Are You Slowly Killing Your Laptop? Read This Before You Do!

I got such a response from the article about the Dirty Dell Computer that I had to add one more thing about the heat issue. My last article had to do with “neglect”, but now I have to be blunt and tell you about another heat issue that has to do with “ignorance”. If this is you, please don’t take it personal that I may try and shame you into taking better care of your computer. Most people ask for advice about how to prevent viruses, which can be an ongoing semester worth of knowledge that can’t be crammed into a 5 minute lecture. But what I am about to tell you is very easy to do once you understand the problem.

Another Laptop That Won’t Turn On

Just today I had another customer bring in a laptop that would not power-on. Now when I get a laptop that won’t power-on with the AC Adapter plugged-in or on Battery only, and the output voltage of the AC Adapter checks OK, I strongly suspect a bad motherboard. Of course I’ll reseat the battery and check the power button, among a few other things, but I would bet that the motherboard is bad and I’ll tell you that for free. Some customers go into denial at this point since it just worked the day before and they have barely owned it over a year. Others will want to pay for a more in-depth diagnostic in the hope that it can be resurrected for less than a new laptop. Anyway, my first impression is usually right … the motherboard is bad.

Computer Medical History

Next, I’ll ask how did it work before it failed? Have you had it repaired before, or are you aware of any recent problems? They usually respond that it worked fine, as if they were afraid that it would cost more if they volunteered any info. But to be blunt again, either the customer is withholding information, or they were ignorant to the symptoms leading up to the final failure. Some customers just run their computer into the ground and just accept a gradual decrease in performance as normal. They get used to it freezing now and then and perform hard shutdowns. They just don’t realize that powering-off a computer abruptly by holding in the power button or pulling the battery is bad for your hard drive, and your data.

My Laptop is Getting Hot

Many people use their laptop on their lap or a bed. I’ve even heard some say that it was getting so hot on their lap that they put it on a pillow resting on their lap. Now they can surf the internet in comfort … until?  The fact is, that the heat building up inside your laptop needs to escape. If you directly touched a CPU without proper cooling, it could melt your fingerprints!

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If you place your laptop on anything other than a hard, flat surface, you will probably be blocking the exhaust vents. Just imagine your laptop sinking into a plush pillow as it slowly forms itself around the edges of the laptop until it gets smothered to death. Take a look at your laptop to see where your vents are (the bottom and sides). Your first symptoms will be that it slows down, then it may start intermittently responding and even freeze. So you shut it down and try it again and it might work OK for a while again. And so on, and so on, until you get used to this being how it is, forgetting all about the good ‘ole days. The sad thing is that most people don’t realize they are slowly killing their laptop!

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This ignorant way of life with laptops is all too common and is responsible for more fatal laptop failures than anything else. Of course there are rampant viral problems due to neglect, but they are usually just software issues which can be fixed with labor only, whereas these heat issues are motherboard killers, and most people just end up buying a new laptop rather than paying to replace an expensive motherboard.

Simple Solution

Place your laptop on a hard, flat surface to allow for some clearance for the hot air to escape. Even better, you can also buy a special tray for about $20 that are designed to elevate your laptop. And better yet, there are laptop coolers for $20-30 you can place your laptop on that have built-in USB-powered fans that exhaust heat out the sides.

One final note when you are on the go. Don’t just place your laptop in “Standby” when you are going to put it in your laptop case. It is still “On” even though it is in a low power state and could potentially overheat once zipped-up in your laptop case. Also, even you you prompted a proper Shutdown, don’t assume your laptop will actually shutdown and put it in your laptop case until you actually see it power-off. Many times, it may be scheduled to install Windows Updates prior to fulling shutting down which could take, 5, 10 or more minutes. If something went wrong, it may hang without shutting down, making your laptop case into a pizza oven.

So keep your laptop as cool as possible, not only by keeping your vents clean, but by not blocking the vents by using it on your lap, a bed or a pillow. Better yet, elevate it or use a laptop cooler. I would also not recommend keeping laptops on 24/7. Shut it down when you are done for the day. If you can do this, you will eliminate one of the major causes of fatal laptop failures.