The theme Cleaning the computer (judging by the queries in the search engine) from the user's point of view, for the most part, involves cleaning the garbage of the operating system. Those. the word computer is identified by an ordinary user with the Windows operating system. And very in vain, because if the system breaks down, it can be reinstalled at least a hundred times without any problems. But if the computer breaks down, you have to buy a new one.
Therefore, to everyone who, by cleaning a computer, means the process of cleaning the operating system from debris and viruses, I advise you to think (and read this article to the end), since this approach is fundamentally wrong. Quite a lot of users monitor their Windows "s, but a very small number of them clean their computers at least occasionally. Laptops especially often suffer from this state of affairs, as dust clogs the already tiny cooling system.
In my practice, I have repeatedly encountered a situation where I was the first person to look inside a computer or laptop in 5 years that have passed since its purchase. And I looked there because they brought me a non-working or almost non-working computer that heats up, reboots, slows down, etc.
Computer maintenance
In fact, the material in this article is not limited to just cleaning the computer from dust - it's just the topic that everyone will look for on the Internet and ask search engines questions. This article details the entire process of regular computer maintenance.
The process of computer maintenance, I will outline the points from simple to complex. If you are completely new, not confident in your abilities and are afraid to break something, then you can completely limit yourself to the first two points, they are quite simple. This minimum is quite enough to extend the life of the computer, and it is certainly better for the PC than doing nothing at all.
Dust removal
The maintenance process begins with the simplest and most accessible task: dust removal. The computer is completely (!) disconnected from the network and external devices.
After disconnecting the computer from the 220V network, press the power button on the system unit once - this will remove the residual charge in the computer's power system. Often, the light on the case flashes and the fan of the cooling system on the processor turns.
The walls and bottom of the case of the system unit should be wiped with a slightly damp cloth. You don’t need to wipe the motherboard and expansion cards with a rag, because there are a lot of small parts, connectors, cables, and so on. I do not advise using a vacuum cleaner, since there is a high probability of static discharges. Integrated circuits and unpackaged elements do not need much.
Cleaning the air cooling system
The second point of cleaning the computer is the cooling system. The most unpretentious and simple cooling system is air. Therefore, it is ubiquitous. Since the cooling system drives air through the system unit, it sometimes collects a huge amount of dust on itself (see photo above).
Another problem is noise. Dust also plays a role here. The fact is that dust particles settle unevenly on the fan blades, so vibrations appear during rotation.
After some time, this is followed by a hum, because due to vibration, the fan bearing begins to wear out, and play appears. Because of this, the vibration is amplified and a vicious circle is obtained. Due to the backlash, the smooth running of the fan decreases, and its characteristics also decrease. Cooling decreases, temperature rises.
As a rule, the fan (regardless of the installation method) is removed quite simply. The main thing, as elsewhere, is to do without fanaticism and not make excessive efforts. The fan is connected to the power system even easier - using a connector on which there is foolproof protection, so it is impossible to confuse.
The fans must be removed, wipe their blades with a rag. You should also wipe the dust off the place where the fan was installed (case wall, radiator). Dust from the radiator, especially if there is no task to remove it, should be removed with a soft bristled brush or blown with air.
Lubrication of the air cooling system
After dismantling the fan and cleaning it, it is necessary to lubricate its bearing. To do this, the vast majority of fans have a technological hole on the back wall, closed with a cork and sealed with a sticker. The sticker must be removed and the cork removed.
It is advisable to use high-quality and non-liquid lubricant, but for lack of a better one, you can use ordinary household technical oil (as in the photo), available at any household store. Such a lubricant has one minus - it is liquid and will not linger in the lubricated unit for a long time.
After lubrication, you need to twist the fan impeller, move it up and down along the axis so that the lubricant is distributed more evenly. Then assemble the fan and put it in place.
The same should be done with the cooling system of the video card.
