How to clean your computer case!

Provided by E-man Computer Care Snohomish

Your computer requires semiannual  maintenance. Many computer problems  are caused by components overheating due to poor airflow due to buildup of dirt and dust over time. It’s worthwhile cleaning your computer every six months or even more often if it is in a particularly dusty environment, on carpet or in a household with pets. This tutorial is designed to help you safely clean the interior of your tower or desktop PC  to maximize its life. No computer knowledge is assumed other than familiarity with component names. Cleaning the computer is not rocket-science and does not require any special skills or tools but you do need to know how to avoid possible damage to some of the more sensitive parts. That’s what we will demonstrate here. Although the same principle applies to laptops and notebook PCs, because of the difficulty dismantling them these instructions do not apply to those types of computers

 
Tools and Materials required:
• A  Philips cross-head screwdriver.
• Couple of  cans of compressed air.  We have them available at our computer store in Snohomish • Do NOT use compressor air – it often has a high moisture content which will damage your pc
• One small paintbrush
• One Window/Glass Cleaner spray pack and same paper towels
• A flashlight to see the inside
• A Vacuum cleaner with a hose (you don’t want dust all over the house )
• A Static Strap – from a computer store or possibly supermarket.
Electrical Precautions
The Inside the computer is safe with one exception – the power supply or PSU. The PSU is in its own metal box usually at the top rear of a tower and you should NEVER attempt to open this box or stick anything metallic into it I got Shocked couple of times traying to service them and it is not fun. (very dangerous )   There may be an on/off switch at the back of the PSU and there may be a (red) voltage selection switch. Do NOT change the voltage selection switch. Older computers have power at the on/off switch at the front of the case, identified by a thick electrical cable linking the switch to the PSU please never try to disassemble the power switch or disconnect the cables . The best will be to make sure you unplug the power cable from the wall socket to your pc .

Static Discharge
Be careful not to kill the computer through discharge of static electricity that builds up on your body or clothing. Static is especially a problem during dry weather and if you have synthetic carpets or clothing. For example a synthetic pullover (sweater) would be a bad choice of garment for this job, a t-shirt  would be a much better choice. The best way to combat static while cleaning your computer is to wear a static strap attached to the chassis and worn on your wrist during the whole process.  Static straps are available at E-man Computer Care
 
Dust Precautions
Computers make pretty good dust collectors and if yours is normally placed on or near the floor (especially carpeted floor) or if you have pets, it is in a industrial environment, you are a smoker, then your computer will have a lot of dirt trapped in the system. When you blow this out with the compressed air it will be spread through the room. You should work with good ventilation and if you suffer from allergies you should remove the computer outside during dusting 
First step
Shutdown the computer and disconnect all the cables plugged into it (you may want to take couple of pictures with a digital camera or a cell phone this will help you when putting the computer back together.
Opening the Case
The standard tower case usually has either a single metal cover covering the top and both sides, held in place by three or four screws or has removable side panels each held in place by two screws. Make sure you pay attention how you remove it because you will need to put it back 
 
Case vents and PSU vents
Run the vacuum cleaner nozzle over any air vents at the front, side and rear of the case and over any vents in the PSU especially the air vents in the sides of the PSU inside the computer. If the covers have vents then vacuum those as well.

PSU fans
Use the blunt, insulated end of the pencil to hold the fan blades steady and blow compressed air into the PSU fan and through the PSU.
 
CPU fan and heatsink
This is the most important part of the cooling system – dirt collects on the fan blades and clogs the heat sink vanes. Use the paintbrush to brush the dirt off each blade and off the heatsink vanes if accessible. Using the pencil to hold the fan blades still, blow out the fan and the heatsink with the compressed air. It is important not to let the CPU fan (or other fans) spin up under the air blast as damaging voltages can be generated through a dynamo effect. Expect significant dirt to be ejected from the CPU heatsink

 
Video card fan and heatsink
This can be hard to see as it is usually on the lower side of the video card. Depending on the design either use the paintbrush to remove dirt from the heatsink and/or use compressed air while holding the fan still with the pencil. To do a thorough job will probably require removing the Video Card which is normally held in place with one screw where it meets the case. Remove the screw and unplug the card by pulling firmly outwards. There may be a plastic latch at the back of the card, press down on this to help eject it. If you do remove the video card keep good contact with the PC chassis as often as possible to minimise static buildup and rest the video card on part of the case while it is being cleaned. When the fan is clean use compressed air to blow out the video card slot, on older cards if the edge connectors of the card look tarnished clean them lightly with a pencil erasor. Reinsert the video card making sure the plastic latch clips into place indicating the card is properly seated in the slot (not all systems have a latch). If the fun is stuck you want to replace it or best if you don’t know how bring it in and we will do that for you
 
The case
Vacuum the dust from the bottom of the case being careful to keep the nozzle away from the motherboard. Also when you spray be careful of the position of the spry you don’t want moisture to come out of the spry.
 
Reassembly
Make sure that any cables that were moved to get access to clean the system should be put back in place. Inspect the cables going to the optical drives, floppy drive and hard drive(s) to check none have been unplugged. Install back the cover. Connect up all the cables that were originally present (following the Pictures from your cell phone and reconnect the power cable. Plug into the power outlet and switch on. Make sure your monitor is switched on and check the computer boots up normally.