In need of some repair...

[Tomato]

So, after some minor but disconcerting issues with my computer this afternoon (I believe due to simple overheating... this particular model runs hot, and I turned the heater way up yesterday), I went ahead and shut everything down, went out and purchased a simple laptop tool kit so I could take a look at it, make sure everything's good, maybe tighten a few wires that had gotten loose... general care and whatnot.

Well, upon sitting down and actually looking at it, nothing major seems to have happened to the hard drive, monitor, or anything of that nature. But the general casing is starting to show major damage... I've had this computer for well over a year now, and it's survived three military training bases and I don't know how many flights to and from home. There's a spot behind the "hinge" of the monitor that'd been bugging me because it wasn't sitting right... thought maybe I'd misplaced a screw or something, but the piece of casing the screw went into seems to have been broken off at some point.

So yeah, the computer is in major need of repair or replacement at this point... and at this point, I'm not going to replace it because I only have 5 months or so until I'd have a semi-permanent lodging and I can finally get a good desktop(besides, I'm short on income for a bit because of taxes anyway... I'll end up making a grand overall when my federal comes in, but the state's taking ~200 out on monday). That leaves repair, but that's something I've never had to really deal with and I'd rather get opinions from you guys before I rush off and end up spending twice as much because it's my first time going through it.

Computer - HP Pavilion Laptop model Dv5z

[Tawodi Osdi]

I'd make sure you back up anything you'd hate to lose.  Just in case.  The architecture of the casing can effect the cooling system of the computer, and cracks in the casing can alter the basic architecture of your system.

[hoss20]

   I hate to make this suggestion, if you already have one, but do you have a cooling platform? I'm relatively new to the laptop world myself, but with the long term damage overheating can cause to one's system, I found this to be an essential need.

[JeyNyce]

Not to be funny, but with all that traveling, when was the last time you cleaned/ air out the laptop.  Laptop get dusty too and can build up "dust bunnies" that can make your laptop overheat.  I had to clean out my sister's laptop and it was just a mess inside.

[Tomato]

Just an update on this since it directly affects my content creation for awhile.

After some back and forth with the HP support staff, we determined that the issue is indeed hardware related, likely a short in the wiring to the monitor. I'm sending the computer in for repair as soon as I get the box.

This shouldn't really affect how much I'm on... 90% of my posts are done during work breaks through my phone anyway, but obviously I won't be making anything new until it's fixed. I got my ff stuff backed up however, so no serious concerns on that end.