Author Topic: Clean Inside of Computer to Help Performance (Read 1179 times)

ZapKid · « **on:** December 17, 2011, 09:23:40 PM »

I am very happy. (Yes all 3

) Me and my dad worked on the really glitchy computer that played the Sims 3. I was on the verge of quitting, it always froze. And sometimes, the graphics card would heat up to 103o Celsius . But now, after clearing the dust inside the computer and outside the graphic card, I loaded up BridgePort on max graphics and placed tons of trees everywhere and it worked! Yey! So now I can build [big] houses again without it glitching. I could build small homes if I had the patience; but it didn't load fast enough.

[Moderator's note: This great information was originally posted on the Babble Thread, but it will better serve the Forum in its own topic on the Technical Help board. I moved the relevant posts and gave it a new subject name. Big thanks to ZapKid and everyone else who's contributing. -Pam]

MomOfMany · « **Reply #1 on:** December 17, 2011, 09:33:47 PM »

Quote from: ZapKid on December 17, 2011, 09:23:40 PM

I am very happy. (Yes all 3 ) Me and my dad worked on the really glitchy computer that played the Sims 3. I was on the verge of quitting, it always froze. And sometimes, the graphics card would heat up to 103o Celsius . But now, after clearing the dust inside the computer and outside the graphic card, I loaded up BridgePort on max graphics and placed tons of trees everywhere and it worked! Yey! So now I can build [big] houses again without it glitching. I could build small homes if I had the patience; but it didn't load fast enough.

So does that mean my computer might perform better if I cleaned it out inside? Never really thought about that. I did it when we first got it but have since forgotten and my computer is probably about 3 years old.

Maybe I will try that and see if I can then turn up my graphics in the game and run better. Although we will be getting a new computer in a few months I would love to get Sims to work better on this one since I want to keep this one for my children to use!

NeonColors · « **Reply #2 on:** December 17, 2011, 09:36:40 PM »

Quote from: ZapKid on December 17, 2011, 09:23:40 PM

I am very happy. (Yes all 3 ) Me and my dad worked on the really glitchy computer that played the Sims 3. I was on the verge of quitting, it always froze. And sometimes, the graphics card would heat up to 103o Celsius . But now, after clearing the dust inside the computer and outside the graphic card, I loaded up BridgePort on max graphics and placed tons of trees everywhere and it worked! Yey! So now I can build [big] houses again without it glitching. I could build small homes if I had the patience; but it didn't load fast enough.

Really. . .? Hmm, cleaning from inside and out. . . Hmmmmm. Interesting. I will consider this.

ZapKid · « **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2011, 10:12:19 PM »

Since you guys are wondering, here's how to clean it out.

1. Turn everything off.
2. Open computer case (outside)
3. Look for your video/graphics card
4. Take a can of compressed air (found at hardware stores) and clean the outside of the graphics card. Chances are it's really dusty
5. Put the case back on.
6. Enjoy!

If you're worried you'll break the computer, find a tech geek to help you.

NeonColors · « **Reply #4 on:** December 17, 2011, 10:17:01 PM »

Tech geek it is! Now I need to get my daddy on my side. Thanks ZapKid.

ZapKid · « **Reply #5 on:** December 17, 2011, 10:31:52 PM »

No prob.

loveSims · « **Reply #6 on:** December 18, 2011, 01:50:38 AM »

Quote from: ZapKid on December 17, 2011, 09:23:40 PM

I am very happy. (Yes all 3 ) Me and my dad worked on the really glitchy computer that played the Sims 3. I was on the verge of quitting, it always froze. And sometimes, the graphics card would heat up to 103o Celsius . But now, after clearing the dust inside the computer and outside the graphic card, I loaded up BridgePort on max graphics and placed tons of trees everywhere and it worked! Yey! So now I can build [big] houses again without it glitching. I could build small homes if I had the patience; but it didn't load fast enough.

That's great Zapkid! Dust in a computer can be very bad. The tech guy that upgrade my pc almost fainted when he opened it lol. I will never let dust build up like that again. My pc was horrible slow and make strange noises when I turn it on. Now it is awsome!

Twinmum · « **Reply #7 on:** December 18, 2011, 02:24:06 AM »

Actually, on the subject of cleaning out the computer. I used to have a note on the inside of my Sims 2 case saying that if the game started freezing and booting me to the desktop it was time to clean the system. Twindad would take the tower up to the shed , remove the cover and blast it with the air compressor. It worked 99% of the time. Now he just occasionally does it anyway to this computer when we notice a bit of dust build up on the back vent.

Norma

samoht04 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 18, 2011, 04:06:47 AM »

Would this also be indicated by my computer making this loud wirring noise inside when I turn it on? I wiped off some dust from the back but I didn't think about inside. I'll see if we have any compressed air and do it anyway.

loveSims · « **Reply #9 on:** December 18, 2011, 04:18:48 AM »

Quote from: samoht04 on December 18, 2011, 04:06:47 AM

Would this also be indicated by my computer making this loud wirring noise inside when I turn it on? I wiped off some dust from the back but I didn't think about inside. I'll see if we have any compressed air and do it anyway.

Yes my computer did that! You could hear it in the next room lol

samoht04 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 18, 2011, 04:27:53 AM »

Quote from: loveSims on December 18, 2011, 04:18:48 AM

Yes my computer did that! You could hear it in the next room lol

At first I thought it was the disk inside or something but that wasn't spinning but it sounds quite violent, you can tell when I'm turning my computer on from downstairs now! My Dad said he found the air stuff yesterday whilst looking for something else so we can do that today.

