j-speed racer

i have a year old top model hewlett packard laptop. recently i've been having problems with it getting hot and shutting down. is this something thats just going to happen or does that mean the fan isnt working right or well enough? recently i've started proping it up a little and it still gets hot but doesnt shut down. any advice, suggestions? should i take it back to best buy to get checked out or is this a typical occurance. i was downloading songs alot of the times it happened.

thanks