Help?

[Roxyluvsme13]

My laptop gets really, really hot. I know it's because I have a dual core AMD processor, and I've been told to get a cooling mat.

I did.

Well, recently my laptop started smelling funky (like it was burning), so I put it on the cooling mat to cool it down. Now I've taken it back off because it seemed fine.

I just looked today and found this! My power cord is burnt and ridiculously hot.

I'm kind of surprised it still works, but any suggestions on what I can do to keep my computer's temperature down and keep it from either frying my motherboard or my power cord? I'm guessing I should start using it at my desk and keeping it on the cooling mat, but I wanted to see if you guys had any other suggestions.

Here's a pic of the power cord.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1055/5154982710_5b687e05c0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47458365@N06/5154982710/)
power cord =[ 002 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47458365@N06/5154982710/) by barbara_briana (http://www.flickr.com/people/47458365@N06/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/5154374147_443d987ee8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47458365@N06/5154374147/)
power cord =[ 001 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47458365@N06/5154374147/) by barbara_briana (http://www.flickr.com/people/47458365@N06/), on Flickr

[Laura's Babies]

I just don't get why they get so hot! They are called "laptops" meaning to be used in your lap (in my opinion). The one I had 10 years ago never got hot.. why are they made to get so hot now?

[Roxyluvsme13]

I just don't get why they get so hot! They are called "laptops" meaning to be used in your lap (in my opinion). The one I had 10 years ago never got hot.. why are they made to get so hot now?
I agree, lol.

If I use mine on my lap, my lap gets hot and then I start to get hot, so I have to take it off of my lap :rolleyes:

[happylabs]

I have the same problem but no answer. Mine gets very hot and the metal part of the cord gets very hot but not burnt like yours "yet". I got a cooling thing too for mine but it doesn't seem to cool it enough. Hoping someone here has an answer for us. What brand is yours? Mine is a Toshiba.

[Marigold2]

Doesn't seem right that it would get so hot. I have a cooling fan which my son bought me at Best Buy, it was around $38.00. It is always puggled into my lap top.

[Roxyluvsme13]

I have the same problem but no answer. Mine gets very hot and the metal part of the cord gets very hot but not burnt like yours "yet". I got a cooling thing too for mine but it doesn't seem to cool it enough. Hoping someone here has an answer for us. What brand is yours? Mine is a Toshiba.
Mine is a Toshiba also! A Satellite T-135 to be exact :). Do you also have a dual core AMD processor? :p My cousin is a computer whiz and he said they haven't learned how to fix the processor from overheating yet :rolleyes:. Someone needs to start or Toshiba's going to be paying for a new laptop.

Marigold That's what I was thinking. I mean it's always gotten hot before, but now it seems kind of extreme.

[Marigold2]

They are really made to be used on hard surface not sofa ones that will not allow air to flow. Good luck.

[Alysser]

I have no idea, I've never really had that problem although my current laptop does get burning hot and the fan is ridiculously loud at time. But you should find out why, maybe call Toshiba or something because that's really dangerous. Until you find a solution NEVER leave it on a bed, papers, etc. I never leave mine on my bed unattended because it probably could cause a fire or something.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Okay guys, thanks.

I just can't send my laptop off right now, I need it for school too much.

I think the weird burning smell the other night could have been my power cord getting fried :/ It's on the cooling mat right now and the cord is still getting really hot, but I think it's helping some.

[Hellow]

If the power plug is burning, then it must be an issue in the area of the power supply in the laptop or with the power brick. Could you tell me if the brick itself gets as exorbitantly hot? It may be an issue with the power adapter, in such case just buying a new one would solve that. Otherwise it could be an issue with the power supply inside the laptop, and that would require sending it back to the manufacturer for repair.

[Roxyluvsme13]

If the power plug is burning, then it must be an issue in the area of the power supply in the laptop or with the power brick. Could you tell me if the brick itself gets as exorbitantly hot? It may be an issue with the power adapter, in such case just buying a new one would solve that. Otherwise it could be an issue with the power supply inside the laptop, and that would require sending it back to the manufacturer for repair.
The brick sometimes gets hot; I've felt it get pretty hot, but it's only mildly warm right now.

But the whole laptop itself gets hot, it always has. The cooling mat seems to help out a lot with that though.

