cpu overheating

[Gordon Messmer]

Greg Trounson wrote:
> 
> To add further credibility to the dodgy software theory though, what 
> hardware/firmware protection mechanisms do you know of that upon 
> detecting high CPU temperature dump the user back to a login screen?
> 
> Returning to the login screen could be either a reboot or killing X, 
> neither of which a sane BIOS would do in a CPU overheat event.  Every 
> BIOS I've ever seen shuts the machine down, which makes more sense if 
> it's overheating.

It's more likely that the BIOS isn't able to slow the CPU sufficiently, 
and X or the desktop session segfaulted.  Random shit tends to happen 
when CPUs get too hot, most of it causing applications to crash.