Minimizing dust ingress
In order for the cooling system to work effectively, it is necessary to create an air draft inside the case and direct the air flow. If the case resembles a leaky bag, then nothing will come of it. Therefore, it is necessary to close the extra (not participating in the air flow) holes, and increase the air flow into the case. The input fan must be placed in front of the hard drives so that they have active cooling:
I close the ventilation gaps in the PC case with tape and cardboard:
Component maintenance
The main difficulty in servicing components is the need to dismantle them from the motherboard (system unit case) and disassemble them. Replacing the thermal paste involves dismantling the heatsink, cleaning the contact pads involves dismantling the control board, etc. All this must not only be removed, but also properly put in place. Therefore, one should be guided by the principle - If you don’t know how, don’t take it. Exercising on your own single computer is not cheap.
I already wrote about the dismantling of the processor heatsink and the replacement of thermal paste, so I will not repeat myself. I already wrote about it too. I'll tell you about one interesting point that not everyone knows about.
Most components have contact pads. For DVD drives and HDDs, pads are used to connect control boards and the mechanisms that these boards control. Such a connection loses its reliability over time due to the fact that the contact pads are oxidized. This can lead to various consequences (in HDDs, data is transferred from the disk to the board and vice versa according to this scheme). To eliminate a possible risk, contact pads must be cleaned of oxides.
This is done with an ordinary school eraser (no sandpaper and other things!). Pay attention to the photo below: in the first photo, only the power contacts of the HDD drive motor (3 pcs.) Are cleaned, in the second photo, all contacts are cleaned. The difference is very noticeable.
In the same way (with an eraser), you should clean the contacts of the RAM cards and, in general, all expansion cards. Do not forget to only remove the crumb from the eraser from the contacts after cleaning (for example, with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol).
Laptop maintenance
Laptop maintenance is a simple and at the same time very complex thing. There are only three things to pay attention to:
- Processor (thermal paste)
- Fan (grease)
- Radiator (dust cleaning)
But to get to this, you have to literally disassemble the entire laptop. And this is a dozen or two small bolts of different lengths, small and short cables, plastic latches and other inconvenient garbage. Moreover, the disassembly of each model is an individual thing in half the moments. Therefore, I advised taking the laptop to the service.
If you still decide to disassemble the laptop and disassemble it, then all you need is a brush (I use a toothbrush) to clean the heatsink, thermal paste and grease. All manipulations are described above. Unscrew the heatsink, change the thermal paste, lubricate the fan and put it all back together. Don't forget about the dust in the radiator. There are usually a lot of them.
Radiator lubrication is no different from the above.
Sometimes (rarely) there are fans without holes for bearing lubrication. There can be two options:
- This is a magnetic paddle.
- Holes decided not to do.
In general, the impeller on a magnetic cushion is held by magnetic force and is removed when some force is applied, while for standard fans the impeller is always held by a retaining ring, but I have little experience with fans without holes and cannot give clear recommendations on determining what is all the same in front of you. Moreover, I can’t advise you to make efforts on the fan, because. in laptops, they are quite small and fragile, so they can easily be broken.
Therefore, specimens without holes should not be touched unless there is an urgent need. One day they brought me a laptop, the fan of which was very noisy. It turned out that this was not only due to dust, but also because of its wear and tear. There were two ways out - to do nothing and to do at least something. Therefore, I made holes in the impeller cover and poured grease into it. The fan came to life, became quiet and has been working for several years.
So if there is still a need, you can try to make a hole and lubricate, especially since the lubrication will not spoil the magnetic cushion mechanism if it ends up there.
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How to do computer maintenance yourself
As part of the services of Computer assistance in St. Petersburg and IT outsourcing, our company provides the service of technical maintenance of computer equipment or cleaning of the system unit. This article will just allow PC users and, possibly, our current and future customers to assess the volume, quality and necessity of this type of work. An example is our client's home computer.
To service your computer, you need the following tools and supplies:
1. Phillips screwdriver
2. Flat screwdriver
3. Phillips screwdriver
4. Two needles
5. Paint brush
6. Graphite grease
7. Compressed air tank
8. Thermal paste.
9. Vacuum cleaner.
Next, we take the system unit of the computer, the maintenance of which needs to be done. We will need to remove the side panels to access the inside of the system unit. In most models of ATX cases, to access the components of the system unit, it is enough to remove only one side cover. To do this, just unscrew the two bolts and, horizontally sliding the cover towards the rear of the case, remove it.
