Inspiron 1420 running really hot!

Is it normal for the Dell Inspiron 1420 to run hot?
This is my GF's notebook.
The specs are:
CPU- Intel Core 2 Duo 1.5GHz
RAM- 2GB
OS- Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
HDD- 160GB

It gets almost too hot to touch on the bottom.
Its pretty uncomfortable to use.

Ill appreciate any help!

 

No, it's not normal for it to run that hot. Try running it on a kitchen table or other hard, flat surface and see if it's still hot.

Keep in mind that laptops, for the most part, aren't designed to be used on a couch/bed or other surface that could block the fans or vents.

I would suggest that you run the diagnostics and see if the fan is working. The steps to run diagnostics are located here: http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/document?c=us&l=en&s=gen&docid=A9E3A15597A04AFBB02EE16785D39C5C

You might also need to use compressed air to blow out the fan housing. It can get clogged up from time to time.

 

I'd second trying to clean it out. We've got a 1420 in the family, and we've got to dust it out once every couple months or the buildup gets really bad. Then the laptop runs hot, the fan runs all the time, etc, etc.

 

Depends on what the temps are and what you mean by too hot. If possible, please download HWMonitor and run the computer for a while with MWmonitor open and report on the Max temp the laptop is reaching. May also be a good idea to clean out the dust. If your comfortable taking apart the computer to clean it, then also reapply thermal paste to the CPU.

 

Ok cool I will give that a try this afternoon.
What temperatures should the machine have?

 

Well I have had the notebook running for like 20 minutes and I have watched the temperatures escalate.

Intel Moble Core 2 Duo:
Core #0 Value=56 C(146F) Min=42C (107F) Max=69C (156F)
Core #1 Value=62 C(145F) Min=43C (109F) Max=67C (152F)

Is this all I need to list?

How does that looks?

 

Clean the laptop vents out with compressed air.

 

Here is what it is reading now:

 

So do I just remove the covers on the bottom of the notebook then blow air to try and get dust out?

 

Yea I would do that to remove the dust, but honestly those temps are not bad enough to cause problems. Problems may start if the GPU/CPU starts hitting 95*C-100*C. Maybe get a notebook cooler.

Edit: What were you doing to when the temps went that high? Run Intel Burn test or OCCT. This will stess the CPU so that it runs at 100% load. If you run it for a while it should give a MAX temp the CPU hits under load. That would be a better indication. Try that and report the results. Should be able to google the programs and they are simple small applications.

 

I was just surfing the web reading on this site.
I was also watching videos on youtube also.
I will try that program.

 

I'm having similar issues. It started a month or so ago. the left hand side of my 1420 runs super hot. Fan runs all the time. I have blown it out with compressed air and nothing. Mine is a core 2 Duo 2.2GHz with 2GB or RAM

At first I thought it was the BIOS fix for the GPU running the fan all the time but I bumped back to A08 and still running hot as hell.

My wife's Vostro 1400 doesn't have this problem.

I think the heat is even effecting my network card. Wifi will constantly drop out here and there. All other computers in the house work fine.

Unfortunately I'm out of warranty and any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

I say buy some new thermal compound and put it on the CPU. On the 1420 it's quite easy.

 

I blew out the heatsink with a can of air because it was full of dust.
Since then it has not ran as hot as it was.