Overheating problem

yarian · 01-01-2007, 07:33 PM

I bought an HP Pavilion dv4000 notebook about a year ago. It worked well up to the first 6 months or so. Then I started ocassionally getting the blue screen of death saying "dumping physical memory" and sometimes just shutting down randomly.

But about a week ago it started doing it every day. I have to have a fan pointing directly at the left side of the laptop which i have raised, at full speed on so that it wont shut down.

This tends to happen most when I am converting a video or playing a game, or when the CPU usage is at 100%.

I've read several topics here that show the same symptoms and you guys concluded that it was overheating problem every time so I download PC Wizard 2006 and checked the temperature after 15 minutes of converting a video.

The processor was at 57 degrees and the hard drive got up to 39 before I turned on my household fan so it wouldn't shut down.

My question is, what are the best solutions to overheating of a laptop?

I've seen the cooling pads but I was wondering about how portable those are?
Also, are there any alternatives to cooling pads?

**TheMatt** · 01-01-2007, 08:31 PM

Hi yarian,

Overheating is a common problem with laptops, and my laptop had this problem when I first got it out of the box. The quick way to reduce temps is to switch the power scheme in Windows XP to Notebook/Laptop. That will enable Intel SpeedStep. But if you are a frequent gamer, then it will not be a permanent solution, and you will have to get a cooling pad.

yarian · 01-01-2007, 10:45 PM

Thanks for the advice, do you know about any cool pads that are really good and under $40?

**TheMatt** · 01-02-2007, 01:13 PM

A good cooling pad will only cost around $20 unless it is fancy and has a USB hub and a card reader built in or a fan speed controller. I use the Bytecc Aluminum Notebook Cooler. It is the most effective I have seen. The only problem is it isn't meant for the lap. If you travel with your laptop a lot, take a look at this other one, it has a high airflow as well. The only thing is it is quite a bit more expensive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834999336
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835192013

yarian · 01-02-2007, 09:42 PM

About the first pad you posted.
My computer releases the air through the back on the left side near the screen half of the laptop. Will this cool pad cool down the laptop even though its fans are not located in the right place?

**TheMatt** · 01-03-2007, 12:35 PM

Yes. The laptop most likely will have a vent on the bottom to allow some air in. Air will be blown in through the bottom and exhausted through the back.

yarian · 01-09-2007, 05:02 PM

I ordered the "Bytecc" pad a couple of days ago and it arrived today.
I went into PC Wizard and my temperatures after playing a game got as high as:
CPU Temp stayed at 68 degrees C.
Processor Temp went from 31-38 degrees C.

I'm not really seeing the pad make it cooler, I've just seen it help it not get so overheated. I haven't tested it properly but once I do I'll so how it works.

**TheMatt** · 01-09-2007, 08:39 PM

If your CPU temps were 68 degrees after playing a game, that is good. What are the idle temps?

yarian · 01-10-2007, 06:43 PM

these temps make no sense.

Before pads:
HD 39
Processor 57

After pads: after playing a game for 20 minutes:
HD 68
Processor 31-38

Today after a couple of hours of using (no game)
HD 32
Processor 37

I don't know how to interpret this.

**TheMatt** · 01-10-2007, 09:29 PM

If your CPU temps are not going above 40 degrees, that is good news! Those are good temps, it looks like the cooling pad did the job.

yarian · 01-11-2007, 01:51 PM

Only problem is the temps are not constant.
I just turned on my computer right now after hibernating and barely done anything and it's already processor = 47degrees and hard disk 28 degrees.

and i also notice sometimes cpu usage goes to 100% for no reason.
svchost goes up to like 32,456k

**TheMatt** · 01-11-2007, 02:17 PM

The CPU probably was very active from restoring the laptop from hibernation. 47 degrees is still well within acceptable range. And svchost can be a real pain BTW, it will often have 100% CPU usage for seemingly no reason, especially when you are doing a Windows Update.

yarian · 01-11-2007, 05:13 PM

Okay, thank you very much Matt. I have solved my problem. If I have any further problems with overheating I'll PM you if you don't mind.

