Laptop overheating troubles

[Michael Brailsford]

I am currently running Gentoo linux version 1.4_rc1. I am running the linux kernel 2.4.20 with acpi patches applied for power mgmt and temperature monitoring. The specific gentoo kernel pkg I am running is acpi-sources-2.4.20-r9. My latop is an HP ze1210 that I bought in September 2002. I have a cron job that grabs the temperature from /proc/acpi/thermal_zone/THRM/temperature every minute and stores it in a file that I then load up into gnuplot so I can see a graph of my cpu temps. The average temperature over the 4-5 months I have had the machine is somewhere between 75 and 85 C. The laptop has shutdown 3 times this week because the temperature reached 95C. Normal operating temperature should be in the 65C range. Is this a common problem with HP laptops running linux, or is it just a problem with the ze1210, or just my machine? I would be more than happy to send anyone that is interested the files containing a minute by minute record of my cpu temps over the past 4-5 months. What can be done to lower my cpu temp? Keeping up temps like this will shorten the life of my processor, and I want to avoid that. In fact I have attached the file that contains the temp stats for roughly the month of December 2002. The first field is a timestamp, the second is the temperature in C.

[James Wilson_5]

I have the zt1145 with gentoo 1.4_rc1, but I use 2.5.5x kernels as the acpi patches for 2.4.xx does not give me all the acpi abilities. (Has that changed, I last tried with the 2.4.18 kernel.)

My laptop runs around 51 C when just browsing etc. and around 68C when compiling etc.

It does have a fan that is pretty loud and kicks in from time to time.

[Bruce Copeland]

I'm running Redhat 8.0 with the stable 2.4.20 kernel and ACPI patch on a ze4100. I use GKrellM with a patch and my own additional modifications to monitor temperature and battery. I've never seen a temperature above 48 C. Sounds like your problem might be specific to the zt1100 series. On the other hand, my reading on the web suggests that HP notebooks DO have a reputation for 'running hot' under linux.

[Steven E. Protter]

You might be able to mess with the control parameters and get the fan to run more often.

This might however burn out the fan.

laptops run hot, thats a fact. If it burns your lap, check with hp support, you might have a mechanical issue and the thing needs service.

Steve