Whenever you ad a 32bit texture into the Color slot in Maya, it automatically plugs the same texture into the Transparency slot. So yeah, just breaking the connection solves the problem.
Well... I changed the design (again) but now I am almost happy with the result. There are still some design problems but I can´t solve them at this stage.
You can still clean the dust inside it. My old laptop had the same temperature as yours, and kept shouting down a lot but after cleaning it the problem was solved.
There are tons of high quality free models out there. Why not teach them to model HQ models first, then texture them and then rig/animate them in that order. Problem solved. :)
I had the problem with images too... :( Read here how to solve it : http://polycount.com/discussion/174234/reallusions-3d-character-design-kuchini-eugene-kuchinsky#latest