One of the worst things that can happen to a computer is overheating. Most often, overheating will cause the power supply to fail and possibly damage the motherboard.
To keep a computer from overheating, it is important to make sure there is good air flow through the computer. Good air flow keeps all of the electrical components, including the disk drive, from overheating. There are two things that have to work properly to keep the air flowing: All exhaust fans must be working properly and the air intake vents must not be clogged with dust.
Usually, there are at least two fans that keep the processor cool. The processor exhaust fan sucks air from the intake vents and pulls the air across the disk drive and electrical components, thus removing the heat generated by these components. The second fan is on the power supply. This fan performs a similar function by drawing the air through the power supply and exhausting the hot air out the rear or side of the processor. Failure of either of these two fans can cause major trouble and, ultimately, computer failure.
Fan failures can occur, but are not especially common. The biggest problem to overheating is dust! In our area, we really get lot of dust. When the air intake vents are clogged, sufficient air cannot be pulled through the computer to cool the components.
Leaving the computer on the floor or, worst yet, on carpeting, contributes to the dust, pet hair and carpet fibers that are sucked into the air intake and clog the ventilation holes. If you are a heavy smoker, the problem is actually compounded by smoke particles.
The computer needs to be periodically cleaned to remove the dust wads, clumped pet hair and carpet fibers, as well as bugs that often crawl inside the computer (crickets are quite common). Fan blades often collect large amounts of dust particles. The dust that collects on fan blades makes the fan blades out of balance, causing excessive wear on the bearings.
The air intake on the power supply is a big area of concern, too. Dust and fibers that get into your computer will generally end up stuck on the air intake grill of the power supply. When the air intake to the power supply is restricted, the power supply can overheat and burn out. This can often cause damage to the motherboard.
Another critical area to clean are the vents in the heat sink on the processor. Most late-model processors that have high-speed processors generate a large amount of heat. Most hardware manufacturers install a heat sink on the processor to help dissipate the heat. When the fins on the heat sink clog with dust, the heat cannot be properly dissipated and the processor can overheat.
Extreme care needs to be taken when removing dust and debris from inside the computer. The proper cleaning equipment needs to be used so that components on the motherboard are not damaged. The normal household vacuum (or Shop-Vac) can suck components right off the motherboard.
Cleaning the inside of the computer is a long, tedious process that can take several hours. This is definitely a job that should be left to your computer professionals. Cleaning out the dust from your computer should be done at least annually, and if your computer sets on a carpeted floor, every six months is recommended.
Please feel free to give us a call if you need to have your computer cleaned. Once the processor has overheated and failed, it is too late!
George Cox is the owner of Computer Diagnostics and Repair. He can be reached at 702-346-4217.