**TheMatt** · 01-11-2007, 09:39 PM

You're Welcome. You can keep posting in this thread if you have any more questions, as I will know if you respond to this thread. If you do reply to this thread and I don't respond back, then feel free to send me a PM.

yarian · 08-03-2007, 12:09 PM

Hello TheMatt. A couple of months ago I bought the cooling pad for my laptop that you recommended, it worked like a charm for a while however, now I am having the problem again. My computer can be put to regular use for hours with just the cooling pad, but now I can't convert videos even with a fan next to it or it will shut down and I have to have a fan pointed at it in order to play games like The Sims and WoW. Is there anything I can do that will not cost me an arm and leg? Keep in mind most places won't hire a person of my age and therefore I don't have lots of money to spend on this.

I am noticing the main problem is that the air the cooling pad is producing doesn't hit the part of the laptop that heats up the most which is the left part but some vents it has on the back of the laptop facing towards the wall, not towards my desk.

~~whatswiththat~~ · 08-04-2007, 01:32 AM

hey yarian not saying this a work but i did it for my laptop yesterday and its still cool touch wood right power management tab set all 45 mins advanced one power off other two stand by dont use none for first one computer dont like it 2) then thire is a programe called speed fan you have to be einstine to work it but it is free and thier is on line help apparantly

**TheMatt** · 08-04-2007, 04:10 PM

What are the temps now?

I would take a small philips screw driver and open up the bottom panels of the laptop. Use a can of compressed air (don't just blow) to dust out the laptop. Remember, ALWAYS hold the can upright!

yarian · 08-04-2007, 04:29 PM

I'm not sure what the temps are since I haven't got the program anymore. I might do the dusting but I am scared of messing up something if I do it my self so I might take it to a place, definitely not geek squad but somewhere else.

I'll download PC Wizard later and run a temp check.

**TheMatt** · 08-04-2007, 05:46 PM

Use NHC Personal from my sig. I find it to be a much better program.

yarian · 08-04-2007, 06:33 PM

After hours of normal use with the cooling pad on the whole time:

CPU: 58 Celsius
HD: 36 Celsius

01-01-2007, 07:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	Overheating problem I bought an HP Pavilion dv4000 notebook about a year ago. It worked well up to the first 6 months or so. Then I started ocassionally getting the blue screen of death saying "dumping physical memory" and sometimes just shutting down randomly. But about a week ago it started doing it every day. I have to have a fan pointing directly at the left side of the laptop which i have raised, at full speed on so that it wont shut down. This tends to happen most when I am converting a video or playing a game, or when the CPU usage is at 100%. I've read several topics here that show the same symptoms and you guys concluded that it was overheating problem every time so I download PC Wizard 2006 and checked the temperature after 15 minutes of converting a video. The processor was at 57 degrees and the hard drive got up to 39 before I turned on my household fan so it wouldn't shut down. My question is, what are the best solutions to overheating of a laptop? I've seen the cooling pads but I was wondering about how portable those are? Also, are there any alternatives to cooling pads?

01-01-2007, 08:31 PM	#2 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Hi yarian, Overheating is a common problem with laptops, and my laptop had this problem when I first got it out of the box. The quick way to reduce temps is to switch the power scheme in Windows XP to Notebook/Laptop. That will enable Intel SpeedStep. But if you are a frequent gamer, then it will not be a permanent solution, and you will have to get a cooling pad. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

01-01-2007, 10:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	Thanks for the advice, do you know about any cool pads that are really good and under $40? Last edited by yarian; 01-01-2007 at 10:55 PM.

01-02-2007, 01:13 PM	#4 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	A good cooling pad will only cost around $20 unless it is fancy and has a USB hub and a card reader built in or a fan speed controller. I use the Bytecc Aluminum Notebook Cooler. It is the most effective I have seen. The only problem is it isn't meant for the lap. If you travel with your laptop a lot, take a look at this other one, it has a high airflow as well. The only thing is it is quite a bit more expensive. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834999336 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835192013 __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides Last edited by TheMatt; 01-02-2007 at 01:14 PM.

01-03-2007, 12:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Yes. The laptop most likely will have a vent on the bottom to allow some air in. Air will be blown in through the bottom and exhausted through the back. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

01-02-2007, 09:42 PM	#5 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	About the first pad you posted. My computer releases the air through the back on the left side near the screen half of the laptop. Will this cool pad cool down the laptop even though its fans are not located in the right place?

