Fixing an overheating Inspiron 1300 laptop

We love the Dell Inspiron 1300 laptops here in our office - we have 3 of them.

Until recently they were Dell's lowest end laptop, and as I always preach - buy the cheapest laptop you can. They only last a year or two at most, and even the lowest end machines these days are more than powerful enough for what most people need.

Lately the oldest of our 3 laptops has been overheating. Having scalded my partners legs one too many times, it was finally clear that something was seriously wrong with his machine. This was confirmed with a M1004 error code (a Dell overheating code) that tells you to call their service centre.

My partner followed the instructions but was given poor advice. Dell told him it probably needed a new motherboard, but that it was out of warranty. Ka ching.

Dell Inspiron 1300 laptops are usually very easy to fix if they are overheating. I may add photos later but basically you remove the plate that is in the back left position of the laptop (on the underside), assuming you are looking at the laptop as if you were using it normally.

With the plate removed (one screw only), you will see a gold metal heatsink held down by 4 screws on springs. Undo the screws and use the plastic gripper to pull the heatsink straight up and off. Now remove any rectangular blocks of fluff that have built up in the space between where the heatsink was, and the fan that is next to it. Look at the heatsink and see if there's fluff stuck to it too.

Get rid of all the fluff and check there's no fluff on the fan itself. Blowing into the fan a few times should be sufficient to do this.

Replace everything and you're done. 5 mins, no motherboard replacement needed.

One bonus tip.... If the battery on your Dell Inspiron 1300 laptop is not working well anymore, you can get a replacement battery from Dell that is reasonably priced. Make sure to get a 6 cell as the 4 cell are useless. Also, be aware of the improvements you can make to battery life by how you use it. It is generally better to let the battery discharge to around 40% capacity before recharging it, rather than frequent small discharges to say 90% capacity and then back again. Do a full discharge/recharge cycle every so often, to re-calibrate the battery meter in your computer. Also. Leaving a fully charged battery in your laptop while working off the mains supply for extended periods is bad. Consider removing the battery in this case - easy in the case of the Dell Inspiron. Basically fully charged laptop batteries degrade quickly when they are hot, Lithium Ion batteries like to be kept cool. If you need to store a Lithium Ion battery for an extended period of time, store it in the fridge at 40% capacity. For more info than you would probably want to know about batteries, visit the battery university.

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Comments

Blowing out the fan is a good tip, so was the battery one. However, I've had my Inspiron for about a year and the 6-cell battery life is about zero now. Do you know of any batteries that have come out in the last year that are superior to Dell's original 6-cell battery?

ALX - No I don't unfortunately - although Dell's replacement batteries are generally pretty reasonably priced. All batteries fade eventually.

Posted by: John Gooch | July 28, 2007 08:23 PM

You are amazing, i have had my Dell Inspiron for around a year now, it was overheating every 15 mins, and it wouldn't take charge. I decided to do what you said, and found A LOT of fluff in it. Took it out, and it is now as good as new

I cant thank you enough!

Regards

Posted by: Caine | August 1, 2007 07:15 PM

Thanks so much! I was having this exact same problem.

Posted by: Ben | September 9, 2007 07:58 PM

DAMN! Thanks a lot! I was having problems with my laptop overheating frequently, and when I gave it to a friend, who is a computer technician, he told me I needed a new harddrive! That caused a lot of drama. This is really helpful!

Posted by: Gryphyn Bloodheart | September 9, 2007 10:34 PM

Thank you so much. My laptop was getting so loud and hot I was considering not taking it to classes it was so embarassing. This fixed it completely.

Posted by: Sam | September 12, 2007 04:07 AM

Thanks a million!! I was actually considering a new laptop. You have breathed at least another year out of this cranky overheating machine!!!

Posted by: Bill | January 21, 2008 08:21 PM

worked like a charm !!! thanks...
my fan was so, so , so noisy (like 60 db)..
now ... almost 0 .
A1 :)

Posted by: mark | February 2, 2008 01:13 PM

Amazing!!! thank you! I was thinking about a new laptop!!!

Posted by: Flavio | February 15, 2008 12:11 AM

THANKS ALOT. THIS WORKED GREAT!

Posted by: Matt | March 6, 2008 09:02 PM

Great! Thanks for excellent tip. I'll pass this on to those I've recommended this laptop to.
Now I know where the CPU is I might see if I can upgrade it! A little Arctic Silver won't go amiss between the heatsink and the CPU either.

