SERIOUS computer cooling problems!

[CrypticQuery]

I've been having some serious problems with my laptop's built in set of cooling fans.  They never seem to be effective enough, and now, they barely do their job at all.  I've tried several external cooling fans, but all of those ended up going ka-put.  Anyone have any suggestions? I can't even stay on the damned thing for 20 minutes anymore! :-(

[Redeemer]

Is it still in its warranty?

[Steve]

I'm betting your laptop has got some years on it already, that's cool, here's what you can do:

First of all, laptop's fans get stuff stuck, easily (like fur, or ugly dust), so I would recommend a clean up every 6/12 months (which means you need tech support and be careful with the warranty, it also depends on the laptop design) to keep them at 100%. You can also get a laptop cooler, those are your best buddies if you are a heavy gamer. They normally deal with 30% of the heat, which is OK, not the best thing, but they will keep your laptop under the "acceptable" temperature level.

Finally, get a program that would check your laptop temperature, just so you could monitor everything and make sure you are not getting into the "melt-zone"

EDIT: I forgot to mention, laptops can get pretty dang hot, and while it seems risky, sometimes it's just fine. Computer parts like gfx and processors can withstand temperatures up to 120 and 90 Celsius respectively, without going boom. While that's fairly ok for your conventional pc, it's pretty bad if you keep that kind of temperature on a laptop, since all the parts are obviously more cramped up, and over the time, you can melt something, so aside the normal "keep liquids away from your laptop" keeping a good temperature is the most important thing a laptop user needs to keep in mind.

[Vy'drach]

Are you setting it on anything? You'd be surprised by how often you'll block the air intake by setting it on something (I used to put my laptop on my bed, which kept it from getting a decent amount of air into it).

[CrypticQuery]

Is it still in its warranty?

Nope, it's had some years on it, just like Steve said

I'm betting your laptop has got some years on it already, that's cool, here's what you can do:

First of all, laptop's fans get stuff stuck, easily (like fur, or ugly dust), so I would recommend a clean up every 6/12 months (which means you need tech support and be careful with the warranty, it also depends on the laptop design) to keep them at 100%. You can also get a laptop cooler, those are your best buddies if you are a heavy gamer. They normally deal with 30% of the heat, which is OK, not the best thing, but they will keep your laptop under the "acceptable" temperature level.

Finally, get a program that would check your laptop temperature, just so you could monitor everything and make sure you are not getting into the "melt-zone"

EDIT: I forgot to mention, laptops can get pretty dang hot, and while it seems risky, sometimes it's just fine. Computer parts like gfx and processors can withstand temperatures up to 120 and 90 Celsius respectively, without going boom. While that's fairly ok for your conventional pc, it's pretty bad if you keep that kind of temperature on a laptop, since all the parts are obviously more cramped up, and over the time, you can melt something, so aside the normal "keep liquids away from your laptop" keeping a good temperature is the most important thing a laptop user needs to keep in mind.

I'll be sure to try that, thanks a bunch Steve!

Are you setting it on anything? You'd be surprised by how often you'll block the air intake by setting it on something (I used to put my laptop on my bed, which kept it from getting a decent amount of air into it).

Nothing but normal surfaces (i.e. wooden table with no tablecloth)

[Asper Sarnoff]

A few quick tips I can give you. Put something underneath the edges of your laptop, raising it a little from the surface it's on. This will help a little with letting the hot air escape easier from underneath.

Also, a driver update might also make your fans considerably more effective. I have a HP Compaq 6715-series, and those came with fan-programming that was a tad off, but got better with an upgrade.

[Matrilwood]

Replacing the fan should do the trick, make sure your new fans are compatible though, and in the case of a lap-top, MAKE SURE THEY WOULD FIT, I've done that before twice. I'd also suggest gluing on stiff rubber feet to ensure a good gap underneath for airflow.

Before you do that though try a virus scan, I remember a computer-virus that played havoc with the fans. But if you have it, it probably wouldn't harm your computer because it needs an over-mind to function correctly (That and the technology is about a decade old), so you could probably just hit delete.

(Wow, I remember a time when you put; fan, computer, and problem in the same sentence you would have hysteria.)

[Sabre]

Go into the power setting and set it to power saver. You might lose some perforemce, but it might help. Also, if able, use the battry instead of having plugged in 24-7

[CrypticQuery]

Thanks for the tips everyone! .  I'll be sure to try them! If none succeed (which I'm sure is an incredibly slim possibility ) I'll be off of SF-O for awhile, as this is my only computer.  I don't even wanna think of that happening :shock: