I think my laptop is about ready to die

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The Big Al

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Well, I'm almost four year old laptop is acting up.

-The right 2/3 to 3/4 of the screen remains black.
-The thing can't make it through a virus scan without switching off due to the processor overheating (even with a fan under it.)
-It refuses to let me trash anything.

Could this be because of a specific problem or is it ready to just bite the dust?
 
How old is it? Honestly, it sounds like it's just age, but if it's not too old, it could be a specific problem (i.e., if your laptop's battery was part of a recall...well, I think you see why that COULD be a problem source, and would definitely explain the battery). Of course, I've yet to own a laptop that didn't have its screen crap out on it (I'm two for two).

It not letting you trash anything (I assume you either mean delete something or empty the Recycle Bin/whatever the equivalent is if you're not running a Windows system), MIGHT be a problem with the processor or memory (which is almost definitely why you can't run a virus scan, as they're usually fairly memory-intensive programs), but that could just be a part of a larger problem (or, if age is the issue, THE larger problem).
 
that sux man, it's probably time to get a new one. :\
 
I said it's almost four years old and I used it a lot over the time I've had it.
 
The Big Al said:
I said it's almost four years old and I used it a lot over the time I've had it.
Click to expand...

How did I miss the age? Definitely time to get new glasses...

Anyway, yeah, it's likely just age. Probably a bunch of different parts (memory, the screen (or maybe the video card), and maybe even the hard drive) that would be more expensive to replace or fix than a new laptop would be (plus, laptops are just a pain to fix).
 
Hmm, I've had lappys that have suddenly had part of the screen go blank... a good slap on the back of the screen did wonders.

Also, how long has this overheating problem been happening, and does your lappy's battery hold a charge anymore (these two questions might be related depending on your answers).

As for age, some laptops are built better than others I guess. I still have a couple early Pentium laptops (100mhz and below) that still run perfectly (well, one of them had some major surgery performed on it about six years ago or so, but that was due to a cracked lcd), but at the same time I've seen some very new laptops that were completely dead.

Also, what brand of lappy are you running with here?
 
Overheating + black screen = no good. That sucker's a goner. Get the files off it that you need while you still can.

Happened to my laptop a couple years ago. It was on and working and suddenly, pow, display off. Nothing worked. We left it outside in the car when we went to Best Buy to get it evaluated, and since it was cold, when we brought it in it began to work fine, but as soon as it really got going, it died again. It was the thermostat. And those things are an absolute ASS to fix.

So, time to get a new one. Especially since 5 years is the normal life of a computer.
 
It's time to move on. I had one for two years and the motherboard fried, the LED display died, and the computer rarely started up. This sounds like your approaching my issues. So... get a new one.
 
Lets hope if you had any information saved on that laptop, that was important you were able to get it all onto a flashdrive before it fried.
 
I don't think the machine should be thrown away. Personally I have brought a Dell Inspiron back from the dead after its system board died.

The overheating issue does NOT sound like a thermostat but rather the fan I would check to make sure the fan is clean by blowing compressed air into the vents if you are not willing to take the machine apart to clean the fan and vents out.

The not being able to move anything to the trash issue sounds like the hard drive is about to go so I would still recommend a backup of the data on it and having a new hard drive.

For the screen remaining black it could be a video card issue or perhaps a broken TFT or LCD display, I would have to know some more information about the display's condition before making any guesses as to what it might be.

In order to diagnose the overheating issue I would run a program such as Speedfan to access the machine's built in temperature sensors and see what the readings are since if they are high then I would say the fan either needs to be cleaned or replaced, most likely cleaned since over time dust and dirt builds up in the vents.

The hard drive I definitely would replace and even then its not hard and judging by the age of your machine you will need the older type of laptop hard drive DO NOT GET ONE WITH AN SATA INTERFACE CONNECTOR I cannot stress that enough. SATA hard drives are just for laptops made in the past year or two and yours is far too old to have that type of connector.

Replacing it will be easy, just remove a few screws on the bottom of the computer, remove the caddy if it is in one and the screws holding it into the caddy, then place the new hard drive in it and put the screws back in which will hold the hard drive into place where it should be.

Replacing a broken TFT or LCD display is a bit of a challenge but it does not require soldering and is actually not too bad a repair to make on a laptop but it will require the guidance of someone who has done it before. Myself and one other person in this thread have replaced TFT or LCD screens on laptops but in my case, don't be afraid to ask and I will try and help guide you through the replacement process if it comes down to that.

But if the system board really is dying then replacing it despite not requiring any soldering is not for the faint of heart or novice since its MAJOR surgery Replacing a display is minor compared to this so I would not recommend it unless you really want to hang onto the laptop, can afford a replacement system board, or know of a computer repair shop or individual person in your area who can perform the surgery.
 
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The overheating problem started towards the end of last year. However, it was this month that even with a good venting fan under it couldn't make it through. As for the battery, it holds a charge like it's suppose to.

Thanks for the advice. I guess this laptop's time has just come.
 
Laptops aren't immune to age. It's great that yours has lasted as long as it did. I've had a few hiccups with my laptop, but that doesn't mean the problems are unsolvable and I've been able to keep it ticking with a few minor upgrades here and there. However, you mentioned your monitor blacking out, which is really never a good sign (and not a problem easily fixed). I have a feeling your screen may go before any of your other components go. I'd say the same thing as the others and try to salvage what you can now.

Again, out of curiosity, what model is it? Some laptops are more durable than others. I'm currently working on my Dell Inspiron, and it's been going strong for these past 4 years and I know I've pushed it to its limits and it's not showing any signs of slowing down. My sister's HP Pavilion, however, has died on her twice already in the barely one year she's had it. Her friend also has an HP whose monitor got gobbled up by what I'm guessing was an overheating graphics card. As Satoshi put it, some laptops are just better than others. At least with that experience, I know I can trust a Dell.

I ask because if you have a dell, I'd say check out this temperature monitoring utility. My laptop was running really hot, like around 70C when I first got the program (80C pretty much puts your computer into a permanent coma). I researched why it may be getting so hot so I learned that a bunch of dust and debris had collected up on my fan and I just blew it all out and it ran my computer temp down to a balmy 35C. That program helped me uncover just how seriously close I was to loosing my laptop since I neglected how hot my computer was getting, I figured it was some age thing too. It could have been, but it was helpful knowing that blowing a little dust out would keep my computer running for a bit more (it actually runs a bit faster now.)

On the site, just ignore the small disclaimers. You don't have to control the fans- it works great just to monitor CPU temps and the fan speeds if you have those sensors aboard.
 
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The program I mentioned earlier called Speedfan will do the same thing but its not locked down to Dell machines only but rather, it can control fan speeds on ANY desktop or laptop computer whose BIOS and hardware support it. It also controls voltages to various devices again, if the BIOS supports it and the devices support it although different adjustments and different temperature readouts will appear on different machines.
 
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