How Physically Cleaning Your PC Can Solve Performance Issues

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Do you think your PC needs a professional repair? It's always possible that it does, but there are a few things that you can remedy yourself. Many people suffer from what they think are unfixable issues on their computers. For instance, do any of these describe your PC?

  • Slow performance
  • Very slow startups or shutdowns
  • Random crashes and PC instability

These problems can occur simply because you have an overabundance of dust in your PC. You may not need a repair; you may just need to do a little cleanup.

Why You Should Physically Clean Your PC First

Dust does a lot of things to a PC that you wouldn't normally expect. As it builds up, it starts to block the flow of air into and out of the tower. That will cause the computer to start to heat up faster. This in turn will become real a performance issue.

Things will slow down, and eventually the PC will start shutting off or going through random restarts. Many people find that after they clean the computer, it starts to behave as it did when it was still new. It's quicker, quieter, and less prone to instability.

How to Physically Clean Your PC

Some people refuse to open their computers to have a look inside. Don't be that person. Turn off the PC; power it off from the main power switch on the back. Touch the case to discharge static, then open your tower and take a look.

  • Is there dust or debris all over?
  • Are your fans clogged with thick dust?
  • Are all the cables firmly inserted?
  • Are all the cards firmly seated?

If your PC looks like dust has made a permanent home, you have to clean it out. You may not think so, but this will definitely improve your computer's performance.

There are several different routes you can take with this; any one is better than none.

Novice cleaning – Use compressed air to blow dust out of the tower. Pay close attention to the fans, including the one over your processor.

Intermediate cleaning – Use rubbing alcohol or alcohol-spray on a cotton swab or paper towel. Don't spray directly into the case. Wipe away dust on the fans, over the grills and any place where it accumulated on the case itself. You can do this before and after applying the compressed air.

Professional cleaning – Remove each component and clean it individually. With everything out, you can give the case a truly thorough cleaning. This will require tools to unscrew the components if they don't have quick release latches.

  • Remove the hard drives, the fan cases, the cabling, cards, etc.
  • Clean off everything , including the cables
  • Remove and clean the heatsink/fan from the processor to clean it

You may have to apply fresh thermal paste to the processor and heatsink if it looks like yours is wearing thin. When you're done cleaning, make sure that you put everything back in its proper place.

If You Still Have Problems

Of course, if you still have problems after the cleaning, then you may have a larger issue. That's when it's a good time to call a professional repair service like Computer Help, Inc. Even if you find yourself going that route, you'll probably feel better knowing that someone isn't going to open your PC and see that old dusty landscape. 

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