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[Bdthemag]

I think I'd better have someone who knows what they're doing clean it out for me. I've heard you can give a static shock to the motherboard and fry the whole thing... It has had overheating problems since I bought it, but I suppose it can't hurt to at least try cleaning it out. I have no idea what thermal paste is, so yeah, better ask a hardware-oriented friend to help me with that part.

And as I've mentioned several times, I have it on a cooling pad (plugged in with the fan running) at all times. Never on a soft, heat-conducting surface. It doesn't make much of a difference.

Cleaning it out is EXTREMELY simple, like seriously. I'm a complete idiot, and even I figured out how to do it. If you absolutely don't feel like messing around with stuff, just at least open the case and get a look.

Except if Sappoh has any sort of warrenty on the computer, opening up the case will void any and alll warrenties you'd ever get for a laptop

Warranties are pointless anyways, because if you take good enough care of your laptop you won't need to worry about any warranty.

[jaass]

Except if Sappoh has any sort of warrenty on the computer, opening up the case will void any and alll warrenties you'd ever get for a laptop

^ He is in a different country then he originally bought that laptop, so I think it doesn't matter.

[Sappho]

Except if Sappoh has any sort of warrenty on the computer, opening up the case will void any and alll warrenties you'd ever get for a laptop

^ He is in a different country then he originally bought that laptop, so I think it doesn't matter.

She, thank you very much. I don't think it had any warranty when I got it, at least not one lasting long enough to be useful (I bought it over a year ago), and as jaass says, I'm in another country. To buy this computer in this country would have cost TWICE as much, so I ordered it in the USA and had my grandmother bring it over when she came to visit. I won't be going back over there until at least January, so not too useful.

I'll open up the laptop later and have a look (on my way out right now). Is it true that I have to be careful of static electricity? I don't want to damage anything.

[Bdthemag]

Just turn off the laptop and make sure to take the battery out, and you'll be fine.

[Sappho]

HAHAHAHAHA here's the coup de grace: it's designed NOT to be opened. You can't even remove or replace the battery on this model. Here's what you have to do to get inside it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lay2LlH6sI

That's a little beyond my skill level, guys. I tried just removing the screws on the bottom and it took me 20 minutes to get the little fuckers back in, they're so tiny. Do you think I can clean any dust out by spraying compressed air in the vent on the bottom? I have to say, I can't imagine very much dust being inside this thing. But I absolutely cannot risk damaging the computer after I wasted $1500 on it. No way. I'm just going to have to limit my computer use until the heat wave passes, and spend a lot of time cursing the name of Dell and shadow-boxing an imaginary personification of the whole company to release the RAGE.

[DJ]

Running at high temperature for extended periods can damage it, so yeah, you really should just use the old one till you get this one fixed.

And next time you buy a computer, make it a desktop

[Sappho]

I needed the laptop because I bought it for VJing. I have to carry the computer to a party (usually in a club) and VJ from there. Desktop wouldn't be possible.

The problem is, this old computer is fine for writing and low-end games, but I can't play Under the Ocean or any other newer higher-end games on here. I haven't tried DF yet... Might be ok with Masterwork. We'll see. This is super frustrating.

Well, for now I want to keep myself busy with writing, so maybe it's for the best if I'm not wasting hours and hours playing games. I have two books to write, and I want to make a StoryNexus DF-type world (collaborating with other B12ers). I don't know if anyone has started such a project yet, but at least one other person said they were interested. That will have to tide me over until the heat wave passes.

Thanks for all the attempts to help guys. Even the combined knowledge of B12 isn't enough to battle the horrific scourge upon humanity that Dell has become.

[Mechatronic]

If you haven't cleaned the inside of the laptop recently it's probably full of dust. A can should cost under ten bucks and get rid of the worst of it. Test the can out before using it on your laptop because it'll leave a residue (of propellant I think) if it's held too close. If dust comes out and it still overheats it's quite likely a thermal paste issue.

[Bdthemag]

HAHAHAHAHA here's the coup de grace: it's designed NOT to be opened. You can't even remove or replace the battery on this model.

