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How do YOU clean the inside of your computer?
Ok, so i figured i'd poll some of you fellow computer hardware guys and see if maybe you guys have developed a better method than the standard use of compressed air cans.
Honestly getting sick of paying $3-4/can for compressed air.
Anyone else found out a better way?
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Comments
A regular shop air compressor can work, as long as you are sure the air is dry and clean or run through enough filter to make sure it is (a lot of shop compressors can have a lot of moisture or oil in the compressed air).
Vacuums always sound like a good idea, but it can cause static, and isn't nearly as good at getting dust out of the crevices and tight spots (like heat sink fins or fan shrouds). The blower part of a vacuum (like on a shop vac) might work ok, I've never tried it.
Canned air really is about the safest and best thing I've found, unless you just happen to have a good shop compressor with a good filter on it.
Had a feeling that was gonna be the case.
I'm probably just gonna hafta break down, unplug everything and take it apart, clean it all with a brush/compressed air, and re-assemble.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Do that enough times and you'll really start to appreciate cases with removable filters and air cooling schemes that create positive pressure in the case (more air blowing out than blowing in.)
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https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
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Bicycle pump (foot pump works best) with one of those thin needles for inflating balls. It won't get it spotless, but it gets all the major dust and dirt out of the way.
I've also jerry-rigged a shop vac with a similar needle-end and placed the hose on the output valve. Works well until you end up chasing one of your RAM sticks across the room after it gets blasted off the motherboard!
Although i dont have one myself you could get a mini air compressor to save you buying cans in the long run.
Used to use one at work regularly to clean out customer PC's.
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That isn't a bad idea, thank you.
Ditto. And you'll end up using it for lots of other stuff.
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I remember seeing at one time a computer cleaner that used CO2 canisters. If you had the cartridges for paintball I could see it making sense, but it was pricey for just cleaning a computer occasionally. I imagine it could work just as well as compressed air cans though - it's not a lot different.
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Vacuum cleaner with keyboard cleaner attachments. Just don't keep the case on the floor or a carpet. :-)
http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Vacuum-Attachment-Kit-Piece/dp/B000BSJCLY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421294512&sr=8-1&keywords=keyboard+cleaner+attachments
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Take mine apart and use my leafblower on it. works too well.
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A cheap convenient solution that works quite well is a double action hand pump.
The kind you use for an inflatable boat
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
I live in a semi arid desert, which already produces a shitload of dust, combine that with 2 dogs shedding like motherfuckers in the house and trust me, its a monthly thing.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Air compressor is the best option. But you can also buy spray cans with compressed air that are made just for that.
Otherwise just use vacum cleaner.
Hey , great idea !
I yank the parts out and let them soak in boiling water for a few hours and then try them in the dishwasher dry cycle
I do it every 4 to 8 weeks depending on the dust. The time it takes to clean it is more that worth the cost to replace anything that would burn up if I didn't do it.
As to other devices people are recommending, make sure your device isn't blowing charged air. It only takes a few volts to fry some chips.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
No, I'm not kidding
Bio 40 degrees and then dry them in the microwave.
And uhm, on a more serious note, just use a vacuum cleaner. It's actually pretty hard to fry something if you take the mininal precautions to not have too much static built up.