Laptop getting hot

gw448949

Could anyone shed any light on this problem. I have a Dell laptop which I have used for some 18 months, it is never switched off as I use it all the time. Just recently it seems to be getting very hot underneath. Does this mean it is on its way out. I would be interested in your comments as soon as possible before it possibly goes bang.
Thanks in advance.

custardy

are the vents clear?
what do you place it on to use?

scottishblondie

It's probably full of fluff inside, blocking the vents etc. My 7 year old Dell laptop started getting really hot and then finally overheating and turning itself off after about 2 years, but a quick clean worked wonders and it's still going today. The amount of dust and fluff it had sucked up was quite impressive. Getting hot most likely isn't a death knell, just give it a clean

artha

gw448949 wrote: »

Could anyone shed any light on this problem. I have a Dell laptop which I have used for some 18 months, it is never switched off as I use it all the time. Just recently it seems to be getting very hot underneath. Does this mean it is on its way out. I would be interested in your comments as soon as possible before it possibly goes bang.
Thanks in advance.

Our dell inspiron 1300 always ran hot from new and "died" after about 2-3 years. A cracked motherboard was eventually diagnosed. As It had never suffered any rough treatment it was thought that the overheating had contributed to./caused the crack. Managed to get a second hand motherboard fitted by a friend for £30 and it has been ok for the last two years. It still gets hot but we now make sure that it is always used on a flat hard surface or on a usb cooling board (bought from aldi for about £7).
I think the term "laptop" is a misnomer. They are not really suitable for long periods of use on your "lap" due to the risk of overheating not to mention the discomfort