PC Shuts down when streaming movies

[KPP]

My dilemma is that my pc shuts down when I'm streaming movies. This has been happening for about a month. At first, the screen went dark, and I could still hear the audio in the background. I have a feeling it has to do with overheating because the underside is always very hot when this happens, especially if I have the laptop on my lap.

 

Tonight, it shut down as usual, so I moved it to a desk. But it shut down again about 30 minutes later. The underside wasn't really hot, but the vent on the left was. I turned it off, restarted and its fine. I'm pretty sure it will shut down when I go back and stream the movie I was watching on Netflix. It's not just Netflix, it's happened on Amazon, too.

 

Is it the fan? I hope its not too serious because my 3-year warranty expired last month.

 

Thanks.

 

p.s. I just noticed that my clock is now off by about 4 hours.

Edited April 4, 2014 by KPP

[David H. Lipman]

You have a good suspicion.  Streaming movies does put a load on the system and thus draw more power and generate more heat.  A poorly cooled system can generate a thermal shutdown.  Some systems may log this in their CMOS.

[John L. Galt]

Suspicion:  3 year old laptop + never having been cleaned = a lot of dust blocking normal air flow, causing abnormal overheating.

 

Get it cleaned out ASAP before the overheating does permanent damage to one or more of your components.

[KPP]

See, there are still gentlemen left in this world, particularly on Malwarebytes. 

 

John - My laptop dirty? Is that even possible? It has only one vent where dust could creep in. Plus, how would you clean it? Take it somewhere I guess.

 

David - Hi. I see we meet again. I appreciate your feedback and your tone. It's always nice to have someone tell a novice like me that my detective work may have paid off.

 

Interestingly, I happened to be on the phone with Netflix this morning on another matter. I told the agent about my problem. She had an interesting take on it. She said my computer was going to sleep because of inactivity. She told me if I just touched the mouse every so often, it wouldn't happen. AdvancedSetup had told me previously. it might be my screensaver setting and told to put in at 30 min. I did that and I reset all other options to never. But the problem continued, and that's when Ron suggested I let the geniuses in this forum have a go at it.

 

So am I supposed to turn off my screensaver when I play movies? Actually, I'm thinking of getting a Roku, which the agent thought I could buy for as little as $30. That would resolve the streaming issue, but not a problem with the PC.

[CWB]

yep ... sounds like overheating to me as well .

in order to avoid adding one more thing to the mix of woes and problems (ie : roku) ...

clean out the vent/air pathways before you do anything else .

 

your laptop has more than one vent/path for airflow ... it has to have at least an inlet and an outlet .

air is commonly "pulled in" from a minimum of two areas and vented out through a finned vent at the rear or side of the laptop .

that finned device is actually the cpu and gpu cooler .

 

get a can of "compressed air" and a tooth-pick .

flip the laptop over , lock the vent fan with the toothpick and use the snorkel tube to blow back into the finned vent ... don't be afraid to be aggressive .

blow into the the small slots on the bottom of the laptop as well as the vents on the fan .

repeat the above processes a couple of times .

what you are trying to do is break up the dust bunnies and crud ant then flush it through the system .

pay particular care about cleaning the fan and finned exhaust vent .

the reason for locking the fan is to prevent "over spin damage" to the fan drive circuitry (it starts acting like an alternator when spun up by an external force) .

 

also , make sure that there is a gap between the bottom of the laptop and the surface it is sitting on as well as the side/back vent being clear .

a friend was complaining about her laptop overheating ... she was sitting it on her "lap' while laying down and her torso covered with a blanket .

this actually sealed the vents .

 

what is the make/model of the laptop ?

there may be a "visual aid" about the cleaning of the machine .

[David H. Lipman]

See, there are still gentlemen left in this world, particularly on Malwarebytes. 

 

John - My laptop dirty? Is that even possible? It has only one vent where dust could creep in. Plus, how would you clean it? Take it somewhere I guess.

 

David - Hi. I see we meet again. I appreciate your feedback and your tone. It's always nice to have someone tell a novice like me that my detective work may have paid off.

 

Interestingly, I happened to be on the phone with Netflix this morning on another matter. I told the agent about my problem. She had an interesting take on it. She said my computer was going to sleep because of inactivity. She told me if I just touched the mouse every so often, it wouldn't happen. AdvancedSetup had told me previously. it might be my screensaver setting and told to put in at 30 min. I did that and I reset all other options to never. But the problem continued, and that's when Ron suggested I let the geniuses in this forum have a go at it.

 

So am I supposed to turn off my screensaver when I play movies? Actually, I'm thinking of getting a Roku, which the agent thought I could buy for as little as $30. That would resolve the streaming issue, but not a problem with the PC.

