High Sierra Topix

ok, so it's starting to warm up, and we're all planning like mad, trying to get the latest info from the Internet. There's something simple you can do to make sure your PC doesn't have a fit during all this activity. Vacuum it.

That's right, they need to breathe pretty much like we do. The have vents on the underside of the laptops, and the desktops/towers have fan vents in the back. It's really simple. Unplug the pc/mac/whatever, take your vacuum and suck the dust off those vents, even from the DVD drawer. It works better than blowing compressed air into a pc, which just pushes the dust in further. Do all the vents you can find, and do the keyboard as well. Make sure the device is unplugged first.

Should really do this every 2-4 months depending on conditions.

Russ

All my computer problems are solved via sledge hammer.

or a good hosing with hot soapy water.

Laptops fit in a dishwasher.

dave54 wrote:or a good hosing with hot soapy water.

Laptops fit in a dishwasher.

Good thing I don't run your IT department.

Laptops are a bit (?) more difficult. I was having overheating problems with mine and vacuumed what I could from the intake/exhaust vents. They looked clear viewing with a small flashlight, but the overheating issue remained. I decided to try replacing the heat transfer paste between the cpu and heat sink to see if that helped. I had to completely dis-assemble the laptop to get to the heat sink and remove the heat sink to even get a glimpse at the case exhaust vent. What I found is the heat transfer paste seemed fine, but removing the heat sink required new paste. I was prepared for that as that is what I went in to do. The big issue was behind the exhaust vent. There is a small set of ribs the air passes through before exiting the vent. There was also, literally, a 1" x1/2" x 1/2" dust bunny completely covering the ribs. It was so thick, I removed it all at once with a pair of tweezers, then vacuumed on low setting. Vacuuming from the outside of the exhaust vent merely packed the dust bunny more tightly. There was no way it was going to be sucked through those ribs. Now, my cpu cruises between 25c and 45c where before, it was topping out near 100c with the fans blowing full speed, then auto-shut down.

My laptop was a pain because of the need to completely dis-assemble it to get to the exhaust. YMMV. Once clear, I think a regular vacuuming will suffice to remove dust before it becomes a bunny. Tearing into a laptop is not for the feint of heart, but there are plenty of on-line tutorials one can print out for their particular model.

Nice post, Jimr..

I would never advocate the normal user take apart a laptop. You gave a great description of "what's inside". Quite the "bunny"!