Spring cleaning

The Incredible... · Post by **The Incredible...** » August 6th, 2007, 20:32

My computer has just crashed for the second time tonight, and having had a cursory glance inside i am guessing it might have something to do with it being ABSOLUTELY FUCKING FILTHY in there. good layer of dust everywhere, so may lead to overheating, especially if its in the fans

so basically i'd like to know the best way of cleaning out the insides, would a compressed air spray be a good idea? if so, where can i get one?

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » August 6th, 2007, 20:39

compressed air is good for the really fiddly bits, but mostly I'll pull a machine apart and scrape the crap into a bin.

All an air can will do if you use it on everything is move the dust (into your lungs

) and over the floor. which isn't good.

You can also hoover your case out to some level, but there can be some danger of static death with that (so only hoover fans and not-likely-to-die stuff)

Post by **HereComesPete** » August 6th, 2007, 20:44

Ignore berk, get rid with compressed air and your lungs. If they get fucked, you can get a new pair free on the nhs, a computer is expensive. The floor? Thats for the girlfriend/mother to clean up!

The Incredible... · Post by **The Incredible...** » August 6th, 2007, 20:51

lol yea, i figure i can wear a dust mask, i think m ydad has one lying around, he's a surveyor so has to go in dusty, possibly asbestosy lofts and stuff sometimes, and if i can blow it all out i can hoover it up without risk of STATIC DEATH OF DOOM.

I'm gonna replace pretty much the whole thing when i have the money anyway, but that could be a good 6 months or so yet

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » August 6th, 2007, 20:56

compressed air, get it at maplin or google

if your skint, I always found an old toothbrush and lungs did a good enough job.
(i've never been one to be afraid of static

)

Post by **ProfHawking** » August 6th, 2007, 20:56

I heartily reccomend taking your pc outside, and using a dive cylinder.
4351psi through a small nozzle shifts almost anything your pc could accumulate. Including fan bearings so don't let them spin up.

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » August 6th, 2007, 21:01

ProfHawking wrote: Including fan bearings so don't let them spin up.

A very good point which I forgot to mention.
(Even though I did that today on the Big Brother machine at Madam Tussauds)
Stick a screwdriver or something in the fan while blasting it. You don't want to induce current on the board/card/willy

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » August 6th, 2007, 21:12

cheeseandham wrote:(i've never been one to be afraid of static )

Hard, I've never lost anything to static, but I figure if anything will do it, a hoover with a nice nylon brush will.

ooh, also, DO NOT use propane cans a'la airsoft gas to clean your computer, I've heard a few horror stories about that

Post by **FatherJack** » August 6th, 2007, 21:17

Use a can of compressed air with the straw attached to blow it mostly into a corner, then pick the fluff up and bin it. Try not to think what the fluff is made of. Buy some plastic tweezers for about 50p each off eBay if you want to be an utter girl about not touching it.

A hoover isn't really powerful enough to overcome the static which makes the dust stick in the first place, and as berk mentioned, is a big staticy wand of zappy PC destruction. We're talking quite a lot of static, what with the vac's fast-moving parts, and could easily pop a little surface-mounted component, plus it's a fairly clumsy instrument to be waving around inside a delicate PC.

Not breathing in the dust can be accomplished by not breathing in, or get a face mask from a DIY shop for a couple of notes.

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » August 6th, 2007, 21:19

Dr. kitteny berk wrote:I've never lost anything to static, but I figure if anything will do it, a hoover with a nice nylon brush will.

Well I understand you have to warn people. You don't want anyone shouting shouting "U k1ll3d my b04rdz" after they listened to you

Funny though, the one of the few times I did use a static bracelet (to install some RAM) i got a good zap as I earthed myself

Moral of the story - if your hair is standing up on end without the use of hairgel, do not handle electronic components (and that goes for any superheros whose powers include electricity)

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » August 6th, 2007, 21:21

FatherJack wrote:Try not to think what the fluff is made of.

