Strange problem with notebook computer

[Homer Ellison]

Thank you to those of you who responded.

It seems the fan stopped working (I hadn't previously noticed because
it's a laptop computer with a quiet fan). I don't know why the
overheating problem seems to be at its worst when I'm troubleshooting
Python code, but I'm convinced that replacing the fan will solve the
problem.

Thanks again,
Homer



-----Original Message-----
From: python-list-admin at python.org [mailto:python-list-admin at python.org]
On Behalf Of andrew cooke
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 5:18 PM
To: Homer Ellison
Cc: Python List
Subject: Re: Strange problem with notebook computer



is using python the only time you run software that places a heavy load
on the computer?  it's unlikely to be something special about python
itself, but if your computer has a problem that only shows up under load
then it may be that python use is triggering it simply because that's
what you use when you load the computer.

i would suggest playing some cpu-intensive game on it for some time, or
doing something else that loads the computer.  i expect you'll see the
same problem.

(i don't want to be rude, but something you learn when you've been using
computers for a while is that the mind makes connections before there is
enough real evidence - you end up blaming something simply because it's
the first thing that comes to mind, and you tend to look for things that
support that conclusion and ignore things that don't. it's disturbing
how illogical you can be.  or maybe it's just me that's mad... ;o)

another possibility (i have an old laptop that has a dektop cpu in it
because it was faster - this is from many years ago, before there was a
big difference between desktop and laptop chips - that has this
problem), for example, is that when you're using python you have the
computer on your knee, blocking the fan, while otherwise you tend to
leave it on a tabletop (in my case, the laptop had legs that kept the
fan clear of the table).  look for "silly" things like this...

good luck,
andrew

"Homer Ellison" <ellisonh at prodigy.net> writes:
> Hello,
>  
> I'm new to Python (and many years out of programming until now). I'm 
> having a strange problem as I program and troubleshoot Python on my 
> notebook computer. Often when I am troubleshooting code, the mouse 
> pointer freezes. Sometimes even the keyboard freezes. The problem 
> persists when I reboot. The only way I have found to be able to stop 
> the problem is to turn it off and unplug it; remove the battery and 
> floppy drive modules (this may not be necessary); remove the cover 
> over the memory card; let the system cool down; and put it back 
> together and start up again. I do not have this problem when I'm 
> running other software, only Python. Is there a possibility that 
> somehow Python or the code I'm writing in Python is causing my 
> notebook computer to overheat? I can't imagine why this would be, but 
> I can't figure out what else might be causing the problem. Any ideas?
>  
> Thank you,
> Homer
>  

-- 
http://www.acooke.org