Most computers have a safety feature that causes them to shutdown if the temperature inside of the computer case reaches a critical level. Sometimes the computer does not shutdown, but freezes.
Two Main Causes of Overheating Are:
- Dust accumulates quickly inside of a computer. If the dust blocks airflow to your computer chip, that chip can overheat.
- The cooling fans of your computer may have failed.
"Dusting" Your Computer
To remove the dust from inside your workstation, your must open the case. Please refer to your owner's manual for information. Owner's manuals are usually available from the vendor's website. To minimize dust being blown from the computer case into your home, it is recommended that you open the case outside and remove the dust there. Your computer must be unplugged when doing this procedure or you are your computer may suffer damage.
Purchase a "canned" air product such as Dust Off at an office supply or computer store. Spray the compressed air inside the case and blow out all the dust you can see. Make sure to dust all cooling fans and the computer circuit boards. Reassemble the case.
Opening a laptop computer case is difficult and should not be attempted by a non-professional. To remove dust from a laptop computer, shutdown and unplugged it. Again, because of the mess, this procedure is best done outside. Point the "canned" air into the ventilation slots in the case to blow the dust out.
Checking the Cooling Fans on Your Computer
Workstations have at least two cooling fans. With the computer running, see if you can detect airflow where the electrical cord plugs into the back of the workstation. This fan is part of the power supply. There should be another fan that vents the heat inside the case. The case fan is below the power supply fan. A flashlight pointed at the fans will allow you to detect if the fan is moving or not.
If the fan for the power supply is not working, the power supply needs to be replaced. This is a job for a professional computer technician. If the computer is an older one, the failure of the power supply may be the start of an older computer starting to fail. Consider replacing the computer instead of replacing the power supply.
If the case fan has failed, this fan is easier and cheaper to replace than the power supply. If you are handy with a screw driver, you may be able to replace this fan yourself. Remove the fan, noting where the electrical connection was plugged into the motherboard. There are many different fan sizes. Take the fan to a computer store to match the size of the fan. You must replace the fan with an identical sized fan.
Newer laptop computers do not have fans and vent air via convection. Never leave a laptop computer running on top of a bedspread. It is possible for a soft surface such as a bedspread to block the cooling vents causing your computer to over heat.
