Our mothers always told us to dust, but we are often too lazy to do that. However there are tangible benefits of dusting, other than making our surrounding feel and looks tidier. For computer users, there is an obvious advantage of regular dusting that is a cooler system. Many of us still have desktop computers and although they may no longer top of the line, these machines are fast enough for what we do. We may not overclock our machine and it runs at standard specifications and speeds. However, we may soon start to experience regular lock-ups and it is a good time to try to diagnose the possible problem. When our computer is locking up, it is usually stop responding to any input. When the monitor freezes, it is a good idea to reboot our computer and this may not be a simple application crash. People typically blame Microsoft, but there could be other reasons. For example, our cooling configuration could actually be a slightly underwhelming performer and it requires everything to work properly to ensure good cooling performance.
We may replace the cooling solution and it could become much more stable after the overall temperature is reduced. The weekly lockups could become a monthly and perhaps even bi-monthly. However, it is possible that our computer will become less stable once again and it is a good idea to find out whether there are other problems that are causing this issue to repeat. When we open the case, we could be surprised at how dusty the interior is. The fan could be nearly clogged with dust and unidentified strands. This would cause significant difference in the overall temperature of our processor. Well perhaps, our mothers were right after all. In this case, it won’t hurt to immediately dust our computer and we would see immediate benefits of it. Computers are essentially electronic devices and they generate heat, just like mechanical machines. However, electronic components could get unstable or permanently damaged if exposed to continuous heat. Dust could easily block fans in our case and prevent us in making motherboard, video card and processor get cooler.
Dust could also block airflow out of our case. In this case, we need to make sure that fresh air can enter our case and expelled after it goes through all the heat-generating components. Unfortunately, the absorbed air could bring with it some amount of dust and it could easily accumulate. The temperature of the system may rise quickly and it is difficult to ensure more stable system if our processor is simply too hot. In some cases, we could cut down the overall lifespan of our PC, potentially instantly. In fact, most lock ups in desktops are caused by accumulated heat, not software or hardware problems. Sometimes, these crashes could prove to be rather catastrophic and the whole system just dies permanently. Hopefully, we won’t lose anything if we have backed up everything. In many cases, it all takes diligence, a fine brush and compressed can.