# Overheating/Cutting Off



## swhomebiz (Dec 31, 2009)

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I have a Compaq Presario CQ60 Notebook which gets really hot (especially on the left side of the keyboard) and then eventually cuts off when it gets too hot. This is the first time I've experience anything like this with a computer. I have no idea about what the cause is or what to do. Any assistance appreciate.

Thanks,
Steve (swhomebiz)


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Allo swhomebiz and welcome to TSF Forum :wave:

It would seem your notebook needs a good clean-out. Dust in the air gets trapped in the fan and heatsink area and acts just like the lagging in lofts and around hot water-tanks.

If you feel competent to dismantle your notebook (but voiding any guarantee), you can blow the muck out with a tin of compressed air and a stiff artist's brush, otherwise you can get a fair amount out with just a can of air. There's more info here.

As a preventative for future use, do you use your notebook on your lap or resting on a cloth or fluffy surface? If so, don't! Using it on a hard flat surface (table, top of a brief-case or equivalent) helps the air have free access to the inlets and outlets and helps to reduce the amount of dust getting in, too. Mrs WereBo has one of those 'bean-bag trays' for when she has her Toshiba on her lap.

Using the compressed-air once a month or so, helps keep your notebook clean inside.


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## swhomebiz (Dec 31, 2009)

Thanks for this information! Still gets hot from time to time. Guess the battle against dust is a constant battle for laptop owners. I've heard about a cooling thing that you can attach to a laptop to help with the overheating. Anyone know anything about that? Thanks, swhomebiz


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

There's a vast array of laptop-coolers available at a vast range of prices :grin:

Some are good, some are so-so and some are excellent - Unfortunately, I haven't a clue as to which one's which, so I'll have to leave that to another member to help out with. These are what they look like though, and will also give you some info and an idea of the prices, depending whether you're in the UK or not.

Perhaps a question in the Laptops section of the 'Hardware Department' (here) might bring a quicker result, although I will mention that when choosing a cooler, try and find one that has the fan in the same position, or as close to, the inlet vent on the base of the laptop.


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