My laptop runs very hot and eventually turns off or freezes – this is one of the most common complaints I have been receiving from my customer for many years. Why it’s happening? Is there an easy fix for that?
Most likely this problem is heat related. Take a look at the following picture.
Any laptop has a cooling module which consists of heatsink and cooling fan. When laptop is working, the processor (CPU) heats up and because of that the heatsink is getting hot too. At some temperature level, the fan kicks in and cools down the heatsink.
The problem starts when the laptop cooling module collects too much dust inside. Usually dust collects between the fan and heatsink. Dust clogs the heatsink and kills normal airflow inside the cooling module. Eventually, the processor gets very hot and the laptop turns off unexpectedly or freezes. This problem can be fixed by cleaning the laptop cooling module.
Cleaning laptop cooling module.
Some laptops give you an easy access to the heatsink and fan. In laptops like that you can access the cooling module through the bottom cover.
In my example I had to remove the cooling module. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to remove the fan and access the heatsink. In some laptops you can remove the fan without separating the heatsink from the CPU.
After I removed the fan, I found a thick layer of dust inside the heatsink. Cleaning the heatsink should fix any heat related problems.
Apply thermal paste on the processor.
If thermal paste on the processor dried out, you should replace it with fresh thermal paste.
Remove old thermal paste from the processor and heatsink using alcohol swab.
WARNING: In some laptops the heatsink also covers the graphics chip. The part of the heatsink which covers the graphics chip might have thermal pad on it instead of regular thermal paste. Do not replace thermal pad with thermal paste! Do not apply thermal paste on the thermal pad! Just leave thermal pad alone and apply thermal paste only on the processor.
I usually use Shin-Etsu thermal paste which is relatively cheap and performs well.
After applying new thermal paste, install the heatsink and fan back into the laptop. Do not forget to connect the fan cable to the motherboard!
What if cooling module cannot be accessed easily?
In some laptops the cooling module is buried deep inside the case and cannot be easily accessed and removed. In order to remove the cooling module it’s necessary to disassemble the whole laptop but it’s only for experienced users.
In laptops like that you can use the following technique:
Buy a can of computer compressed air.
1. Blow air into the fan grill on the bottom of the laptop.
2. Blow air into the grill on the side of the laptop.
Switch direction a few times until all dust is gone. Most likely this quick cleaning will fix your laptop overheating problem.
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February 10th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
@ mara oton,
Did you try another AC adapter? Maybe it’s failing and screwing the whole system.
February 6th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
hello…thank for the help. my laptop is now ok but the usb ports are still in trouble…my friend had also a problem. his laptop toshiba L300 won’t power on if the power cord is connected but the battery is charging. if the battery is remove, no power indication. if the battery is connected and the power cord is disconnected, it works as normal…pls help for the problem..
February 2nd, 2012 at 8:15 am
@ mara oton,
I don’t think this is driver related issue. If USB ports stopped working in Ubuntu and Windows, most likely there is a problem with the motherboard.
January 24th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Yes the fan is spinning and i applied grease. I tried to open again and it operates for almost 5 hours without dying. USB ports did not function even though i used ubuntu. In windows it displayed message “USB Device Not Recognized”. Is this a driver problem? The sound also stops. “No audio device or headphone” display. Thank you so much for the help in advance. It helps a lot.
January 24th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@ mara oton,
Did you apply fresh thermal grease on the CPU? Can you see the colling fan working? Does it spin at all?
I cannot tell if this is hardware related failure or there is a problem with Windows OS.
Here’s what you can try to test USB ports. Boot your laptop from a live Linux CD (you can use Ubuntu OS). Test USB ports in Ubuntu.
If you can get USB optical mouse working in Ubuntu but not Windows, this is Windows OS related problem.
If mouse doesn’t work in Ubuntu and Windows, most likely this is hardware related issue.
I don’t think you can fix it because USB ports soldered to the motherboard and USB controller also integrated into the motherboard.
As a last resort, you can use a USB PC card.
Take a look at the second image in this post: http://www.laptoprepair101.com.....rt-laptop/
January 24th, 2012 at 3:47 am
AC adapter is ok. I cleaned heat sink then it works for 2 hours and it again dies of its own. I tried to use cooling fan, but all USB port are not functioning. I test the port using USB mouse (optical mouse), the mouse lights only but the mouse pointer does not move. Are the USB ports damaged? It can be repair? I need your help pls. Thank a lot…
January 23rd, 2012 at 10:26 am
my laptop is siemens fujitsu/amilo pro/my basic problem is my browser freezing…and i have to turn it off..when i try to turn it on…the screen still black i must try and try to works…
January 21st, 2012 at 12:00 am
@ mare oton,
Can you test the AC adapter with a voltmeter? It’s possible the AC adapter is dead and the battery doesn’t have enough charge to start the laptop.
January 20th, 2012 at 12:14 am
I have a laptop toshiba L500-1UU. When i turn on, power lights on then after few seconds it dies. I had tried removing battery then connecting using power cord, nothing happens. Please help me!!!!! Thanks
January 17th, 2012 at 6:09 am
I think the worst laptops are Toshiba for collecting the dust and burning up. Soon as it starts to feel hot and starts going weird do something about it dont wait till you melt the mother board and its to late.