Laptop Runs Very Hot

[deejah]

i started to research but this post might expedite things

someone informed me that the computer will shut down if it overheats

so no big deal

someone else informed me the heat can cause damage, permanent mother board circuitry damage???

i'm looking for some expert input/feedback

its and acer aspire 5500z with intel inside not amd (which might not be as good)

thanks

[Mario2008]

Overheating will indeed cause damage, that is why almost all computers and notebooks will shutdown automatically when the processor gets to hot.

In Thailand that is not a rare occurrence, especially when the computer is a little bit older 2+ years can have problems with the cooling fan. You can buy small tablets with cooling fans for notebooks for 200 baht or less.

[lopburi3]

I have an Aspire 4736z with built in video and it runs amazingly cool compared with several Toshiba units children have. Expect those with video cards will be hotter. As said there are a lot of pillow type fan coolers available really cheaply now so might be worthwhile. But will add children computers are still working fine after several years in spite of being really hot.

[rijb]

You might need to adjust the fan speed

[Supernova]

someone informed me that the computer will shut down if it overheats

Only if the motherboard BIOS supports this function.

[CharlieH]

I would say it depends where you are using it when it gets hot ? on your lap, on the desk or wherever. If you happen to be using it on your lap on a cushion as some do then its not surprising as the machine cant get any airflow like that. if its on the desk for long periods then as suggested (I have one) use a cooling stand, cheap and easy option. I personally would not mess around with fan speed settings as they would have been set to optimal speeds at the factory and I certainly wouldnt install any software to do it as that IMHO is asking for trouble and may well void any warranty that is applicable.

[elshaheen]

Go to Pentip and get one of them cooling fans you can put under your laptop. They plug right into your USB ports.

[jubby]

Go to Pentip and get one of them cooling fans you can put under your laptop. They plug right into your USB ports.

Yeah, get a Cooling fan, about 100 baht.

my Acer which I bought in Thailand runs very hot and does seem to run slower without the extra Cooling Fan underneath.

I have a dell from the UK, also which never seems to get hot.

[klauswernst198]

First check how is the status of your computer if the CPU and RAM are always running at 100% it is normal to be hot this can happen due to a lot of reason. Best way to eliminate to stop this problem is to save your data and than format the hard disk. If you cant do this by yourself in panthip they will do it for about 250 Baht.Second check if the fan actually works sometimes dust and hairs accumulates stopping the fan from spinning, If so you can remove the cover and clear the dust and it will work fine again.

Also sometimes dust and hairs block the entrance to the fan limiting airflow try to clean it carefully and if it still runs

If all this doesn't help it is a design fault and the cooling pad are the best option

[halfhead]

The tip about cleaning out the fans is a good one,

try this software download speedfan

(SpeedFan monitors voltages, fan speeds, and temperatures in computers with hardware monitor chips)

[teddy_bare]

Clean the fans. Although not very dusty in Thailand, you'll be amazed at the stuff that gets in your fans. Talc mainly in my house. You can buy compressed air in a can or simply blow into the intake without spitting.

Out

[bbaxter]

I have an Acer laptop and about once a year I have to open it up and clean the fan. It gets completely plugged with dust. If you're not up to doing this yourself, take it to a shop.

[Pib]

To the OP: you mentioned concern about a overheating computer and I guess this implied your laptop is overheating/running hot. But is your Acer 5500z laptop running hot?

Now, it's not uncommon for certain areas of a laptop to be "very warm," like right above where the CPU and hard drive are located, especially right above the CPU (I know both of my Toshiba laptops get very warm above the CPU and warm about the hard drive). And for the few seconds that you press your hand against that area it might even feel hot, but then the feeling changes to very warm to slightly warm. What makes you think your laptop is overheating / running hotter (warmer) than it should?

Ensure your laptop's small fan inlet area normally on the laptop bottom and the outlet vent(s) normally on the side are clear of dirt / dust. Also ensure you don't set you laptop on a surface that would block the air / fan venting inlet and/or outlet, especially the fan inlet since that is normally on the bottom with very little clearance between the laptop bottom and the surface of a flat surface. It don't take much to block the air flow in that areas. Don't set you laptop on a piece of paper that would just be sucked up against the laptop bottom and block the fan inlet.....don't set your laptop on a cloth / soft surface as that also blocks the fan inlet. Set your laptop on a smooth, hard surface when ever possible to ensure the fan inlet is not blocked...and ensue the fan air "outlet" area is not blocked.

