Member Avatar for The DJ

My Compaq Presario 700 laptop had a heat dispersal issue. It started to overheat and it shut itself down. I cracked it open and put a dab of heat sink compound right smack on the center piece of the Chip. I had done this on all my desktop units, I figured why not? Ok, I have had this unit on all day transferring multiple gigabyte sized files and this thing is now not getting hot. It was blowing cool air out the exhaust and working like a charm!
I bought the little tube of compound at Radio Shack. It is a silicone based type of putty. It sells for a buck or two.

Just thought that I would pass it along.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by goldeagle2005

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Practical notes and cautions that build on ’s hands‑on fix and the follow-ups from and . The points below focus on safe steps, common mistakes, and simple verification to make a thermal repair effective and durable on older laptops.

  • Power and safety: remove AC and battery, discharge caps, ground with an ESD strap or touch metal chassis periodically. Label screws and take pictures so connectors and screw positions can be restored correctly.

  • Cleaning first: remove dust from fan and fin stack with short bursts of compressed air (hold the fan so it does not spin free). Bent fins or clogged passages are often the main culprit; cleaning sometimes restores cooling without touching the interface material.

  • Old interface removal: clean mating surfaces with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol and a lint‑free swab until all residue is gone. Allow to evaporate fully before reassembly.

  • Choosing and applying thermal material: use a purpose‑made thermal compound (non‑conductive, high‑conductivity formula). Apply a small, centred amount appropriate for the die shape — the clamp should spread it. Excess compound can reduce effectiveness or migrate to nearby components.

  • Reassembly and verification: tighten heatsink screws in a cross/diagonal pattern for even pressure, reconnect the fan header, then validate with a temperature monitor and a light stress or file‑transfer workload to confirm stable fan response and lower idle/load temps.

  • If the unit fails to power on after reassembly (the concern raised by ), check power adapter, DC jack, battery, reseat RAM and cables, and ensure the fan connector and display cable are seated; persistent no‑POST points to power or motherboard faults rather than thermal compound issues.

Background on how thermal compounds work and selection criteria is covered here: Thermal paste. Warranty and ESD risks should be considered before opening any laptop.

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Member Avatar for linkco

Did you had the non-starting issue too? or was just overheating?

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

remember though: too much thermal paste is as bad as no thermal paste, and messier too.

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