overheat?

well i just cleaned up my desk, i was woundering if i put a towl/clothe over my bead the wtih laptop (cq50 compaq) ontop of it would it overheat? im getting a cooliing fan in 1 week, but i was woundering if it would hurt it. also if it does block the air way, i was using a laptop lap desk, before and it didnt get much air before, it covered the vent i thought, anyway just woundering if it would hurt my laptop, or possibly set the clothe on fire (my laptop reaches high degrees)

 

There won't be fire, but it will overheat the laptop if there is not enough air going into the vents. Also since almost all laptops have black plastic on the bottom, it will heat up if it touches any surface.

 

k so i was in the same position with the laptop lap desk, thanks it will be fine for 1 week i bet.

 

Laptops really need to be on a hard even surface to cool properly, with no vents obstructed. A bed is one of the worst places to put a laptop, as the covers come up on the sides and block the vents, and the bottom vents/fans are entirely blocked. If you're going to use the laptop in bed, use it on your lap or on a book or some other firm, flat surface.

 

if i use a desk, with a towel over it to proctect from dust and scratches from the back would that be ok? and will it possibly burn through the black plastic, because my laptop reaches high degree marks

 

1) I would not use a towel on a desk, this follows the same theory as the blanket. It will restrict airflow and cause problems. Blow out all fans and vents regularly (1 time a month is plenty) with canned air to prevent issues related to dust.
2) If your laptop gets hot enough to melt plastic, that's a serious problem. Check out the temps with HWmonitor: http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php