[padeakin]

First check how is the status of your computer if the CPU and RAM are always running at 100% it is normal to be hot this can happen due to a lot of reason. Best way to eliminate to stop this problem is to save your data and than format the hard disk. If you cant do this by yourself in panthip they will do it for about 250 Baht.Second check if the fan actually works sometimes dust and hairs accumulates stopping the fan from spinning, If so you can remove the cover and clear the dust and it will work fine again.

Also sometimes dust and hairs block the entrance to the fan limiting airflow try to clean it carefully and if it still runs

If all this doesn't help it is a design fault and the cooling pad are the best option

You advise someone to format the hard drive if the CPU and RAM are running at 100%???

If they follow this advise the computer will then not boot up. I guess you mean format and re-install operating system and all software. I would only do this as a last resort if i could not resolve the problem any other way.

[klauswernst198]

Of course I mean format and re-install operating system and all software. But go to any Thai IT shop and say format and they know what you actualy mean is "format and re-install operating system and all software"

Here in Thailand for the average user who only use a computer but has no real knowledge this is the best choice because it is easy and it will solve the problem 100% guaranteed and for the price of 250 Baht I think it is more than acceptable.

Of course I know they are a lot of ways you could solve the problem by yourself without the need to format and reinstall, but lets face it only a tiny part of all computer users would be able to do this and than dare to do it.

First check how is the status of your computer if the CPU and RAM are always running at 100% it is normal to be hot this can happen due to a lot of reason. Best way to eliminate to stop this problem is to save your data and than format the hard disk. If you cant do this by yourself in panthip they will do it for about 250 Baht.Second check if the fan actually works sometimes dust and hairs accumulates stopping the fan from spinning, If so you can remove the cover and clear the dust and it will work fine again.

Also sometimes dust and hairs block the entrance to the fan limiting airflow try to clean it carefully and if it still runs

If all this doesn't help it is a design fault and the cooling pad are the best option

You advise someone to format the hard drive if the CPU and RAM are running at 100%???

If they follow this advise the computer will then not boot up. I guess you mean format and re-install operating system and all software. I would only do this as a last resort if i could not resolve the problem any other way.

Edited November 5, 2010 by klauswernst198

[Pib]

HIghly recommend against taking the advice that "reformatting your hard drive will fix your problem 100% gauranteed."

Is the laptop really running warmer/hotter than it is suppose to, as that was never made clear. No real problem was indicated in the original post like the laptop is locking up when it gets hot, etc. The post only identified a concern/asked for feedback about what might happen "if" the laptop overheats.

[klauswernst198]

HIghly recommend against taking the advice that "reformatting your hard drive will fix your problem 100% gauranteed."

Is the laptop really running warmer/hotter than it is suppose to, as that was never made clear. No real problem was indicated in the original post like the laptop is locking up when it gets hot, etc. The post only identified a concern/asked for feedback about what might happen "if" the laptop overheats.

Why don't you read my whole post before trying to show your knowledge without offering any solution.

If you would have read carefully you would have noticed that I just recommend him to check the normal CPU and RAM usage of his computer. I did this because since the poster didn't give enough information I tried to cover all possibilities where the problem might be. And yes there are some problems which will make your computer run at 100% all the time, And yes a computer which runs at 100% all the times does get hot. And for non computer expert the best way of solving this specific problem which may lead to hot computer is the solution I mentioned.

So please read the full post and understand it before you make your own post which should by the way be more focused on providing solution and not simply let you bad mood out

[siamect]

Of course I mean format and re-install operating system and all software. But go to any Thai IT shop and say format and they know what you actualy mean is "format and re-install operating system and all software"

Here in Thailand for the average user who only use a computer but has no real knowledge this is the best choice because it is easy and it will solve the problem 100% guaranteed and for the price of 250 Baht I think it is more than acceptable.

Of course I know they are a lot of ways you could solve the problem by yourself without the need to format and reinstall, but lets face it only a tiny part of all computer users would be able to do this and than dare to do it.

You can at least tell the guy to back up his data before you tell him to go to a 250 baht win install shop...

Secondly, you should not recommend anybody to go to a any 250 baht shop.

Tell him instead to be really careful and choose a shop that has good knowledge/reputation, who does not install illegal software or other unwanted junk.

Tell him to get proper antivirus/malware/security software if he insists to continue to use Windows.

Martin

[klauswernst198]

Of course I mean format and re-install operating system and all software. But go to any Thai IT shop and say format and they know what you actualy mean is "format and re-install operating system and all software"

Here in Thailand for the average user who only use a computer but has no real knowledge this is the best choice because it is easy and it will solve the problem 100% guaranteed and for the price of 250 Baht I think it is more than acceptable.

