Dell Computer problem

[tmjohnson]

I undocked my dell from the docking station and worked on it for a while, then when I docked it back on the docking station, the laptop froze up.
I finally turned the power off, when I powered back up the black screen came up and said something about the machine got to hot and needed to power down.
Anybody seen this warning and if so how much time does this machine have left?
FYI
THe laptop is 8 years old, and the battery is completely shot

[JohnnyEgo]

Not in my Dell computer, but both my personal cellphone and my dashboard GPS have shut down and displayed a warning about overheating...

[DaBull]

If the machine is really hot after being on for a half hour (or after running intense video for 5 min) and you do not hear the cooling fan and feel hot air blowing out the an exhaust port, then your fan is likely dead. If you hear a fan working hard, then make sure you have good ventilation (room for cool air to be sucked into the machine by the cooling fan). Honestly, 8 yrs is old for a laptop. Might be time to donate to Goodwill for the tax break, and buy a new one that is twice as capable for $350. If it is an overheating problem, don't delay, as overheating can cause hard drive issues and corrupt your data.

[hobowh]

I had that issue on my xps. the fan had died. it was a $18 part off ebay and about 15 mins to change out. When its on can you feel air moving through the cooling vents/hear the fan running?

edit: at 8 years old it may not be worth fixing if its anything but the fan

[cfortune]

Might try some air duster in the vents too.

[Clint45]

What model of laptop is it? The older Inspirons didn't even have fans, but if you set it down on something like a blanket it will block the vents and make it heat up very rapidly. Dells are pretty tough.

[<MADDOG>]

Dell=Yugo.

Planned obsolescence...

[gnihcraes]

If the battery is dead, don't leave it in the laptop. It tries to charge a dead battery and over heats things.
Be sure the laptop has room to breath when off the dock. A lot of people sit on the couch with their favorite blanket and the poor things suffocate.

[eppy]

8 year old dell laptop? If I were you I would go buy a new laptop and pull an "office space" on your old one.

[n8tive97]

[Coffee]I have 3 Dell laptops, the oldest one is 8 or 9 years old, still works good. I use it to download music and..... Uhm.... Nevermind

[ruthabagah]

Need to check in the BIOS when your computer boot. (f5 of f7), then check the fan speed in one of the menu. It used to be that dell fan were so noisy compare to other brand, they throttle them down to make the machine look good when you bought it....