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Computer Freezing Overheating Laptops are a Serious Issue

Heat is an enemy of all hardware. Desktop computers benefit from lots of open space for several fans. This makes the dissipation of heat much easier. Unfortunately, it is a great deal more difficult when you are dealing with a laptop. There are only a few ways to control the operating temperature of your laptop.

Laptops are typically designed with ventilation on the bottom. Should these vents become covered up with pillows, cushions or even your legs, they won't be able to pull heat away from the hardware and the laptop will begin to overheat. Effectively, this means laptop fans will not work when resting in your lap. While a little heat every once in a while won't instantly break your computer, it will wreck the components eventually.

Some laptop cooling problems are not caused by obstructed vents, although it's an extremely common cause. Running your laptop in a very hot environment can cause internal heating problems as well. It's better not to operate your laptop on a hot surface such as a metal table out in the sun or near a hot stove. Keeping laptops off hot surfaces and away from sources of heat are two simple ways to reduce overheating problems caused by environmental issues.

Some companies make stands and cooling pads for your laptop. As long as the fans are correctly positioned on this device, you could easily sit your laptop in your lap with a cooling pad. A notebook stand holds up your notebook to allow for better air circulation. A cooling pad is a powered device that actively cools your notebook. A cooling pad will usually connect to your laptop for power. They can also have their own power adapters that plug into a typical wall socket. These pads contain fans that will help cool the computer. The fans will either draw air to or from the laptop. You will want to choose a fan configuration that cooperates with the built-in fans on your machine. These notebook coolers are made with either plastic or aluminum. Since it draws heat away from your laptop, aluminum is the preferred material.

If you are dealing with a recurring overheating issue, you will probably need a more advanced solution. Like any part of your laptop, the internal fans can fail. If your laptop suddenly develops a heating problem that it didn't in the past, a broken fan could be the cause. Don't attempt to fix this yourself: opening up your laptop can void the warranty and you could damage the very delicate hardware. Another complex issue that can arise is that Sometimes the thermal paste on the inside the laptop will stop functioning correctly. In this case, new thermal paste should be applied. Again, this is not something that a novice user should attempt. This requires taking the laptop apart for serious work.

Heat is terribly dangerous for a laptop. Because of their compact design, it is challenging to achieve good airflow in these mini computers. This means that a laptop's operating temperatures should be checked on occasion. This will let you know if any temperature problems are developing. If you see high temperatures, you should have it checked out as soon as possible. This should massively extend the lifespan of your hardware. You can look up the ideal operating temperature of your laptop on the internet. Use a sensor monitoring program to check that your components are operating at a safe level.

If you are worried that your laptop is overheating, you can always contact the techs at Geek Choice. Geek Choice is a nationwide computer repair company offering on-site assistance for any problem. An overheating laptop that doesn't improve with simple fixes (like keeping it off of soft or hot surfaces) needs immediate attention before any damage is done to the hardware.
About the Author

Gregg Housh works at a nationwide Computer Repair company. At Geek Choice we solve computer problems such as: Slow computer, Virus Removal, Spyware Removal, Computer Freezing, and much more.

Does a device exist that allows a battery-powered device to be powered via wall socket? How could it be made?

For example, a tv remote control that runs on 2 1.5V AA batteries could be powered by plugging it into a wall socket. It seems that there should be a way to use an AC/DC converter and a voltage divider if needed to bring the voltage down to 3V. This could connect to the battery holders (not sure what they're called...the metal that the battery touches) to power the device. This would be nice for battery powered things that stay in one place, so that I wouldn't have to constantly replace batteries.

Outside of the fact that you used a horrible example, you could always use an AC to DC converter to replace AA batteries. A search of AC TO DC ADAPTERS will give you something like http://www.oselectronics.com/ose_p17.htm

Rechargeable batteries are also an option, but in your bad example, you would be better off going to the dollar store and buying 2 AA batteries for a buck than hardwiring your remote control to an adapter or spending $10 for rechargeables.

Carl