How can I monitor the internal temperature of my laptop?

[jshepp]

So, I have an Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop which are notorious for having overheating problems. I had really big issues last year where my laptop would just shut-off because it was way too hot. From then on I've really looked into the problem. I even opened up my laptop and cleaned out all the dust that was between the fan and heat-sink.

Anyways, now my laptop has been fine, and I haven't had any recent issues of it shutting down because of overheating. I was just curious what are acceptable levels of internal temperatures and are there free resources out there that I can measure on my own laptop?

Thanks.

[J.C.]

Hi there!If you are running Windows 7, you have your desktop widgets gallery. This is an excellent tool for monitoring your core temps with the add-ons (free) available from Windows Live Gallery. Here is what you do: 1) Open up your Windows Gadget Gallery. Click on the button that says "get more add-ons". This will take you to the Windows Gallery Website. You will need to get two add-ons. I like to use All-CPU Monitor v.3.7. It allows you to monitor all sorts of things like your CPU usage, and your core temperature. You will also need to install and run a Core Temp add-on that will work with ALL-CPU Monitor. I use an add-on called CoreTemp 1.0. It is also free and guaranteed to be malware free. Once you have both add-ons installed, run CoreTemp, and add All-CPU monitor to your gadget sidebar, and you will have a constant monitor of your system running on your desktop, telling you how much of your CPU is being used at any given time, your core temperature (of course), free memory, etc. I find this very useful, as I know what my computer is doing at any given time, and I can adjust my usage accordingly.Hope this helps!

[jshepp]

Hi there!If you are running Windows 7, you have your desktop widgets gallery. This is an excellent tool for monitoring your core temps with the add-ons (free) available from Windows Live Gallery. Here is what you do: 1) Open up your Windows Gadget Gallery. Click on the button that says "get more add-ons". This will take you to the Windows Gallery Website. You will need to get two add-ons. I like to use All-CPU Monitor v.3.7. It allows you to monitor all sorts of things like your CPU usage, and your core temperature. You will also need to install and run a Core Temp add-on that will work with ALL-CPU Monitor. I use an add-on called CoreTemp 1.0. It is also free and guaranteed to be malware free. Once you have both add-ons installed, run CoreTemp, and add All-CPU monitor to your gadget sidebar, and you will have a constant monitor of your system running on your desktop, telling you how much of your CPU is being used at any given time, your core temperature (of course), free memory, etc. I find this very useful, as I know what my computer is doing at any given time, and I can adjust my usage accordingly.Hope this helps!

 

No, I'm running on Vista.

[J.C.]

Okay, that is not a problem. In the case of Vista (You really should install Windows 7 or XP, as they are much more stable and way less of a system hog.....) what you need to do is go to Google, do a search for CoreTemp 1.0, then download it and follow the installation instructions. It is still perfectly useable without the ALL-CPU Monitor in Windows Gadgets (the interface just isn't that pretty). Let me know how this works out for you.

[jshepp]

Okay, that is not a problem. In the case of Vista (You really should install Windows 7 or XP, as they are much more stable and way less of a system hog.....) what you need to do is go to Google, do a search for CoreTemp 1.0, then download it and follow the installation instructions. It is still perfectly useable without the ALL-CPU Monitor in Windows Gadgets (the interface just isn't that pretty). Let me know how this works out for you.

 

If my laptop can do all the tasks that's required of it, then there is really no point to spend extra time and resources just to change it to XP or Windows 7.

[Ziggy]

Do a search for this free software - SIW - and when downloaded simply run the program. Wait until it gathers information about your computer.

Then scroll down to Hardware/Sensors, and that's where you'll find what you're looking for.

Good luck...