X61s fingerprint reader heat issue

After about a month into using my X61s, the fingerprint reader has suddenly become hot - though not enough to cause burns it is uncomfortably hot.

Let me clarify that I never use the fingerprint reader and do not have the driver for it installed. (The fingerprint reader was no longer optional when I bought my X61s.)

The heat problem arose right after I restarted the laptop after it crashed following a igxprd32 display driver error. I don't know if there's a link there.

OS is XP Pro service pack 3. Video is Intel 965.

Internet searches brought up only linux users with this problem, on computer programming forums. Not very helpful to me.

There was the possibility that it might be the wireless card - below the fingerprint reader ? - that was causing the heat. I tried turning off the wireless card, but the heat remains.

I went into BIOS and disabled the fingerprint option, for what it's worth. That didn't work either.

I also read that the heat could be due to the USB device not being autosuspend enabled - ie. the fingerprint reader is on all the time - but I'm not sure how I might go about enabling the autosuspend for the fingerprint reader.

Any other suggestions for resolving this frustrating problem would be appreciated.

[X-posted on forum.thinkpads.com]

 

install TPfancontrol (free download) and have a look at what is system temperature parameters. If you think the wireless card is giving you the trouble, you could possibly remove the wireless card and see whether that problems remains.

X61s hardware manual is here: http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/42x3550_04.pdf

 

I do not think, even with the fingerprint reader constantly on, that it will generate as much heat as you are saying. I think it's likely the metal of the fingerprint reader conducting the heat of another warm/hot component. Open up your laptop and see what sources of potential heat are located underneath the fingerprint reader.