PC Maintenance

[Veedaz]

I do this once every 6 months and today its my main Computers turn, cleaning the hardware of your Computer will ensure smooth running and efficient cooling and my main two rules are patience and follow ESD (electro static discharge) procedure. To start the Computer is disconnected and moved to my work bench and placed on a anti static mat, I remove Graphics Card, RAM. CPU cooler, and case fans that can be removed, handling components I use a static wrist strap, Fans are cleaned with a small brush surgical spirit and cotton buds, when a soft brush is needed I find a Lady's Make Up Blusher Brush works very well. Compressed canned air is used on all removed components, Optical Drives, Motherboard slots, back ports and inside the case, I also disconnect all power and data cables and blow out the connectors. I remove the old Thermal Compound (I find a wooden lollipop stick, surgical spirit and soft cloth works well) from the CPU and the CPU heat sink and replace with new (Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound). Replace all components and I'm done, this all takes around 3 hours . How do you go about your PC Maintenance ?

 

[andsome]

Once every couple of years I take off the side and blow the dust with a can of compressed air, and suck it up with a vacuum cleaner. There is rarely much dust in there. I don't smoke in the room and the computer is up on the top of my desk, so does not suck in much muck.

 

[Veedaz]

andsome wrote

I don't smoke in the room and the computer is up on the top of my desk

That will make a big difference, many times I open up a PC and i find them quite clean ... and other times there so full of dust, pet hair and i have even found small spiders living in a PC case.

 

[andsome]

andsome wrote

That will make a big difference, many times I open up a PC and i find them quite clean ... and other times there so full of dust, pet hair and i have even found small spiders living in a PC case.

I have a phobia concerning spiders, except for money spiders.

 

[Kalario]

How about laptops? suggestions?

 

[Nibiru2012]

I put mine in the top rack of the dishwasher and then select the "Pots & Pans" cycle. :bath:

 

[Core]

I typically clean it once a year or so. Sometimes I'll clean it more often if it needs it, but it's not very thorough, just getting most of the obvious dust out.

Typically what happens is I open it up to change or install hardware, and I see balls of dust and decide to clean it. Not really a regimen of any kind.

 

[catilley1092]

I vaccum the grooves well with a small pointed attachment for these purposes, along with the keyboards every three months or so. The screens gets a weekly cleaning with a LCD screen cleaner. That's the extent of my PC cleaning.

 

[WindowsGeek]

I clean out my main compy about once every 3 months, or whenever it looks to have obviously too much dust. I use a 100 PSI air compressor to blast all of the dust out of there. (Don't worry, I am careful with it!) Then, I blast out the filter, and it's ready to go. This takes me a total of about 15 mins, and it's not bad compared to a total scrub down, happens about once a year for me. I clean most of my other computers about once every 6 months.

 

[Ian]

Like Core, I just give the PC a once-over whenever I install something new inside it. At the moment, one the bearings in a case fan has gone, so I'll be repairing/replacing that at some point this week.

How about laptops? suggestions?

Don't eat too much toast over the keyboard . I've seen a few laptops that barely type as the keyboard is full of crumbs :lol:

Keeping a laptop clean is about all you can do to keep the hardware in shape, and perhaps giving the vents a very gentle vacuum once in a while to remove any dust.

 

[Veedaz]

Yes Laptops are a different kettle of fish cleaning keyboard, vents and optical drive is about all, I would not advise striping a Laptop just to clean it