I took Keef’s advice and downloaded Notebook Hardware Control three days ago to get more insight into what was going on. Being somewhat compulsive, I checked the temperature about every 30 seconds the first day—less often now. Here’s the strange part….. I know NHC only checks the temperature and doesn’t control it. However, since I installed that program, my computer hasn’t overheated or shutdown even once.I don’t know what’s normal but my CPU temperature is now ranging between 36 and 42—highest was 49 and the HD temperature has fluctuated between 32 and 39. Even without NHC I could tell that the temperature was staying lower because my keyboard has stayed cool.
Maybe something jiggled back into place (how’s that for a technical explanation). Will be taking my laptop with me on holiday in a couple of days so it will be interesting to see if being jostled around and prodded by security types has any bearing on how it operates after that. Current temperature….CPU 38, HD 36.