This is why it's a good idea to clean out your exhaust vents and ensuring your fans are working.

@cunninglinguine: YES! However, please immobilize your fans first. If you don't the airflow can strip out the fan's bearings. I use a pen or paperclip something.

Oh yeah, don't do it while it is on either.

@cunninglinguine: I doubt dirty vents were the problem. The fan being broken, maybe. I still maintain it was the thermal compound on the CPU.

@valarmorghulis: a very good tip...

@cunninglinguine:

Yeah the customer is always an idiot sez guys like you.

In my experience that's rarely the case, warranty providers are always trying to screw you because it's in their financial interest. Consumers are happy when their product is working, or even half working, and the last thing they want to do is call customer service and get dinked around.

I sadly did not see this earlier. My laptop's only going to last through this summer, I suspect, anyway... but I have a Compaq that's closer to four years old and idles at nearly as hot as his. Which might explain why bits of it seem to be failing now. I just always assumed it was a problem with having purchased a "desktop replacement" laptop.

Next time, I'm getting a netbook.

@Telekinesis123: Yeah, offering a tip to improve functionality/reduce errors is calling him an idiot.

As they should have - it's not as if he was out of warranty when he started this whole fuster cluck

That's why I always use a notebook cooler when I'm using my laptop. I never rely on internal cooling. The only time I'm not using one is if up traveling, but once I get a flat table, I'm using my cooler.

@Repique:

You might resurrect your notebook by cleaning out the cooling system. This involves opening the case, removing the fan (usually) and removing the debris this is clogging the heat pipe cooler. The debris can sometimes be cleaned out with a can of "dust cleaner" with the tube inserted into the hot air exhaust port. It is far better to open the case and use the dust cleaner to clean up the entire interior.

Go to the HP website with your model number (on the second line of the serial number tag and see if HP has a assembly diagram that will let you know how to disassemble your notebook. Alternatively, enter your model number (First line in the serial number tag) in Google with 'model# repair' and see what your get. HP has been pretty good about allowing the assembly diagrams to the public.

Get a good set of small phillips screwdrivers for this.

@coren:

No, he was making an assumption calling the consumer an idiot with a total lack of evidence substantiating that point thereby broadly and erroneously presenting his opinion as a conclusive fact.

@Telekinesis123: Let's stop the argument -- it's hijacking this comment thread. Let's keep the comments related to the article, and not snipe at other users.

@Repique:

As stated before it could be dead fans or an improperly installed heatsink using too much thermal grease between the parts and the heat sink or not enough, like none. A while back Apple had this issue of putting on way too much thermal grease, thins caused the heat to just build up in the case instead of be transfered though the heatpipes to the heatsink fins at the exhaust.

Don't be afraid to dig around in your gear, its harder then you think to actually brake something inside.

Thermal grease recommendations would be something silver based like Arctic Silver 5 or or the stuff Zalman makes or one of the micro diamond pastes, that have proved to be pretty good. The stuff is cheap to apply and the good stuff applied correctly can drop the temperatures at least 3C but as much as a 12C drop can be seen depending on the cooler and the part being cooled.

Careful though as non silicone or ceramic based pastes can conduct electricity but they will transfer heat much better the silicone or ceramic.

The other thing to check is the fans themselves, they could be gunked over with dust or outright dead, finding replacement laptop fans can be a pain sometimes as most parts shops don't stock them. But googling the model number of the fan should at least find you an exact replacement,and possibly a shop that carries better fans that are drop in replacements.

@Telekinesis123: Pwned.

You would not imagine the clumps of dog hair/dirt I pull from heatsinks on laptops. What happens is a few pieces of hair get in, then the dirt sticks to them, then it builds and builds, and by that time canned air won't do the trick, you have to open the case and remove it.

However, the argument of too much thermal compound makes more sense, HP would have easily said "too dirty, you misused it, go away" if it were dirty (and probably sent pics of the disgusting hairball), and I probably would have agreed with them.

