Sporadic Shutdowns

• One common phenomenon experienced on an overheating laptop is unplanned shutdowns of the computer. An overheating laptop may shut down every few minutes. In other cases, an overheating laptop may remain on in an idle state for several hours and will only shutdown when a user starts an application that requires processing power. Applications such as multimedia players, video games and image and video editing programs require considerable processing power and may cause excess heat production.
  
  

Excessive Fan Operation

• Even if overheating does not cause a laptop to shutdown, excessive heat can have other bothersome consequences. When a laptop's internal components, such as its central processing unit and hard disk drive, become excessively hot, the laptop's ventilation fan must goes into overdrive to help cool those components. When a laptop's fan is spinning at maximum speed, the noise it produces is significantly louder than when the fan is operating normally. This noise can be annoying to laptop users.
  
  

Hardware Damage

• When a laptop's cooling system is unable to reduce excessive heat, serious consequences can result. Critical components such as the CPU, hard disk drives, graphic cards and motherboards can be irreparably damaged and may need to be replaced. If damage affects numerous components, buying a new laptop may be a better choice than paying to replace all of the damaged hardware.
  
  

Blue Screen of Death

• The "blue screen of death" is a dreaded event among Windows users that refers to an error screen that a PC displays when a fatal error occurs. The screen features white text on a blue background and most commonly appears on laptops that run older versions of the Windows operating system. If a laptop overheats and the blue screen of death appears, the laptop will need to be rebooted and, at worst, it may be damaged beyond repair.
  
  

Potential Health Effects

• An overheating laptop can have an adverse effect not only the user's mood but also her health. The bottom of an overheating laptop can become so hot that it can burn the skin, even when protected by a layer of clothing. To avoid possible burns, never rest a laptop computer directly on your lap.