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    Possible to fix overheating Inspiron?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by hirobo2, Jun 21, 2014.

  1. hirobo2

    hirobo2 Notebook Consultant

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    I've had my Inspiron for a little over 7 years. Then, right around XP end of support, CPU temperatures start spiking! Not saying XP was the culprit, as I dual boot Win 7 and it is just as likely to get hot.

    Before, it was working fine and cool. Then all of a sudden, the laptop shuts off like 3-4 times/day if I try to do anything "intensive" with it, like surfing a a flash/javascript heavy web page...

    It's sad to see such a useful working machine suddenly turn into a hot plate you might find in a chemistry class! Are there any fixes to rescue this machine, or is it doomed to be put out of service soon?
     
    hirobo2, Jun 21, 2014
    #1
  2. alexhawker

    alexhawker Spent Gladiator

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    Have you cleaned the fans and confirmed they're still spinning? The heat sink/fan assembly may need replacing.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    alexhawker, Jun 21, 2014
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  3. hirobo2

    hirobo2 Notebook Consultant

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    Well, I can hear the machine whirl, so at least the fans are still spinning. Air coming out of the vent seems weak though. But then again, I haven't really noticed if it was the same as before the temp spike or weaker... I would hate the thought of having to replace the hs/fan on this aging machine just to find out it will still run as hot... Are there not any simple DIY home-made remedies?
     
    hirobo2, Jun 21, 2014
    #3
  4. tijo

    tijo Sacred Blame

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    Dust in the heatsink, get an air can and watch teh dust bunnies fly out of the heatsink.
     
    tijo, Jun 21, 2014
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  5. SAiLO

    SAiLO Notebook Evangelist

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    +1

    If that does not help then you may need to repaste the CPU & GPU.
     
    SAiLO, Jun 23, 2014
    #5