Clean your vents

Heat is a killer of electronics. That’s why computers include vents and fans, to intake fresh air and exhaust hot air. If this flow is restricted, heat will build up and components can fail.

A friend of mine complained that his desktop PC was slow, and often froze or crashed. The case sat on the floor, in a home that included a large dalmation. Upon opening the case, I discovered enough dog hair to create a small dog. After a thorough cleaning, the computer worked fine.

The same friend was not so lucky with his laptop. Several components failed in first two years, puzzling me. Then, one day I saw how he used his laptop, perched on a soft pillow. The pillow blocked the air intake vents on the bottom of the laptop, thus cutting off needed cooling.

Periodically vacuum vents to remove dust. How often depends upon your work environment. Judge it based on how dirty the vents are the first couple of times you clean them.

Laptops usually have vents on the bottom and the sides or rear. Shut off the laptop, then vacuum all vents.

For desktop computers, you can open the case to inspect for dust and do a thorough cleaning. First, unplug the power cord. When vacuuming the interior, be careful not to touch any components with the vacuum nozzle or your hands. To reduce the chance of static discharge, ground yourself. If you have a grounding wrist strap, wear it. If not, touch the faceplate screw of an AC wall outlet.

Just to motivate you, below is a photo of the interior of a PC in a U.S. health care facility. Scary. If you want to see more, TheRegister has a series of photos of filthy computers.