Laptop Overheating Causes Shut Down

Note that these steps correspond with decision points on the flowchart and are reached through the interactive diamond symbols. The text below cannot be read sequentially.

Can you see smoke or smell a burning odor? Never play with fire. If you see smoke or smell a burning odor, its not something you can afford to ignore. In some instances, brand new laptops will give off a bit of odor when they are first powered on that smells a little like hot plastic and a little like the ocean. In any other situation, smoke or smells coming from your laptop are not normal. If you recently spilled something on the laptop (shut down immediately) and have already dried it out and cleaned it to the best of your ability (or your repair persons ability), there may be a little residual burning off the first time you run the laptop and get it up to operating temperature.

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Is the air temperature high or is the laptop in direct sunlight? All laptops will overheat if you use them in a cruel enough environment. Obvious examples are stifling hot attics, vehicles without air conditioning in the summer and placed on hot surfaces. Hot surfaces arent limited to radiators or desks touching steam pipes, they also include dark surfaces the get a lot of direct sunlight, even if they are located indoors. Using a laptop outside in direct sunlight in the summer is more than a problem for your eyes, its also likely to lead to overheating. Notebook computers are entirely reliant on air flow for cooling, and the higher the ambient air temperature, the less the laptop will be able to cool itself.

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Is the battery too hot? Some people are more sensitive to temperature than others, so using "too hot to touch" isnt a great troubleshooting technique. Unfortunately, very few people have a thermometer around capable of measuring temperatures through the normal operation range of a battery, including most computer technicians, so touch is all most people will have to go on. If the battery seems excessively hot, first shut down, check the web to see if its been included in a recall or if a hot battery is typical of the the particular laptop model. Then proceed to the battery troubleshooting flowchart.

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Have you noted that the fan never runs? Most laptop users are accustomed to hearing the cooling fan(s) straining away during certain intensive computing operations, and even the quietest, best behaved notebooks normally run the fan at low RPMs during normal operation. If the fan never runs, it doesnt mean your laptop is overheating, but it does mean that something may be wrong with the fan or the settings. If something is wrong with the fan or the temperature controller, eventually the laptop will overheat, unless you do all of your work in a walk in freezer.

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Did you recently upgrade the BIOS? Anecdotally speaking, it seems that "my fan never comes on anymore" problems often occur after a BIOS upgrade. Manufacturers generally encourage users to install the latest BIOS version available for the model on the manufacturers website, and if you call tech support with an in-warranty fan or overheating problem, the first thing they are likely to do is tell you to upgrade to the latest BIOS. The problem is, the notebook really should operate normally with the BIOS version you purchased it with, or they shouldnt have sold it to you. If you want to add new peripherals or upgrade an internal component and its not supported unless you upgrade the BIOS, you dont have much choice. Outside of that, I avoid BIOS upgrades like the plague, keeping in mind that a failed upgrade can leave you with a paperweight that can only be repaired by sending it out. If the fan problem appeared after you upgraded the BIOS and the laptop which was operating fine originally is now overheating, Id try reinstalling the original BIOS if available.
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