In the photographs, the bolts that need to be unscrewed are marked with a red circle.
After the side cover of the system unit is removed, we have access to all components of the computer system unit.
Now you need to make the first cleaning of the system unit. It is carried out with a vacuum cleaner and allows you to remove the bulk of the dust. This is also necessary so that during further disassembly of the system unit, the dust accumulated in the computer does not scatter around the room.
The vacuum cleaner must be operated very carefully so as not to damage the electronic components of the system unit. Be sure to put a plastic nozzle on the suction pipe of the vacuum cleaner.
After the main contamination is removed, it is necessary to continue disassembling the system unit. All expansion cards are removed, if any (video card, sound card, network card, modem, etc.), the processor heatsink is removed, and the power supply is removed. Ultimately, in our system unit, only the motherboard with the processor and drives (DVD-CD, HDD, FDD, etc.) should remain.
For further work, we need a well-ventilated room, a paint brush and a cylinder of compressed air. All removed computer components must be thoroughly cleaned with a paint brush and blown with air from a cylinder. It is necessary to remove the fans from the radiators of the video card and processor and clean both the radiators and the fans, especially the blades, of dust.
All fans should be replaced with new ones. If this is not possible, then the fan is disassembled and lubricated with graphite grease (you can drop a few drops of engine oil without disassembly). Access to the fan shaft lock is usually hidden by a sticker and a rubber plug. The sticker comes off and the plug is removed with a needle.
The old thermal paste is removed from the processor and graphics processor of the video card, as well as from their heatsinks, and a new one is applied.
Computers have already conquered the whole world. Yes Yes. The Rise of the Machines has already begun. They have become a part of our life and at the same time we are already completely dependent on them. Every time a laptop or desktop computer breaks down, we equate this event to a global catastrophe on a domestic scale. Communication with the outside world disappears, important files and information are lost, without which we are like without hands! Sometimes a breakdown is so simple that the user can deal with it on their own, but it also happens that a complete resuscitation of the computer is required, which can be done both independently with certain skills and entrusted to professionals. It is worth considering that personal computer maintenance and (http://it-free.ru/abonentskoe_obsluzhivanie_kompyuterov) should be carried out regularly and it is best to entrust the work to one master who will know all the features of a particular machine.
Types of maintenance
- Cleaning or defragmenting the hard drive. This will free up space and speed up access to other files necessary for work. Depending on how you use your computer, you may be able to complete this process yourself. The best solution would be to conduct this process at least once every few months. Although professionals perform this operation monthly.
- Regular cleaning of dust and other things will avoid clogging coolers and other computer internals. If necessary, you can use a conventional vacuum cleaner, which will remove dirt and avoid the failure of expensive equipment.
- Installing special utilities for deleting files allows you to get rid of garbage that slows down programs. If necessary, the wizard will select programs that are convenient for independent use and explain how and when to use them. At first, you can entrust this process to a professional. And then do it yourself.
- Regular removal of viruses will ensure more efficient operation of the system. It is equally important to take into account that server maintenance(http://it-free.ru/) should also be carried out at least once every few months.
- The thermal paste is replaced frequently enough to improve the heat dissipation that the processor generates during operation.
- The installation of additional coolers will help to increase the efficiency by more than 50%, which will improve the cooling of the insides and the computer processor during operation. New grilles and additional holes will be another plus.
- Once every few months, it is necessary to carry out a general cleaning. Format the hard drive and reinstall Windows. This will allow you to get rid of space-cluttering files, fill up the space and increase the speed of access to the folders you need to work.
General provisions
Organization of work
Input control
Visual inspection;
Equipment installation.
Visual inspection;
Input control
Visual inspection;
Checking the conformity of the equipment configuration stated in the documents (specification for a municipal contract or agreement, transfer certificates);
Equipment installation;
Checking the health of devices using the operating system (printing a test page).
