PC Hygiene

[steve.ledger]

I come across filthy PC's often in my work.
Part of my *service* is to clean them up a bit.
However, occasionally I open up a case that makes me reach for the camera.

Here's the latest filthy PC to come my way.

Not surprisingly the machine was brought to me because it stopped working.
And yes, the narrow picture is the floppy disk drive (after the case fascia is removed). Dust and damp air has actually rusted the galvanized metal.

All too often people spend big dollars on a PC only to shove it on the floor and never care about it until it stops working.
The floor is the worse place for a computer (they are after all called 'desktop computers' for no silly reason).
Not only does dust, hair and pet dander get sucked into it via the front vents, but vermin can easily enter it and make their home (until they venture into the warmer PSU and find it unsuitable to their body type 'zap/pop'!)

A little care and attention certainly prolongs the useful life of your hardware investment, but it also helps protect your valuable data.

Web and dust becomes a conduit for static charges, just imagine what random sparks zapping around all that will do to the inards.

If your computer resides on the floor I strongly recommend that you take the time to make room on your desk (after first making sure it doesn't resemble fairy floss on the inside first). If you are unsure about cleaning it properly yourself, take it to your local PC Service centre. Don't be embarassed, they'd see it all the time too

This one took around 15 minutes to clean up.