Posted by: Paul Shaddick | March 13, 2008 10:24 PM

Cheers man. My laptop has been driving me crazy, overheating every half hour or so. Much appreciated

Posted by: x | April 9, 2008 12:48 PM

thanks a lot for the tip its helped a lot but fan still making a fair bit of noise? sumdays its okayish n other very loud, sum1 told me the fan needs replacing? but seems to me like there sum sorta of obsturction, ne idea how i get to the fan? or newher i can get cheap replacement fan?

Posted by: Harj | April 12, 2008 05:24 PM

DON'T DISMISS THIS GUY'S ADVICE!!
I had an Inspiron 1300 overheating and turning off every 30 minutes. I tried putting books under it, using it near the window and even hoovering it.
It took me 1 minute to remove the bits and a further 3 to get all of the fluff out of there. Computer now running like new.
Thankyou lots - saved me a big bill.
Any tips for a cheap solution to my Engine mount problem?

Posted by: Sean | May 5, 2008 01:13 PM

Fantastic!!! I have to admit to not knowing the first thing about computers so when my Dell started to cook my thighs i was expecting a large bill/new laptop scenario, thankyou.

Posted by: umpay | May 12, 2008 01:21 PM

Uhmmm, You rock! Thank you! I did it about 30 min ago but it seems to be working! You may want to note that this will probably work on all all inspiron models (certainly the B130, which is what I have and I know is VERY similar to the 1300).

Posted by: J | June 16, 2008 11:43 PM

Thanks man, my laptop started overheating. Googled the error code, found this post and now things are back working again. :)

Posted by: Grizz | June 20, 2008 10:01 PM

AWESOME! Took me 5 minutes just like you said! Found a lot of dust bunnies, removed it and now I actually hear my fan running.THANKS SO MUCH.

Posted by: L.Malady | June 25, 2008 05:13 AM

Mine was burning my leg, I did what you advised and wham cool as a cucumber Thanks!

Posted by: Mike | June 26, 2008 01:14 PM

i was also having the same fucki.... problem i din`t know where to go or what to do, until i found this forum. thanks to all the good peolpe who help us

Posted by: danyneo@ | July 15, 2008 07:05 AM

Worked as a charm! Thank you so much! Starting to get worried without any backups!

Posted by: Nuno Carvalho | July 18, 2008 11:28 AM

I have a burn mark on my leg from my laptop that won't go away. Thank you so much for posting this. I was about ready to get rid of my laptop and get another one. Now I won't have to until I go to college next year.

Posted by: Youko Alicia | July 20, 2008 05:11 PM

Thank you so much for the tip!!

I should have looked for it before removing 30 or so screws from the bottom and still not being able to remove it :mrgreen:

heaps of dust removed from the fan and the sink and now running up for two hours without getting hot or making noise anymore!

Question: Is cooling 'gel' between processor and heatsink not necessary?

Warning to others: be careful with vacuum cleaner around te fan: it may speed up the fan too much and eventually destroy it (did that on another PC once)

Thanks again!

Dirk, Netherlands

Posted by: Dirk | July 21, 2008 08:27 PM

Good point buddy. Add cooling gel/silver compound over the small block in the center (the chip) too.. That would make things better. if you have noticed, the existing compound would have dried off over time. make sure that you wipe it off before you put in the new one. replenishing that would add extra life and work power to your processor.

Posted by: Dreamer | July 26, 2008 01:35 PM

"As with all rechargeable batteries, try to run the battery right down before plugging it in again to charge it up wherever possible. This helps extend its life."

From the Windows Vista help and support center on batteries ( http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/cb5c85e7-7cf5-4596-ac7a-a72f8b6238f81033.mspx ):

Note
If you frequently drain and then recharge a lithium-ion battery, it can quickly lose its ability to hold a charge. The practice of completely draining and then fully charging a battery is advice that applied to nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries and, to a lesser extent, nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. Lithium-ion batteries last longer if you charge them often, a little at a time, to maintain a minimum charge of about 40 percent capacity.
-----

you might want to rephrase that last bit about laptop batteries, as it may lead to reducing their batteries life, not prolonging it ;)

ED - Thanks for this. Your advice is good and I have adjusted the article a little accordingly.

Posted by: josh | August 24, 2008 10:25 PM

Thank you so much for this info. I had actually taken apart the back plate & didn't find anything after I started having overheating on my 1300. I vacuumed the fan & the problem only got worse. I had resorted to putting an ice pad under it to get 45 minutes of use out of it at a time. I was about to pay $25 for a cooling tray/stand for it when I saw your post.

Thanks again.

Posted by: Glenn | August 25, 2008 01:34 PM