Lappy runing really warm, fan on alot....

[tvradict]

I've had my HP (cough Compaq) laptop for just over a year and I've noticed recently that its starting to get really hot and the fan is coming on alot more and running for longer. I'm guessing its overheating but what is the solution?

Never had a laptop before, whenever one of my desktops started doing this i would whip the side casing of and use the hoover to give it a good clean out, but the laptop is too narrow to get the hoover into

Its got to the point that sitting the laptop on my lap for any more than about 5 minutes is very uncomfortable.

Suggestions?

TIA
Stuart.

[Puggit]

Assuming it's Windows - hit Alt/Ctl>Del and choose Task Manager. Go to the processes tab, then sort by CPU (hit the bit that says CPU above the numbers). Look for the process that is using up lots of resources, and google it or let us know what it is

BTW - it's most probably a result of you looking at that dodgy milf p0rn site...

[headcase]

Heatsink full of fluff? Turn off lappy and proceed to blow through the fan exhaust.

[TonyRPH]

I've had similar issues with the laptops I manage at work, and this was caused by a the anti virus software, in this case Symantec.

It was resolved by updating the software (again).

Do you have anything in 'task manager' using a lot of CPU?

[tvradict]

I thought it may have been something using lots of CPU time, so I opened the CPU/RAM monitor in the sidebar, i would say the cpu spends most of its time at idle, 3-5%, unless i'm using photoshop or similar and the cpu takes a beating.

At the moment, AVG is updating, Zonealarm is running in the taskbar, I've got 1 IE window open with 6 tabs. CPU is at 20%. And yet the fan is keeps speeding up every 5 minutes or so, runs for a bit then goes back to normal.

I'm thinking fluff in the heatsink could be an idea.

at a guess dropping the bottom of the laptop will expose the vital organs?

[TonyRPH]

tvradict said:

I thought it may have been something using lots of CPU time, so I opened the CPU/RAM monitor in the sidebar, i would say the cpu spends most of its time at idle, 3-5%, unless i'm using photoshop or similar and the cpu takes a beating.

At the moment, AVG is updating, Zonealarm is running in the taskbar, I've got 1 IE window open with 6 tabs. CPU is at 20%. And yet the fan is keeps speeding up every 5 minutes or so, runs for a bit then goes back to normal.

I'm thinking fluff in the heatsink could be an idea.

at a guess dropping the bottom of the laptop will expose the vital organs?

Removing the bottom will (in most cases) expose the fan / heatsink assembly.

As a matter of interest - is that a single process using 20% CPU of several?

As I'm sat here typing this on my laptop, I have 2 copies of Opera open (one with 16 tabs - one with 4 tabs) and IE with 2 tabs and my CPU is pretty much idle.

[tvradict]

No, thats overall.

None of my processes were using more than 10, and that was IE.

I'll pop the bottom off the lappy later and get the hoover into it, see if that makes a difference.

Cheers.