This is why it should be set to shut off with a short time of inactivity. I also turn mine upside down when I lie it down; anyplace. It does get hot.

This makes me nervous thinking about college dorms.

I killed a laptop by leaving it on a bed in a hotel room while I ran out for 15 minutes to get dinner. It was an HP and it over-heated to the point of death in that short time :(

Thank you for the article. I would think that those with laptops in bed would turn off before sleeping. I do it every night. Therefor the fan need not be running to cool the laptop.

One woman, who is on one of my quilting groups (I don't remember which one), mentioned that she had a laptop related fire on her bed. I don't recall whether it was related to the laptop itself, the power supply, an extension cord or something else. No one was hurt in this particular fire.

Some laptops run inherently hotter than other brands. For example, I had a 17" Toshiba that ran so hot that I could not use it directly on my lap. When I replaced that laptop, the heat issue was one of my top priorities -- I now have a 17" Macbook Pro which runs much cooler. Yes, I paid quite a bit more for the Mac than the Toshiba, but for me the Mac is more usable.

My hubby is very insistant that we not use our laptop on our laps without a big book, board, or something between our soft legs and his laptop. Same goes for sitting in on carpet or a bed. Yes, the vents on the bottom are sort of dumb, since they are called "laptops" but shouldn't really sit right on your lap!

I always place a book under one side just for cooling purposes.

Thanks Ditter for the info. I have used a cooling fan from day one of buying my laptop for that very reason. I can't count the number of people I have found sitting the laptop in such a way as to block the air flow. Thanks for all your great information.

I keep my laptop on my desk with a rubber dishrack (the kind that slopes down on one end) to let air underneath.

Thanks for Sharing this Ditter