I don't know much about computers at all but I'd vaguely bet from personal experience it's fairly likely to be overheating. Mine did that when I tried using it in bed, and there was no airflow underneath cos the mattress wasn't flat/hard.
*hopes you find out what it is and have it fixed, anyway*
If it's making a noise before switching itself off, it's likely to be doing it deliberately - and the only normal reason for that is overheating. What make is it? A lot of Dells have badly designed fans that collect dust, which is easy enough to fix.
Either an anti-static vacuum cleaner (normal ones are not terribly good things to use on computers...), or take the alternative approach and try blowing dust out using a can of compressed air. Or take it apart, which is my normal approach but not a good idea if you still have any warranty.
Oooh, thank you muchly. :) I'll give that a go. Not the taking apart bit (cos I'll probably break it), but the compressed air... (Mine's actually a Toshiba, but it's been to China in the summer, and that's a very dusty place, come to think about it.)
I'm using it on a desk, and giving it plenty of space, so will probably have to try and clean the dust... If that doesn't work, then would I have to try replacing batteries?
Yeah, sounds like an overheating problem. However, if it won't turn on even after it's been allowed to cool down again, it's either another problem or a much more serious one (e.g. the heatsink over your CPU is dislodged, etc.) - if it's still in warranty, don't even think about opening it up as you'll void it :P. Otherwise, try the dust thang (though be very very careful with compressed air, as some brands spray a liquid propellant onto the components - best to deflect the air with a piece of plastic or something rather than spraying directly onto electrical components) or just take it down to your local computer hardware store.
Computer-dummy says...ghaidinOctober 22 2005, 16:54:31 UTC
In Spanish, because I doubt I could do this in English... los portatiles suelen tener como una pestannita que entra en un agujerito en el tablero, para si bajas la pantalla que se apague el ordenador. Parece ser que el agujerito se llena de polvo y cosas asi con relativa facilidad, y entonces el sensor piensa que estas cerrando la compu y la quieres apagar.
Re: Computer-dummy says...ghaidinOctober 23 2005, 14:27:08 UTC
If the universe cared, it would know I'm a complete zero with computers. But past experiences do rub on, even in the least capable of us. Cute big cat pic, btw. :)
Comments 18
*hopes you find out what it is and have it fixed, anyway*
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
I'll give that a go. Not the taking apart bit (cos I'll probably break it), but the compressed air...
(Mine's actually a Toshiba, but it's been to China in the summer, and that's a very dusty place, come to think about it.)
Reply
Make sure it's ot enough airspace around it. Use it on a desk with it's legs extended. And make sure the fan's not clogged with dust, as said above.
Reply
Reply
And of course, if you get the same behaviour when running off mains power, it's not the battery.
Reply
HTH, Rich.
Reply
Reply
Prueba a limpiar el dichoso agujero.
Reply
Reply
Cute big cat pic, btw. :)
Reply
Leave a comment