Scheduled maintenance
Visual inspection;
Printing a test page;
Checking the health of printer drivers if necessary - appropriate recovery and configuration;
Replacing the cartridge (if necessary);
External inspection and control of cable connections.
5.3. Unscheduled maintenance
Carrying out diagnostics and localization of faults;
Performing the necessary actions listed in clause 5.2 to eliminate the malfunction;
Print a test page.
Input control
Visual inspection;
Checking the conformity of the equipment configuration stated in the documents (specification for a municipal contract or agreement, transfer certificates);
Equipment installation;
Scheduled maintenance
Scan test page;
Checking the health of the scanner drivers if necessary - appropriate recovery and configuration;
Cleaning, adjustment (if necessary);
External inspection and control of cable connections (scanning a test page).
6.3. Unscheduled maintenance
Carrying out diagnostics and localization of faults;
Performing the necessary actions listed in clause 6.2 to eliminate the malfunction;
Scan test page.
Input control
Visual inspection;
Checking the conformity of the equipment configuration stated in the documents (specification for a municipal contract or agreement, transfer certificates);
Equipment installation;
Scheduled maintenance
Copying a test page;
Cleaning, lubrication, adjustment (if necessary);
Replacing the cartridge and or other image transfer elements (if necessary);
Replacement of worn or broken parts;
External inspection and control of cable connections (copying a test page).
7.3. Unscheduled maintenance
Carrying out diagnostics and localization of faults;
Performing the necessary actions listed in clause 7.2 to eliminate the malfunction;
Copy a test page.
Input control
Visual inspection;
Checking the conformity of the equipment configuration stated in the documents (specification for a municipal contract or agreement, transfer certificates);
Equipment installation.
8.2. Unscheduled maintenance
UPS diagnostics by built-in tools (if available);
Checking the UPS performance under load;
Replacement of failed batteries with similar ones.
All of the above actions are performed both in combination and separately as needed.
After the maintenance, the persons responsible for computing, office equipment and the employee of the service organization who performed the maintenance make the appropriate entries in the technical equipment passport (Appendices 1, 4 to the Regulations) and the act of work performed.
Attachment 1
to the Regulations
General provisions
1.1. This "Regulations for the maintenance of computer equipment, office equipment of the Administration of the city of Gubkinsky, its structural divisions and municipal institutions" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") sets out the procedure and rules for performing maintenance (TO) of equipment and software that is in operation in the city administration, its structural subdivisions and municipal institutions.
1.2. Maintenance of computer equipment and peripheral equipment is aimed at ensuring the constant readiness of equipment for use for its intended purpose and preventing its premature failure.
1.3. The requirements of the "Regulations" are mandatory for all organizations that produce maintenance and conclude contracts and municipal contracts for the maintenance of computer equipment and office equipment.
1.4. When performing maintenance of equipment, operational documents for products (technical equipment passport - Appendices 1, 4 to the Regulations) that are part of the hardware systems should be additionally used.
Organization of work
2.1. Maintenance is carried out on equipment with inventory numbers.
2.2. Maintaining the operability of computer equipment, installed licensed software is carried out by the organization's own resources or by the specialists of the service organization on calls or in accordance with the schedule of scheduled preventive maintenance.
2.3. The number of unscheduled visits to troubleshoot hardware and software is not limited.
2.4. The response time to unscheduled calls should not exceed 2 hours.
2.5. Recovery of faulty equipment should not exceed 8 hours from the moment of receipt of the application, with the exception of work requiring the replacement of parts, mechanisms or units of devices.
2.6. The schedule for routine maintenance is drawn up in each organization, when concluding contracts, municipal contracts for the maintenance of the relevant equipment.
2.7. Access to the serviced equipment is carried out in the presence of a responsible person to whom the equipment is assigned.
2.8. The fact of performing maintenance of the equipment is recorded in the passport of the technical facility and in the act of work performed.
