Laptop Crashing

[Godspeed]

Hey all,
Got a bit of a laptop problem for you to mull over. It seems that my laptop, an Advent 7026 from PC World (here in the UK), is overheating and the Pentium 4 2.66Ghz processor is shutting down the computer with no warning. The underneath of the laptop after it shuts down feels like a sauna, and the power pack that feeds into the battery is extremely hot too. I can usually browse the internet, play music or the like without it shutting down, however watching films or playing games is a big no-no. If I leave the laptop for 20mins to cool down, it will start up again without shutting down mid-boot sequence. I've tried cleaning the fans underneath, but this gave little improvement. I expect it's the reason I stated above, but before I do anything I wanted to be sure. A friend of mine actually said it was a software problem, but I doubt this is it. Can anyone confirm my suspicions or offer some alternative reason and possible solution? If it is the overheating problem, would buying a laptop cooler make much difference? Also, does anyone know of any good manufacturers of laptop coolers?

Thanks all,

Godspeed

 

[alecjahn]

Well, assuming they slapped a desktop processor in that, I can see why it would get hot... but hopefully they wounldn't design a product that is unstable.

You're not, by any chance, lying it on the carpet or your couch when you use it, are you? If so, that could be your problem, as thick fabrics insulate and your laptop will heat up like crazy. Also, if this is the culprit, try running it on a flat surface or raised up by the edges with books or such, to allow air to circulate underneath and see if it gets any better.

Another thing, is laptops just get hot. It just happens. This may lead to the second theorey, that it could be a software, or even hardware problem. I would update windows, (if it will stay on long enough) and whatever else you can (especially device drivers).

 

[Trotter]

Try something like these:
http://www.frozencpu.com/scan/se=System Cooling/se=Laptop Coolers/mp=menu_search.html

 

[alecjahn]

That is assuming heat is the definite problem.

 

[tariqadkhan]

did you oc ur processor? oc'ing would definetly increase the heat in the laptop and would cause it to become somewhat unstable, if u over did ur oc. but it can be a software problem because it does shut down while being online, check for errors on the disk, and any viruses, spyware and adware defrag. and also do some updates, and see what heppens after.