M50vm running hot

After months with no problem, my Asus M50vm (Vista 32bit) has begun to run hot. Particularly in the area to the left of the touchpad, above the PCMCIA slot.

I've checked in the Task Manager, and there are no unusual spikes in CPU usage.

The largest apps are at 2%-5%, though I see that Outlook can occasionally jump to as high as 50% for a second or two, and Firefox seems to build up over time, at which point I just restart it or shut it down.

I've opened up the bottom, and the fan is clean, and the airflow unblocked. I usually use it plugged in, and the battery is cool.

I do use the HDMI plug to a second monitor, but even when I don't it is still hot.

Inside the PCMCIA slot there is what looks like a thin metal sheet (almost like aluminum foil) that is on the top of the slot, and that has come loose a bit at the entrance.

I am wondering if that could be related.

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Thanks.

 

Strange. Problem solved. I removed some old programs and updated some drivers (graphics, sound). No more overheating.

 

I have the same kind of ASUS. Same problem as StephenL. How does one go about looking for programs to stop running? I know my way around the computer pretty well, but I'd like some ideas of what programs to seek out to stop running. I'm not sure how to find out what programs to delete or stop running. Help.