D
Diguelo
One of the greatest causes of failure in a PC or MAC is overheating.
Most of the failures in a systems hardware can be avoided simply by
routinely cleaning the machine out. EVERY machine once it is turned on
starts drawing air through the system, even if its only the power
supply and processor fans you have installed. Once the fans move they
draw in not just air but any other particles that are in the air
nearby. Pet hairs, dust, fluff, human skin believe it or not.
If you or anyone else nearby smokes, this compounds the problem by
adding tar adhesive into the mix making stuff stick better to the
inside surfaces.
So what if it drags in dust, why does that bother me? simple, over time
the dust settles on the components in your computer, like on heat sinks,
particularly the CPU fan and power supply. Once the dust starts to
settle the principle then behaves like a quilt, insulating the cooling
surface from the cool air being passed over it. This can and often does
lead to heat failure, not to mention the danger of physically shorting
out the connections on the board.
As an example on a few machines ive seen, the owner has been to a PC
shop who have diagnosed their machine as having a memory problem. A
simple removal of the memory and cleaning the strips and sockets gently
cures this sometimes. It wont be the first time ive seen a board so
thick in dust the components on it arent visible.
I personally clean my Computers out every 4 months.
If your confident removing parts to clean them I would recommend doing
that, however if your not then leave them all in place.
Go to your Harware store and purchase a long horse hair or other long
soft bristled brush.A 1/2" wide one is perfect for the job.
DO NOT USE NYLON BRISTLED BRUSHES THEY HAVE A STATIC CHARGE ON THEM
THAT CAN DESTROY COMPONENTS.
Then you need a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment.
You need to remove the power lead from the Computer first.
Open the left panel of the case and clean off any dust you see by
gently brushing while holding the vacuum hose close by to draw the dust
away from the components.
The processor CPU fan and heat sink need to be cleaned well, this is
where those long bristles and horse hair come into play as they will
slide easily into the cracks of evey heatsink there is to get the dust
out. Pay particular attention to any heat pipes that may be in the heat
sink.
Your graphics card may have a small fan on it that frequently attracts
more dust than any other part so carefully clean the fan port and heat
sink.
Memory modules are notorious for dust fault so give them all a gentle
clean with the brush. If the sockets they are plugged into are clogged
in dust then take the modules or cards out and clean the sockets well.
Once youve cleaned it all out and made sure all cards and modules are
replaced properly then refit the side panel and reattach the power lead
and try it out.
It may smell funny for a while due the disturbed dust being present but
most gets caught in the vacuum anyhow.
Most of the failures in a systems hardware can be avoided simply by
routinely cleaning the machine out. EVERY machine once it is turned on
starts drawing air through the system, even if its only the power
supply and processor fans you have installed. Once the fans move they
draw in not just air but any other particles that are in the air
nearby. Pet hairs, dust, fluff, human skin believe it or not.
If you or anyone else nearby smokes, this compounds the problem by
adding tar adhesive into the mix making stuff stick better to the
inside surfaces.
So what if it drags in dust, why does that bother me? simple, over time
the dust settles on the components in your computer, like on heat sinks,
particularly the CPU fan and power supply. Once the dust starts to
settle the principle then behaves like a quilt, insulating the cooling
surface from the cool air being passed over it. This can and often does
lead to heat failure, not to mention the danger of physically shorting
out the connections on the board.
As an example on a few machines ive seen, the owner has been to a PC
shop who have diagnosed their machine as having a memory problem. A
simple removal of the memory and cleaning the strips and sockets gently
cures this sometimes. It wont be the first time ive seen a board so
thick in dust the components on it arent visible.
I personally clean my Computers out every 4 months.
If your confident removing parts to clean them I would recommend doing
that, however if your not then leave them all in place.
Go to your Harware store and purchase a long horse hair or other long
soft bristled brush.A 1/2" wide one is perfect for the job.
DO NOT USE NYLON BRISTLED BRUSHES THEY HAVE A STATIC CHARGE ON THEM
THAT CAN DESTROY COMPONENTS.
Then you need a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment.
You need to remove the power lead from the Computer first.
Open the left panel of the case and clean off any dust you see by
gently brushing while holding the vacuum hose close by to draw the dust
away from the components.
The processor CPU fan and heat sink need to be cleaned well, this is
where those long bristles and horse hair come into play as they will
slide easily into the cracks of evey heatsink there is to get the dust
out. Pay particular attention to any heat pipes that may be in the heat
sink.
Your graphics card may have a small fan on it that frequently attracts
more dust than any other part so carefully clean the fan port and heat
sink.
Memory modules are notorious for dust fault so give them all a gentle
clean with the brush. If the sockets they are plugged into are clogged
in dust then take the modules or cards out and clean the sockets well.
Once youve cleaned it all out and made sure all cards and modules are
replaced properly then refit the side panel and reattach the power lead
and try it out.
It may smell funny for a while due the disturbed dust being present but
most gets caught in the vacuum anyhow.