 

You would have to differentiate "shutdown" with "sleep".

 

For example when Dell notebooks "sleep" you will see the Power LED will light then go dim then off, then after a time, the Power LED will light then go dim then off again and repeat the cycle.  When you open the notebook lid or hist the power button it returns to its last operational state.

 

If the notebook is shutdown then all LEDs (except may a AC power supply LED) will be completely "off".

[daledoc1]

Hi, KPP:

 

After you get it cleaned out of dust bunnies....

 

Re: laptop air flow and cooling, I've been using one of these for years.

It's taken a licking and is still ticking (well, not literally).

 

When I bought mine, it was Targus-branded, but the current Amazon item looks to be identical.

It's not dirt-cheap, but it is VERY robust and will NOT fall apart; adjustable to fit nearly any size laptop; folds for easy portability; and (unlike all those hokey USB-powered fans and pans) doesn't require battery-draining juice.

It also tilts the keyboard a bit to make it a bit more ergonomic.

 

Especially for my older Dell laptop with less than robust hardware and spinning HDD, it was a "must have", as those old rigs threw a LOT of heat and had poor air flow, by design.

 

That price on the Amazon item looks to be about what I paid for mine several years ago.

 

daledoc1

[KPP]

Aha, the woman gets the last word! LOL

 

Thanks to both of you for the info. I know where all the vents are, but the only large one is on the side. I think it would help if I could see a video on cleaning since I don't even know where the fan is located.

 

daledoc1 - Are you sure that your link is what I need? It would certainly defeat the reason to have a "lap" top. I use mine in bed mostly.

 

BTW my HP is 3 years old.

Edited April 5, 2014 by KPP

[daledoc1]

Hi:

daledoc1 - Are you sure that your link is what I need? It would certainly defeat the reason to have a "lap" top. I use mine in bed mostly.

 

 

 

Well, OOPS!

No, I guess that would NOT do the trick for you.

Needless to say, it's for flat surfaces.

 

There is another whole range of products (cooling "desks" and pads and the like) designed for laptop use on a..................................lap.

 

Sorry about that!

 

daledoc1

[Porthos]

It would certainly defeat the reason to have a "lap" top. I use mine in bed mostly.

 

 

I have had many customers ruin there computers over the years doing just that. The intake and the exhaust ports must be open at all times for proper cooling. The term laptop is a misnomer, notebook positioned on a hard flat surface is the better term.

Even if your not smothering them they get dirty. Think about the lint filter in a clothes dryer.

Here is a link to view more pictures of the junk that gets in to them

https://www.google.com/search?q=dirty+laptop+fan&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=Lp7&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=UgdAU5P6C9DlsATI4oDICw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=880

[KPP]

Alrighty then, Perish the thought that mine is that dirty. And thanks for the visuals. I'll see if I can find something on YouTube about how to clean them.

 

Thanks.

[CWB]

make and model number ?

[KPP]

It's an HP G62.

[David H. Lipman]

Kpp:

 

Please differentiate is this is a "shutdown" or a "sleep" issue.

[KPP]

Hi David, 

 

 Neither of these seem to apply. It certainly doesn't shut down. If it's sleep, then why would I hear audio? i'm not sure I can answer this completely until it happens again.

 

When it first started happening, the screen would go black, but I could still hear the audio in the background. I had to manually power off to shut the pc off. Nothing else worked. Couldn't pull up the task manager, switch tabs, etc.

 

I got so used to that response, that I immediately powered off whenever it happened. Last time I did it, the power light was still on. Don't remember if I heard audio or not.

 

Kate   

[David H. Lipman]

If it completely shuts down, you would not hear audio.

[KPP]

I wouldn't hear audio if it's sleeping either, right? 

 

Sounds like the problem another member was having back in Nov. CWB recommended cleaning. Member never responded, so don't know if that worked.

 

I can clean, but need info on where the fan is. In CWB's post he talked about using a toothpick to lock the impeller keep the fan from spinning. What is an impeller?

[CWB]

it looks like your laptop was first released in 2010 . as you have had the machine for three years , there is a good chance that the dust bunnies need to be served an eviction notice .

download the simple service manual for your machine here : https://encrypted.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=hp%20g62%20manual&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDEQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fh10032.www1.hp.com%2Fctg%2FManual%2Fc02641795.pdf&ei=eTlBU9ezIuis2QWUlYDQCA&usg=AFQjCNFlDNEZqoRW8Lh4-ZJuBBz5F0vqbw&bvm=bv.64367178,d.b2I

(this manual is representative of two different models)

 

open the pdf with adobe reader ... go to page 15 of the pdf .

on page 15 there is a diagram of the flip side of your laptop .

the vents are numbered in the diagram :

 

the main concern are the vents labeled "2" .

look closely at the vent just to the right of the battery ... if you can see a finned circular assembly down in there , this is the impeller (fan blade assembly to some folks) .

use a skinny toothpick to slide in and gently lock the impeller .

