i have a dell inspirion 5100 laptop. recently, the bottom of the computer gets hot really fast after a short time of usage. i think i have this problem before, so i sent it to dell and they seemed to have fixed it. no more warranty . when it gets hot, the program that normally would not take that much cpu usage, took a lot of cpu usage. when it gets hot, programs such as word or media player would use up like almost 100% cpu usage. in order to help the computer not be so hot, i have to raised it up (used a book or something) and try not to cover the fan at the bottom. i have tried opened up the laptop and cleaned the fan, but it still has the same problem. thanks.
#1. "RE: heat sink problem" In response to 1l (Reply # 0)
My daughter has a similar Dell which had the same problem. If you google for overheating Dell laptops you will find that it is a widespread problem. I found a neat little utility which lets you control the fan speed and setpoints independent of BIOS.
#2. "RE: heat sink problem" In response to 1l (Reply # 0)
Here is one link off the Dell Forum there are lots of discussions about the 5100's I think the intake is on the bottom of the laptop I could be wrong. http://www.geocities.com/i5100dustproblem/