R3360us - CPU Overheat Shutdown - Cleaning Help

Hey all,

Have read with interest the power cable discussions and others. Thanks, in advance, to all those who contribute time and knowledge here.

Our r3360us has begun shutting down, my guess is cpu overheat. Runs like a charm until someone does heavy cpu activity, then it shuts off.

I cleaned the air vents last week, they were quite clogged (multiple pets, dry air and dusty environs) and so I shudder to think how the internal heat sink and parts look.

What I'm asking for is directions on the best way to crack the case open to clean the internal heat sink and cpu area. Also, in the event I require replacement of my heat sink paste, what exactly am I asking for when I go shop?

I have decent layman's technical expertise. I've already removed and replaced a bad optical drive, etc. We're under warranty with Compaq (it's a business machine, so we bought the lonterm care plan) but I always prefer to fix in-house, we usually can't afford the 3-5 day turnaround and loss in productivity.

Thanks, in advance, agin, to any who can help. Have a wonderful Holiday Season!