@Consumerist-Moderator-Roz:

Good idea, but I wasn't sniping, defense is not sniping.

@Quaoar: With it being an HP/Compaq, you might need some Torx screwdrivers. I remember it being T8 - like $3-4 at Sears. If you wanted to get super lazy and not turn the notebook over to let the screws drop out, you can use a T9, and by jamming it in the screw (it's not really jamming, it just gets in tight) it will hold onto the screw to let you remove it.

Excellent. As I said in the original piece, HP laptops can run hot, but some have been recalled for running too hot, and I'm glad that HP recognized that this user's machine was just too hot (as mine had been before I applied new thermal paste to the CPU). {ProfJonathan}

@RodolfoRabulous: Agreed. That's what my HP's problem was, and applying fresh compound dropped the temp immediately by 30 degrees F. {ProfJonathan}

@christoj879:

It's true, it is a good idea to check your fans and I have experienced the same type of thing as you but its not right to arbitrarily say that's what he was experiencing.

@Consumerist-Moderator-Roz:

Sorry there though Roz I'll try to be nicer.

I have an HP from two years ago and it has some temperature issues even if it's sitting on a table. The solution, I've found, is to prop it so the bottom is exposed for a little bit. Really, though, I think there's just some dust stuck in the part that vents to the side, because the fan works perfectly fine, just doesn't have any room to properly ventilate.

I'm glad this guy got his issue resolved, though!

Actually this may have been the case of one of those 'hidden warrantys' like you see in cars when a particular system is known to be bad. In this case the HP laptop may have been one of those with the defective NVidia chip sets that were putting out way too much heat. I got a recall email for my HP for this very issue, and it covers well past the normal warranty because it's a known and pervasive defect.

I will NEVER purchase a HP or HP brand related product ever again. I had a HP tx2510us that had the wireless card die after 16 days(one past the return policy!), I looked online and saw it was a wide know problem and that it was caused by heat but HP would not recall the model.I had also purchased a HP Lance armstrong edition laptop for my grandmother, she has never moved off her desk and it started forming a crack along the hinge. I called about it and was told there was no way that it wasn't dropped and that they wouldn't replace the plastic without charging me. I took it into a buddy at compusa and had them do a swap a roo for me. HP IMO is a horrible laptop manufacture. Anytime Im at a bestbuy and I see someone looking at a HP I tell them my story.

Heh, yeah sorry, but I'm a rabid Consumerist. :)

Some HPs are notorious for running hot... Our Pavilion runs on average around 160 degrees--cleaned out and propped up on a table. Heaven help you if you rest it on your lap. And the heat issue is the least of its problems... Two USB ports on the side of the machine failed almost immediately after the warranty expired, the CD drive randomly opens, the monitor sucks (this was a another recall issue with this model, I believe)... Definitely the last HP I'll purchase.

I have been working as an Hp Field Technician for two years and 99% of the time overheating problems are dust related. Most of the time dust is just built up in between the fan and the heatsink and air can't get thru. With proper maintenance this doesn't happen. In some really disgusting cases the dust is so built up that the fan doesn't even spin any more and no air moves at all usually at this point the laptop seemingly randomly powers off because it is trying to save itself from a fiery death which is NOT covered under warranty!

Ok so let's go over some things that cause laptops to overheat

1.) You might have a defective heatsink; there is roughly a .005% chance of this. Also they don't fail at random, it either works forever or it is defective out of the box. Or you dropped your laptop and somehow damaged the heatsink...

2.) Not using a flat surface for the laptop to sit on. Look at the bottom of your laptop; if you cover the vents the laptop can't move air properly. If it can't breath it WILL overheat. Also take care to keep the rubber feet on the bottom of your laptop. The feet help your laptop breathe by keeping it that much further off of the table you should be using it on...

3.) Dust is clogging up the heatsink... 99.9% of the time this is the problem.