2.9. In case of detection of equipment defects (printing, duplicating devices, monitors, uninterruptible power supplies, scanners, facsimile machines) that cannot be eliminated at the user's site, the technical device (with the consent of the financially responsible person) must be withdrawn for repair in the laboratory after drawing up an act of withdrawal of the technical means (according to Appendix 2 to the Regulations). After the repair work is completed, an act of return of the technical equipment is drawn up (Appendix 3 to the Regulations). The acts of withdrawal and return of the technical equipment are drawn up in two copies and kept by the person to whom the equipment is assigned.
All actions for the repair and maintenance of computer system units are carried out at the workplace. Seizure of computer system units for repairs and maintenance in laboratory conditions of organizations that have entered into agreements or municipal contracts for the maintenance of computer equipment and do not have a license for the technical protection of confidential information is prohibited.
2.10. Delivery of equipment for repair and back to the workplace is carried out by a service organization.
2.11. Repair of equipment for which the warranty period has not expired is carried out taking into account the terms of the warranty agreement.
2.12. Scheduled maintenance of organizational and copier equipment (printers, copiers, scanners, faxes, etc.) is carried out 4 times a year in each quarter. The time limit for scheduled maintenance of one unit of organizational and copy equipment is 2 hours.
2.13. Scheduled maintenance of computer equipment is carried out 4 times a year in each quarter. The time limit for scheduled maintenance of one piece of computer equipment is 4 hours.
3. Specialists of service organizations are prohibited from:
3.1. Unauthorized copying of any information located on the computer (information carrier) during repair, prevention, maintenance of the computer (s) of the organization.
3.2. Carry out any actions (operations) that are not required for repair, prevention or maintenance.
3.3. Change the list of application and system software.
3.4. Make any changes to the installed software (except for restoration work).
3.5. Make changes to passwords, accounts, system settings, etc. that may cause your computer to malfunction.
3.6. Take outside the premises of the serviced organization media of any type and in any condition belonging to the serviced organization.
Scope of work by types of maintenance of personal computers
Input control
Visual inspection;
Checking the conformity of the equipment configuration stated in the documents (specification for a municipal contract or agreement, transfer certificates);
Checking the health of devices using the operating system;
Setting up the operating system and software;
Equipment installation.
Scheduled maintenance
Visual inspection;
Dust removal of the internal volumes of the system unit (in the absence of a seal for warranty service);
Technical preventive maintenance, lubrication and cleaning of moving elements of personal computers;
Dust removal of video monitors, adjustment and adjustment;
Defragmentation of hard drives;
Checking the health of devices by means of the operating system, if necessary - appropriate restoration and configuration;
Checking the state of the file system using Windows utilities;
Full testing of all devices of a personal computer;
Complete scan of disk memory for viruses;
Checking the health of programs (Windows operating system, MS Office, archivers, anti-virus programs, peripheral device drivers, etc.), if necessary, appropriate restoration and configuration;
Control of cable connections.
4.3. Unscheduled maintenance
Carrying out diagnostics and localization of faults;
Performing the necessary actions listed in paragraph 4.2 to eliminate the malfunction.
Just like your body, house or car, your computer also needs regular maintenance. Only under this condition will it serve for a long time and flawlessly. Computer maintenance involves cleaning it of dust, crumbs, unnecessary files that clog the hard drive, and, it is possible, viruses that slow down the entire system. Fortunately, this is not so difficult to do, there are special programs that help you get your system in great shape, and dust removal will require nothing more than accuracy and patience from you.
We remove dust from the system unit
A computer generates a lot of heat when it is running. Coolers (fans) rotating in various parts of the system unit help to remove it. But, removing heat, coolers suck in quite a lot of dust and pet hair. Accumulating on electronic components, dust interferes with their good cooling.
Therefore, an indispensable element of computer maintenance should be cleaning dust from inside the system unit or laptop case. It is recommended to carry out this procedure at least once every six months. If we are talking about a desktop computer, then unplug it, remove the side covers, and blow out the dust using a can of compressed air. It is better to carry out this procedure outdoors, for example, on the balcony. Work the cooler blades in short “bursts”, and then go through all the electronic components and do not forget to blow out the power supply. Pay special attention to heatsinks (they are often located on chipsets and video cards). A lot of dust can accumulate between their ribs.
