inspiron 1420 overheating

i got a new inspiron 1420 (T7250+2GB DDR2+geforce 8400mGS+7200 rpm hdd).
last nite i forgot to switch it off when keeping in the backpack (kept it with the fanside down). when i took it out (after abt 2.5 hrs) it was pretty warm, the fan was working in full speed. the power LED was blinking amber (38% battrey was remaining). i couldnt even touch the touchpad. it worked fine after i cooled it for 1/2 hour.

still what i doubt is whether this overheating had affected my system components in any way. will overheating affect perfomance (after cooling).
why didnt my system shut down. shud i contact dell for replacement of any parts

thanx in advance

 

No, it shouldn't affect is if it was just for one night. Usually, if your notebook overheats, it will automatically shut down itself. In your case, it's absolutely fine!

 

Overheating does not cause performance problems. It either kills your components or not. If they didnt get fried, then you will not see any performance decrease. Their either dead, or working fine.

Also, you computer did not shut off because it didnt get hot enough. And if you parts did not get fried, then there's no reason to call Dell. Your parts work fine. Like I said before, your parts are either dead or working fine. There's no in between where the heat caused "some" damage to affect the performance but not fry it.

 

Overheating may cause long term damage that may not be visible immediately. I have an HP DV4000 that overheated due to the video interface and caused the controller chip to came loose over time. Did you set the computer to shut down or sleep when the lid is closed?