How do I stop my laptop overheating?

[Rumbled]

The laptop's so, so hot. The fan has been working in overdrive for a few weeks now, once it's been on more than an hour or so. But this week - no doubt not helped by the weather - the key pads and mouse pad are getting really hot. Not just warm - hot.

Is this right? Is there anything other than the warmer weather that could be causing this?

Grateful for any tips on how to cool it down and calm my frenzied fan down. Thanks.

(BTW, there's nothing much running in the background, so it's not overworking itself, IYSWIM.)

Might be dusty inside the fan? My fan goes mad every now and again and laptop gets V V hot is usually because it's dusty and clogging.
I have a can of air to spray in and clear it out, works a treat.

yes clean fan (hoover better than air sparya whihc can push dust further in)
also never rest it on a soft surface
in this weather prop each end on a book to let more air circulate underneath
set up your power management to hibernate if not used for 1min, not stand by or similar

Ooh, thanks. That's a good tip. Don't have a can of air, though. Would a fan on full blast work? Or a hoover, to suck the dust out? If not, where the heck do you buy a "can of air"?!

I've never thought of using a hoover actually but I suppose no reason why it wouldn't work! I get cans of air from pc world, use them for cleaning keyboard of crumbs etc too :D

X-posted. Thanks, MrsBadger. Will get the hoover our right now. I have sometimes rested it on a soft surface - although never for long/never unattended, and it hasn't been on one all today and is still going berzerk. Will stop doing that. Good tip about books to encourage air circulation. And I do already set it to hibernate - not stand by. Must be very dusty then, as it's not coping even with that!

Thanks, Under.

WIth one of these. Put laptop on pad, pad sucks the heat out of laptop. DH bought me one whne I was pg and rested laptop on bump.

Is it a Dell? They seem to be very prone to overheating.

That looks good, BikeRunSki. Might add that to my Christmas list. It's not a Dell, Missus84; it's a Toshiba.

Oh, have flipped it over and hoovered it, BTW. Will see if it behaves a bit better ...

don't know if this is what you mean but i sit mine on a wire rack out of the microwave, keeps the underneath cooler.