If your laptop suddenly overheats and shuts down, there is a problem that needs to be fixed. There are very many reasons why the overheating problem begins. The keyboard area as well as the laptop bottom area heat up when the laptop is being used. The CPU fans keep operating throughout and suddenly start becoming louder and noisier than before. The laptop shuts down suddenly without a warning. Sometimes the laptop shuts down after a few hours but sometimes it shuts down in 5-10 minutes itself. While the laptop works fine when idle, it starts shutting down as soon as high memory based applications are used like the DVD player, any video editor, image editor and so on.
First, is the CPU heat sink, check to see that it is not clogged with dust and lint, and then it is a good idea to blow air into it. Open the case to access the heat sink and laptop fan. In some of the laptops, you can access the heat sink by opening the latch at the bottom of the case. Either ways, you need to open the laptop completely. Disconnect the fan cables from the board completely. Remove the fan and if the fan is making grinding sounds, it needs to be removed for a complete overhaul. Clean the fan and heat sink with compressed air, Remove old thermal grease and apply new fresh thermal grease. Now run the fan and see the noise will have reduced or eliminated completely. However, you need to be extremely careful if you a taking the laptop apart. Another method to avoid opening up the laptop is to use a heavy duty suction machine and suck out the dust from within the system. This enables you to get the laptop working, while you do not open the machine too, but really not recommended, as heavy suction can leave remnants of lint and dirt stuck to un-accessible areas, inside the housing.
Apparently, one finds that the heating up of the laptop bottom is the only kind of problem that occurs widely. Using the laptop in higher ambient temperatures can cause overheating. Using heavy memory guzzling applications can also cause overheating. Placing the laptop on carpets or cushions can also cause overheating blocking the cooling systems from working. A chocked up cooling system can also cause overheating. It is advised to use the laptop on a laptop tray. Use of air-conditioning can also avoid overheating. Do not use broken or damaged batteries. All these measures should ensure that your laptop is well looked after and overheating is controlled. These days we also see products like laptop cooling pads available, which can more than push the performance to much higher levels.
