I am going to cry

[dustysky]

My $3,000 laptop just died on me. The stupid thing runs so hot, normaly it just shuts down and I have to let it cool............. not tonight, this time it just made a loud pop and then went dead, all I could smell was fire.
Any computer techs out there have any idea what is wrong with it? What fried up and is it worth fixing?

 

[ZipaDeeDooDah]

Sorry - I'm not techy, I can only offer sympathy. Hope it's not too serious...

 

[dustysky]

oh thanks i sure hope someone has a clue, i hate going to a repair shop blink.

 

[Cool-Beans]

My $3,000 laptop just died on me. The stupid thing runs so hot, normaly it just shuts down and I have to let it cool............. not tonight, this time it just made a loud pop and then went dead, all I could smell was fire.
Any computer techs out there have any idea what is wrong with it? What fried up and is it worth fixing?

This is TOO WEIRD!!!

The exact thing happened to me this week. Got hot, went pop (died) and there was an electrical burn smell.

I'm taking it to Best Buy to see what they can do with it.

You don't have a Toshiba Satellite, do you?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My DD8 crashed mine last week doing Dora the Explorer. It's been sort of a nightmare ever since. I'm on an old desktop now while we try to piece back my laptop. Don't have any words of wisdom, just a

 

[makinorlando]

Oh no! My laptop has been at Best Buy for a couple weeks now. I'm using my business one to Dis in the family room as the other computer is in the guest room. I feel disconnected if I can't Dis while I am watching TV at night!

It does not sound good - I think it's a case for the Geek Squad!

But don't cry on the keyboard, just in case!

 

[miss missy]

Calling on the GEEK SQUAD for ya !! I dont know anything about it.. but doesn't it have a fan... jeesh!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Very likely could be spyware/malware. Do you use Ad-aware, Spybot S&D, Spysweeper, or similar?

 

[Cool-Beans]

Very likely could be spyware/malware. Do you use Ad-aware, Spybot S&D, Spysweeper, or similar?

Spyware can cause you to overheat and go pop?! I had no idea!

I have ALL the Norton stuff, including whatever their Spyware is. And I do the LiveUpdates almost every day.

If it is Spyware, can it be fixed? (Please say, "Yes.") I just bought that thing about 18 months ago.

 

[buckler]

I have a Toshiba that was always running overheating and spontaneously shutting down. I finally noticed that there was dust on the fan blades. So, I took a can of compressed air and blew it in the vent on the bottom and in the vents along the back edge of the computer. Dust flew everywhere! Ever since my computer has been fine. No more overheating.

Now, mind you I am NOT a computer tech. This may be an incredibly bad idea but it fixed my computer. What it does to yours I can't be held responsible for!

 

[Poohnatic]

Mine did that back in January. Lost a hard drive, but the computer was fine.

My culprit was the Mah Jongg that used Direct X. It made my hard drive run very hot.

Suzanne

 

[themarquis]

Hi Dusty,
this is my first post.... I just *had* to register so that I could give my two cents (I like to think I'm a computer expert ... haha ). I don't know for sure, but what you describe doesn't sound good to me. A computer that overheats can literally fry itself -- if the fan stops working or the power supply goes out, it can melt a lot of other important stuff , for example your hard drive (or even worse). Sadly, a lot of "laptops" just can't tolerate being held on the lap or any surface that prevents the fans from cooling it properly (I've been told that's why most companies call them "notebooks" to discourage ppl from putting them on their laps at all -- 'course I'm writing this right now with a laptop on my lap... ) Overheating is really dangerous for any computer.

What is it doing when you try to boot it up? Anything? Lights, drives whirring, anything? Or just totally dead? To get it fixed: if it's under warantee, you should be able to get it fixed for free. If not, it may not be worth the $ to fix esp. if you fried a lot of stuff inside. If you are a student, your school book/computerstore might have tech people who can look at it for a lot cheaper than Geek Squad. If nothing else, places like this can sometimes rescue the data on your hard drive.

Anyway, I'm so sorry it is broken ... I really do hope it is not totally fried. Post again if you are getting anything on bootup and I can try to help.

 

[Barb D]

I have two "doorstops" that lived former lives as expensive laptops. The first one died and Best Buy wouldn't touch it because it was out of extended warranty, even though it had already been in the shop several times. They "don't do cash repairs on laptops." The second one was fairly new, but they voided the extended warranty because of "liquid damage."