EDIT: Thank you so much! I looked inside my computer and well let's just say we almost needed a chisel to get the dust off. It is silent! It also seems much faster.

ZapKid · « **Reply #11 on:** December 18, 2011, 10:53:55 AM »

Samoht: That would be the fan trying to cool the computer down. My computer is normally totally quiet, this one you could hear plugging your ears!

NeonColors · « **Reply #12 on:** December 18, 2011, 11:04:39 AM »

So all I need is compressed air. And how do I open my laptop, oh does it work on laptops. (Yeah, am not a computer whiz)

ZapKid · « **Reply #13 on:** December 18, 2011, 01:05:46 PM »

I'm not entirely sure; I did mine on a Windows 7 computer. You need to find a ultra-tech geek to help you with that.

Pam · « **Reply #14 on:** December 18, 2011, 10:52:06 PM »

I cleaned the inside of mine tonight. It wasn't as bad as I expected, but there was still a lot of dust.

I'm not sure about a laptop, either. We have one and it's not obvious how to open it.

Seabody · « **Reply #15 on:** December 18, 2011, 10:56:52 PM »

I'm not going to try to open mine, but mine seems to have screws in the bottom.

BellaClo · « **Reply #16 on:** December 19, 2011, 04:19:01 AM »

It's usually not advised to open and clean a laptop by oneself. Components inside a laptop case are smaller and much more closely packed together than in a desktop case. So, it makes the cleaning process really tricky and complicated. It's easy to forget where what has to go back and to lose some of the tiny screws.

If you think that your laptop is stuffed with dust, better contact the manufacturing company (HP, Dell...) or the reseller to know what they can do for you. You'll have to pay for the service of course, but if the laptop is not too old, it's probably worth it. And certainly better than "break" it and still have to pay (more) for a reparation :-)

This is why it is also a good idea to pay attention to how you use a laptop: don't put it on places where there is a lot of dust. Rather use it on clean hard surface than on your knees, bed, couch...

samoht04 · « **Reply #17 on:** December 19, 2011, 04:23:37 AM »

My Dad said someone he works for's Computer just shut down and never came back on, so the guy took it outside and looked inside and there was a load of dust inside, literally caked in it. He did what is described here and put it back, turned on the power and the computer worked fine again. So when I explained this to my Dad he knew what I was talking about.

KJSinclair · « **Reply #18 on:** December 19, 2011, 05:25:59 PM »

You can open a laptop relatively safely with little knowledge.

The trickiest part is getting the casing open but if you goggle that with your make and model there are usually many step by step guides. The trick is keeping all the tiny parts together, when I do it I use cups to keep the screws in. The other main issue is transferring static but if you sit still then touch the plastic side of your laptop before you begin you ground yourself and then you will lower the chance of transferring static.

Usually with laptops you end up removing the hard drive and ram (memory) before opening the case and these need to be stored safely while you are inside. Canned air is useful but I wouldn't recommend it's use inside a laptop because you can push the dust further inside. So I usually concentrate on the fan and I use an anti-static brush to gently pull the dust into an open space then turn my laptop upside down and give it a little shake.

Dusting a PC or laptop should be done after the warranty has expired to protect yourself, then every 6 months. It is part of the basic maintenance that I wholeheartedly encourage.

Kindest Regards
KJ

Frey · « **Reply #19 on:** January 16, 2012, 10:00:27 AM »

My laptop is always very dirty on the outside, I have to clean it all the time because it gets so dusty I can't see anything on the screen... I don't even want to think how it looks like on the inside! I'm on vacation right now but when I come back to the city I will ask my super-tech-geek best friend to clean it for me

.

Anyway... I have a question: my CD drive looks horribly dusty! When I open it to insert a CD I can see loads and loads of dust in there. Lately it's having trouble reading some CD's, and I have to insert the same CD even 20 or 30 times before I can run them. Is there a safe way to clean it? I have never cleaned it because I'm scared of damaging it, but my laptop is now 4 years old and it's really, really dusty in there. I remember many many years ago I bought a cleaner CD, that had little brushes in it, but I lost it and I haven't been able to find a new one.

Saltypaws · « **Reply #20 on:** January 16, 2012, 03:41:28 PM »

Also, if you blast the fans so that they turn while you are blowing it out with the canned air, it will also clean your fans. Goes for the one in the back, just point the canned air from the inside out on the fan in the back and you will see the dust fly out the back. Never blow outside in, kind of defeating the purpose, lol. I have been doing that for ages and it always works, especially if you start hearing noise from your tower. I try not to keep mine on the floor, but sometimes space is a problem, so you get alot of dust from the floor.

warr2098 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 29, 2012, 03:45:50 PM »

my pc is quite slow at times and makes a super loud noise when turned on but the thing is... I can't open it

Seabody · « **Reply #22 on:** March 02, 2012, 08:31:46 PM »

Quote from: warr2098 on February 29, 2012, 03:45:50 PM

my pc is quite slow at times and makes a super loud noise when turned on but the thing is... I can't open it

It's possible. My father's done it before. And so have I (although we were throwing it out and mutilating the motherboard and everything to destroy all personal data. Plus I got to go at it with a hammer.

)