Computer overheating occasionally due to dust blocking the fan

1. Fix Internal Cooling. The first and most important thing you need to do when your laptop is overheatingis to clean the fan(s) that provide(s) cooling to the CPU and graphics card. Over time, they build up layers of dust and dirt that slow them down and block airflow.
A laptop that severely overheats causes damage to the internal components. Before this happens, the laptop should attempt to shut itself down. ... If you smell smoke, a burning odor, the fans never run or the fan runs all the time, be careful to avoid ruining your laptop.
The most common cause of laptop overheating is a non-working fan. ... Viruses, spyware, adware and other types of malware put a heavy strain on the CPU and other components of your laptop. This causes those components to heat up, often to a point where the fan simply cannot move enough air over them to cool them down.
Determine Whether Your Computer Is Overheating or Just Hot. Laptops get hot. It's what they do. However, if your laptop is shutting down, suffering from the blue screen of *****, or experiencing serious slowdowns, then you have a much bigger problem on your hands.
A laptop that severely overheats causes damage to the internal components. Before this happens, the laptop should attempt to shut itself down. ... If you smell smoke, a burning odor, the fans never run or the fan runs all the time, be careful to avoid ruining your laptop.
Heat is a computer's enemy. Computers are designed with heat dispersion and ventilation in mind so they don't overheat. If too much heat builds up, your computermay become unstable, suddenly shut down, or even suffer component damage.
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There are some laptops that get hotter than other laptops. Laptops get hot due to many factors such as capacity of the processor, cooling fans,ventilation, extra items such as modem, video cards. They all produce heat due to which laptop gets hot.

You'll find many examples on the Internet for the laptops which get hot. There are particular laptop models which produce excessive heat. For example, IMB T60,Apple Mac Book Aeros, Compaq 610, Dell D400 etc.

But you don't need to worry now because there are certain methods by which you can stop overheating of your laptop. These methods are discussed below.

Place your laptop on a cool flat surface while working. It will allow the air to enter your laptop. Some laptops have cooling fan underneath and blocking this will make your laptop hot quickly.

Buy a laptop stand from a laptop seller. It lifts your laptop few inches from surface of the table making a reasonable space for air to enter your laptop freely.

Dust your laptop regularly; it will keep your laptop's fan functioning properly for a long period. The fan needs to do an extra work when there is dust inside the laptop. If you dust regularly, the fan will not experience any difficulty.

Shut down your laptop before putting it in the bag. The atmosphere inside the bag may be too hot for your laptop, and it can damage your laptop.

When the battery is full, unplug the charger. People make a common mistake leaving the laptop plugged in. Due to the constant supply of electricity to the laptop will heat its battery as a result it will overheat your laptop.

You can find certain kinds of items in many electronic stores for keeping your laptop cool. Cooling pad is a most common equipment to keep your laptop cool that sits beneath your laptop and is powered on with the help of USB port. It increases the airflow inside the laptop. So, cooling pad is the best you can take to keep your laptop cool and maximize its performance.

Give your laptop a little break if it is getting hot. It can shut down itself to protect any kind of damage due to overheating. This is an indication that your laptop needs a little break.

Do not expose your laptop to the sunlight for a long span of time.