Of course I know they are a lot of ways you could solve the problem by yourself without the need to format and reinstall, but lets face it only a tiny part of all computer users would be able to do this and than dare to do it.

You can at least tell the guy to back up his data before you tell him to go to a 250 baht win install shop...

Secondly, you should not recommend anybody to go to a any 250 baht shop.

Tell him instead to be really careful and choose a shop that has good knowledge/reputation, who does not install illegal software or other unwanted junk.

Tell him to get proper antivirus/malware/security software if he insists to continue to use Windows.

Martin

How come people don't read ??

I told him to save his data which means backing up the data right ?

Second formating the hard disk and reinstalling is a stupid job and anyone with a little knowledge can do it, From my own experience in panthip you can find reliable shops who do this for 250 by the way 250 Baht - 350 is what the typical employee in this type of shop earns in a working day of 10 hours. And formating plus reinstalling the system wont take longer than 2 hours so everything in excess of 250 - 300 is nonsense.

Non of the shop I know will install illegal software if you provide them with your legal software on CD. If you don't want any of the additional free illegal software just mention it to them. They will be happy since it takes less work for them. The reason why they want to install all type of junk software is because they are used to their Thai customer requesting it and they see it a good service to their customer.

Finally this topic if I remember well is about a laptop getting hot and the possible causes for this and not about reformatting the hard disk.

[Supernova]

From my own experience in panthip you can find reliable shops who do this for 250 by the way 250 Baht - 350 is what the typical employee in this type of shop earns in a working day of 10 hours. And formating plus reinstalling the system wont take longer than 2 hours so everything in excess of 250 - 300 is nonsense.

Try 30 minutes or less... Many shops in Pantip use Ghost images instead of performing a clean install. Spending 2-3 hours setting up a single computer isn't economically viable, not in a high-paced environment like Pantip anyhow. This is not to say one can't get their system reloaded properly.

Last I heard, a standard Windows install (without any customizations) costs 400 THB minimum; double that amount with additional software.

[lopburi3]

It would make a lot more sense to me if taking to a shop for service for 100% cpu usage to have them look for the cause first rather than destroy everything on the hard drive (which will never be the same unless cloned - which is not likely to fix the problem). In most cases this is easily done. Reformat is a last resort - not proper troubleshooting.

[siamect]

You can at least tell the guy to back up his data before you tell him to go to a 250 baht win install shop...

Secondly, you should not recommend anybody to go to a any 250 baht shop.

Tell him instead to be really careful and choose a shop that has good knowledge/reputation, who does not install illegal software or other unwanted junk.

Tell him to get proper antivirus/malware/security software if he insists to continue to use Windows.

Martin

How come people don't read ??

I told him to save his data which means backing up the data right ?

Sorry I apologize for not reading...

[Pib]

HIghly recommend against taking the advice that "reformatting your hard drive will fix your problem 100% gauranteed."

Is the laptop really running warmer/hotter than it is suppose to, as that was never made clear. No real problem was indicated in the original post like the laptop is locking up when it gets hot, etc. The post only identified a concern/asked for feedback about what might happen "if" the laptop overheats.

Why don't you read my whole post before trying to show your knowledge without offering any solution.

If you would have read carefully you would have noticed that I just recommend him to check the normal CPU and RAM usage of his computer. I did this because since the poster didn't give enough information I tried to cover all possibilities where the problem might be. And yes there are some problems which will make your computer run at 100% all the time, And yes a computer which runs at 100% all the times does get hot. And for non computer expert the best way of solving this specific problem which may lead to hot computer is the solution I mentioned.

So please read the full post and understand it before you make your own post which should by the way be more focused on providing solution and not simply let you bad mood out

See Post 13 for my possible solution.

[Pib]

To the OP: got any additional info you can provide? Any of the posts/feedback provided any help?

[klauswernst198]

It would make a lot more sense to me if taking to a shop for service for 100% cpu usage to have them look for the cause first rather than destroy everything on the hard drive (which will never be the same unless cloned - which is not likely to fix the problem). In most cases this is easily done. Reformat is a last resort - not proper troubleshooting.

The Problem by this is finding the real problem will be much more expensive and the risk that they cant do it and later you have to reformat anyways is really high. So basically you have 2 choice.

