There are several ways to fix laptop overheating, but first you should look at what could be causing the problem in the first place.  The most common cases of laptop overheating can be attributed to your cooling fans.  Most notebooks are equipped with one or more cooling fans that are triggered to run when your motherboard detects excess heat.  Just because your fan is not running, does not mean your fan is defective.  There is a set temperature that should be reached in order for them to turn on.  It depends on the manufacturer and the type of motherboard your notebook was built with.  The high end notebooks with upgraded video cards have fans that run almost continuously because they heat up more than the lesser upgraded notebooks.  If you notice that your fan does not turn on and you feel your laptop overheating you can try to run a diagnostic program that will tell you whether it is defective or not.  Most notebooks are equipped with this program, check with your manufacturer or owner’s manual.  If your unable to run a diagnostic program, don’t worry there are other things you can do to diagnose the problem.  Locate the air vents or disassemble the unit to gain access to the fan.  Clean it up, yes that’s right; remove all excess dust and debris with a bottle of condensed air. 

It is amazing what you can find clogged inside these fans; if there is too much dust accumulated it can prevent the fan from operating or from performing as it should.  If you clean the fan and still notice that it does not turn on, you will have to replace it.  Replacing the fan is actually quite easy, you only need a set of precision screwdrivers and some patience in disassembling the unit.  Or, you can have a professional do it for you, but you can save money by purchasing the fan yourself and taking it to be installed.  This will not only save you money, but also time.  Nine times out of ten a dirty or defective fan is to blame when you are trying to fix laptop overheating.  It is a simple fix and it is highly recommended to replace a defective fan before it causes a major problem.  If you keep your notebook running while it is overheating, it will shut down immediately.  This is because most motherboards are equipped with sensors that detect excess heat and automatically shut down to prevent damage to the mainboard and its parts.   Other factors that can contribute to a laptop overheating are defective; heatsinks, processors, or video cards.  Also, incorrectly installed parts or incompatible parts can cause excess heat and damage to the motherboard.