Cleaning

[shrimply]

Hi, I have a feeling this is a stupid question but I've got this old computer and wanted to give it a good clean.

 

SO I bought a can of compressed air which I thought would remove all the dust etc, well it doesn't actually I feel quite ripped off I can't see how it would clean anything.

 

So can you give me any tips on how to get the whole thing, particularly the fans clean.

[Seth]

Hi Shrimply.

 

It's not the fans that you really need to worry about. It's the heatsink underneath the cpu fan and the power supply which is most important.

 

The can should have come with a red nozzle. Use that and insert it right between the cpu fan blades. If that doesn't work, you'll need to remove the fan in order to clean out the heatsink.

[Dalo Harkin]

If you just want to clean the fans then just use a new paintbrush mate - as for the compressed air - I only use it if its a very small place thats hard to reach - decent compressed air comes with a straw like on WD40 so that it directs and pressurises the blast of air, you have to do it in short bursts though.

[Seth]

Also make sure you keep the can upright so no propellant comes out.

 

If you don't want to take off the fan, a toothbrush can be used to dislodge the major stuff from the heatsink, then you can used the compressed air to get the dust that's deep in the heatsink fins.

[shrimply]

Thanks, how careful do I have to be when I'm cleaning the heat sink, I mean how much damage can I do. Still very nervous about doing anything inside a computer really.

 

Same about the power supply, it looks filthy inside but there's no way even with the red nosle that I'll be able to clean inside it. I'm pretty sure dismantling it isn't wise.

[Seth]

You don't have to worry about damaging anything by using the instructions we posted.

 

You also don't have to take apart the psu (that's dangerous)...just spray it out with the compressed air. Spray from both the inside and outside vent on the psu.

[Dalo Harkin]

Well technically the PSU is only dangerous if you are messing with it while its on :eek:

or you open it and mess about and dislogde something and then turn it on :eek:

 

I would just use a long thin paint brush where you can and that will be more than sufficient as for damaging the fins on the CPU heatsink - you cant really - they are normally solid pieces of ALUMINIUM or COPPER - unless you spend around £40 and they have masses of fins attached to heatpipes!

[Seth]

Well technically the PSU is only dangerous if you are messing with it while its on :eek:

 

I dare ya to touch the caps:D

[shrimply]

Thanks, I've cleaned it the best I can and its still working, and I managed not to kill myself so its all good, as always thank you.

[Dalo Harkin]

I once saw someone drop a screw into their PSU as they were installing an HDD :eek:

BANG is not the word I would have used :eek:

a small fire also ensued :eek:

[AdvancedSetup]

Well we attached a LARGE DC capacitor to AC when I was in Electronics school many years ago. Now THAT was a cool big bang. :D