Sudden issues with laptop

[Epipsychidion]

I just had a series of problems with my computer and was hoping someone could explain what might have happened, as it's a bit worrying. Basically, my mouse suddenly became really slow and difficult to control, the keyboard was suddenly totally unresponsive (so Ctrl-Alt-Delete didn't work), then after a minute or two the computer switched off entirely - i.e. didn't just shut down or restart. Does this sound like a virus? All help appreciated. 🙂

 

[C12Friedman]

Could be a heat issue here, what surface was the laptop on at the time? How old is the laptop?

 

[Epipsychidion]

Could be a heat issue here, what surface was the laptop on at the time? How old is the laptop?

Thanks for replying: the laptop is about two years old. I'm not sure about the heat issues as it had only been on for a maximum of 30 mins before the problem started. It seems to be ok since I turned it back on again, but am still concerned that it did that in the first place: would you say it sounds like it might be a virus, or does it sound more likely to be some kind of hardware/performance issue?

Thanks again for any assistance. 🙂

 

[C12Friedman]

If a virus or other nasty, this guide should help http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/8263-63-simple-free-guide-removing-malware
Temperatures can be monitored through the use of a program such as CoreTemp http/www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/ or HWMonitor http/www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html IMO, you'll want to do that anyway since high temperatures will indicate when a thorough cleaning needs to be undertaken
I'll use this opportunity to provide a reminder that the term "laptop" is a misnomer since it is vitally important to operation that the vents be kept clear and often the vents get blocked while on any surface that isn't hard, smooth and flat. Also, if the vents are very restricted or blocked, the laptop can overheat in just a few minutes - it will happen after time simply due to dust accumulation but you'll be on top of that if monitoring your temperatures