Computer is hot, loud, or shuts itself off

Computers slow themselves down, and eventually switch themselves off, to protect themselves from heat. A loud fan is the first warning.

What is usually behind it

• Dust packed into the fan and cooling fins
• Vents blocked by a bed, couch or blanket
• Thermal paste between the chip and the cooler that has dried out over the years
• A fan that is failing
• A program running flat out in the background

Try this first

• Use the laptop on a hard, flat surface, not on a bed or your lap
• Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and see whether one program is using most of the processor
• Make sure nothing is blocking the vents on a desktop tower

Why a proper clean helps

Blowing into the vents only moves some of the dust around. We open it up, clean the fans and fins, replace the thermal paste and check the fan, which often makes an older computer quieter and faster than it has been in years.

Other common problems

• Blue screen, or the computer keeps restarting
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• Mac running slow, or won't start
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