Today's computers are very powerful and their powerful components often generate a lot of heat. Computers have built-in fans that dissipate the heat, but that heat needs to escape.

Desktop computers will often have ventilation holes or grates where the heat can be expelled. Check to see where the ventilation holes are on your computer and make sure that you keep these free.  If your computer has ventilation hole on one side, that side should be open and not pressed against the side of a desk or any other piece of furniture. Some of the newer desktops have ventilation holes on both sides. They all need to be open to the air.  So if you put a computer like this next to the desk, you should keep it at least a few inches away so it can breathe.

If your laptop computer has ventilation holes, you will also need to keep them open to the air. Some laptops may not have obvious ventilation holes, but they still need to breath.  You will find that heat often builds up on the bottom of a laptop. They make laptop stands that will help dissipate that heat.

As a general rule of thumb, keep your computer away from fabrics like draperies. Keep pets away so that pet hair won't clog the components and cause overheating. And make it a rule to never pile papers on top of your computer.

For more information, check out my article entitled Keep Your Computer Cool