Hot laptop (dell inspiron 1000)

[0b3]

hi , i have a dell inspiron 1000 laptop and have had it for almost a year now . ive have noticed that the laptop gets very hot when on even for short periods of time , and the exhaust vent at the rear blows only very hot air out. it has a intake fan underneath the laptop but since that is always in direct contact with the table the intake of cool air and circulation is poor
it has been hot like this from the time i bought it and as yet has posed no problems.
i would like to know if it is normal for a laptop (mine in particular) to be this hot when on and if any of the cooling methods for laptops such as the notebook coolers are either good or useless in cooling the laptop.
i would like to get at least a few more years use out of my dell so id like to know if the heat will affect its lifespan.

any help much appreciated , many thanks in advance

 

[tdeg]

I'd say its normal.

I can't keep my ThinkPad on my lap for more than about 30 minutes before it gets very uncomfortable.

As long as you actually feel hot air blowing out, you should be ok.