I still have one laptop (bought when both of the original ones were in for "servicing" at the same time) but I finally gave up and bought a desktop when the third one had to go in for service. I had said I'd never buy another desktop, but laptops are just too fragile (and expensive) to depend on as our only computers.

I'm really frustrated with Best Buy, BTW. I bought this desktop at CompUSA. It was cheap ($250 after rebates). I didn't buy a warranty on it. When it goes I'll just buy another cheap desktop.

 

[epcotfan]

I just purchased my first laptop last month. Because I'd heard of many people having their power supplies fry, I went out and bought this:

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=&webid=562134&affixedcode=WW
The Targus Notebook Chill Mat™ is a cooling mat for notebook PCs with two built-in fans for fast heat dissipation. The Chill Mat™ weighs only 15oz and has non-skid rubber domes to prevent any slippage of the notebook. Powered by the notebook’s USB port, the PA248C also comes with a convenient on/off switch.
Features:
Prevent Overheating: two fan cooling system pulls heat away from the notebook and prevents the CPU from overheating
Protect Your Worksurface: High heat generating notebooks can damage furniture surfaces; using the Chill Mat protects furniture from heat damage
Sleek Lightweight Design: At only 15oz, the slim, lightweight design means your Chill Mat can travel with you anywhere you go
Bus Powered: USB powered with on/off switch - keep your notebook and your laptop cool on the road without having to carry an additional AC adapter. The low power consumption also maintains your notebook's battery life
Superior Quality: sturdy design supports the weight of any notebook computer and the non-skid rubber domes prevent any slippage of the notebook
Dimensions: 30cm x 23cm x 1.5cm
Weight: 685g (15oz)

So far, so good. *knocks on wood*

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

I'm curious if this is common with laptops vs. desktops. I keep wanting to get a laptop for convenience, but this doesn't sound very convenient.

 

[makinorlando]

I'm curious if this is common with laptops vs. desktops. I keep wanting to get a laptop for convenience, but this doesn't sound very convenient.

I work on a laptop all day long for business and have a personal laptop as well, and have never had issues with overheating to the point of frying - like themarquis mentioned, times when I noticed they were running hot was when they weren't vented well - my fault - sitting on the bed etc. I am diligent to make sure they are vented well, as I use both my laptops hard!

I also have a desktop computer. I love the flexibility of the wireless laptops - I can work/Dis by the pool, in the family room, in my office, in the bedroom, and not be confined to the guest/computer room. But I will not do away with the desktop either! DD uses it, and I use it when I am working on my photos, as well as the convenience of having the computer in the guest room for my house guests (with no $9.95 daily charge for high speed access!!)

 

[OhMari]

We bought our first laptop from my dd college. the school offered the laptop to us for $350. It was an IBM. My son was using it and set it down on the ground. It over heated because he didn't shut it down and it couldn't get enough air to vent.

I had a tech look at it while I got a new computer and he said the hard drive and fan must have over heated and its components are slightly melted. The laptop works, but it makes a horrible sound.

His advice, keep your laptop off your laps and use on a hard surface always.

 

[DISUNC]

My $3,000 laptop just died on me. The stupid thing runs so hot, normaly it just shuts down and I have to let it cool............. not tonight, this time it just made a loud pop and then went dead, all I could smell was fire.
Any computer techs out there have any idea what is wrong with it? What fried up and is it worth fixing?

If it made a noise like "click click click"...most likely it is your hardrive! If this is the case....leave it in your refrig for a hour ....then try turning it on.
This will allow you to get any NEEDED info off.
Set up a hotmail or yahoo account and email attachment of VITAL info.

Really nothing much you can do if the hardrive goes. It could also be the FAN died, if that is the probelm, that can be fixed at a reasonable rate.

 

[dustysky]

You guys are all so helpful! After much stress and frusteration I took off the fan case to see if there was anything blocking it, nothing. I then took the batterie out and put it back in and it turned back on. I have no clue what the deal is because the smell of the burning was in the room for a long time, I even woke hubby up to ask if he smelled it so I know I was not crazy (thats still debaitable). So for now its working again but thank you all !!

 

[Caradana]

I have Spysweeper, and my laptop gets very hot at times. Could that be the cause? I've checked out the processes screen in Task Manager, and it looks like the Spysweeper memory usage isn't as high as Internet Explorers' ... ?