Is my HP computer laptop overheating?

How old is your computer? Have you installed anything recently? Have you dropped it, or sat on it, or exposed it to adverse conditions?

I play mine all night cause I listen to streaming radio. It gets so hot I think its gonna melt but it still works fine oops i didnt read your question carefully I’m sorry this answer is totally unhelpful

Yes, it is overheating. Mine does it all the time when I’m using a program with high graphics or have many applications open. I vacuum mine regularly and have a cooling pad, like this….. http://www.my-batteries.net/coolingfan/USB-Aluminum-Laptop-Notebook-Cooler-Cooling-Pad-3-Quiet-Fans.htm

You can also reset your resolution on your screen to a lower setting which will save processing power. The more you make your processor work, the hotter it gets.

I think @cazzie has hit the nail on the head. This used to happen to me too with my old computer, and like cazzie said, it happened when I used programs that put a lot of strain on my computer, like graphic-heavy games. Buy some compressed air in a can and blow out all the vents. If they are filled with dust, the cooling fans may be getting caught up in the dust and are unable to spin properly. This will cause the computer to overheat and it will shut itself off to protect itself from getting permanent damage due to overheating. If you’ve never blown dust out the vents before, you’ll be amazed at all the junk that flies out when you do this.

The heatsink is probably blocked with dust and other assorted crud.

The problem with laptops (and a reason I never buy a high-powered one) is that the cooling fins for the heatsink can not be accessed without performing the equivalent of open heart surgery on the computer.

If your laptop is still under warranty, you can go and argue your case at the service centre; if it’s not, I would suggest finding someone competent to open it up and clean out the crap. I would only recommend cracking it open and cleaning it out yourself if you are either brave or really enjoy trying to put Humpty together again.

I have yet to have much luck with a vacuum. I blow my heatsinks out with compressed air for the same reason that I use a 90-horsepower engine instead of a drowsy hamster to move my car; one has enough power to get the job done while the other is a waste of time.

@the100thmonkey Heat is one of the three reasons I don’t like high-powered laptops, with short battery life and high cost being the other two.

Could it be a freyed (damaged) charger cord?