so thing is,

i have a 4 years old laptop, i use two systems (windows and linux).

mostly i work on linux, but still it gets too high temperature, not the first time that it had shut down itself when streaming video.

i had implemented -doubled- the memory ram, hadn't changed the graphics.

 

i brought it to the technician while ago but no changes since then, he said problem may be in the battery but then is worthless to buy a new battery cause buying a new laptop is a lot cheaper.

 

today while playing the sims on windows -which i hardly ever use- it has crashed totally, it says fatal error has ocurred, and seems it finds no windows at all :| even the rescue option seems to not work, and is unable to recover it, unless i reinstall it again with my cd.

 

there's any way i can improve the laptop and still use it, or i shall get a new one?

 

(i got a mini, but is not so user friendly, can't access the lower side of the screen to change settings, and anyways althought it came with windows 7 it now has only linux, but mini have no cd, so no chance to play games).

I don't think there's much you can do for a laptop

mine is 4 years old too and i had the same problem: it always shut down itself. i cant imagine the battery being the problem. last year somebody opened my laptop and just cleaned it from all the dust inside (especially the cooling air propeller must be cleaned^^) and now it runs and runs and runs without shutting down. another thing i did was to change from vista home to windows 7 ultimate!!

 

i recommend to use windows 7 on the old one.

mine is 4 years old too and i had the same problem: it always shut down itself. i cant imagine the battery being the problem. last year somebody opened my laptop and just cleaned it from all the dust inside (especially the cooling air propeller must be cleaned^^) and now it runs and runs and runs without shutting down. another thing i did was to change from vista home to windows 7 ultimate!!

 

i recommend to use windows 7 on the old one.

only os that has rescued old computer for me it's been linux, sorry.

i took it to the technician to clean it a while ago, but i feel he didn't clean anything.

Didn't know that they actually clean the dust from inside the laptops now, that could also be another factor in it overheating tho

My laptop overheats too... and it's a little more than 2 years old :( Maybe I should try to clean the dust inside of it or buy one of those coolers for laptops..

Mine does the same. Heats up reallly hot and shuts itself off randomly...and yeah.

 

Just get a new one! That's what I'm going to do.

make sure the air vents (?...the holes?) aren't covered. Use it on a desk!

make sure the air vents (?...the holes?) aren't covered. Use it on a desk!

i do make sure the air vents aren't covered and i always used it on a desk.

 

may i'm trying to resist the fact it's aged so badly lately.

 

but in the long run definitelly a PC is better than a laptop. :\

check those air holes! if they are covered with dust you know the reason why it overheats and shuts down regularly^^ but there is also a propeller inside which may be full of dust!! i didn't know that you could clean it inside as well but my ukrainian officer made it work fine again and i had no single shut down anymore since then!!!! open it, take out the keyboard, take out everything! sometimes there are hidden screws so it may be difficult to open it he said^^

yes my lap top has this problem !! :( its also 4 years old almost

Meh, sounds like it's getting a bit old and creaky if someone else with a similar aged one is having issues

Basically, Laptops overheat. Solutions: use a laptop cooler, or make a fan base to place below it. One suggestions was to use leg pads, extra-thick rubber nubs, so more air can flow beneath. Work in a cool room, preferably the walk-in cooler at a local store;).. I suppose someone offers Peltier junction (semiconductor) coolers as well, or one can adapt one for laptops..

For a quick fix, get a shallow pan that it fits in, fill the pan with ice, and support the laptop just above it on some wooden slats, letting the cool cool air get pulled in to the laptop..

Or, if you just want to run it for a short while, maybe place it in the refrigerator for two hours, and then take it out and use it for a while - that should prolong the run time, and keep it "fresher" too. :P

:laugh3: i ll try that once i have troubles with mine again :thumbsup:

my laptop is 4 years old and I've used a akasa laptop cooler since day 1. The fans get clogged up with dust every couple of months but a vacuum cleaner sorts that out. The laptop is fine. Best investment you could get for it :)

 

The other solution is to reduce the brightness of the screen.

i finally got a laptop cooler, seems much better.

will get it checked inside soon, if it doesn't improve my dad is thinking to re-use the hard-disk as an external disk but i'm not sure if that will be possible.

 

thanks for your advice everyone :)