Gentlemen....Clean your PCs!

[Russ723]

I was having difficulty with my old computer slowing down (notice how this always seems to happen).

It was an oldie to begin with, but freezing every time Itunes is booted I mean C'mon!

I was always very reluctant to take the cover off, fearing that I would damage something and have no one to blame --not to mention no internet.

The fans started coming on full blast --at start up --every start up:confused:

I finally got up the nerve to open er' up due to buying a new X4, relegating the oldie to backup status.

The thing was so full of dust-- the cooling system had clogged and failed.

I found the processor melted into the heat sink :eek:, stuck like chuck.

Give your Comp some compressed air every now and again, even if you aren't a "tech guy" it will thank you.

Don't Actually do this, as I am not a PC guy and, have no idea what I am talking about.

[oracleguy]

The fans started coming on full blast --at start up --every start up:confused:

That's a good warning sign that something is wrong. Usually that it needs to be cleaned. (As you found out)


I found the processor melted into the heat sink :eek:, stuck like chuck.


It wasn't melted, if it was, it wouldn't have worked. What really was going on is that the thermal paste had formed a good bond between the CPU and the heatsink. This is a good thing, it means that it can transfer heat better. After removing the heatsink, it is important to clean off the old paste and reapply new thermal paste when reinstalling the heatsink.


Give your Comp some compressed air every now and again, even if you aren't a "tech guy" it will thank you.

Your fears were warranted, you can damage your PC. If you aren't sure what you are doing you can mess something up. Just fair warning.

But at least it sounds like things went well for you which is good.