Dell latitude 5100 shutting down

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S

st

My laptop if not touched for a few minutes will shut down. It's not the power
options either because I have those off. I don't think it's a virus, but I
can not finish running the virus scanner because my computer shuts down. My
laptop does get pretty hot, but it has always got hot since i have had it the
past 4 years. The fan on it seems to be running. What do I do, or maybe how
do I run the virus check if it keeps shutting down?
 
> My laptop if not touched for a few minutes will shut down.

Describe this...is it a normal shutdown with the pop-up box that let's you
know what's happening? Or is it a sudden and complete loss of power with no
warning?

-John O
 
If it just turns off, you could be looking at an overheating issue on the vid
card. Or a PS problem. Do you have an extended warrenty? If so send it to
dell and make them figure it out.

"st" wrote:

> My laptop if not touched for a few minutes will shut down. It's not the power
> options either because I have those off. I don't think it's a virus, but I
> can not finish running the virus scanner because my computer shuts down. My
> laptop does get pretty hot, but it has always got hot since i have had it the
> past 4 years. The fan on it seems to be running. What do I do, or maybe how
> do I run the virus check if it keeps shutting down?
 
It does just shut off without warning. The other guy says it could be my
video card over heating. How do i tell if the fan on the video card is
running?

"JohnO" wrote:

> > My laptop if not touched for a few minutes will shut down.
>
> Describe this...is it a normal shutdown with the pop-up box that let's you
> know what's happening? Or is it a sudden and complete loss of power with no
> warning?
>
> -John O
>
>
>
 
> It does just shut off without warning. The other guy says it could be my
> video card over heating. How do i tell if the fan on the video card is
> running?
>

I'm pretty certain there is no fan on the video. The video chip on a 5100
probably doesn't get hot, we're not looking at a powerful system here,
relatively speaking.

See if you can get into the BIOS and set the CPU to 50% speed or something.
That might let the machine run long enough to see if you have a malware
issue, which is entirely possible. If you can get it to run for a while you
have to run a spyware scanner/cleaner. Spybot Search&Destroy is a good one
to start with.

If the system is clean, you might have a blocked airway for the cooling
system, or a bad CPU, or something equally bad.

-John O
 
"st" <st@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A9CB51A6-B987-4BCE-A0D0-BC649A29CA3F@microsoft.com...
> It does just shut off without warning. The other guy says it could be my
> video card over heating. How do i tell if the fan on the video card is
> running?
>
> "JohnO" wrote:
>
>> > My laptop if not touched for a few minutes will shut down.
>>
>> Describe this...is it a normal shutdown with the pop-up box that let's
>> you
>> know what's happening? Or is it a sudden and complete loss of power with
>> no
>> warning?
>>
>> -John O
>>
>>
>>
If it seems to be a heat issue--and it sounds likely with this limited
info--set it on one of those freezer-packs you put in a picnic cooler. I
keep one just for working on laptops, and it does quite a good job. It
should allow you to run your diagnostic/virus software. On really
hot-running laptops, I actually put them in my freezer for a few minutes
before I reboot. HTH, s
 
Hello,

My name is Mike, I’m a Technical Analyst at Dell corporate headquarters
in Round Rock, TX. I’m part of an internet outreach team developed to
interact with the online community regarding technical questions and
issues that customers face with Dell products.

With what you’ve described it does indeed sound like an overheating
problem. If the fans are running this could be an indication that it’s
time to do a little “spring cleaning” so to speak. Given the length of
time you’ve had this system I would recommend opening up the chassis
(or finding someone who is professional/comfortable enough to do so)
and cleaning out the airways with a can of compressed air. Over time
dust builds up in those airways and blocks the fan from blowing out the
hot air.

The reason I say to open up the chassis and clean it out is because
simply blowing air into the vents will just push the dust further into
the system and could end up causing more problems. Also, make sure that
the rubber feet on the bottom of the notebook are all still in tact.
Missing rubber feet lower the system, this also blocks the air flow
causing problems like this. You can take a look at the online teardown
for the 5100 he http://tinyurl.com/cc699. It shows pictures and has
text walking you through tearing down your system and putting it back
together. I hope this information helps.

Mike
Dell customer advocate




--
Dell_C.A.
 
"st" <st@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A9CB51A6-B987-4BCE-A0D0-BC649A29CA3F@microsoft.com...
> It does just shut off without warning. The other guy says it could be my
> video card over heating. How do i tell if the fan on the video card is
> running?
>
> "JohnO" wrote:
>
>> > My laptop if not touched for a few minutes will shut down.
>>
>> Describe this...is it a normal shutdown with the pop-up box that let's
>> you
>> know what's happening? Or is it a sudden and complete loss of power with
>> no
>> warning?
>>
>> -John O
>>

Get a can of "air" and blow out the vents. I service Dell computers, and if
this has never been done, the cooling fins are probably plugged solid. I've
seen some real nice looking cooling fin plugs on a number of the laptops
I've serviced. Generally after about a year of use, they are really plugged
up, ESPECIALLY if you have pets. Blow it out, and I bet everything will be
back to normal.
 
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