Community Newsletter: Q&A: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC
- 1/12/06 11:13 AM
Getting computers off the floor
by Wisconsin Programmer - 1/6/06 6:54 AM In reply to: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
One of the simplest methods of keeping computers clean is to get them OFF of the floor, preferably up on a desk or even higher, so they don't suck in all the dust bunnies circulating on the floor. Also, ask users to shut down their computers at least once a week and move the computer and monitor, so that they can wipe up the dust underneath. I tell them that the dust underneath will probably end up inside sooner or later.
I've cleaned some very dirty machines in the past 30 years. There was a machine shop where the office computers had oil and metallic paint all over the components. There were dead mice, dead spiders and dead beetles. There was one at a video rental shop under the popcorn machine that was full of corn meal and worms! But my favorite closeup photo was one I used to show computer user groups, initially telling them that it was a snow scene I shot on my last ski trip, and that I don't know how that photo got mixed in with my computer photos. When I zoomed back out and showed them the second photo, they could see that it was really inside a computer at a paper mill, where paper dust about 1 to 2 inches thich had blanketed all the components with little wavy mounds that looked just like miniature ski hills!
Prevent Potential water damage
by mjenningscnet - 1/6/06 8:30 AM In reply to: Getting computers off the floor by Wisconsin ProgrammerAnother great reason to get up off the floor is potential water damage, which would ruin anyone's day. Many people have their computer in the lower level of their home. In case of a water heater break or sewer backup, rain damage, etc, a computer on the floor is a hard lesson to learn.
I'm glad you mentioned
by Whitesnake - 1/6/06 11:49 AM In reply to: Prevent Potential water damage by mjenningscnetthe potential damage of water ... I used have a very uncaring neighbor who lived above us and 3 times he flooded us out. The water came through from his bathroom [he'd let his bath over-flow] and every time it happened, he missed my computer by inches & laughed. we were without electricity for hours every time because it always happened at 7:15am!! The repair people don't start work until at least 8:30am in the UK. So we had to wait but since then my computer is shielded by my desk[it's off the floor by 6"] and I clean it out about every 2 months so it is very clean and whoever mentioned a use for the used dryer sheets ... thank you for that.
General Hardware Question
by dfbucciarelli - 1/6/06 7:11 AM In reply to: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
After reading the article on "computer cleaning" and airflow, I have a question re: computer skins or panels.
I currently run 2 systems with the side panels off.
Is there any harm here?
Thanks,
Dom B.
Phila. PA
Airflow
by xomegax1 - 1/7/06 4:24 AM In reply to: General Hardware Question by dfbucciarelliRunning systems wwith the panels off may seem like a good idea. However, You're actually running the risk of serious damage to your PC. First, no side panel means the airflow is disrupted. Cases are designed so that air is sucked in from the top and bottom (generally the front top and bottom) and possibly the side(s) and is normally pushed out the back of the case. This keeps air flowing past the components that heat up the most. Leaving the side panels off will actually raise the temperature in these parts as this airflow is disrupted.
The second danger you risk is dust accumulation. Now most folks say they don't need to worry about dust as they keep their workspace relatively clean. Not so. I've seen computers in doctor's offices with dust covering all of the components inside. Dust accumulation with cause parts to heat up and sometimes, if left too long, may pose a fire hazard.
The last major risk I can think of is physical damage. Cases are designed to prevent physical damage to the less sturdy components. Leaving the panel off defeats this purpose.
All in all, I guess what I'm trying to say is put your side panels back on. If you find that your systems are heating up, install some additional fans. There are fans you can put in an empty PCI slot or drive bay. There is usually a spot for an extra case fan inside the case front. In addition, there are several CPU fans out there that will keep your processor and components near it extremely cool. I like the Thermaltake line myself.
I hope this answers your question.
Simple answer
by lucky76 - 1/6/06 7:52 AM In reply to: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You make it to complicated. Such long drawn out comments can be simply put, "open the case and blow out the dust with compressed air or an air compressor with an air nozzle attachment".
