If we continue with the theory that the laptop is overheating, different software packages may drive heat generation at different rates (depending on how efficient their code is for doing things), but eventually the heat will build up to shutdown temperatures. Just more slowly for more efficient software.
Also, you really can’t guarantee you were doing exactly the same thing at different times with the different browsers. As small a difference as having one or two fewer open browser tabs may make a difference in heat accumulation. (Again, assuming this is a cooling problem, which sounds likely to me by your description.)
Thanks for all of the advice. I’ll try and get the cooling pad this weekend, but it’s going to be awhile before I can afford to get it cleaned – seriously, how much am I looking at spending?
It’s a Dell Inspiron 15 – it’s roughly about three years old, and up until now it was working just great. I got it right as Windows 8 was coming out, and they were still releasing Win 7 too. (I could also use a new charger as well, but one thing at a time!)
Note that Dell has made a ton of different model Inspirons over the years, even in that size. It’s like describing a car as a Toyota Corolla. A '96 model isn’t the same as a '16 model.
If you want to Google for more info on your model you have to give the specific model number. E.g., on how to disassemble one.
For me, it’d be a no-brainer to take the top lid/keyboard off and start clearing out dust and checking fans.
This is something you can do yourself. A squirt of compressed air to dislodge built-up dust is likely all that’s needed. Just remember to blow it in the intake, not the outlet. Opening up the laptop for additional cleaning is also pretty simple - just take your time.
It’s just a bunch of little screws to open the back. Just don’t lose them and use a precision screwdriver. You can download something like CoreTemp, a free utility for heat detection to tell you how hot your processor(s) are running. Anything regularly above 55 degrees C means you’re running too hot.
If it’s a software issue and keeps doing it after you clean it out, then try reinstalling chrome. If that doesn’t work my go to solution is usually just to wipe the slate clean with a fresh Windows install after you offload any important docs, photos, etc onto an external drive of some kind. Your system will run so much faster after you do that. Or you can try a system restore first. All of these things you can do pretty simply for yourself.
1st, let me say that blowing compressed air will probably have an effect on the accumulated dust bunnies at the HSF. It actually drives them back into the laptop, but obviously does not completely clear them. They will eventually come back to haunt in the same way.
And 2nd, I have dismantled and cleaned several laptops by watching YouTube tutorials specific to my make and model. If you accept the mission and do it, follow through and renew the thermic paste at the cpu. Find the right method for applying the paste, also on youtube. Not too much or too little.
Look – I’m not going to do it myself. I do not want to risk fucking this up. All right? It’s not happening.
All I want to know is how much could this potentially cost? I’m thinking some place like Best Buy (I once took a computer to an independent store and he fucked it up even worse. Thank god my uncle fixed it!)
I don’t think it would cost more than 100$ just to open and clean. I wouldn’t charge more than that… ask around, phone around in your area, better than getting quotes from this forum from folks who live nowhere near you
Same thing happened yesterday to me. Chrome wouldn’t log onto the internet no matter what I did. Opened IE then deleted Chrome and reinstalled. Reinstall didn’t work. Then IE went blank and refused to go online. Tor still worked, and I found a suggestion to try Private mode while searching for an answer. I got IE to work by entering it in Private mode. I’m blaming Windows 10 and evil Microsoft. Tor at least seems immune to whatever it is and lets me log into Gmail which is otherwise unreachable. Need to check and see if the Earth passed through the tail of a comet or something.
Can’t help think that Microsoft made good on their promise that Chrome would be disabled in Win 10.
ETA, deleted cache and history, etc. too. Did all the normal stuff.
