OT-BLoody heatwave

[Randallw]

I am really coming to dread weekends. For the last few motnhs it seems like something on the computer goes wrong, one after the other. Now my Computer started rebooting itself 2 days ago. I reasoned that seeing as how hot my case was it was overheated so I left it off for half an hour and it was ok. Now today the same thing happened so I left it off, and when I restarted it, it lasted 10 minutes before it rebooted, and it kept rebooting whenever I told it to turn off. Did I mention that we had a heatwave today, over 40c, which in F I guess is what 40*2+32= 112. Is it normal for this sort of thing to happen. I can't see how computers can work in places like Africa if so. There is a lot of dust in the case. Should I have the power supply looked at or something?

[Fyron]

CPUs and motherboards generally have temperature sensors in them for self-preservation (especially the CPUs). They will shut off if they get too hot.

Cleaning out dust regularly is important for proper computer maintenance. Lots of dust means the cooling becomes less efficient.

You can always use more fans for better cooling and older hardware that does not make itself quite as hot as modern hardware in hot climates.

[Randallw]

I guess i better get it cleaned then. I could possibly do it myself, but I wouldn't want to risk mucking up. About the most technical thing I did once was install a new Cd drive after a friend told me what to do. Problem is I always fear the shop will keep it for a week and then I would be missing turns

[Fyron]

No need for that. Go to a local computer/electronics store and buy a can of compressed air. Take the PC outside with case off, blow all the dust out, paying careful attention to all fans and heat sinks (as this is where dust is the biggest problem). Its really easy.

[Randallw]

Fans pretty obvious but whats the heat sink look like. All I know about them is you need a lot when designing a battlemech . Theres a big gold thing with lots of ridges, more surface area I guess.

[Renegade 13]

You'll have a heatsink directly over the CPU most likely. It'll either be a fan itself, or like you described, a mettalic blocky thing with a lot of surface area through ridges and crevasses.

[Fyron]

Heat sinks can not be fans. Those are fans. You will only be lacking a heat sink if you have a rather old PC.

[Will]

If you're feeling especially brave, you can unplug everything on the system board, put it in your dishwasher and run it. That cleans out the dust really well, and as long as it is dried before you try plugging everything back in, works fine. Although it's probably not a good idea if you have hard water...

With the canned air, it may be hard to get some dust cleared away, especially on heat sinks, especially on the CPU. You should be able to remove the fan from the heat sink (usually there's some locking levers and some clips) to get better access, and if that still doesn't work with the compressed air, take a damp (meaning, not dripping) napkin and wipe away the dust.

And while the temperature is that high, it's probably a good idea to only have the computer on when you really need it, and maybe keep the side of the case off for better air flow.

[Randallw]

Found some local shops that have tiny vacumns and air cans. Only problem is that my case appears to be held together with rivets. This doesn't make sense to me but that's what it looks like. There are two big screws at the back but the rest look like rivets. I am wondering if the rivets are just to hold the sides on and if I unscrew the back the whole thing will come off.

Edit: figured it out. The two screws hold on one side which I guess comes off. Last time I had to open a computer the whole cover came off.

[Hunpecked]

40 degrees Celsius = (9/5)*40 + 32 = 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Move.