If You SMOKE, It Is Much, MUCH Worse!
by Milo98 - 1/6/06 8:45 AM In reply to: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have a friend who was recently complaining that her PC would only run a short time and shut down, or reboot. When I looked in her PC, it had the normal amount of filth from not being cleaned in a while. But then I looked at the CPU cooler. The fins under the fan were totally clogged, and not just with ordinary dust that you could blow out. It was grimy goop from smoke that you couldn't even brush away. I had to completely remove and disassemble the CPU cooler/fan and wash the heat sink with warm soapy water and a scrub brush, and carefully clean each little blade on the fan. I had never seen anything that clogged.
But remember if you do this to not only reapply thermal compound on the CPU, but to first completely clean off all the old compound from both surfaces. Apply a tiny dab (no bigger than a paper match head) to the CPU and spread it around with a *new* safety razor blade, removing any excess; the kind that has only one edge. I say new, because you want to be sure the blade does not have any nicks in it, or you either won't be able to spread it evenly, or you may scratch the CPU. The reason for using a razor is two fold. You need the layer to be very thin, and that is the only way. And you need it to be very even, and that is the only way. Don't use your fingers, and avoid even touching the areas to avoid any possible skin oil contamination.
By the way, cleaning the CPU cooler solved the problem of the computer shutting down. Bottom line, if you SMOKE, you must clean your PC at least two or three times more often to keep a PC functioning properly. This is why computer data centers did not allow smoking in the machine room even before it became fashionable for whole buildings to be smoke-free.
Milo
I find a good soak in the Pool works wonders.
by Cyberfool - 1/6/06 5:16 PM In reply to: If You SMOKE, It Is Much, MUCH Worse! by Milo9830 minutes soaking time in a clean chlorinated swimming pool will remove smoking residue. Be sure to do a PH check before dropping it in, to weigh down a floatation prone tower I use a cinder block. DO NOT shock the pool before use, and also allow 36-48 hours drying time, (turning the tower, endwise every 8 hours) a small fan directing a light breeze over and around the case speeds drying. When you are ready to restart the computer check to see that life insurance premiums are up to date.
Warmest Regards, Cyberfool
P.S. I was just joking...
RE: I find a good soak in the Pool works wonders.
by ArtMuscle - 1/6/06 8:50 PM In reply to: I find a good soak in the Pool works wonders. by CyberfoolYou left out the most important part. If you leave the PC on, the fans will help circulate the water through the system for a better cleansing. You could also add some Cascade to the inside of the case before submersing it so it comes out spot free and shiny. 
Re: Fool and Muscle prescribing a soak in pool...
by mickie37 - 1/6/06 11:44 PM In reply to: RE: I find a good soak in the Pool works wonders. by ArtMuscleThanks folks. Humor is good.
1.Just blow the dust out with canned air (for electronics)2. don't mess with cables, no plugging in and out of ANYTHING.3. Touch the metal frame at the same time your touching any innards IF you MUST. That's bout it. And we all know no moisture,it don't like that. If anything else looks suspicious in there, close it up and throw a cotton scarf over it. There you haven't screwed anything up.
mickie37
PC Dust Hazard
by electricsurf - 1/6/06 9:21 AM In reply to: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Without pulling any punches, do not open your PC if you have asthma or allergies. Our unfiltered fans work day after day pulling in all the junk from the air and build up incredibly large amounts of dust in our cases. I ran a PC support unit that maintained some 12,000 PCs for many years. We had so many techs become ill that we were forced to install woodworking downdraft tables at the work areas to protect our staff from that dust.
We are long overdue a Sharper Image making one of their silent air cleaners to sit in front of our PC air intakes.
bill
Afraid to Clean?
by BeachBum6 - 1/6/06 9:23 AM In reply to: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In your post you mention you have had your computer for years… Years without opening the case to clean things up will most likely result in your finding grunge actually caked on everything in there.
