Published on February 2, 2012 By Island Dog In Personal Computing

I got my new SSD drive installed and spent the last couple of days installing a clean build of Windows, and installing apps to the SSD and data drives.  I was a bit concerned 64GB would be tight, but I installed Windows 7, Lightroom, Office 2010, and a bunch of other apps and still have about 30GB left.  It is by far the best upgrade I have made to my PC, and I am still surprised at how fast it is now.

I also took apart my Windows Home Server box and took the 1TB drive out of there and stuck it in my main PC just for another data drive.  While I had the PC out I figured now was good as time as any to actually clean it.  With my handy can of compressed air I disassembled some of the case and was amazed at the buildup of dust. 

If you haven’t cleaned out your PC recently, take a few minutes and do so.

 Photo Feb 02, 8 02 17 AM  Photo Feb 02, 8 02 30 AM


Comments (Page 1)
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on Feb 02, 2012

Instead of compressed air, I use a large blusher brush. It works just as well for me. Obviously don't go 'borrowing' your wife/girlfriend's blusher brush. Just ask her nicely if she can pick one up for you.

ID, your cablegami could do with working on. Don't know if that's how it looks now, but you'll get much better airflow if your cables are tidied out of the way.

on Feb 02, 2012

I like to keep mine tidy too.    

 

on Feb 02, 2012

Yep! One should clean out their PC at least every 3 months IMO, more often is even better though. I use a small air compressor to clean mine out, buying those cans of air is way too expensive in the long run.  

on Feb 02, 2012

LightStar
Yep! One should clean out their PC at least every 3 months IMO, more often is even better though. I use a small air compressor to clean mine out, buying those cans of air is way too expensive in the long run.  

More often for some depending on if you have pets, your cooling system etc. I do mine once every month or 2.. 2 cats.. non filtered fans. If i was running positive air pressure I would have to do it even more often.

on Feb 02, 2012

move the page file, libraries, and temp folders to a platter drive. also, disable hibernation.

on Feb 02, 2012

Fistalis
I do mine once every month or 2.. 2 cats.. non filtered fans.

Ditto, x3 cats.  

on Feb 02, 2012

I've got 35.5 left on my 120GB ssd.

 

40 gig user folder, compliments of game data.

on Feb 02, 2012

Starcandy
Obviously don't go 'borrowing' your wife/girlfriend's blusher brush.

lol.....using a unused brush would be recommended. adding foundation powder to your system might be counter productive

on Feb 02, 2012

MadDeez
also, disable hibernation.

Please elaborate. I've lost track of what Mikey calls the mishmash of functions, but I've long relied on being able to put my (non-mobile) rig to bed and wake it up with my desktop just where I left it.

The only problems that I've noticed are with resource hogs like a game and picky network stuff like an Outlook connection to an IMAP server. Am I unknowingly choking my swap file, cluttering my registry, or something like that?

on Feb 02, 2012


Quoting Starcandy, reply 1Obviously don't go 'borrowing' your wife/girlfriend's blusher brush.

lol.....using a unused brush would be recommended. adding foundation powder to your system might be counter productive

My main concern was someone having a pissed off wife/girlfriend after they discovered their blusher brush covered in fluff. But you also make a valid point, lol.

on Feb 02, 2012

Cleaning your laptop is also a good idea (although it is a lot of work (damn screws) to do).

 

My 2 year old lappy was on the verge of a "baked" CPU before I gave it a cleaning with compressed air. Now it's as cool as it was when new.

on Feb 02, 2012

Fistalis
More often for some depending on if you have pets,

My sister-in-law brought me her desktop PC when she thought it was broke. It wouldn't start or anything. I took the cover off.

She'd had it about 5 years or more.

She also has 3 (maybe four cats) and a dog.

I could have made a whole other cat from the hair I found inside the tower. Everything was coated, matted, and covered with it.

If that wasn't bad enough, I grabbed my can of air.....

I don't know what I was thinking.

I really don't.

The first blast was like...it was like the feline version of Raiders of the Lost Ark. You know at the end when all that stuff comes swirling out of the ark like a nightmare tornado? Picture it with nothing but cat hair, dust, and dander. And I'm the guy standing right over it with his face practically in it.

After cursing the cats and myself I went and got my industrial back-pack vacuum cleaner.

I will never own a cat.

on Feb 02, 2012

GW Swicord
Please elaborate. I've lost track of what Mikey calls the mishmash of functions, but I've long relied on being able to put my (non-mobile) rig to bed and wake it up with my desktop just where I left it.

I used this guide here.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windows-7-and-ssds-setup-secrets-and-tune-up-tweaks/2910

 

on Feb 02, 2012

PoSmedley
I will never own a cat.

No one ever does -- cat's own people.  People don't own cats.

on Feb 02, 2012

I have to drag my desktop into the garage and turn loose the air compressor on it about every 3 or 4 weeks. The HAF932 moves a lot of air and the dust builds up quick. I regularly do my laptop as well but so far I haven't pulled it apart to do it.

No one ever does -- cat's own people. People don't own cats.

so true

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