Computer overheating?

Question

Is it possible that overheating can cause computer malfunction and if so what are the most likely symptoms?

Answer 1

Absolutely. It will kill your processor.

The first sign is that it slows down. Of course, there are other possible causes for this, such as spyware and other malicious programs (malware, badware, 'viruses'). A near-full hard drive will also cause slow operation. I'd eliminate these possibilities first.

If you suspect overheating, and do not already have a utility that monitors internal chassis temperature, you can find one at snapfiles (Serious Samurize or Motherboard monitor). Your manual, if you have one, should tell you the nominal safe operating temperature range for your computer. If the utility says you're consistently running above that range, do something. QUICKLY!

1. Shut down the computer, take out the power cord. Take off the side panel and blow out the dust with a can of compressed air. Remove the front panel and get the dust bunnies out of the air intakes. Remove the fan from the processor and clean the dust out of the heat sink. Use a SLIGHTLY moistened Q-tip to clean the grunge off all the fan blades.

2. Many people have the tower chassis sitting on the floor or inside a desk cubby where there is limited air flow. If this is the case, relocate the tower to the top of the desk or an adjacent stand or file cabinet.

3. Listen to your computer. Are one or more of the fans making noise? Replace it/them. And if you have a free power header on the motherboard, add another fan. (I recently saw a mod where the case was made ENTIRELY out of fans except for the rear panel and the front expansion bays)

4. If you're still not getting enough airflow, remove one side panel. I do this in especially hot summer weather, not (yet) having an air conditioner in my study. You can also position a small fan to blow directly on the processor. If you can remove the top panel and there are holes in the top frame, use a drill to put some holes in the plastic panel. Heat rises, after all.

5. The most extreme remedy I've seen for overheating came from someone who habitually overclocked his processors. He removed all the side panels and immersed his computer in a bathtub full of non-conductive mineral oil. I don't know how that affected the mechanical parts like the hard and disk drives.

Answer 2

open up your computer (not your monitor) and check if the fan is working properly, and check the open hole and make sure there is not a lot of dust there, (you probably need to do some maintenance ) Also, don't just rip off the fan and buy new one, that will just cost more money, and it is not a wise idea, this is like trobleshooting, check the obvious 1st, cleaning the computer is good idea to keep the computer from getting overheated, and it would look better if the computer is good. The things that you should never use to clean computer, and moniters are (vacuums, (even if it's static free)) never use anything that will cause static, anything magnetic, don't use compressed air inside the computer it might, i said might, blow other component that are small and cause problem. never use toilet paper or random napkin to clean moniter screen, use static free rag. Laptop should never be used on bed, it will over heat it and mess up the computer bad, might shorten the lifspan of the laptop ONCE again NEVER USE VACUUMS they might suck up small component that is needed for the computer

Answer 3

Yes, it can cause errors, Hard Drive access and RAM access errors, video card to go haywire. Worst case it can fuse parts making the computer unable to function.
If you think your computer might be subject to over heating then install as many fans as there is space on the case and/or remove the side to let plenty of air inside. Make sure there are a few inches of space between the tower and any other object and make sure all air vents are uncovered. If you are still suffering from over heating there is a chance there is a fault with one of the componants causing it to heat up more then unsual.

Answer 4

my computer kept on crashing and I found out that the circuit boards and everything inside it was bunged up with dust. You need to buy an air duster spray, about £8, and every 3 months or so remove the side panel, and wearing an anti static wristband carefully blow it out and vacuum the dust. Also I bought 2 extra cooling fans & fitted them and raised the tower legs on blocks of 25mm wood for extra air circulation underneath. Keep a regular eye on that dust, especially if tower is close to the floor on a computer desk. Good luck.

Answer 5

When is the last time you cleaned the inside of your computer. If your hard drive runs at over 40 degrees Celsius you will have major problems. Mostly it is build up of dust etc. Make sure both fans are working and clean with adequate ventilation. Use Compressed air and do not touch motherboard

Answer 6

Random crashing of applications mainly.
Can you hear the fan in the back, if not then it will have packed in, and yes overheating will occur.

Answer 7

Cleaning my processor fan sorted mine. I also gave the fan on my processor a clean too. It costs about ten pounds to get a new heat sink and fan. And make sure the fan from the power pack is clear too.

Un-plug everything first.

Answer 8

So..
CCleaner is the best tool on the market to clean up your pc. Download here http://bit.ly/UrArJj
It's a very simple and nice software.
Regards

Answer 9

Yes, overheating can cause the computer to 'freeze' up.
:)

Answer 10

yes it is true....it is usually caused by a fan that is not working properly so the most likey symptom would be loud sounds(usually the fan makes loud noises when not working properly).....computer generally slow.....and playing up .......You can also open it and see if the fan is working.....

hope it helps