1.) Save your data by yourself and go to the shop and ask them to reformat the hard disk for you. If you posses a legal windows copy take it along with you and ask it to install it for you. 100% guaranteed that the problem of 100% CPU/100 Ram use is solved and the amount is reasonable. Specially since reformat is an easy task and you can do it in second line shops. My Tip (only if all you wanna do is format) go to the small second line and look for a shop with less than 3 employees because normally the owner of this shop has more knowledge and willingness to help than the young staff at the first line shops and price difference can be huge

2.) Take your chances to find a shop which can solve the problem. For actually solving a problem you need to find a trustworthy shop and from my own experience they will try and later say "sorry can not , have to format ok." and you will be paying them for finding the error and formating and since you tried to do it in a good shop it will cost you probably around 1000. And in the case that they actually find the problem probably they have created 5 other problems.

So considering these 2 option I would stick with number one for the case that my computer has an actual value of 20k or less if it is more than I am would take it to the service center of that brand . Also if you don't trust the shops at all. Just ask to format and reinstall the BIOS and install anything else at home by yourself. Like this you can push them as low as 200 Bhat without any risk to you computer and which a near 100% chance that the problem is solved.

[siamect]

The Problem by this is finding the real problem will be much more expensive and the risk that they cant do it and later you have to reformat anyways is really high. So basically you have 2 choice.

1.) Save your data by yourself and go to the shop and ask them to reformat the hard disk for you. If you posses a legal windows copy take it along with you and ask it to install it for you. 100% guaranteed that the problem of 100% CPU/100 Ram use is solved and the amount is reasonable. Specially since reformat is an easy task and you can do it in second line shops. My Tip (only if all you wanna do is format) go to the small second line and look for a shop with less than 3 employees because normally the owner of this shop has more knowledge and willingness to help than the young staff at the first line shops and price difference can be huge

2.) Take your chances to find a shop which can solve the problem. For actually solving a problem you need to find a trustworthy shop and from my own experience they will try and later say "sorry can not , have to format ok." and you will be paying them for finding the error and formating and since you tried to do it in a good shop it will cost you probably around 1000. And in the case that they actually find the problem probably they have created 5 other problems.

So considering these 2 option I would stick with number one for the case that my computer has an actual value of 20k or less if it is more than I am would take it to the service center of that brand . Also if you don't trust the shops at all. Just ask to format and reinstall the BIOS and install anything else at home by yourself. Like this you can push them as low as 200 Bhat without any risk to you computer and which a near 100% chance that the problem is solved.

This is really getting ridiculous.

You still try to convince the OP to reformat for an issue like this. It should take a pro less than 5 minutes to fix this.

And you are still trying to make him use small cheap places instead of trusted shop just to save a few hundred baht on a machine that you don't know what it is used for. Maybe the OP has some serious use of his computer.

I think you have to explain exactly what you mean by "Just ask to format and reinstall the BIOS and ... "

Martin

[lopburi3]

If you can not use the task manager to stop processes in order to isolate what is causing CPU usage it is highly unlikely you will be able to backup "data" without loss I suspect.

[siamect]

If you can not use the task manager to stop processes in order to isolate what is causing CPU usage it is highly unlikely you will be able to backup "data" without loss I suspect.

Very true .... unless it is an svchost process....

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/what-is-svchostexe-and-why-is-it-running/

would be a good help

Edited November 7, 2010 by siamect

[AsiaCheese]

I had the same thing with an Acer machine, and I suspect here's the solution to your problem!

I at first downloaded i nice free little piece of software that shows the core temperatures (CoreTemp), showing temps up to 80°C-ish on an AMD Athlon (= deadly in the long run). Opened the thing up to see if dust was clogging the heat exchange -- none there. Took it to my favorite shop in Pattaya (Tuckcom 3rd floor, "Pattaya2U") where they fix any notebook for THB 200 (!). An utterly competent technician disassembled the "heat pipe" between the CPU and the fan (a ~15cm copper rod) -- and see there: where the piece of copper ended up at the fan, there was a "mat" of dust clogging the heat exit!! Impossible to see without disassembly, and no chance of getting at it with pressured air or something...

That did it, big time. I kept CoreTemp and it's now hovering around 45°C. One piece of advise though: don't try this at home, because you need to disengage the "heat pipe" from the CPU, and putting it back on without smearing it with heat-conducting paste is likely to destroy your CPU!

One by-product of notebooks running too hot is that the CPU's clock rate automatically gets reduced, in an attempt to "cool it". It then starts to look as if any activity (often graphics; just having some Flash or animated .gif's in a website) is overloading the machine. It doesn't happen very often that software is the culprit in having the CPU chug at 100% load (unless you're a programmer and/or doing massive database work...)

Good luck!

[Supernova]

The machine could be crawling with viruses for all I care... Backing up data is so darn easy -- just boot to a Live CD and be done with it.