Energy creates heat. That is something we’re taught in middle school science class along with all of the different types of energy. Sometimes we forget where the most common kind of energy is, the kind coming out of the holes in your wall (aside from the energy created by your own body). This energy causes everything that is connected to heat up, but nothing more aggravatingly than the computer on your lap. Yeah, most of us laptop owners have had to put a blanket in our laps to prevent the heating machine from burning us. What you may not know is, while small amounts of heat is normal, overheating can cause serious damage and even ruin a laptop.
The heat built up in your computer is from all of the electricity that is tightly controlled to make the machine do as it’s told. The most heat actually comes from one of the smallest parts. The microprocessor or CPU which in most laptops and other computers has what is called a heat sink. The heat sink is a small piece of tin with a special paste on it to dissipate the heat away from the CPU. There is also a small exhaust fan meant to cool the heat sink itself and allow it to further do its job. The reason this CPU gets so incredibly hot is because it is the hardest working guy in the whole laptop. Whatever you want your computer to do goes through the CPU and it is constantly retrieving information and releasing it as something the user can deal with Thus causing it to really heat up and rather quickly. While this little processor is controlling what your computer does it can also ruin it with the amount of heat given off.
The biggest issue people have with an overheating computer is the shutdown. Be in the middle of something dire and the computer just decides to turn itself off. As irritating as that is, in reality it’s a good thing it does that before worse can happen. Every time a computer overheats it can cause severe, permanent damage to the machine including a possible crash. A crash is when the computer is completely ruined losing all the data on the devise. This is a traumatic event. Almost all laptop owners have very important data on their computer and after a crash even the most skill technician may not be able to retrieve it.
While practically any laptop will develop an overheating problem eventually, there are ways to tell if it Is going to happen before it actually does. One way is; if you have to put that aforementioned blanket on your lap. This may not mean something is seriously wrong. You may have just pushed the computer little too far, whether you have used it for too long or tried running too many CPU intensive tasks like running multiple games for instance. You can also tell when there is a problem if you hear a knocking inside of it. When a fan is running or a disc in the drive is spinning you will always hear a hum but it shouldn’t knock. If a knock is heard it is more than likely caused by a stuck or damaged cooling fan. Fans can be replaced by a professional computer technician. On occasion you may smell something burning just to realize it’s your computer. This burning is caused by the overheating parts burning the plastic of the case.
The most common cause of overheating is a disruption of the airflow. A laptop is constantly pulling air in (generally from the bottom) and exhausting in out of the side. If a laptop is setting on a flat surface, or anywhere that doesn’t allow proper air flow, the laptop can over heat. This can be remedied by elevating the laptop to allow the air underneath it. Also check the vents for any dust that may have been accumulated.
Any time there is air flow you will get dust build up, like in the case of an air-conditioning filter. This dust will fill in the holes of the vent thus causing a clog preventing any more air getting in to cool it. This is extremely easy to fix. First, take the battery out of the computer to halt the electricity flow. Now, hold the power button down for 30 seconds to drain any further electricity. After that, use a small object such as a needle or safety pin to scrape along the vents (never insert the needle into the machine, just use to scrape the outside). That should help clear most of the dust that has been accumulated.
Now that the most common and easy to solve problem has been cured it’s time to get into the more severe and complicated problems. Laptops usually have 2 fans (this can differ between manufacturers). If one of these fans has halted working the air is not flowing in the correct manner anymore. Malfunctioning fans can be cause from improper hardware or a flaw in the software they’re programed with. If both fans in the computer seem to be working, there are other possibilities.
A malfunctioning power supply can also cause quite a bit of heat. The reason a laptop power supply would malfunction more than a cord for, say, a television is the conversion performed. A laptop battery, like all other batteries, is Direct current, or DC whilst the power taken from the wall outlet Alternating Current, or AC. Because of the transformation there are a lot more risks of shorts in the wiring. A short in the wiring of an AC to DC charger can cause serious damage to a battery thus causing overheating in the laptop.
After all, an overheating laptop is generally fixable by a computer tech. Never attempt to disassemble your laptop on your own. It is not safe for you and there are many risks to the computer itself. If you come across overheating problems get them fixed immediately or a crash in imminent, so protect your data.
References
1. http://www.ehow.com/facts_7192296_laptop-overheating.html 2.associatedcontenhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/4392/laptop_overheating_some_useful_hints_pg2.htmlt.com 3. Laptop-overheating.com