Notebook overheating

C

clbrunson

New Member
I haven't been on this forum since a major computer problem several years ago. Guess what? lol

My one year old Acer laptop is having an odd problem. It worked great up untill about a month or two ago. Then it started getting very hot underneath and the hdd would start running continiously, the computer comming to a crawl. The fan is working and the heat comming from it is extreme. Both Norton and Trend Micro agree that there is no virus.

Remembering back to the days of yore, I decided to do a backup and reformated the hdd. After reinstlling my data and letting the computer update, the laptop started doing the same exact thing. Running it for more than about ten minutes starts the overheating, dragging, and hdd racing. I have since gotten a laptop chiller but if I turn it off for more than 10-15 minutes, the computer will over-heat and freeze up.

I have been told by a friend that it sounds like my RAM is bad but I wanted a second opinion before dishing out the money, especially if the problem is fatal (don't feel like throwing good money after bad).

I can't tell where the RAM is without opening the case but the majority of the heat is comming from under the mouse pad. This heat is so hot that it can be felt radiating from between the keys (with the chiller off).

Is it best to just buy a new laptop or can this one be saved?

According to "my computer" properties, I have a dual core Pentium @ 1.6ghz, 1 gig RAM, running Vista service pack 2. Acer Aspire 4720Z

I know it's a cheap computer but my $1800 Vaio's battery and DVD drive both took a crap in under 9 months so I didn't feel like getting anything expensive again. Thanks in advance!

Chris
 
Bad ram wouldn't cause your computer to do this. Have you tried dusting the cooling system out with a compressed air can? The hard drive spinning sounds like Vista trying to organize itself. Do you have a lot of background programs running?
 
I have not tried dusting it out but there is plenty of air comming from the fan, and it is HOT! After my reformat, I purposly only loaded the basic programs I need everyday to avoid resource problems, but that did not help. It seems that the computer is using huge amounts of virtual memory, but for what? Sometimes, I will only be on the web with a few windows open when it begins this whole problem. Rebooting or closing the windows and waiting for five minutes for the hdd to stop doing whatever it is doing are the only ways to correct it. The computer has become almost unusable. I even switched virus programs to find one less invasive then Norton and that didn't help at all. In fact, when Trend Micro updates, it slows the computer so bad that I have to wait till it is done before I can do anything. And this is after a fresh format! Something is horribly wrong, and I'm beginning to suspect it is the most recent service pack update. Could that be it?
 
This isn't a software issue. It is a hardware issue. Blow out the cooling system (heatsinks and fans) as diduknowthat suggested. If the problem persists, you may have more serious issues.

From what you describe, it should be possible to save this unit, but doing so may require some factory service.

Edit: Are you still under warranty?
 
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I doubt it. I've had it for like 15 months. I'll try the canned air and see if that helps. Do I need to take it apart?
 
I would recommend taking it apart to clean it thoroughly. Be extra careful if you have never done this before with a laptop.

If you are feeling more adventurous, you could try re-seating and reapplying thermal grease to the heatsink on the CPU.
 
clbrunson said:
I doubt it. I've had it for like 15 months. I'll try the canned air and see if that helps. Do I need to take it apart?
Click to expand...

First give it a good dusting through the vents without taking it apart. If the problem still persists do what Zatharus said.

Also, maybe something in the bios has gone wrong? Maybe the CPU isn't throttling itself when idling and thus producing a large amount of heat?
 
Good point. It would be worth letting the laptop idle in the BIOS for a while where you can monitor the temp sensors (if the BIOS on that laptop supports it). That might give you some clues.
 
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