Dell Laptop Issue

[jcampi]

I started having this issue with my Dell Latitude D800 laptop about two weeks ago. I leave the laptop plugged into the AC power almost all of the time. I have changed the power settings so the screen stays on with the hard drive. When the laptop is powered on and idle for several hours and you open the screen up the entire screen alternates between blue, green and white screens. When the laptop goes into this mode I can't restart and have to pull the battery to restart the laptop. When I replace the battery and restart Windows XP Pro informs me there was a serious error and Windows had to shutdown. It does seem the laptop is warmer than usual when I open it after it is sitting idle for a few hours. What the heck could be causing this issue? I bring the laptop into our IT Unit on Monday, but would like some opinion on this issue.

[dbarrow]

A big hairball on the vid card!
Sounds symptomatic of a heat problem.

[mylanta]

I agree sounds like heat and heat on the video card...it could just be opening up and blasting crud out with a can of air...could also try tipping back end up in air on both side by placint small slivers of something underneath as it could be problewm where fan is dying as well....

[mylanta]

hey those of you with overheating laptops, check this out for $15
http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?T1=148+0773&dept=&search=148%200094%20148%200397%20148%200773%20148% 200669&child=

[jcampi]

Overheating seems to be the concensus. I'm bringing the laptop in to our IT Unit at work tomorrow. I normally leave the laptop powered on all of the time. If the laptop is replaced with a new one I think I'll power it on in the morning and shut it down each evening. I've had this laptop for over a year and this just started over the last two weeks. Once I obtain the new laptop is there anything you guys can suggest on the power settings to keep the new laptop from overheating? I don't want to spring any $ for a cooling pad, etc. as the laptop is from work. How common is this type of overheating? I'd rather not get another Dell, but this is the only brand of laptop my workplace will provide.

[mylanta]

All laptops suffer from overheating to a certain extent, and other than adapting some sort of additional cooling device, there really is no way to prevent it. most mfgrs put cooling ducts on bottom, so elevating the back off the desktop a bit is the only thing I know to really prevent this.

[Dan18960]

Overheating seems to be the concensus. I'm bringing the laptop in to our IT Unit at work tomorrow. I normally leave the laptop powered on all of the time. If the laptop is replaced with a new one I think I'll power it on in the morning and shut it down each evening. I've had this laptop for over a year and this just started over the last two weeks. Once I obtain the new laptop is there anything you guys can suggest on the power settings to keep the new laptop from overheating? I don't want to spring any $ for a cooling pad, etc. as the laptop is from work. How common is this type of overheating? I'd rather not get another Dell, but this is the only brand of laptop my workplace will provide.

John,

You are using the laptop as if it were a desktop - laptops are NOT meant to be powered on, connected to a wall socket, and run all day. They are for working on - shutting down. I never leave my laptop powered on for longer than I am working on it. Done work, powered off. Not hibernate, not standby - complete shut down. The notebook is now in it's second year and I have not had any issues with applications or the operating system.

NOW my desktops where fans have been added to dispense the internal heat - they are NEVER shut down. They don't hibernate, they don't standby, they don't "save" power to the hard drive or video or sound or nic - they DO blank the screen.

[jcampi]

I hear you Dan. I actually did treat the laptop like a desktop PC. I pluged it into the wall socket and just leave it on (all of the time). From now on I'll start it when we all come home from work in the early evening and shut down each night before bed. I never realized heat was such an issue and just thought the manufacturers knew how to deal with this issue.

[dbarrow]

Not only does leaving it plugged in all the time kill the NiCad battery, it never gets "cycled", the constant trickle charge to the battery will heat it up, another source of your heat problem.
NiCads throw off considerable heat when charging.
Note how your cell phone gets a little warm after charging?

The battery may actually be cooked after a year and the additional resistance, combined with charging power going to it could be the problem. When they start to go bad, they really heat up when charging!
Have your IT remove and test the battery (or better, replace) and "cycle" it if they have a charge/discharge unit built for that purpose.

[jcampi]

When I run the laptop with the battery only I really don't have any issues. The battery lasts for three or four hous without any problem. From now on I'll only leave the laptop plugged in to the AC wall plug for a few hours at a time. Is it a good idea to take out the battery when the laptop is plugged into the wall?

[mylanta]

When I run the laptop with the battery only I really don't have any issues. The battery lasts for three or four hous without any problem. From now on I'll only leave the laptop plugged in to the AC wall plug for a few hours at a time. Is it a good idea to take out the battery when the laptop is plugged into the wall?

I can't see going that far...

[jcampi]

My IT Unit installed a brand new image on the laptop. When the screen was going to blue, white or red I would get a error message stating their was a serious error upon restarting the laptop. So far so good. I have had the laptop on today for several hours and no problem. I hope the problem wasn't an overheating problem after all. I should not in a little while.