THAT MAKES NO SENSE, WHAT KIND OF LAPTOP MANUFACTURER WOULD DO THIS. IT MAKES NO SENSE.

But just spraying compressed air in there isn't going to do much, maybe just shift the dust around. If you just recently got it (Not sure if you did) then there probably wouldn't be a whole lot of dust. Although if you've had for 6+ months, chances are there will be a hell of a lot of dust in there. It could be a thermal paste issue, but at this point with your lack of experience you might just want to bring it in to a local computer repair shop. For the love of god though, don't bring it to a Best Buy Geek Squad type deal.

[Sappho]

HAHAHAHAHA here's the coup de grace: it's designed NOT to be opened. You can't even remove or replace the battery on this model.

THAT MAKES NO SENSE, WHAT KIND OF LAPTOP MANUFACTURER WOULD DO THIS. IT MAKES NO SENSE.

But just spraying compressed air in there isn't going to do much, maybe just shift the dust around. If you just recently got it (Not sure if you did) then there probably wouldn't be a whole lot of dust. Although if you've had for 6+ months, chances are there will be a hell of a lot of dust in there. It could be a thermal paste issue, but at this point with your lack of experience you might just want to bring it in to a local computer repair shop. For the love of god though, don't bring it to a Best Buy Geek Squad type deal.

DELL IS THE SPAWN OF THE DEVIL SENT TO WREAK HAVOC ON MANKIND. Do not buy a fucking Dell, ever, no matter how good a deal it seems like you're getting.

There are no "best buy geek squad" places around here. I've had the computer a little over a year. I would have no idea where to bring the computer that would do a good job and not damage it. Most places here don't speak English.

As I've stated before, the computer has always had overheating issues. The more I look into it, the more other people have had to discard their XPS machines because of overheating and shutdowns (even brand new). Is it really worth paying someone (probably a SHITload of money especially since I'm a foreigner) to clean the dust out of the computer (possibly damaging the case in the process since it's clearly not meant to be opened, EVER) if it's still going to be overheating?

I've said all this before, but since not everyone has time to read through the whole thread, let me recap:

I have had this computer for a little over a year.
-It has had overheating issues since the day I bought it.
-It has nothing but bad reviews, but unfortunately these reviews weren't available when I bought it because it was a new model.
-The computer is from the USA but I live in Prague, so I can't get official service on it. I think it had a warranty on it but it's surely expired by now, and probably not valid in this country anyway. When I got it, it was already too late to return it, because of the process of getting it here from the USA.
-The computer runs warm all the time (always has since it was fresh out of the package), but it doesn't get dangerously hot unless I run demanding programs like high-end games or video software.

[DJ]

Sell it and recoup what you can.

[quinnr]

I would attempt to shoot some canned air into the fans and see if that helps, I know it's helped a few people I know before. My computer has issues like that sometimes, but not nearly as bad, and more often when I do stupidness with it (like set it on a soft surface). Good luck with it, though!

[foil]

What apps do you use most?  If its a web browser, download Chrome or Firefox and install Adblock Plus..  Made my laptop almost silent and gets about 2x battery life since installing Adblock Plus.  Used to have the fan going flat out when using Internet Explorer and having 20+ flash ads on each page thrashing the thing.

[Sappho]

I already use NoScript to block all scripts that I don't explicitly authorize.

EDIT: I just decided, hell with it, the worst that could happen is I'll damage the case, and seeing how I'd like to take a sledgehammer to the damned thing anyway, that's not so bad. I managed to get it open with only minor difficulties (following the directions in that video) and had a look at the fan.

There was basically zero dust in there. Nothing. I blew in there as hard as I could and nothing came out. I'm sensitive to dust, too. I'd know if it was there. So I guess if you don't want dust to get in the fan, you just make it so the air doesn't really circulate and all the heat stays inside. (By the way, the fan is definitely working - not only can I hear it LOUD and clear, I can also feel a cool breeze coming out of the vent. What bothers me is that the breeze is cool, while the computer is hot to the touch, and the fan is on the opposite side of the computer from where the heat is being produced.)

So that means the problem is definitely the design of the computer, and has nothing to do with dust. Yaaayyy for Dell!

[DJ]

Sell it and recoup what you can.