Removing dust from a laptop is a more delicate job. After turning off the laptop, remove the battery and unplug the power cord. Now turn it upside down and find all the holes through which air enters and exits the case. Some laptops may have one, but a very large opening.
Determine how the back cover is attached to the laptop. It can be screwed on with a dozen or one bolts, and additionally fixed with latches along the edges, or it can be fixed with the same latches that hold the battery. Having removed the cover of the laptop, you can easily find the cooler - this is the dustiest place inside the laptop. Now you need to blow out the dust with a jet of compressed air, just like it was done when servicing a desktop computer, and again - it's better to do this outdoors. With a thin, sharp plastic object, you can help air blow dust out of the laptop case.
Reassemble the case after removing the dust. Your laptop should now run quieter and stay cooler than before cleaning. Remember that this will help him maintain his performance longer.
Removing all unnecessary
Every spring we try to rid our house of things that have become unnecessary. Computer maintenance should be accompanied by a similar procedure, but with respect to files that litter your virtual life. These are all kinds of temporary and unnecessary files of Windows and various programs. Their accumulation in large quantities slows down the computer.
For general cleaning of the computer, you do not need a broom, mop and garbage bags. Except virtual ones. All you need is a utility designed to find and remove all this accumulated junk.
One of the popular solutions for computer maintenance: Piriform CCleaner is a whole set of ready-made solutions for keeping the system in shape. The program is absolutely free and has versions for Windows and Mac. It carefully searches for and removes temporary files from your computer and web browser, clears history and many other things that only interfere with work. On Windows, it also rids the registry of unnecessary entries. Run CCleaner once every few months and your computer will keep its performance for a long time.
Defragment your hard drive
This is another source of garbage in the computer, which is worth paying attention to during its regular maintenance. Fragments of one file can be physically scattered over the entire surface of the hard drive. Many years ago, we regularly ran a special program that placed these fragments close to each other, resulting in a noticeable increase in speed.
Today the situation has changed somewhat. If you have Windows XP installed on your computer, and the disk space is relatively small - about 320 GB, then monthly defragmentation is a good idea. To do this, use the utility built into the operating system: Open My Computer, then right-click on the drive you want to defragment and select Properties. Go to the Tools tab and click the Defragment Now button, in the window that appears, click the Defragment button and the process will start.
More modern computers with large hard drives do not need to be defragmented, if you have Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 installed, then everything happens automatically. However, the most advanced users use special utilities like Diskeeper. Their developers promise that the regular use of such programs makes the computer faster.
Warning A: If you are using a computer with a solid state drive (SSD), never defragment it. This can seriously reduce its lifespan, and the SSD device is such that defragmentation is not required for it to work effectively.
"Wash" the hard drive
If you want to do a real general cleaning of your computer, then consider the drastic step of formatting your hard drive and reinstalling Windows. This is a serious project, and it can drag on for more than half a day, and maybe for the whole weekend. But after such maintenance, your computer will be like new and the achieved effect will last for another couple of years, provided that relatively modern hardware is installed inside.
In general terms, it looks like this:
- Make a list of everything you need on your computer (programs, documents, photos, bookmarks, addresses, books, etc.),
- then back it all up (to an external hard drive or online storage). It makes no sense to make backup copies of programs, since they will have to be reinstalled from the disk.
- Now use the system repair disc or installation disc. Computer recovery utilities can be hidden in a hidden partition on your hard drive. To find out, see the instructions or consult the seller. Among the recovery utilities are those that will clean up the hard drive and reinstall Windows (along with the programs that came with the hardware).
- After that, reinstall your programs and recover your data.
If you have never done this before, then search the Internet for additional materials that describe the process of reinstalling the system. At first, this activity may scare you, but after doing all this, you will understand that there is nothing to worry about computer maintenance.
