Quick background: I posted about this issue once before and got very little feedback. I think that has to do with the title. I hope this new title will attract some more attention. In short, in about 1 in 10 boot ups of my I8600, it immediately turns itself off and on the next boot, I get the #M1004 error message:

"Your system automatically powered itself off because it became warmer than expected. This may have been caused by:
o) operating or storing the system in an enviroment where the ambient temp is too high or,
o) obstructing the air flow from the system fan vents.
If this problem recurs please call Dell Support with error code #M1004."

Now, I find it extremely hard to believe that within less than one second of me pushing the power button to turn the system on, it has gotten hot enough to then shut itself off. I've cleaned the vents out several times to find no dust and the vents are not obstructed. The system has NEVER shut itself off while running.  This happens ONLY immediately after turning it on.

Now, after a simple search of the forums, it seems the #M1004 error code is quite common but NOT on a Inspiron 8600; in fact I seem to be the only person who has posted about it to the forums. So, the utility patch Dell has released to circumvent this error message is NOT designed for the 8600 and I am not taking my chances using it. This error message has occured with every BIOS my laptop has had. (A02, A03, A04, A06, A07, A08).  

Since the system otherwise works perfectly, I don't want to ship it off to Dell at this point. Any ideas?