(on some machines it will not be possible to do this ... there were changes in manufacturing ... just move forward)

 

use the can of "compressed air" with the snorkel tube attached to blow the crud back and forth between the vents .

place the snorkel tube right up against the vent grill and move it back and forth ... get aggressive with it ... it aint gonna bite ya .

remember ... the crud can be packed in like felt ... it has to be broken up in order to be cleared from the machine .

do the same with the remaining vents and again with the vents labeled "2" .

 

this should clear out most of the crud .

i cannot express strongly enough the need to make sure that the vents labeled "2" are worked on/over thoroughly ...

these two vents are the main inlet and outlet of the CPU (central processor unit) and GPU (graphics processor unit) .

if these are blocked the airflow will be diminished to the point of overheating ... and will show up first under high load conditions .

 

you can open the laptop up to a 45 degree angle and stand it on edge ...

this will make it easier to work on .

 

again ... the bottom and sides need to be in the clear in order to facilitate air flow .

you have indicated that you use the laptop in a manner similar to that of the friend i mentioned .

any flat hard surface smooth is better than nothing .

 

some other thoughts if the above does not fix the problem :

there is the possibility that the actual cpu/gpu heat sink interface has loosened .

over time or the heat conductive elastomer that interfaces between the two has deteriorated .

the gpu soldering has cracked and when heated is actually loosing electrical contact .

[David H. Lipman]

I wouldn't hear audio if it's sleeping either, right? 

 

Sounds like the problem another member was having back in Nov. CWB recommended cleaning. Member never responded, so don't know if that worked.

 

I can clean, but need info on where the fan is. In CWB's post he talked about using a toothpick to lock the impeller keep the fan from spinning. What is an impeller?

 

Probably not.

 

Impeller

[KPP]

CWB - I have download the "simple" 146-page service. manual. I am very grateful that you can tell me exactly where to go and find what I need. Just opening up the PDF was scary enough to me. 

So, I will follow the directions after I get the compressed air. Hopefully, it will keep till Thursday. I'm training through Wednesday for my next project. But I will be super careful. No more casual watching from the comfort of my bed. Hard surface only ... that is until we get it fixed.

 

I love the tome you wrote describing this. You and David should get together and write an e-Book on this subject. You could be the long, and he'd be the short of it.<grin>  And I'd be your editor, pro bono!

 

Thanks again for all your help!

 

Kate

[KPP]

David,

 

Thanks for the comment and adding a new word to my vocabulary.

 

Kate

[CWB]

"And I'd be your editor, pro bono!"
is that any relation to sonny bono ?

 

heh ... that was/is the short version .

 

i have been telling people where to go for years and exactly how to do it and with what .

errr ... wait a minute ... that doesn't sound quite right ...

 

hopefully the outlined steps will solve the "blanking" problem .

i would be cautious in the future as well ... in some instances an "overheating problem" can cause permanent damage .

(ie : solder joints on the gpu going bad)

[KPP]

Dear friends,

 

I hope you know I appreciate all your insight and suggestions. I finally acquired a can of compressed air ($5 Office Depot). Don't have toothpick yet. But have a few questions? Computer on or off? Are toothpicks skinny enough to push into slits? Any precautions?

 

FYI - Last night pc made a screaming noise when I manually shut it down. That scared me. Also, an interesting factoid: sometimes when I reboot, it skips the power up routine and goes right to whatever I was doing.

 

Kate

[David H. Lipman]

Turn off the notebook prior to using compressed air.  Use the toothpicks but use simple, non aggressive, force.

 

"That scared me. Also, an interesting factoid: sometimes when I reboot, it skips the power up routine and goes right to whatever I was doing."

 

It was put into "sleep" mode and not "Turned Off".

[KPP]

Hi All,

 

Sorry for the long delay. I've been studying to score the SAT for weeks, now I'm scoring. But I have 2 reasons for posting now.

 

First, I want to let you know I got the air, used it, and pc is running cooler! TY for your help!

 

Second, I have a new problem. My keyboiard has the flu. I've done e'thing but no go. Reinstalled, redid dreivers, etc. Windows says it's a hardware problem.

 

Any thoughts on how to fix?