How to Prevent Overheating in Laptops

Laptops are a convenient way to work in bed or on the sofa. The problem with placing laptops on fabric is that doing so can cause overheating issues. The fabric disallows release of heat and causes the machine to get too hot. The first part of preventing heat damage is analyzing where you place the laptop. Second, you may not have a heating problem but an operating system or hardware issue. Finally, rectifying heating issues helps maintain computer health and avoid the freezes and crashes experienced during overheating.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Evaluate symptoms of an overheating issue. The most obvious symptom is that the laptop wrist area is abnormally hot to the touch. The dreaded "blue screen of death" for Windows users is common. You may also experience slowness, sudden freezing of the operating system or spontaneous reboots.

2. Place the laptop on a cool, hard surface. Some laptops have on the bottom heat fans that can get obstructed when placed on a couch, pillow or bed.

3. Keep dust and obstructions out of the cooling areas. Fans push heat out of the laptop through vents. These can get dusty, causing the laptop to overheat.

4. Disconnect unneeded peripherals. The laptop works harder and produces more heat with peripherals such as USB components connected. Remove them when you don't need them to conserve energy and reduce heat production.

5. Use power-save functions when disconnected from the wall. If you're using battery power, use the power-save options that are included on all laptops. These include using less power for the screen, which reduces heat production and prolongs battery life.

6. Purchase cooling additions for your laptop. Several cooling mechanisms can be added to the laptop. Extra cooling fans and cooling pads are available after you purchase the laptop. For customized laptops, have these additions included during production.

References

• paula-brett.com