We call them "dust bunnies", it makes the job much nicer

Post by **HereComesPete** » August 6th, 2007, 21:22

cheeseandham wrote: A very good point which I forgot to mention.
(Even though I did that today on the Big Brother machine at Madam Tussauds)
Stick a screwdriver or something in the fan while blasting it. You don't want to induce current on the board/card/willy

I really think you should have broken it. Not sound business/reputation sense, but good for slowing the destruction of our nations yoof.

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » August 6th, 2007, 21:24

HereComesPete wrote:I really think you should have broken it. Not sound buisiness/reputation sense, but good for slowing the destruction of our nations yoof.

You actually make a good argument. Shit...
I feel like I've participated in the decline of civilisation. Bit like being part of the SS in WWII.

"I was only doing my job!!!"

Post by **FatherJack** » August 6th, 2007, 21:25

My resplendent curly mop is like a Van-De-Graaf generator - I'm sure I've related the story before from my early PC tech days about how I blew up a modem, scratched my head in puzzlement and then grabbed the next one...

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » August 6th, 2007, 21:26

cheeseandham wrote:Well I understand you have to warn people. You don't want anyone shouting shouting "U k1ll3d my b04rdz" after they listened to you

If I mention static, it's not my problem

FatherJack wrote:My resplendent curly mop is like a Van-De-Graaf generator - I'm sure I've related the story before from my early PC tech days about how I blew up a modem, scratched my head in puzzlement and then grabbed the next one...

Post by **HereComesPete** » August 6th, 2007, 21:26

Its alright, just save the anger for the day you run across a 'celebrity' from BB, eviscerate them with something rusty and blunt, then feed the carcass to pigs to remove evidence, karma will be restored.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » August 6th, 2007, 21:27

Vacuums are actually most win.

BUT you need one of the ones without the nylon crappy bits, just use a tube, they're great for cleaning filters/fans/general case.

White cotton gloves are good occasionally for use in cleaning.

Compressed air is a staple though if you're serious and want it done quickly and well.

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » August 6th, 2007, 21:33

I can almost see a tongue-in-cheek cleaning FAQ on this subject.

1. Vacuum cleaners are great for cleaning PC, get one with nylon for better cleaning.
2. Make sure you earth yourself by rubbing your shoes on nylon carpet. Also scratch your head constantly whilst performing the cleaning operation.
3. If using compressed air, make sure you use a lot on the same spot. Make sure the PC is on whilst doing this or you could suffer from "Propane failure"
4. Make sure you breath in the dust, it's ful of vitamins, minerals and marrowbone jelly.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » August 6th, 2007, 21:35

cheeseandham wrote:I can almost see a tongue-in-cheek cleaning FAQ on this subject.

1. Vacuum cleaners are great for cleaning PC, get one with nylon for better cleaning.
2. Make sure you earth yourself by rubbing your socks on nylon carpet until a balloon will stick to your head, Also scratch your head constantly whilst performing the cleaning operation. (make sure your computer isn't plugged in or grounded)
3. If using compressed air, make sure you use a lot on the same spot. Make sure the PC is on whilst doing this or you could suffer from "Propane failure"
4. Make sure you breath in the dust, it's full of vitamins, minerals and marrowbone jelly.
5. For those really stubborn bits of dirt, there's nothing better to remove them than the Dishwasher, Simply take both sides off your case and put it in the Dishwasher, Just be sure to use *Lots* of soap and plug your computer in straight after to help it dry

fix'd

edit: moar fix'd

The Incredible... · Post by **The Incredible...** » August 7th, 2007, 19:49

hmmmzors

i just cleaned a whole fucking warren of dust bunnies out, jjust using a brushy thing and the hoover, making sure not to let the hoover actually touch any part of the computer

however it has still crashed within five minutes of turning it back on it just blue screened for no reason with some error code that was too long to remember

not sure what the likely cause could be

speed fan shows temp 1 as 52 degrees c and its icon is a flame, so i'm guessing thats too high, but i'm not sure what temp 1 is, i would assume cpu, but i thought they were ok up to 60ish