[GoldenLover]

Are the power outlets in your home standard and rated for at least the voltage that your computer uses? Maybe something with the outlet could be causing it to overheat. Have you tried any other outlets to see if you have that problem? Outlets in bathrooms and kitchens are usually higher voltage to run small appliances, hair dryers, etc.
You could take it to Best Buy and let the Geek Squad look at it. I took my fried external harddrive there to see if they could try to recover some of the pictures on it to a new harddrive and they got it done by the next business day. I was pretty happy with their service, and it wasn't too incredibly expensive either.

[Freedom]

First, do not use a laptop ON YOUR LAP. There have been many many reports of skin issues, discoloration, some of it permanent, from having a laptop sitting on your legs. Have it on a table of some sort!

Next, I suggest you take that power cord and stop in at Best Buy, ask them what the heck is going on? Doesn't matter if you bought it there or not. Have someone knowledgeable look at it! And take the make, model of your laptop with you.

Third, go online to the Toshiba home site and report all this!

[Roxyluvsme13]

Goldenlover I would imagine the outlets are standard because it's in my dorm, but I'm not sure. There aren't really any other outlets to try. It's connected to a surge protector, which is about the only available outlet in here. The only problem about that is getting to best buy, lol. I'm nowhere near one and I don't have a car or the money to take a bus. Or the money to pay for the services either, really.


First, do not use a laptop ON YOUR LAP. There have been many many reports of skin issues, discoloration, some of it permanent, from having a laptop sitting on your legs. Have it on a table of some sort!

Next, I suggest you take that power cord and stop in at Best Buy, ask them what the heck is going on? Doesn't matter if you bought it there or not. Have someone knowledgeable look at it! And take the make, model of your laptop with you.

Third, go online to the Toshiba home site and report all this!
Yeah it's on my desk now. Most of the time I Sit on my bed though and the laptop sits on the bed, I'm sure there's been some blankets blocking it at certain points, so that was a problem.

It will be at least 2-3 weeks before I can get to best buy, so... maybe. No way to get there anytime soon.

I should probably report this to Toshiba, so I'll make sure to do that.

[Scooter's Mom]

Yeah it's on my desk now. Most of the time I Sit on my bed though and the laptop sits on the bed, I'm sure there's been some blankets blocking it at certain points, so that was a problem.


Don't do this - it's a fire hazard.
Keep the laptop on the desk or another similar hard surface.

[caseysmom]

Most colleges have some computer geeks to help you out...ask around I bet they have some kind of services available to students.

[happylabs]

Don't do this - it's a fire hazard.
Keep the laptop on the desk or another similar hard surface.

I never sit at a table with mine. It is always on my lap but I do have the Logitech cooling fan under it. However, it doesn't seem to work all that great.

Why are they laptops if not made to sit in your lap? :confused:

[Shady]

They have cooling fans, I read all the posts, if someone suggested this I missed it. Listen for the fan, you should be able to hear it and feel the air being pushed by it, somewhere on the sides or back of it. Mine is a DELL, and the fan only comes on intermittently, it doesnt run constantly. That may be why the cooling pad is working for the time being.

If the fan is failing or has failed, everything will overheat. If you dont want to lose all your school work, you should tend to it immediately, because it WILL cause failure to other components, sooner than later. Back up everything regularly, nothing is ever guaranteed with computers.

This is the obvious, but could be your power supply unit, even your adapter or any other number of things, dont wait for the inevitable, it may not be salvageable if the worst happens.

[Roxyluvsme13]

I'm pretty sure my fan is okay. If I have an overheating problem, my computer tells me though. Because one time it said something like "Your computer is overheating, shut down will occur in blahblahblah." I was about to send it off then, but I think it was just because the fan was blocked or something because the problem fixed itself and everything was running fine..

I think the burning of my power cord could have been the other day when I left the computer against some pillows and left it on and went downstairs. I didn't think about it at the time, but it was a bad idea. I came back and there was a funky burning smell, probably from my power cord getting fried, LOL.

If I keep it on a table, with the cooling mat on, or just on a table, it seems to run fine... So I'm thinking I just need to start using it at my desk. If the problem persists, I'm going to get it checked out.

caseysmom We do have a computer help station thing here, I completely forgot about it till you mentioned it. I'll run it by there if things don't get better.

[blue]

You may also want to see if there is a BIOS update available. Ive had Dells and Toshibas come through the shop with overheating issues that a BIOS update helped if not fixed.

[Roxyluvsme13]

You may also want to see if there is a BIOS update available. Ive had Dells and Toshibas come through the shop with overheating issues that a BIOS update helped if not fixed.

Do you know where I could find that at? I've tried Toshiba's website but they don't have my model number listed anymore.