Prevent it:

Take some canned air and give all of the vents a blast once or twice a month you will clear out the dust before it builds up and keep your laptop on a solid flat surface and you will never have an overheating problem...

Fix it:

(This is specifically for HP/Compaq Notebooks)

Go To: [h20181.www2.hp.com]

This is the HP Service Media Library and has videos on how to completely tear apart just about every hp and Compaq product ever made.
Navigate to your specific model and click on "FRU Remove/Replace"
That will bring up a new window, click on keyboard to display the video on how to remove the keyboard.
Watch it a couple times and then remove the keyboard but don't bother disconnecting it, just move it out of the way enough to expose the fan.
Blast out the fan and heatsink with canned air. Don't worry about the rest of the laptop, just focus on the fan...
Once all the dust is gone put it all back together and your laptop should be as good as new.

This issue has been a constant problem with HP laptops. I bought a dv1000 series laptop in 2005 and 2 years later (after the warranty expired), my laptop became so hot after a while of use that it just shut itself down when it got too hot. It was definitely not an issue with dust being in the fan because I took it apart and looked at the fan.

There is currently an ongoing Class Action suit being pursued against HP for this problem. Info can be found at:
http://www.sfmslaw.com/pages/cases.php?id=300

@Repique: Throw a few upgrades in and the eee PC 901 will get a bit toasty. Not 200 °F but closer to 35 °C (35 degrees Celsius = 95 degrees Fahrenheit).

You'd be surprised how often this is caused by people using the laptop on top of a pillow (the pillow blocks the vents and causes an overheat).

I had already tried cleaning the fans. I pretty-much tried everything I could to fix it, with-ought cracking open the case ( I didn't want to mess it up totally and I knew HP wouldn't do a thing if they knew I was poking around inside.)

In the end, they ended up replaceing....

Fans, Heat Sink, Motherboard, Display.

Thanks again everyone for all the help.

I've said this for over two years, trust me. HP is one of the worst laptop makers out there. Out of every laptop out there, do not buy HP. They use very low quality parts and bad wifi chipsets. You will have nothing but problems. My HP laptop, a special edition high end model, has been through 3 wifi failures and and one dvd-rom failure. It also gets hotter than a macbook and is less powerful. They gave me a lot of guff about the repair and said it would probably take a few weeks... I talked them into letting me repair it myself under warranty. I do not trust HP anymore. Only laptops I fully trust are Sony. Expensive, but they last and rarely have hardware issues.

My HP desktop caught fire. It was just lucky that I was home when it happened. It was lucky that I actually know how to put out an electrical fire.

When I called HP about it, they told my that my computer's warranty had run out. "Would you like to purchase a new one right now?" 'No, actually I'd like to be connected to your legal department.'

Long story short, HP sent me a new computer (of course after sending me two non-working refurbs which i carried up 3 flights of stairs) and paid to repair the smoke damage to my home. I did not sue them.

I had a DV9000 and it worked decently...things I noticed that I really don't like are that it was flimsy when I tried to carry it and the fans vent to the bottom.

my dv9000 got stolen and I got an ASUS. This thing flies in comparison it much hotter...BUT the fans vent out the side. it'll melt ice in 2 seconds and my cats love it, but there's a much smaller chance of it getting blocked if it's not on the bottom.

Its kind of stupid when someone says they will not buy another HP, yet they buy a dell.

What most people don't relize is that a company called Quanta computers makes most laptops. They make macs, they make hp's, they make dells, etc. When you send your computer in, it just goes onto a stack with all the other brands. So weather you buy a macbook or you buy a hp, they are really the same.

Even tech support is even handled by the same call center companies.
In essence you are just paying for a brand, and the looks of the device.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanta_Computer
http://www.quantafremont.com/services.aspx

@RodolfoRabulous: I don't know about that... I replaced the TIM on my laptop with some of much higher quality, and if anything, it seemed to get hotter.