Could My Laptop Have Overheated?

[kyphysics]

It was running slow and I could not left click with the mouse pointer (finger pad button and finger pad tapping area).

I mean...it COULD the first minute or so of starting it up. Then after I opened like a browser or what not and 1 minute or so passed, the mouse pointer could still move, but NOT left click anything.

I tried various combinations of starting and shutting down my laptop. No help. Same issue. I got pissed and turned it off and left it like that for a few hours. Then, I went back to it and turned it on and restarted it once too. Now, it works.

Ehhh, could overheating have caused that? I'll admit, I don't think I've turned off my laptop for 2 years running. It seems on my table. Outside of power outages, it stays on.

 

[mathman]

With no other information than given, overheating seems a reasonable explanation. Is the laptop covered when not inuse?

 

[kyphysics]

With no other information than given, overheating seems a reasonable explanation. Is the laptop covered when not inuse?

UPDATE:

Same problem happening with touch pad. After a few minutes, I can no longer click. Sometimes, I can't click at all. I've restarted and shut down my computer in varying ways about 15x now over 24 hours. Same issue!

I bought a physical wired mouse from Target. It works now ...SO FAR...

 

[kyphysics]

This this have been a virus? I mean...I use Avast Premium Security and it didnt' pick it up I guess.

 

[Tom.G]

I don't think I've turned off my laptop for 2 years running.

Likely thoroughly clogged up with dust, and perhaps some oily conductive residue on the interior surfaces (circuit boards) from air pollution and cooking fumes.

If you are comfortable opening the case, do so and blow out all the dust. If you have a vacuum cleaner that can BLOW air, that would be a good option for the dust. Just be careful that you don't blow very much on any fans in the computer, it is easy to get them spinning fast enough to self-destruct!

Do not use a brush. Too much risk of static electricity destroying things.

You can also get 'Canned Air' which is a spray can of pressured gas, not really air. Due to their higher pressure and flow rate you have to be extra careful with any fans.

Concentrate on the area around the Touch Pad, Memory, and CPU. The CPU is fan cooled so be cautious there.

Another less likely problem is the Power Supply on the edge of failing. If it is an external supply, see if you can borrow one to try.

Beyond that, partial disassembly and a thorough cleaning are the next step, not for the inexperienced though, take it to a repair shop!

Let us know what you find.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[MikeeMiracle]

Could just be as easy as the i built mouse developng a fault.

 

[HankDorsett]

Because it's happened on multiple devices I'm wondering if it may be related to internet connectivity. I have seen some applications that "lock up" systems if they I have an extremely slow connection to the internet. If it happens again or if it's still happening try disabling your network connections. Many of these problematic applications give up if they I have no connection to the internet.

 

[member 656954]

Because it's happened on multiple devices I'm wondering if it may be related to internet connectivity.

Windows 10 used to lock up when content delivery manager could not retrieve lock-screen images from the online repository, but I understood that has been fixed. A single app that halts waiting for internet should not stop other applications, though.

I have an Acer Aspire S7 laptop that is also exhibiting the same symptoms and I think it is heat related because it always happens when the fan is on high rotation as the latest Windows update is being applied. As the laptop then halts, the update never completes, and so it never gets past that point!

Very frustrating, it's time to open the case and blow the dust away, and if that does not work, I'll probably bin it.

 

[FactChecker]

Laptops can easily overheat. The last one I had overheated enough to melt a connection and that was a common problem with that model. You can download the free software, CPUID Monitor. It will tell you what the temperatures are. For evaluating the temperature and possible actions to reduce them, see this.

 

[MikeeMiracle]

You need to pay attention to where you rest the laptop when you use it, it should be on a hard surface. If you rest it on your lap / bed / sofa you are likely blocking the air vents at the bottom.