laptop getting hot and fan on all the time.

[Meglet]

My laptop is only 2.6yrs old. The battery pretty much went a year ago so I always have to run it from the mains. As soon as it's turned on the fan starts running and it's hot within an hour. Why would the fan start as soon as it's turned on before it's warm?

Do I need a new battery?

It does have loads of photos on it so I'm not sure whether it's them causing the problem. I'm trying to back them up bit by bit to clear the hard drive.

I only really use it for the internet but want to use it for an OU course and at this rate it won't last very long.

TIA

the fan is always on isn't it? maybe it has just got noisier?
do you have it on a table or on your lap?
mine gets hot v.quickly if i use it on my lap or on a cushion because it can't vent properly

Sounds like you need to clean the fan out. The vent gets full of dust/fibres from clothes and makes the laptop overheat. Certain ones (like Dell) will switch themselves off when they get too hot. There should be a panel where the fan is, just remove it (switch the laptop off and unplug it first though), then remove the fluff and replace the panel. Google it if yours is different.

Another one for it needs a clean - compressed air can

Mine was doing this. I had the fan cleaned out - it was full of dust, particularly plaster dust as we've been renovating the house. it's much better now.

i turn mine off, take the battery out, stick a leg of a tight over the nozzle of the hoover, lay the laptop on its back and hoover out the vents lightly. I cant get at my fans without removing the keyboard so this works a treat!
disclaimer I have no idea if this is actually a done thing. but it works for me!

Yep, needs a clean. You can take the panel off, or just get a can of compressed air (from any computer shop, but not PC World because they are ridiculously expensive there, or I've seen it in larger Tescos too) and carefully and gently use it to blow the dust out of all the fan openings. Doing it with the hoover like boxoftricks says does work but it's not usually a good idea because it's a bit too violent for sensitive parts and you run the risk of spinning the fan too fast and breaking/damaging it that way. I tend to pin the fan (just make sure it can't spin by blocking it with a skewer in my other hand or something) before I use the compressed air for this reason.

Thanks all .

Will look for some compressed air and hope it does the trick.