Laptop overheating?

[Kilo]

My laptop has been randomly shutting itself off when I'm on. I just bought a new keyboard for it, because the laptop keyboard annoys me . Anyway it never shut itself off before. My friend said that used to happen to their computer and when they checked for updates and installed them it stopped. My computer is a Windows Xp 2004 if that helps any..

 

 

 

So last night I installed some updates and it didn't shut off randomly the rest of the night, and now just a few minutes ago it shut itself off again. :XD: I scanned virus and spyware scanned my computer last night, and nothing turned up. So I'm wondering if its the keyboard or something else that might be wrong.

 

 

 

Thanks beforehand.

[r2d2]

run a hijackthis log and post the results.

[Kilo]

Where would I get that?

[r2d2]

http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/threat_analytics/hijackthis.php?page=download

[Kilo]

It mentions 3 different download options

 

 

 

Installer

 

 

 

Zip

 

 

 

Executable.

 

 

 

Do I download them all or a specific one?

 

 

 

Also, is this free?

[r2d2]

I would recommend the executable.

[r2d2]

I would recommend the executable.

 

 

 

oops double post, evil submit button :evil:

[Kilo]

Thanks, finally figured out your avatar was a bird! :o I thought it was a plant or something... :P

[blade995]

I would recommend the installer. With this is will create it's own folder which will keep your backups instead of people running the executable and seeing a folder called backup and just delete it. Then if you ever need to revert anything back, your ****ed.

[r2d2]

Thanks, finally figured out your avatar was a bird! :o I thought it was a plant or something... :P

 

and another guy thought it was yoda...

 

weird.

 

 

 

run the hijackthis log, post it here tomorrow, or after your comp shuts down again.

 

 

 

it may be that you are overheating, install pc wizard, go to the cpu icon and check the temp, keep checking, if you see a [bleep]e when your comp shuts off, you'll know why.

 

 

 

that is here: http://www.cpuid.org/download/pcw2007_v173[Caution: Executable File]

[Kilo]

 

Now this has come up.

 

 

 

Also it said something about it was downloaded to a temporary file and it would be better to move it, how would I do that?

[r2d2]

oy vey. either find the files or un and reinstall this, but when you see the thing that asks where to save to, make sure it isn't the temp folder, you might be better off with either c:/hijackthis or c:/program files/hijackthis

 

it probably will work fine anyway, no need to bother unless it stops working.

 

system scan and save logfile, copy and paste the logfile's contents to here and I'll try to find anything that shouldn't be there.

[Kilo]

I think its done. :shock:

 

 

 

[hide=lots of code][/hide]

[r2d2]

you have way too many things running. did you find out your cpu temp?

 

go to start>control panel>add or remove programs, and look at the list. if there are a lot of things you haven't used in a while or don't recognize, you might want to delete them.

 

be careful not to delete any system things or runtime environments, the system things have the picture of an old monitor, a cd and an old cpu, it's grey and bluish. if you have doubts as to whether or not something is important, post the name here.

 

this should help clear the log and remove some of the cpu congestion, check the cpu usage and make sure it isn't always a high number. if it is your cpu might be working too hard and not keeping up.

[Kilo]

Aol, you've got pictures screensavers

 

 

 

Pure networks port magic :-s

 

 

 

Those are two things I have no idea what they are. Should I remove them?

 

 

 

Your link to a cdu temp, doesn't work. says [Caution]

[blade995]

you have way too many things running. did you find out your cpu temp?

 

go to start>control panel>add or remove programs, and look at the list. if there are a lot of things you haven't used in a while or don't recognize, you might want to delete them.

 

be careful not to delete any system things or runtime environments, the system things have the picture of an old monitor, a cd and an old cpu, it's grey and bluish. if you have doubts as to whether or not something is important, post the name here.

 

this should help clear the log and remove some of the cpu congestion, check the cpu usage and make sure it isn't always a high number. if it is your cpu might be working too hard and not keeping up.

 

 

 

He wont need to un-install them to keep them from starting up at startup. All he has to do is go to start > run > type in "msconfig" > click the start up tab. Uncheck unnecessary programs like quicktime, messenger, power dvd, abode reader, and aim. They all can be started again when you need to use them. The only program which is a resource hog is Bigfix which I recommend uninstalling if you have automatic updates turned on.

 

 

 

Looking at the log quickly I don't see anything nasty. What programs did you use to scan for spyware? Use Ad-aware, spybot, and avg if you don't have a virus scanner. Update the definitions before scanning. All the programs are free.

 

 

 

To see if it's overheating download the program Speedfan and write down your temps when you have not been doing anything on the laptop (idle). Then during a heaving program making the computer under load write down the temps then. A graphics intense game would get the most load and heat.

[r2d2]

uninstall hijackthis, it is blocking the program. I wouldn't delete the second thing, but aol isn't necessary.

[Kilo]

Ok, I'm not very good with computer at all... So anyway theres no icon for Hijackthis, how do I uninstall it? :oops:

 

 

 

you have way too many things running. did you find out your cpu temp?

 

go to start>control panel>add or remove programs, and look at the list. if there are a lot of things you haven't used in a while or don't recognize, you might want to delete them.

