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.




--
Diguelo

"Diguelo" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> 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.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Diguelo


Having cleaned PCs belonging to heavy smokers, I can say the vast majority
of tar is exterior to the PC. That is, the external enclosure, screen
vents, frontal areas where air may vent inwards as well. Very little of the
tar relaxes in the interior of the PC. Common household bleach, undiluted,
works very well in an unplugged unpowered PC for cleaning this tar from the
exterior. It ain't pretty, but gets the job done effectively.

Dust does not settle in a forced air environment. It does settle where
there is little or no air movement.

Not all PCs have a removable left-panel, whether they are desktops or
otherwise.

Dust buildup doesn't really affect RAM chips per se. RAM seatings does
effect that operation. RAM removal and reinsertion is probably good to do
every couple of years. Cleaning that area prior to such a procedure is
smart to prevent dust contamination in the area.
--
Dave
April 16th, 2009 Day 1 post Tea Party.
This day in history occurred:
Nancy Pelosi response was undignified per her allegation that such are
funded by right wing money big money and attended exclusively by right wing
extremists.
White House staff indicated that officially not recognizing the nation-wide
gatherings in any fashion.
Some news reporters were found attempting to goad responses from attendees
at the gatherings with response not filling their (some news reporters) TV
political needs. Too bad for them.
Woebama in Mexico. 2nd amendment rights being pinged again. Ignoring
locking down the U.S/Mexico border again.
We the people...
No political party or otherwise in that.
Locked signature to prevent subsequent historical revisionism.

It's useful information and I make it point
to check and clean when necessary. Some cases
come with removable filters in the front of the case
so they should be cleaned also.

But I take the quick route and dump the
computer in the washer, spin dry and then
bake in the oven for 24 hours ;-)

--
JS
http:/www.pagestart.com


"Diguelo" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> 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.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Diguelo

JS wrote:

> It's useful information and I make it point
> to check and clean when necessary. Some cases
> come with removable filters in the front of the case
> so they should be cleaned also.
>
> But I take the quick route and dump the
> computer in the washer, spin dry and then
> bake in the oven for 24 hours ;-)

I've just done the same thing with my mobile phone.
It's now so clean I could eat my dinner off it.

--
Falcon:
fide, sed cui vide. (L)

There you go then another happy customer




--
Diguelo