guide to cleaning your computer

CPW Computers guide to cleaning your computer.

Once again it is that time of the year,when spring cleaning is coming around and it is a good  time of year to be giving your poor old pc some T.L.C by giving it a good cleaning.

Yes folks, This means that you have  inside your computer,as well as the outside. (not if you have a laptop, but we’ll touch on that later).

What is meant by “Clean inside my computer?”

Most people do not even know what the inside of their computer even looks like?

If you are interested in seeing what’s going on and how much dust and muck can accumulate in there take a look at a couple of these pictures that have been posted on the internet………

So Lets begin by taking off the cover and remember if you have pets, expect A LOT of dust and fur.

But first things first UNPLUG FROM THE MAINS.

1. Unplug all Cables! This machine must not be connected to any power.

2. Remove all peripherals such as the mouse and keyboard.

3. Take your computer outside

Usually there are a couple of screws or clips on the side that you undo to gain access and that allow you to slide off half the case, it’s not quite as easy  as opening a box, but it will slide open,it may be a little stiff but persevere it will come off, Sometimes half the cover comes off, other times the whole thing will come off and then you will be seeing the insides of your computer completely bare.

I have seen Many people cleaning out their computer, who just get a vacuum and suck all the dust and muck out. (Occasionally even I do that )But…there are some concerns with that approach.You really have to be careful as an Electric static charge can zap your computer and fry some of the components and So for you the Average user I would just recommend picking all the larger pieces out by hand or with Tweezers but be careful not to touch any of the components on the motherboard.Then after you have removed all the big pieces, get a can of “Dust Air” and  start spraying air on all the dirty components.

You will especially want to get the back area where the power fan is, and where you plug in your network cables, monitor, etc. Those get very dusty as they are the closest to the fur and dust in your house.

After you get it all clean and good to go,replace the cover  and plug it all back in.

Your computer may or may not run faster or better, but I have seen some really nasty insides in some computers and I realised that all this fur and muck is causing untold amounts of damage to your computer and also shortening its lifespan.

Here is a of photo of the above pc after it was cleaned out.

 

LAPTOP USERS

You can’t just take laptops apart and dust them out, well you can but it’s a right pain to put it all back together correctly,but you can clean the keyboard and screen I do recommend that.

Why? Because the keyboard is a part of the “machine” unlike a regular computer that has it detached. Keeping your keyboard clean will help keep your laptop working. Just get a can of compressed air duster and give it a good “spraying” and then check for big lumps of fur and stuff. A biscuit crumb can cause key’s to stick and give you hours of Stress so just check that out on occasion and you’ll be in great shape!

If you have any questions about this or want CPW Computers to do a regular computer cleaning and show you how to dust out your computer, call 07704772032 or leave us a message at contact us for an appointment.