I have a dell Inspiron 5100 laptop that has has been turning itself off and getting hot, without excessive use. I have just this weekend reinstalled the operating system, and was trying to install Microsoft Office 2007 this morning when it shut down AGAIN! So I contacted Dell and we were running the 32 bit hardware diagnostics test, and during the fan test the computer shut down again. The Dell technician told me I would need to replace the fan, and I wanted a second opinion. Is it worth it to replace this, or is my computer "on the way out"? Should I think about replacing the whole machine?? In the past 4 months I've purchased additional memory, a new battery, and now replaced the operating system. I don't want to keep pouring money into this machine if it isn't worth it. HELP! I' m just a poor grad student who needs a working computer! :(
I have the same laptop and this happened to me. What you need to do is to carefully take it apart and clean all of the accumulated dust out. I took the top cover off of mine and lifted the keypad out and there was lots of dust caked inside and all over the fan. You will need to take your time and be careful but you can do it. I used two cans of compressed air and could not beleive the amount of dust I got out of it. After you put it back togeather, check that you have the newest BIOS upgrade done. The newer one will turn the fan on earlier to keep it cooler. To start taking it apart, open the lid and notice the blue piece that houses the power button. It is about 3/4 inch tall and goes the width of your laptop. On the far right edge there is a little notch. This is where you carefully pry up with a screwdriver to remove this cover. Start there and you will find some screws to unscrew. From there, you can figure out how to remove the keypad and the rest. Good luck! -Andy
I recommend to visit the following http://www.geocities.com/i5100dustproblem/
Even though I never experienced overheating - I do 'dust' mine once in a while. I've also installed the 'fanGUI' mentioned in the article.
There is no such thing as "computer on the way out". Replace the fan, it is cheap part. Just don't turn it on anymore before fan gets replaced.
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