Basic System Maintenance Part 3

This is for Desktop computer Towers.
Just as your house needs to be dusted and cleaned in side and out, so dose your computer Tower! This means you will need to remove the cover of the Tower to vacuum and dust the inside. You should do this every 6 months!
The reason you need to clean the inside is, just like your A/C system the Tower has a fan that draws air through it to keep it cool, It also draws in dust, lint, dog and cat hair, and any thing else floating in the air. Unlike you’re A/C the tower has no air filter to trap dust and dirt. So all that dirt gets pulled into your computer and clogs’ up cooling fins, and vents. This will cause 2 kinds of problems, the first of which is over heating, which will cause your computer to shut down, or crash. The next is a system short, which could cause a fire! Either one of these can be detrimental to your system! You will need a few tools to clean the inside of the tower and about 1 hour of your time.

Lets begin by getting the tools you will need…
1. Small Philips head screw driver, or a nut driver.
2. Some Q-Tip swabs (to get in those tight spots)
3. A vacuum with a hose, and base board attachment
4. 1 small paint brush (I use a cheep 1inch wide paint brush)
5. 1 old bath towel, and a flat work surface (I use a desk, or Dinning table)
6. 1 roll of masking tape and ink pen (used to label the wires you remove)

Start by removing all the wires & plugs from the back of the tower. If you have never done this before, you might want to use some masking tape, label each wire, and corresponding port it came from. On the typical computer you will have 7 wires to remove. This will include, Main Power, Monitor, Printer, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, and Internet adaptor.

Now that your Tower is completely disconnected, Lay the bath towel out on the table, and move the Tower to the table. Using the Screw Driver remove the screws that hold the Tower cover in place. Each Tower is a little different, but the retaining screws should be in the back. On some Towers There is a side panel that slides off, and on some the whole cover comes off. Some Dell towers have a button on the top and bottom, pushing both will allow you to open the cover with out tools. Take your time; look over the Tower, if all else fails refer to your manual, or look it up online be for you start…

Now that you have the Tower open, use the Vacuum to get the bulk of the dust Bunnies, being careful not to pull any cables lose. Use the paintbrush to losen any stuck on clumps from tight spots and vents, then vacuum. Be sure to clean the fan blades, and vents this is where the Q-Tips come in handy! Take a close look around inside the Tower, it will usually have a set of vents up front, and on the side, be sure clean these well. On some computers there is a plastic fan shroud over the main processor, this should be hinged or removable. Be sure to clean the fins on the processor, being careful not to break any. Now that you are done dusting, check the cables by giving each one a little push in, to make sure they did not come unplugged… Now put the cover back on and your done! If you did your job rite the computer should run cooler, and last longer!