Inside Your Computer's Case

Just a quick note here! You may find a sticker across the back of your case that says "Warranty void if removed or broken". This is absolutely stupid!! They are saying that you have to send your computer to a qualified service representative for that particular model of computer, even if you just want to check that the fan on the CPU is still running.

However, if your machine is still under warranty, check with the store you purchased it from, or better still, call the manufacturer's 1-800 number to make sure you will not be voiding the warranty if you open it up.

Next, we open the case of the computer. Remember your ESD precautions!

Cases today open in many different ways. You should know how to open your computer's case. The basic case has 6 screws on the back. Once removed, the cover slides back about an inch, then lifts off.

Other cases may have one or two screws at the back of the top plate. Remove them, and the top plate slides off the back revealing the screws for the side plates.

Some cases require you to snap off the plastic faceplate on the front to reveal the screws in behind. Other cases don't even have screws and come apart like a Chinese puzzle box.

The manual usually has instructions. Without instructions, some cases can actually be quite challenging! But, take your time, do a little investigation and don't force anything. I'm sure you can figure it out.

Once the cover is off, vacuum the inside of the cover (it's often forgotten).

Now we want to use our canned air to blow out the inside of the computer. Quite often, for this procedure, its easiest to take the chassis outside onto the steps or a deck, because some can be fairly dirty.

Of course, it depends on your system and your house. If you live by a dirt road with traffic going by (like me), your system may be prone to more dust. If you have a cat or dog that is allowed in the computer room, you may see more animal hair. If you don't clean that room often, you may find more lint balls inside (or maybe even spider webs, I don't know). If you smoke near your computer there's nothing we can do about the film buildup!

Remember your ESD precautions!

I usually start by spraying out the power supply as best I can. Spray into the vents on the inside and outside, until no more dust blows out. Next, start from the top and work down. Stick that nozzle-tube into every nook and cranny and blow the inside out really good. You can turn the chassis on its back, side or top, whatever you find necessary to clean it out completely. Just be gentle with it!

Take it back inside.

Can you blow out the drives?
I use the canned air to blow out floppy drives, zip drives and CD-ROMs. Just don't stick that nozzle inside. (you could ruin the heads).

You can lift the cover on floppy drives and zip drives and blow them out without putting the tube inside.

If you look at a CD-ROM, you'll usually see a small hole near the eject button. By straightening out a paper clip, and inserting it straight into this hole, you can pop the drawer on the drive open so that you can pull the tray out. Now you can blow the unit out. Again, don't stick the tube inside.

This method of opening the drawer can also be useful for removing CDs that have not been inserted properly and jam up the drive. I keep a straightened paper clip in my toolkit.

There is one thing I hesitate to mention here, but I'm going to anyway. I've already mentioned that I'm not all that crazy about using a vacuum on circuit boards. Well, some systems can become very dirty, and even after aggressively blowing them out, a thin, stubborn layer of dust may completely coat the circuit boards.

In these situations, I may remove the adapter cards from their expansion slots, one by one, and carefully run the brush of the vacuum over them. I really don't know why I make such a big deal about it. I can't remember ever damaging a card like this, but I like to think its because I am so careful.

Remember your ESD precautions!

Be sure to hold expansion cards and circuit boards from the edges. Try not to touch the chips and keep your fingers away from the contacts and connectors. The minute amount of natural oils from your fingers could possibly prevent proper contact.

Whenever you remove something, document your procedures. Make sure that card goes back in the same expansion slot. Remember the pin-1 rule (pin-1 always goes to pin-1), and that the stripe on a ribbon cable indicates pin-1. At the very least, document or draw the orientation of a cable or device before its removed so you can replace it exactly as it was.

Return To February's Title Page