01-09-2007, 05:02 PM	#7 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	I ordered the "Bytecc" pad a couple of days ago and it arrived today. I went into PC Wizard and my temperatures after playing a game got as high as: CPU Temp stayed at 68 degrees C. Processor Temp went from 31-38 degrees C. I'm not really seeing the pad make it cooler, I've just seen it help it not get so overheated. I haven't tested it properly but once I do I'll so how it works.

01-09-2007, 08:39 PM	#8 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	If your CPU temps were 68 degrees after playing a game, that is good. What are the idle temps? __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

01-10-2007, 06:43 PM	#9 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	these temps make no sense. Before pads: HD 39 Processor 57 After pads: after playing a game for 20 minutes: HD 68 Processor 31-38 Today after a couple of hours of using (no game) HD 32 Processor 37 I don't know how to interpret this.

01-10-2007, 09:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	If your CPU temps are not going above 40 degrees, that is good news! Those are good temps, it looks like the cooling pad did the job. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

01-11-2007, 01:51 PM	#11 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	Only problem is the temps are not constant. I just turned on my computer right now after hibernating and barely done anything and it's already processor = 47degrees and hard disk 28 degrees. and i also notice sometimes cpu usage goes to 100% for no reason. svchost goes up to like 32,456k

01-11-2007, 02:17 PM	#12 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	The CPU probably was very active from restoring the laptop from hibernation. 47 degrees is still well within acceptable range. And svchost can be a real pain BTW, it will often have 100% CPU usage for seemingly no reason, especially when you are doing a Windows Update. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

01-11-2007, 05:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	Okay, thank you very much Matt. I have solved my problem. If I have any further problems with overheating I'll PM you if you don't mind.

01-11-2007, 09:39 PM	#14 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	You're Welcome. You can keep posting in this thread if you have any more questions, as I will know if you respond to this thread. If you do reply to this thread and I don't respond back, then feel free to send me a PM. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

08-03-2007, 12:09 PM	#15 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	Re: Overheating problem Hello TheMatt. A couple of months ago I bought the cooling pad for my laptop that you recommended, it worked like a charm for a while however, now I am having the problem again. My computer can be put to regular use for hours with just the cooling pad, but now I can't convert videos even with a fan next to it or it will shut down and I have to have a fan pointed at it in order to play games like The Sims and WoW. Is there anything I can do that will not cost me an arm and leg? Keep in mind most places won't hire a person of my age and therefore I don't have lots of money to spend on this. I am noticing the main problem is that the air the cooling pad is producing doesn't hit the part of the laptop that heats up the most which is the left part but some vents it has on the back of the laptop facing towards the wall, not towards my desk.

08-04-2007, 01:32 AM	#16 (permalink)
~~whatswiththat~~ Register user Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 22 OS: windows 2000/pro	Re: Overheating problem hey yarian not saying this a work but i did it for my laptop yesterday and its still cool touch wood right power management tab set all 45 mins advanced one power off other two stand by dont use none for first one computer dont like it 2) then thire is a programe called speed fan you have to be einstine to work it but it is free and thier is on line help apparantly

08-04-2007, 04:10 PM	#17 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: Overheating problem What are the temps now? I would take a small philips screw driver and open up the bottom panels of the laptop. Use a can of compressed air (don't just blow) to dust out the laptop. Remember, ALWAYS hold the can upright! __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

08-04-2007, 04:29 PM	#18 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	Re: Overheating problem I'm not sure what the temps are since I haven't got the program anymore. I might do the dusting but I am scared of messing up something if I do it my self so I might take it to a place, definitely not geek squad but somewhere else. I'll download PC Wizard later and run a temp check.

08-04-2007, 05:46 PM	#19 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: Overheating problem Use NHC Personal from my sig. I find it to be a much better program. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

08-04-2007, 06:33 PM	#20 (permalink)
yarian Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30 OS: XP	Re: Overheating problem After hours of normal use with the cooling pad on the whole time: CPU: 58 Celsius HD: 36 Celsius