You can also use the outer tube of a pen (with the ink and spring removed). STUDENTS who are in a pinch and have very few tools or resources nearby, including compressed air can take advantage of this method.
IMPORTANT NOTE! There is always a possibility that the laptop fan could become "jammed-up" with the dust that is blown back from the processor heat sink while doing this cleaning procedure, so be warned! The odds are very slight, but they ARE there! If this situation occurs, I would (and have in the past) used a vacuum hose from something like a shop vac, or something similar to get the dust off the fan allowing it to spin free (not a hair drier, not strong enough). Myself, I would power off the laptop, place the vacuum suction near the "fan inlet" vents, and then outlet vents in an alternating fashion to achieve this. The vacuum will dislodge the dust, and the fan will start to spin. DO NOT let the fan spin up at a fast rate of speed as damage to the fan could occur. I have cleaned many laptops, and by using the procedure described here and in this video, I have always had success. I have never had to take a laptop apart because of a dust build-up.
BTW, ANY laptop (AND PC) that moves air "into and out of itself" with a fan, will be susceptible to a dust build-up, eventually leading to an overheating condition.
Symptoms of laptop over-heating may include (but are not limited to)
• A very noisy or racing cooling fan with little air coming out from the laptop.
• If any air is coming out from the laptop, it is quite hot! (It should only be warm)
• No cooling fan sound, because the fan is stuck from dust build-up.
• The bottom of the laptop near the fan area getting very hot.
• Laptop performance slowing down, or the laptop is shutting off completely because the laptop is trying to protect itself from damage caused by an excessive heat build-up.
note;- This video shows a "general method of cleaning" that "I would use" if tools/equipment are not available. It would be helpful to check the owner/user's manual of YOUR device to get clarification on the cleaning procedure of your laptop vents. Every laptop has a different configuration.
PLEASE NOTE. There are times when a laptop will turn off because of a virus or malware, hardware or software problems/conflicts as well. If you believe your Windows laptop is "not" overheating, I would download and run (from microsoft.com/downloads) the "Microsoft malicious software removal tool"(There is a NEW updated one every week.). A FULL scan MUST be done in my opinion. This will take hours, but it is well worth it. If the tool does find problems, make absolutely sure YOU ARE running an antivirus program on your laptop. Many new laptops come with "trial versions" that expire leaving the unsuspecting user vulnerable! Reboot the laptop afterwards, run "Windows update" and install all recommended updates. Reboot the laptop again, then try it afterwards.
0:00 Intro and supplies I used.
0:37 Why this problem happens.
1:46 How I do this (if no compressed air is available).
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