Slow PC? Clean up to Speed up!

Back when I was a practicing freelance consultant and spent a lot of time visiting business offices, there was one particular habit that I found it very difficult to convince computer users not to develop.

In an effort to either maximize available desk space, or simply to hide what some considered to be an “unsightly box”, many office workers want to locate their computer’s system box on the floor, by or under their desks.

In doing so there are several related factors to which they don’t give due consideration.

FACT #1:
Cleaning staff are not always as careful of obstructions as we might wish them to be, and a computer case on the floor is an obstruction to their smooth work flow. Depending on the type of surface being cleaned, bumps from brooms and vacuum cleaners are bad enough, let alone frequent contact with damp mops, with the risk of splashing moisture in through air vents.

FACT #2:
It stands to reason that in any internal environment the lowest surfaces will be the dirtiest and dustiest, with a floor being the worst affected. In addition to airborne particulates attracted by gravity, many floor coverings will also generate their own debris (e.g. carpet fibres), not to mention deposits bought in on footwear. Which raises the fact that…

FACT #3:
Computer system boxes are not sealed. Quite the contrary, there must be vents to allow air circulation, or some of the electronic components will overheat, at the very least reducing their efficiency and lifespan. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) in particular generates a lot of heat that must be quickly and efficiently dissipated. And apart from the vents in the enclosure there is usually at least one fan (and sometimes more) drawing outside air into the case.

FACT #4:
When dust, dirt, lint, fibres, etc. build up on the surface of electronic components the coating acts as an insulator, preventing the escape of heat and thus raising the operating temperature of the component. Further, a build-up of debris on components promotes another significant lifespan shortener – corrosion – a proven mainboard killer.

LOSS OF PERFORMANCE:

Quite apart from the factors that can shorten a computer’s lifespan, the cooler a CPU runs, the more efficient it is, and it can operate at its maximum design speed. As the temperature increases above design specifications the operating speed falls off.

In other words, your CPU may be operating at a speed significantly below the 2.4GHz or 3.2GHz or whatever that you paid good money for!

No matter how assiduously you work at keeping your hard disk defragmented and running all the recommended anti-malware programs, none of that attention will improve the performance of a PC that is speed-throttled because of overheated or degraded components.

CLEANING:

Most computers in almost any environment should be periodically opened and carefully cleaned to clear accumulated debris. The frequency will of course depend on the nature of the environment, perhaps ranging from monthly in a factory or warehouse, to semi-annually in a clean office environment.

Technicians are divided on the best/safest method of dust removal from inside a PC case. Basically it’s a toss-up between sucking and blowing — vacuum or compressed air. Battery operated units like this Halloa Mini Vacuum Cleaner are very inexpensive as are cans of compressed air. That’s just a link to an example of the type — I haven’t actually used one of those myself.

Whichever method you choose be sure to observe these safety precautions:

• Turn off the PC and remove the power cord.
• Use only plastic blow or suck nozzles, not mental, or static electricity could cause problems.
• To avoid damage to bearings do not blow compressed air directly into cooling fans, causing them to spin at high speed. Hold the fan blades still with a finger while blowing air through them.
• Take time to take care! The inside of a PC case is reasonably robust so long as you don’t get too aggressive in your cleaning. Don’t use cloths, tissues or brushes (static electricity) directly on components or the mainboard.

If opening the case or cleaning the interior is not something you feel comfortable about, take your box to a service centre and ask for a technician to show you how to do it for future reference. It really is a job anyone can do in a few minutes once shown how.

Now please don’t think for a moment that this is a discussion of a rare or theoretical possibility.

I was prompted to write this short article having just had to replace a corroded mainboard. The CPU fan was also so clogged with dust that cooling efficiency must have been negligible, which had been reflected in the performance. As any service technician will verify, problems due directly to dirt/dust/debris build up inside computer cases are not rare.