Laptop keeps shutting down due to heat

[J35u5_M4]

Title pretty much says it all, well this laptop is a Toshiba Satellite A65-S1068. The battery lasts about 2 minutes without the charger, I know, I'm gonna buy a new battery soon.

 

 

 

The graphic card (ATI Mobility Radeon 7000 IGP) It has its driver installed, but seems like there was a problem on the installation, because sometimes when I turn on the computer it detects an error on the driver and tells to restart.

 

 

 

And back to the heat problem, Thinking on buying a laptop cooling pad

 

 

 

Questions:

 

1- Should I reinstall windows? I have no problem with this, I just want to know if it is the wiser thing to do

 

2- Should I buy a new battery and use it without charger, only charge when it needs to? Well, I have always used a charger with this laptop. Maybe that damaged the battery, since it was always charging, even if it didn't need to. What to do here?

 

3- In case I do reinstall windows, where can I get the freaking driver for the card? Do NOT say ATI's page because they removed the driver due to oldness. I managed to find it in a page of Toshiba, but I forgot it, help?

 

 

 

Extra Info:

 

The laptop already had its driver but I didn't know, I installed new one, was a mess, then I found a guide on how to removed ATI drivers, it said remove 3 folders, but there were 4 in here, maybe its because its a laptop, anyways, if I reinstall windows, and find the driver, there will be NO TRACE of the old one, so it shouldn't cause problem this time, right?

 

 

 

Thanks a lot!

 

 

 

EDIT: I've heard of people reinstalling OS in laptops but these shut down after every 3 minutes, so the laptop becomes useless. It won't happen to this one will it? I think that 3 minute problem was Hard Drive related

[sloter]

Doesn't hurt to reinstall the OS at all. In fact it will only help in most cases. On the cooling pad. I have one that runs off USB that keeps it roughly 10 degrees cooler.

[J35u5_M4]

Doesn't hurt to reinstall the OS at all. In fact it will only help in most cases. On the cooling pad. I have one that runs off USB that keeps it roughly 10 degrees cooler.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm planning to buy a cooling pad with fans on it, a 3fan one to be exact. I think that will help a lot :/ (When it turns off the thing is so hot my hand turns red if I put it on the base)

[Joeyexa]

try using a compressed air duster on your cooling fan.. hair (from animals etc) and dust tends to get wrapped around the motor

[sloter]

Doesn't hurt to reinstall the OS at all. In fact it will only help in most cases. On the cooling pad. I have one that runs off USB that keeps it roughly 10 degrees cooler.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm planning to buy a cooling pad with fans on it, a 3fan one to be exact. I think that will help a lot :/ (When it turns off the thing is so hot my hand turns red if I put it on the base)

 

i would get one that runs off USB not one that plugs into the wall. So i would just check to see what the one your looking at runs off.

[urbestfreind]

I got my cooling pad awhile ago, and the only thing I regret is that it was bought at Staples (not because it's bad, but because Staples overprices their stuff). It keeps my laptop a lot cooler than without the fan...I can tell when I forget to plug it in because my fan starts to rev up, even when I'm not doing something CPU-intensive. My laptop stays around 35C with it, and when I put the laptop under a decent load (Frets on Fire or WoW, etc) it stays cool longer than if I don't use the pad.

 

 

 

I don't know about getting a USB powered fan if you aren't going to keep the laptop plugged in. I know my fan only works if the laptop is plugged in to the outlet. I guess it's to conserve battery life, because if I unplug my laptop, the fan shuts off immediately after...If I hibernate my computer, I have to unplug the fan or it will run all night..It's annoying, but worth it.

 

 

 

Try to get one that plugs into a port, keeps the port open (usb male on the front, female on the back, so it's like your port is just extended from the laptop), has at least 2 fans, and matches the size of your laptop. My laptop is 17", but the fan was only made for 15" (or whatever it is, something like 15.6") laptops. Also, variable speed is a nice feature. Keep it on low speed when you're doing something small, like writing an essay or something like that, and put it on high speed when you do something cpu-intensive, like playing RuneScape.

 

 

 

I would say go ahead and re-install the OS. It may help with your Driver issue as well as clearing up any junk that's built up on your computer (mostly in the Registry).

