Mac always running slow and hot

[chainprayer]

Over the past month my MacBook has become noticeably slow and hot. Many of my applications take forever to load. The laptop is also very hot on my lap and the fan is always running at mid to high speeds. For example, my computer has been idle for the past 20 mins and the temp is currently at 145 F. I also have plenty of HD space free for swap files.

Currently running 10.6.7 on 2.2 GHz with 2 GB RAM. Activity monitor shows 80-90% idle when I'm not doing anything (and still running hot). No major software changes or extra background apps for at least 2 months.

 

[miles01110]

Try a clean install.

 

[jackhdev]

Clean install, bring to Genius Bar

Hi, you should do a clean install of Mac OS X and also bring your computer to the Genius Bar. Obviously something is generating too much heat or the fan isn't working properly even though you think it is.

 

[chainprayer]

Would reinstalling OSX and restoring from a TM backup be considered a clean install, or should I try to go fresh with as much as possible, only keeping my photos/videos/docs?