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by Julia Layton      Laptop Image Gallery Keeping your laptop cool protects your hard drive -- and your lap -- from getting burned. Images courtesy of  TSA Overheating laptops have gotten a lot of press over the last few years. The problem first gained popular attention around 2006, when reports of  laptops actually catching fire  started trickling in around the globe. The problem there was faulty  batteries , and companies like Dell, Sony and Acer had to initiate major recalls. The general issue of hot  laptops  is separate from those bad batteries, but laptop "explosions" certainly brought attention to the basic cause: Scorching heat is a bad trait for something that sits on your lap. People have actually gotten burned [source:  BBC ]. Short of that, hard drives are damaged by excessive heat. But if the problem isn't a bad battery, what's making these laptops so hot? You've probabl...