Technical

[CathyJo Clarity]

I have had this Laptop for just over a year and have had no issues playing SL untill about a week ago.  Sometimes My whole computer will freeze up and I have to reboot to get it back or My screen will fade out and I have to reboot to get it back. Again this only happens when I play SL and I have turned My graphic down and used different viewers. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix it.

[Charolotte Caxton Recognized Helper]

Hi. It's probably because over time, you have built up your character and inventory and now your computer has more computations to deal with so it is working harder. Also, over time you may have accumulated more stuff on your computer outside of Second Life, such as pictures, videos, school papers or whatever it is you save to your computer. Then there are those commercials that show people whose computers are getting slower over time because of viruses or malware or whatnot. So all this can cause your computer to work harder and cause it to run hotter. You could get a cooling dock for your laptop, its like a stand you put your laptop on that has fans that cool it off. Also, make sure you blow out any dust from those vents in the back and or sides of your laptop with some canned air/cleaning duster. Also, someone is going to tell you about having different viewers on your machine and the dilemmas it may cause, take that advice too.

[Rolig Loon Senior Helper]

That's what happens if I try to use my laptop for SL too, so I haven't done it for almost three years. SL puts a lot of demand on a graphics card, in particular, and can generate a lot of heat.  Most laptops just aren't built to handle it.  At least in a desktop you have room for big fans and heat sinks.  In a laptop all you have is a couple of wimpy airholes and a miniature fan.   If your screen is starting to freeze up and display funny colors, you may be damaging your video card. Lifting it off the table and blowing more air across it can help, but the best idea is to use a machine that is designed to handle the load.

[Angel Harmison Member]

You need more fans in it. I never use a laptp here for that  reason.. i  use my  desk top and i have  2  extra  fans installed in it and it  runs  geat.  Otherwise you  do  run a  chance of  ruining your  card.

 Also you mite want to  look at more  ram and a better  card. That  may improve it 

Good luck!

[shadowfamicom Watanabe Honored Resident]

$60 laptop cooling system is on sale until 3:00 PST/SLT for $35 with free shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834994097

[Prokofy Neva Member]

Are you using viewer 2? That could be overheating it. They always say SL wasn't meant to run on a laptop. You do need a fan.

[Rolig Loon Senior Helper]

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Hollyjean Allen wrote:

The overheating issue began suddenly for me about a week ago as well.  I have two extra fans, one underneath, and the other off to the side.  But, unless you want to make a grilled cheese sandwich on it, don't touch my computer while SL is running.  Something changed, but I did't add a new viewer.  Could this be a result of the latest viewer update from LL?

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Hi, Holly! 

It's unlikely, but one way to check is to try re-installing a previous viewer and see if the problem goes away.  If you don't still have an old version kicking around in your machine, you can download an old favorite by clicking any of the links at http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Release_Notes .  Just be sure that you go to Preferences >> Setup and disable the checkbox that authorizes automatic updates.  You could also try switching to any of the TPVs, like Firestorm.

Frankly, I think the problem is more likely to be in your machine itself.  Laptops are harder to clean than desktops, so if you can't snake the nozzle of a can of air inside to blow out any accumulated dust, I'd suggest taking it to a pro who can. Meanwhile, drop your draw distance down painfully low (like below 64m) to reduce the amount of work your graphics card is trying to do.

BTW, You will get a wider range of responses to your question if you start a new thread, instead of tacking it onto the end of an old, extinct one here.  This one is not going to be seen by many people. 

[Jessika Rang Advisor]

Unless it's a laptop built for gaming you are going to have trouble running any of the graphic viewers on a laptop.  I use a text only viewer on my laptop and it works great. Here's a link to the one I use (there used to be a page in the KB about thrid party viewers but I am unable to find it.  You could also try using a "legacy" viewer (Cool Viewer used to have one).

http://radegast.org/wp/

[Hollyjean Allen]

The overheating issue began suddenly for me about a week ago as well.  I have two extra fans, one underneath, and the other off to the side.  But, unless you want to make a grilled cheese sandwich on it, don't touch my computer while SL is running.  Something changed, but I did't add a new viewer.  Could this be a result of the latest viewer update from LL?

Thanks in advance.