Laptop randomly turns off

[TheDL]

Hello, I just got this used gateway t-1620 from my friend, it was originally designed for vista but I put xp on it. One major problem I'm having is that the laptop randomly turns itself off after 10-15 mins of use, and not even strenuous use, just surfing the web or even just idling. Laptop feels hot, but I'm not too familiar with laptops to know if it would be hot enough to cause a shutdown. I'm not even sure if its normal for it to get hot without any intensive programs running. Now after it shuts down, when I try to boot it back up it automatically shuts down again in 10-15 seconds during the boot sequence or the xp loading screen. It won't fully boot to desktop until a half hour or so have passed, leading me to believe that it may actually be an overheating problem

Thanks for any help.

 

[cprince]

sounds like an overheating issue. Just open up the laptop and clean it--especially the CPU heatsink/fan.

 

[TheDL]

Would just blowing all the vents with a can of air work, since I have no experience with opening laptops. I also got a temperature monitoring program and the CPU is at 60 degrees Celsius right now just by doing basic web surfing, is that average?

 

[Nizology]

^^ That seems about average...maybe a little high. Using the canned air will work great. Just don't turn the can upside down when you're spraying around in there. You'll probably notice a lot of dust buildup on the intake fan/s. Make sure those are clear. Make sure when you're using it too that it isn't on a soft/squishy surface such as a bed or couch, as this blocks those vents. Only other thing I can think of would be to check that the memory is seated correctly and all the way in.

 

[crown711]

you mite want to use a laptop cooler,some machines just need them.

 

[ReggieDunlap]

Check also if it is battery related. Try removing the battery and running the laptop via AC power only. Does it still shut down?

 

[TheDL]

It's not battery related. I also just tried using canned air through all the open vents I could find, but the problem still persists. I monitered the temperatures more closely, its between 60-70c on average, but then it spikes up to 80+ before shutting off at 90. The spiking occurs very randomly, but I can force it by watching a video or something.
So is my only option trying to clean the heatsink and buying a laptop cooler? I never opened a laptop before so I wouldn't know what to expect.

 

[Old Hippie]

I never opened a laptop before so I wouldn't know what to expect.

Some aren't too bad, some are horrendous.

I would try to find at techs manual or go to Notebook Review and look around.

My first coupla machines were laptops and there's a wealth of info there.

 

[funkymatt]

just took apart a toshiba a series that was having the same problem, taking off the heatsink and re-applying thermal paste, along with cleaning out the vents was a great help. couldn't find a program to monitor temps, but the system can do anything without shutting down now.

 

[TheDL]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie

I never opened a laptop before so I wouldn't know what to expect.

Some aren't too bad, some are horrendous.

I would try to find at techs manual or go to Notebook Review and look around.

My first coupla machines were laptops and there's a wealth of info there.

I couldn't find any info on opening my brand of laptop on that site