Ok so here's the situation. I own a big Asus N71JQ notebook that I love, it's about 2.5 years old. About a year and a half ago it started getting REALLY hot, causing slowdown, freezes and even random shutdowns. I took it in to a local computer repair shop and had them take a look at it. They opened it up and said it was filled with dust, the likely cause. So they clean it out and the thing works like new... for about six months. At that point the same thing happens and I take it back in, same exact thing. They clean it, bill me and instruct me to move it away from fans and vents that may be causing dust and dirty air to blow into the vent. I do just this... and yet now six months after that it's happening AGAIN. Super hot, slowdowns, everything.

Anybody have any ideas? I can't afford to keep taking this thing in for cleaning. Is there any way for me to clean my laptop without dropping $80 or whatever the repair shop wants for it? I have no idea why this i happening, I've owned quite a few laptops and have never had any overheating or dust problems before. My house is clean and I frequently dust my computer desk so I'm kind of at a loss.

howdy lamp and welcome.
I had that problem with my laptops (overheating) I got me one of these little guys

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998051 it really helped so I did not have to keep opening it to dust it off.

A long time ago I found an extremely useful site for general laptop maintenance and repair. The guy who runs it gives a lot of useful information, some generalised, some specific, regarding a few different makes of laptop. Amongst it all is at least a general guide to dismantling for cleaning or other work, have a look here=

http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/category/everyday-laptop-repair/

I have no connection or financial interest in that guy, I just post the link for information purposes only.

Nev.

Is learning how to take my computer apart and cleaning it myself a viable option? What kind of chance is there that I somehow destroy my computer in the process? I know very little about computer hardware.

Hi Lamp, knowing myself the difficulties in safely taking a laptop apart and the risks of damage while doing so, if you have any reservations about doing so and feel it is perhaps beyond your experience level, I recommend taking it in to a reputable repair shop. They are experienced and also will have diagnostic equipment available to determine if over heating is the only cause of your problems.
We don't like having to give up, but when there is a risk of a member maybe making things worse as in this case, it is a safer bet to recommend professional help.
If all it needs is a good cleaning, a good shop should not charge excessively for that service.

As an edit from an after thought,
That cooler unit recommended by Merlin is a good investment for after it has been cleaned, and will help prevent dust and fluff lodging inside again.

Nev.

I bought some canned air today and sprayed the crap out of my vents. Was amazed at the amount of dust that came wafting out just by doing that. And now my computer is zippier than it has been in months! Kind of annoyed that the repair guy never suggested this, and instead continually charged $80 per cleaning... but hey, it's a business, I guess I can't blame the guy too much. For now anyway the machine is running cool and quick! Thanks for the advice, folks!