[blue]

The Satellite T-135 has been recalled. Link. (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/recall-toshiba-satellite-t135-t135d-and-satellite-pro-t130-notebooks/9592) The BIOS updates appear to be on the linked page as well. So it seems you arent the only one with this problem.

[Roxyluvsme13]

The Satellite T-135 has been recalled. Link. (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/recall-toshiba-satellite-t135-t135d-and-satellite-pro-t130-notebooks/9592) The BIOS updates appear to be on the linked page as well. So it seems you arent the only one with this problem.
Well, I installed the BIOS and it's going to have to be sent off, I don't know what to do because I rely heavily on my computer for college :(.

[caseysmom]

Call Toshiba and explain your situation, maybe they will send you a new one? How long have you had it?

[blue]

Well that sucks but it doesnt suprise me. Toshibas are really a pain in the arse to work on.

[caseysmom]

Copy as much as you can to a thumb drive and then use the pc's in the library for the week or so it takes...you will be okay just take a deep breath I know it sucks though.

[Roxyluvsme13]

I thought about doing a system restore and taking the bios off and using the computer on battery power 95% of the time and only charging when I had to, but I don't know how much of a risk that would pose to me or the computer.

It'll be Thanksgiving before I can even send the laptop off because I'd have to send the box to my house (which is 2 hours away) and I won't be at my house until Thanksgiving...

I'm planning on telling Toshiba that they need to fix this ASAP and that I NEED a computer and see what they say. They'll probably give me the "there's nothing we can do you'll just have to wait until we fix your laptop" speech and I have a feeling I'm not in the mood to deal with them being jerks. So, they'll probably end up getting a mouthful from me.

Oddly enough, the computer is charging right now... I kind of need it for my first class today but am slightly afraid to take it.

[dab_20]

Bri, in the meantime just get a lap top desk that actually sits on your lap. It just a hard surface with a soft bottom so your laptop can breath. Sitting at a desk for hours doing homework takes a toll on your back, I feel ya!

They should compensate for you somehow. If not you may have to use the school computers until you get it fixed. Explain your situation and see what they say!

I LOVE my lap top. It's a Dell XPS 1330, it's actually a 1300 dollar laptop but I got it used in great shape for 800. My brother is a systems engineer and he rebuilt it for me so it's good as new. I had an XPS before this and will always stick with them. They are AWESOME laptops. This one is extremely quiet, sometimes I can't tell its on! It does get somewhat warm when it's been on my lap but if its on a table it doesn't. It doesn't have a huge memory... the reason for the price is because the screen is LED and it's got a bigger battery, so when it's new it is supposed to last up to 8 hours. Mine is almost 2 years old though so it lasts about 3.5 hours.
Anyways, a thought for you whenever you get a new one in the future.

I hope they work with you on this! Good luck! I know how important a laptop is in college. Most everything is online now!

[Vette]

This is why i prefer desktops :p

what program/s are you running on it?

sometimes a program can cause things to heat up a might fast. especially video games.

[GoldenLover]

Goldenlover I would imagine the outlets are standard because it's in my dorm, but I'm not sure. There aren't really any other outlets to try. It's connected to a surge protector, which is about the only available outlet in here. The only problem about that is getting to best buy, lol. I'm nowhere near one and I don't have a car or the money to take a bus. Or the money to pay for the services either, really.


Make friends with an upperclassman?? ;-)
I'll bet it's because you're leaving it on your bed and the blankets aren't allowing proper circulation for the laptop cooling fans, causing it to overheat. Keep it on the cooling pad on a hard surface. If you don't have a desk, you could get one of those laptop stands or bean bag desk things to sit it on also, just as long as there is plenty of room unblocked on all sides to allow air circulation.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Alright guys, so the moment I posted something about doing system restore and trying to keep using my laptop, I go to turn it back on anddd... I get a black screen with the computer doing nothing :rolleyes:. Toshiba tech support said the computer's probably freaking out because of the power thing, but we'll see.

I'm at the library right now; it's not so bad. They have PCs and Macs :D Macs make me happy, I'm actually kind of considering buying one next semester with my extra tuition money.

I'm really, really hoping Toshiba doesn't have to erase any of my files to fix my computer. If they do I'm going to strangle someone, lol. I'm about sold on a Mac though. Especially since they're supposed to be more reliable than a PC and all of the other things that I've read about them make me really want one.

I'll be shipping out poor Petite Rouge (it's my laptop's name and means "Little Red" in french) over Thanksgiving break, so I'm pretty sure I'll be using library computers the rest of the semester. Sigh.