hot air, or is there barely a breeze, even when the fan is
overtaxed?
1. Most commonly, an accumulation of dust in the vents and fans through the
cooling channels will be culprit in restricting air flow. Cleaning it out
will work best.
a. Turn your laptop upside-down and look at what you’ve got.
b. Unscrew the fan doors and you should be able to lift out the fan and
clean everything with a can of compressed air.
c. If you find that a fan is spinning erratically, you may want to try
lifting the sticker off of the axle and putting a drop of mineral oil to
keep it going.
d. You can also try to look up the part number from your laptop’s user
manual or by searching your laptop model number online. Once you have that,
you can find replacements pretty easily on eBay and the like.
2. Dying Batteries
There are plenty of different types of batteries, and many different schools
of thought on battery maintenance and life span, but one thing that seems
pretty unanimous is that batteries aren’t meant to be stored at 100% or 0%
capacity. I know plenty of people who buy laptops and always keep the
charger in, never actually using the battery. You can definitely expect to
kill your battery’s health this way, since you’re essentially storing the
battery when it’s full. Bad batteries don’t just give out really quickly,
they can generate heat.
You can buy replacement batteries pretty easily online, even for laptops
that are four years old. You just need to know what model your
computer/battery is. If you can’t find one, you may consider using your
laptop as a desktop and remove the overheating battery completely from the
equation.
3. Persistent Overheating
If you’ve taken the air vents and battery out of the picture and you’re
still having problems, then you might have a more persistent heat issue.
Sometimes a dusty hard drive can cause heat problems and data loss. Some
laptops just “run hot,” even without a major load on the CPU. Try cleaning
out these areas as best you can before you move on to another solution.
a. Dust under the processor and RAM doors to get rid of any dust and
debris.
b. If you’ve got a netbook or a laptop without compartments underneath,
things might be more difficult. You should be able to find instructions for
getting the back off so you can clean things properly.
Lighten the Load
If your computer’s heat is related to how much data the CPU chugs through,
you might want to manage your processes better. You can use the Windows Task
Manager to see what’s most intensive, then use
Recent Posts
- A review of the Kolping Wien Zentral Hb Vienna, Wien, Austria
- Ask sight loss coach Donna J. Jodhan – How to keep eggs separate in a fry pan, sturdy measuring cups, sturdy measuring spoons
- A Must-Read! Donna J. Jodhan’s News Round-Up for January 2025
- Ask Scam Watcher Donna J. Jodhan – Scams to Watch for in February
- A Must-Read! February’s Helpful Tips from the Sterling Creations Desk
Recent Comments
No comments to show.Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
Categories