I don’t like the “BLOW” it out method. I want that junk out of there. I understand there will be general reluctance, if not outright shock, to cleaning computers the way I do. But every six months or so, I pull all cover plates, including the front, attach the little round brush to the vacuum cleaner hose and get after it. I even stick it right down on the motherboard. When I am finished, everything is all “clean” again. Honestly, I do not expect anyone that is already reluctant to even remove the covers to perform such a through cleaning the way I do; heck I wouldn’t even do this to someone else’s computer myself. All I can offer is that I have been cleaning computers this way for twenty years without a problem. Even so, I may be on borrowed time. I look at this way. I hate slow failures. I would rather just get it over with, know what happened, and replace the darn thing. A dirty computer will most definitely eventually fail due to simple neglect… operating too hot over an extended period.
Maybe this one thing will redeem this post for having at least some value for the masses.
How do I know when to clean? I use Intel’s Active Monitor, available free and downloadable from Intel’s site.
http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/active.htm
It is an alerting utility for use exclusively on Intel Desktop Boards. The Intel Active Monitor works with specialized sensors on your Intel Desktop Board to constantly monitor the system's temperatures, power supply voltages, and fan speeds. If temperatures become extremely hot or a system fan or power supply fails, the user is immediately notified. I set the temperature alerting limits at the very edge of their high end, so I am notified when things first begin to get into the “little too warm range.” This gives me a few days to get around to cleaning. Of course, this only works for Intel motherboards.
One more thing. I mention this, again because of your mention of “it has been years.” The actual processor inside your computer uses Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound between the actual processor and the heat sink to dissipate heat. Without this compound, heat sinks can not work at maximum efficiency. Over time, even the best thermal compounds will break down to the point that they no longer dissipate as much heat as they should. In other words, the very heart of your computer, if it has been years, is most likely just hanging in there at temperatures well above what they should be. Interesting to note here is there is no way to monitor the temperature of the processor itself. By the time the Active Monitor detects an over-heating processor, the processor has reached temperatures that have shortened its life, if not ended it.
So… ever so often (I do it annually, although this is a bit of overkill, I’m sure), you need to remove the heat sink sitting on top of the processor, clean all the old compound off the top of the processor and the heat sink, and replace it with new. I hope it goes without saying that this should be done very carefully. But come on guys, “carefully” does not mean that you can not be a careful person and pull this off. It is important enough to the longevity of the processor benefit outweighs the risk. Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound can be purchased at any computer store. A small tube of good quality compound should run you around ten bucks.
Here are some through instructions for how to perform the whole task correctly:
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm
BTW, I never use a grounding strap. I don’t trust them. What I do is keep a firm hold, with one hand, on the chassis the entire time; a more direct connection to ensuring that I am most definitely grounded to the machine.
"Dusting" Computer Interior
by sam601 - 1/6/06 9:38 AM In reply to: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
George H of Missouri failed to mention that a normal household vacuum cleaner has a hole near the nozzle end that is to be opened (turn the collar around) so that air is sucked in thereby lessening the 'force' of the suction at the nozzle.
A person can purchase the attachment for a household vacuum reduces the air pull and has assorted small brushes and nozzles for cleaning in such small places. This includes sewing machines.
George also fails to point out that by blowing compressed air inside the computer causes dust to fly around inside the case and the air around it. Therefor it is necessary to have a method of suction at hand to collect the dust. Just like going to the dentist.
The fan screens, and fan blades collect dust and you can use them as an indication of the amount of dust that is collecting in the computer.
Compressed air in any machine ???
by jerryeber - 1/6/06 10:27 AM In reply to: 1/06/06 How to evict those dust bunnies living in your PC by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The combination of compressed air and surounding dust is killing all kind of bearings, seals or moving parts. There are not to many in a computer, but better be carefull. Instead of compressing the dust with a sharp blow in one area or just blow it up and wait for it to re-settle, better take a vaccuum cleaner and get rid of it.
Compressed air for keyboards, yes. For inside any machine including computer, at least questionable.
Cleaning - Why
by msgale - 1/6/06 10:37 AM In reply to: Compressed air in any machine ??? by jerryeberUntil I retired, I had worked for three fortune 500 companies, Verizon, Computer Sciences Corp, and Lockheed-Martin. Not one of which ever "cleaned" a PC. P.S. I can't ever remembering ever defraging or running disk clean-up either. P.P.S I was a software engineer and at times a system administrator, so I kinda knew what was happening.
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