[J35u5_M4]

Doesn't hurt to reinstall the OS at all. In fact it will only help in most cases. On the cooling pad. I have one that runs off USB that keeps it roughly 10 degrees cooler.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm planning to buy a cooling pad with fans on it, a 3fan one to be exact. I think that will help a lot :/ (When it turns off the thing is so hot my hand turns red if I put it on the base)

 

i would get one that runs off USB not one that plugs into the wall. So i would just check to see what the one your looking at runs off.

 

 

 

When I said turn off, I meant the laptop not the cooling pad, I don't have any, they don't sell in Venezuela, gonna buy one when I go to USA.

 

 

 

And to urbestfriend:

 

 

 

I was thinking on reinstalling OS, not for the lag, but for the Registry, when I looked up guide on how to remove ATI Drivers, I found out I had to delete 3 folders, there were 6 in there. The other 3 weren't mentioned, so I didn't delete, maybe that's why the driver is so effed up. Anyways, I've heard some cases about people reinstalling OS but the laptop shuts down after 3 minutes or something, but there was a hard drive issue involved, it won't happen to this one, will it? Because It'd suck if I removed OS, then when trying to install, it shuts down :x

[J35u5_M4]

bump

[ClareJonsson]

Okay, your laptop is more likely to be overheating due to dust build up blocking the vents. This is a very common thing you need to open it up and check the heat sink and the air path the fans blow the air through.

 

 

 

I have lost count the amount of laptops I have had to do this. Solve the real problem! Software and external solutions will not solve the problem, it's only going to get worse.

 

 

 

Blowing compressed air through the vents will not cure this problem, it's quite often a carpet of dust is coating the inside of the fins the heat sink blows through, and this cannot be seen or cured from the outside.

 

 

 

Also reseating the heat sink and using fresh thermal heat compound would be a good idea too!

[J35u5_M4]

I have never opened a laptop, and its my dads...so...I think I'll go for the cooling pad lol

[ClareJonsson]

I have never opened a laptop, and its my dads...so...I think I'll go for the cooling pad lol

 

Sorry no you shouldn't go for a cooling pad. There's a problem with the laptop that you're not going to cure, and it's only going to get worse, possibly even leading to damage. I repair laptops for a living, what you're doing is like using a sticky plaster to mend a broken leg.

 

 

 

Answer me a question: Wouldn't it be better to get it sorted out now which will not cost you much, or to let it get worse and have to replace damaged components which will probably cost an arm and a leg?

 

 

 

Go for your solution if you like, but please take advice from a professional and get it repaired.

[OldJoe]

I have never opened a laptop, and its my dads...so...I think I'll go for the cooling pad lol

 

Sorry no you shouldn't go for a cooling pad. There's a problem with the laptop that you're not going to cure, and it's only going to get worse, possibly even leading to damage. I repair laptops for a living, what you're doing is like using a sticky plaster to mend a broken leg.

 

 

 

Answer me a question: Wouldn't it be better to get it sorted out now which will not cost you much, or to let it get worse and have to replace damaged components which will probably cost an arm and a leg?

 

 

 

Go for your solution if you like, but please take advice from a professional and get it repaired.

 

 

 

Lol yep, laptops are hell. (partly because i hate them and you can't write on them) They are a hell to repair, it costed 150 f'ing euros to repair a laptop that i spilled some beer over.

[J35u5_M4]

I have never opened a laptop, and its my dads...so...I think I'll go for the cooling pad lol

 

Sorry no you shouldn't go for a cooling pad. There's a problem with the laptop that you're not going to cure, and it's only going to get worse, possibly even leading to damage. I repair laptops for a living, what you're doing is like using a sticky plaster to mend a broken leg.

 

 

 

Answer me a question: Wouldn't it be better to get it sorted out now which will not cost you much, or to let it get worse and have to replace damaged components which will probably cost an arm and a leg?

 

 

 

Go for your solution if you like, but please take advice from a professional and get it repaired.

 

 

 

I went for it, opened the laptop, cleaned the fans and the heatsink, its all good now, thanks :D

[ClareJonsson]

 

I went for it, opened the laptop, cleaned the fans and the heatsink, its all good now, thanks :D

 

Excellent! You just took your first step to becoming a computer technician :)

 

 

 

If there's anything else we can help you with, you know where to come!