 

be careful not to delete any system things or runtime environments, the system things have the picture of an old monitor, a cd and an old cpu, it's grey and bluish. if you have doubts as to whether or not something is important, post the name here.

 

this should help clear the log and remove some of the cpu congestion, check the cpu usage and make sure it isn't always a high number. if it is your cpu might be working too hard and not keeping up.

 

 

 

He wont need to un-install them to keep them from starting up at startup. All he has to do is go to start > run > type in "msconfig" > click the start up tab. Uncheck unnecessary programs like quicktime, messenger, power dvd, abode reader, and aim. They all can be started again when you need to use them. The only program which is a resource hog is Bigfix which I recommend uninstalling if you have automatic updates turned on.

 

 

 

Looking at the log quickly I don't see anything nasty. What programs did you use to scan for spyware? Use Ad-aware, spybot, and avg if you don't have a virus scanner. Update the definitions before scanning. All the programs are free.

 

 

 

To see if it's overheating download the program Speedfan and write down your temps when you have not been doing anything on the laptop (idle). Then during a heaving program making the computer under load write down the temps then. A graphics intense game would get the most load and heat.

 

 

 

That's a relief : How do I combat overheating?

[r2d2]

if it gets to over 45-50 degrees Celsius (115-120 f) and stays there, you need to consider a new cooler for your cpu, ie fans. if the room is very warm it doesn't help, you may need to open the case and put a fan to it... if it is at those temps it may have already caused damage...

[Randox]

The simplest way to combat overheating is to install a bigger fan. Of course this is assuming that your current fan at 100% is inadaqute under high load. Giving the computer space, not running it in overly hot rooms. Make sure none of the air vents are blocked.

 

 

 

Seeing as it is a laptop, make sure it is ALWAYS on a hard surface, never run it on something soft as the computer sinks into the surface thus blocking air vents.

 

 

 

1 other thing, check the bottom of the laptop. Make sure non of the panels are lose. Even one pannel with a gap can seriously impare the ability of the laptop fan to circulate air. Of course if you recognise an overheating coming, you can shut down, flip the laptop upside down and remove any bottom panells. This will decrese cooling time dramaticly, but only if the computer is off.

[Kilo]

Wow :shock: that's all it was. And after all that ^^.

 

 

 

It was on a soft surface, thanks man. =P~

 

 

 

Good to know it wasn't a virus or anything. :P

[blade995]

if it gets to over 45-50 degrees Celsius (115-120 f) and stays there, you need to consider a new cooler for your cpu, ie fans. if the room is very warm it doesn't help, you may need to open the case and put a fan to it... if it is at those temps it may have already caused damage...

 

 

 

Please stop giving inaccurate information. I know he fixed the problem but a computer running at 50c under load is not hot, even for a desktop. Laptops can run up to 80c under normal operation since the processors are built to stand more heat.

[r2d2]

it is possible that your computer may not break or fail at 50 degrees, but it is abnormally hot, and some computers aren't able to withstand such temperatures. Modern computers may be stronger, of this I do not know for certain.

 

I was going on what happened to my old comp many years ago... it failed at ~45 degrees... but it was very old...

[Randox]

if it gets to over 45-50 degrees Celsius (115-120 f) and stays there, you need to consider a new cooler for your cpu, ie fans. if the room is very warm it doesn't help, you may need to open the case and put a fan to it... if it is at those temps it may have already caused damage...

 

 

 

Please stop giving inaccurate information. I know he fixed the problem but a computer running at 50c under load is not hot, even for a desktop. Laptops can run up to 80c under normal operation since the processors are built to stand more heat.

 

 

 

Just for the record, my slightly older laptops cpu started failing before it hit 50 C. I would know it was about to go real bad because the entire proccesor basicly stoped working. Some of the times I had to shut it down it may have had a functional speed of 80-100MHz.

 

Also, while a proccesor or RAM chip might withstand 80C for a short period of time, theres no garentee the rest of your mother board will be accomodating. Just rember, a computer at 50C is never going to run as fast as that same computer will at 45-50.

[blade995]

it is possible that your computer may not break or fail at 50 degrees, but it is abnormally hot, and some computers aren't able to withstand such temperatures. Modern computers may be stronger, of this I do not know for certain.

 

I was going on what happened to my old comp many years ago... it failed at ~45 degrees... but it was very old...

 

 

 

If something failed at 45c then it wasn't from heat. It was probably something else.

 

 

 

When I say their not hot I mean the processors can function and work just as fast working at that temperature, with nothing to worry about. I don't know how old of a computer you are talking about but cpus I have used all have a lot higher thresholds. I talking about Pentium 3s and newer.

 

 

 

Processors can run just as fast at 50C than they can at 30C. When they get up higher (desktop pcs) like into the 80s then they start to underclock themselves to stop anymore heat. They will still not be damaged.

 

 

 

For a laptop since they can't be built for the best airflow the mobile processors are built to withstand and operate at higher heat. For example a Core2 duo desktop could idle at 35C while a laptop could idle at 50C which are both normal. You can never compare heat of a desktop to a laptop, it's different hardware.