Laptop Overheating

Dragon said:
Recently, I've been having an issue with my laptop overheating and shutting off whenever I run any intensive process. It doesn't take long- 20 minutes to an hour usually.

I ran Prime 95 and it overheated and shut off after like 10 minutes. I have downloaded the latest versions of Direct X and my video-card driver.

The model is a HP Pavilion dv 6700
Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit
2 Gigs RAM

The machine is two years old, so it is not covered by warranty. It is placed on a flat surface to allow for airflow, and I've done what I could to get rid of dust that may be clogging it (though I don't have any canned air or access to canned air).

First question: Do you know of any software that I could use to determine if there has been any damage done to the video card, CPU, or (heaven-forbid) the motherboard?

Second question: What can I do to prevent overheating?

(side note: I'm sure that it is not an issue with the battery.)
Click to expand...


I highly suggest getting canned air if possible, even though you said you don't have access.

Also, look into undervolting the video chipset on that laptop, if it has Nvidia I am pretty sure those are notorious for overheating. If you drop the volts it won't get so hot. There is a belkin cooling pad for underneath the laptop that might help too.
 
The canned air didn't help, but the vacuum seems to have solved the problem.
 
NeverAmI said:
I highly suggest getting canned air if possible, even though you said you don't have access.

Also, look into undervolting the video chipset on that laptop, if it has Nvidia I am pretty sure those are notorious for overheating. If you drop the volts it won't get so hot. There is a belkin cooling pad for underneath the laptop that might help too.
Click to expand...

How do I undervolt the chipset? Yes, it is Nvidia.
 
Dragon said:
Recently, I've been having an issue with my laptop overheating and shutting off whenever I run any intensive process. It doesn't take long- 20 minutes to an hour usually.

I ran Prime 95 and it overheated and shut off after like 10 minutes. I have downloaded the latest versions of Direct X and my video-card driver.

The model is a HP Pavilion dv 6700
Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit
2 Gigs RAM

The machine is two years old, so it is not covered by warranty. It is placed on a flat surface to allow for airflow, and I've done what I could to get rid of dust that may be clogging it (though I don't have any canned air or access to canned air).

First question: Do you know of any software that I could use to determine if there has been any damage done to the video card, CPU, or (heaven-forbid) the motherboard?

Second question: What can I do to prevent overheating?

(side note: I'm sure that it is not an issue with the battery.)
Click to expand...

Either install AC in your room or keep cooling fan under your laptop.

I faced this problem three months ago and i had to replace batteries. Don't keep it open for long and also give your laptop some rest. :)
 
HP is recalling a faulty battery pack for you model of Pavilion: for more details google your model number with "recall" keywords.

There are details of the battery models being recalled (and replaced) here:
http://bpr.hpordercenter.com/hbpr/
 
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HP has had so many issues lately with our business line laptops too.

@Dragon:

Typically the process is similar to overclocking, although I haven't looked to see what options are available in voltage control. RivaTuner is what I used to use for overclocking.

The voltage options depend on what chipset you have, although I wouldn't mess with it if the cleaning solved your problem.

The two Nivida adapters I saw for your model are NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7150M (UMA)
 
Roger said:
Either install AC in your room or keep cooling fan under your laptop.

I faced this problem three months ago and i had to replace batteries. Don't keep it open for long and also give your laptop some rest. :)
Click to expand...

Roger, what do you mean by 'it'? What am I not supposed to keep open?

Flavus Aquila said:
HP is recalling a faulty battery pack for you model of Pavilion: for more details google your model number with "recall" keywords.

There are details of the battery models being recalled (and replaced) here:
http://bpr.hpordercenter.com/hbpr/
Click to expand...

I received an email from them and checked, and while they are recalling batteries for my model laptop, my specific battery is not among those being recalled. I had to check the barcode number on it.

NeverAmI said:
HP has had so many issues lately with our business line laptops too.

@Dragon:

Typically the process is similar to overclocking, although I haven't looked to see what options are available in voltage control. RivaTuner is what I used to use for overclocking.

The voltage options depend on what chipset you have, although I wouldn't mess with it if the cleaning solved your problem.

The two Nivida adapters I saw for your model are NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7150M (UMA)
Click to expand...

I have the 8400M GS.
 
I have this problem with my laptop all the time. Every six months I have to completely take it apart (not recommended if you don't have a clue what you're doing) and get inside where the fan is. The first time I did this, I found a chunk of lint the size of a golf ball.

If you know anyone who's good with computers, I'd have them help you clean it out.
 
LadyBlahBlah said:
I have this problem with my laptop all the time. Every six months I have to completely take it apart (not recommended if you don't have a clue what you're doing) and get inside where the fan is. The first time I did this, I found a chunk of lint the size of a golf ball.

If you know anyone who's good with computers, I'd have them help you clean it out.
Click to expand...

I know there is still some lint in there, but I think the vacuum got most of it. I hope so anyway.

I tried to take my computer apart and realized that I was going to break it if I continued, so I stopped. I definitely would need help taking this thing apart.
 
Hey, I'm new to the forum, but my sister (an INFJ, coincidentally) faced this problem with her Toshiba Satellite a few months ago.
It sounds like you got some lint out of the system, which is great. If it is still having problems, I'd recommend making two stacks of books of equal height about 18 inches apart. Set the laptop on top of them (so the main part of the laptop is suspended in the air, allowing a greater airflow) and try using it.
If it's still not working, you can order thermal gel off pretty much any decent computer site (they even sell it at Amazon) and it's... err... I was going to say it's easy to put on, but if you had trouble taking the laptop apart, I'd recommend having a computer person put it on for you. If you can't find anyone, http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/274 is a great tutorial for self-application.
 
I do have a cheap fan cooling unit now under my laptop. Since I bought it and cleaned my laptop with a vacuum, I haven't had any problem.s
 
You're the third person I've heard with problems with HP laptops overheating. My sister's HP eventually fried itself, and even before then the fan noise worried me. It seems like different brands have different quirks - I've noticed that two of my Dells will sometimes freeze when accessing tiny files on the hard drive under certain conditions. Everywhere else, they work perfectly. /shrug
 
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