Do You Clean Your Computer?
Friday October 3, 2008
When I say clean I mean clean in the old fashioned way - dirt, pet hair, etc. So many people spend way more time "cleaning" their temporary files, desktop icons, Internet cache, etc. than their physical computers even though that's where the real damage can often take place.
So, when was the last time you opened up your computer and cleaned out all the dust bunnies? Have you ever done it? Have you ever cleaned all the food crumbs out of your keyboard? Ever cleaned out that dirt-magnet component we call a mouse? Share in the comments!
Don't be too hard on yourself - it's easy to forget that this is an important part of good PC maintenance. Unfortunately, you don't get error messages when the inside of your computer has collected a certain amount of Ms Kitty's hair. In extreme cases, the first thing you see is a computer that is completely fried because the fans stopped working, the PC overheated, and the hardware is permanently damaged.
Some of these resources might help:
How to Open Your Computer Case
How to Clean a Mouse
How to Properly Clean an LCD Monitor
11 Ways to Keep Your PC Cool
So, when was the last time you opened up your computer and cleaned out all the dust bunnies? Have you ever done it? Have you ever cleaned all the food crumbs out of your keyboard? Ever cleaned out that dirt-magnet component we call a mouse? Share in the comments!
Don't be too hard on yourself - it's easy to forget that this is an important part of good PC maintenance. Unfortunately, you don't get error messages when the inside of your computer has collected a certain amount of Ms Kitty's hair. In extreme cases, the first thing you see is a computer that is completely fried because the fans stopped working, the PC overheated, and the hardware is permanently damaged.
Some of these resources might help:
How to Open Your Computer Case
How to Clean a Mouse
How to Properly Clean an LCD Monitor
11 Ways to Keep Your PC Cool
I spray in canned air and let the case fans move the dust out. One spot to remember to clean is your desktop. I use Clutterkiller form http://www.datagoround.com to do that. I use CCleaner to clean up temp files and cache.
Twice a year I take both computers out on the patio, power up my compressor and blow all the dust out. I’m careful not to have the air pressure too high and them to let the machines set over night with the side off to dry out in the event there was any moisture in the air.
It’s also good practice not to have your computer on the floor. The amount of dust that a machine picks up is much greater there than if it’s on a table or desk, especially if you have pets.
Intel provides a utility to monitor several heat zones and the fan speeds, ps voltages, etc in the form of Intel Desktop Utilities, which has an alert feature that prompts you to take action for overheating. There are several 3rd party utilities that will do this for other sys boards.