Two laptops started dying within days of each other...

softdown

Both Acer Aspire running Windows 7 and 8GB of ram. Both had the "video card" replaced over a year ago. One has seen only a year of usage. The other has seen extensive usage for six years.

The very well used computer suddenly just quits and goes black. As though the overheat function killed it. Can't cruise net while playing Youtube vids. 

The computer with only a year of usage gives a blank green screen and then nothing is possible. Sometimes a lot of vertical lines appear for a brief period. Can't even play a simple game of Monopoly on it.

Both issues seem to be heat related. But playing Youtube videos or Monopoly are not that taxing. Plus they both "gave up" within days of each other. Is a virus a possible culprit? I have a good malware removal program that is exercised frequently. 

Is dust a possible culprit? I have never cleaned the insides of a laptop though I have read about it being done to make the laptop run cooler. How hard is it....normally? 

Should I probably just budget for spending a couple hundred for another Windows 7 laptop? Not buying a new Windows 10. Had it with Microsoft surveillance techniques. Not just Microsoft but that is another story.

mike95490

When cleaning computers (desk & lap) use a toothpick or something like that, to jam the fan blades, so as you clean, vacuum and canned air dust, you don't over speed the fans and hork up the bearings.

dennis461

I have opened up a few laptops in my time.
Old ones cannot be cleaned from the outside, the fans pulls air through a heat sink which looks like a radiator, it can get entirely plugged up with lint.

Some laptops can use third party software to monitor fan speed and temperature, try that first (if your laptop will turn on.)

Estragon

Did both laptops get the same or similar replacement video? Maybe check for driver updates, and try tweaking settings (resolution/refresh rate/3D/etc).

BB.

You might read through some online searches:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Acer+Aspire+video+failure&t=ffcm&ia=videos

I had a (now decades old) Toshiba laptop that was known for LCD video hardware failures after a few years of use (needed a part replaced). I could plug an external monitor in and the video output was fine there.

-Bill

softdown

I was thinking video cards because I had them replaced at the same time. The green screen could be the video card but the black screen comes from the laptop turning itself off. These events seem to happen while using moderate power consumers such as youtube videos and the monopoly video game.

I am going to try cleaning. Three dogs and dirt roads equals plenty of dust and lint etc. 

The fact that they both died consecutively makes me suspect some high tech malware that my excellent malware program misses. Been studying Israel and 9/11 if anyone is sort of into that. Once helped sponsor a 9/11 production. I'm the curious type...

Thanks for the efforts guys!

softdown

dennis461 said:

I have opened up a few laptops in my time.
Old ones cannot be cleaned from the outside, the fans pulls air through a heat sink which looks like a radiator, it can get entirely plugged up with lint.

Some laptops can use third party software to monitor fan speed and temperature, try that first (if your laptop will turn on.)

Thanks for mentioning the fans. Both fans quit working at the same time. Curious. Never seen a fan driver?

mike95490

computer fan speed control & report
Also reports SMART status of hard drives
http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php
http://www.almico.com/speedfan452.exe

softdown

mike95490 said:

computer fan speed control & report
Also reports SMART status of hard drives
http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php
http://www.almico.com/speedfan452.exe

Thanks.....I was downloading speedfan4.52 about the same time you posted. My core is at 76C using automatic settings. Seems like the fan should be on? Perhaps the fan is blocked? I tried blowing into it a few days ago....which probably made things worse.

Speedfan seems like a cool app.  http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

softdown

Speedfan is a cool app but my fans still do not turn on. I completely disassembled an Acer 5552 and gamely put it back together. The tiny ribbon re-connects are a bit disconcerting. After re-securing the keyboard ribbon, everything seems to work. Acer 5552's are an absolute bitch because there is no youtube video of it. Seems to be one of very few that has a lot of screws on both sides of the case. Broke a couple attachment points before figuring that out. The guy who replaced my video card had also broken a couple things. So I was not alone in my struggle. 

This computer that turns itself off via the blackout goes to about 212F (as I recall) before shutting down. The cheaper 5552 goes to inoperable green screeen at about 190F as I recall. 

Without a fan, there is no youtube, video game, perhaps no downloading I might guess. Down two functional laptops, it is time to get another. 

softdown

FWIW...it seems like speedfan needed to be rebooted in order to make the fans work. Now one fan is working fine and not sure what to do now......