Case Cleaning Grossness

twobit326 · Dec 30, 2005

I just read a thread that inspired this. Have you ever helped someone with their computer that wasn't working well just to open it up and find a hell portal inside?

For instance, one time I took this person's computer that was running extremely slow (with windows 98 might I mention) and they had that really tacky hippie theme going on. Anyways, I digress, I opened it up and found the grossest stuff short of cockroaches and bugs inside. I actually donned rubber gloves and a Noish filter and just took a central vaccum to the thing. OVER AN HOUR LATER I had everything out of it. Computer worked like a charm after that.

Now I don't know if the dust would necessarily have any relivance on performance beisides the temp, but in this case (no pun intended) it did.

I also have a college story from this past semester about opening a 333mhz comp that hadn't been opened since like 96-97 or something, but I'll leave that for later.

-Twobit326

Hoogabooga · Dec 31, 2005

leave that for now, im interest is now sparked

AlabamaCajun · Dec 31, 2005

Tell on my interest is Piqued!

I went to our hardware people at work looking for a set of fan screws. They handed me a PSU and said pull some out of this and toss the PSU when done. I asked if I could take it home for a budget system, sure! On the way back to my desk I happened to turn the thing over a few times and dirt was pouring out of this poor thing. After getting the screws, I cracked the shell to find the thing was just coated with manufacturing dust&dirt from the plant. I gave it a good cleaning but have yet to fire it up!

Agentorange88 · Dec 31, 2005

I remember one time a person brought a computer into a local shop I sometimes work at and said they wanted a to replace the DVD drive in it and clean it out. I took off the front pannel (HP Pavillion forgot the model number) and cockroaches just started pouring out of it. I also took out the power supply to clean out around there and roaches poured out of that also.

BokiOverclocker · Dec 31, 2005

well i guess roaches in 21st century try to gain intelligence

Agentorange88 · Dec 31, 2005

I'm guessing they liked they hot parts of the computer?

four4875 · Dec 31, 2005

while not a computer, i was with a guy who was 'tuning' a CB for another local, and he had to sit there waiting as the roaches crawled out of it one by one.

the worst ive seen computers are in houses with wood burning stoves. it builds up a was urine and doodies from the mice all over in the case. the owners thought it was lightning damage, i thought it was probably things shorting from urine laiden dust caking onto the mobo. the vid card looked like it cought a good portion of what dripped from the HSF. good thing it was only a celly in the 400 mhz range. the DVD rom was all i salvaged from it, it was the only thing i wanted to touch. i did open the psu and there was some charring, so it actually was lightning that did it in and not the waste. their TV and a few other small things were also lost in the incident, but i guess insurance picked it up.

colb · Dec 31, 2005

Well i clean my case about every 2 months possibly, and usually i just take my dads air compressor and just blow it out, which gets just about all the dust out so. ..yea

Beginner · Dec 31, 2005

it's not directly related to a computer case but i bought a psu from another ocforums member, i turned it on when i got home on a board that was laying around, its smelled like marijuana was blowing out of the fan on the psu. the smell was really noticable especially as the psu warmed up. the psu wasn't for me, it was for a buddy, good thing he's a pothead i guess,

four4875 · Dec 31, 2005

eh hmm.... not to self.... clean out power supply before selling.....

but really, im sure it would be an embarrassing situation for the person who sold it lol. I always try to clean everything best i can before it leaves my hands, dont want to give someone else my dirt lol. also makes the product look better, being shiny and clean as opposed to crusty and old lookin. im not sure on the smell thing tho, some people can smell things that others would never notice, like sticking a non smoker in a room full of smokers pr people who even live with them, they'll smell it hardcore where the smokers dont smell a thing. (had this happen my first period science class lol. was bad enough the teachers eyes were watering =-o )

Anjow · Dec 31, 2005

AlabamaCajun said:
http://www.mindspring.com/~alabamacajun/dusty.jpg

You don't need a vacuum for that, you need an archaeologist.

ghettocomp · Dec 31, 2005

AlabamaCajun said:

that looks just like one I had to toss the other day. I origionally got it from School and didn't even look at it until then. It was far gone and too dirty to clean.

Jame Gumb · Dec 31, 2005

You know dust that's in your house is mostly sloughed skin cells. That PSU is pretty bad though.

Anjow · Dec 31, 2005

Jame Gumb said:
You know dust that's in your house is mostly sloughed skin cells.

Ahh so THAT'S why it tastes so good...

sunrunner20 · Dec 31, 2005

I'm more or less the lead maitnance person at my small school (total of 100 computers) and the first thing I did after having to take apart the first computer was to call out the need for a few cans of air. We don't have to do it very often, but I have the other members of the "team" stand back unless they want to be covered in dust.

twobit326 · Dec 31, 2005

yeah, I have a Lian-Li case that has really nice filters on it. I have my computer on the floor at college and have had it running for 5 months and literally no dust still. I just clean the filters every once in a while.

I used to have a case without a side on it. COmputer stayed nice and cool but lotsa dust.

-Twobit326

AlabamaCajun · Dec 31, 2005

I'm filtering all my cases now. It helps a lot but I still find a little fine white dust, skin cells maybe or bits that get lost in memory. I do use pleated filters on my central air and that helps a lot!
"Using fiberglass filters for Central Air is like using chicken wire to keep flies out!" AC

hafa · Dec 31, 2005

This reminds me of this thread. Any chance this is the one you read, twobit326?

twobit326 · Dec 31, 2005

Nope, that one's pretty gross though.

jcw122 · Dec 31, 2005

hafa said:
This reminds me of this thread. Any chance this is the one you read, twobit326?

Likewise, read that thread twobit, pretty good.

One guy cites he found a dead rat in a computer case.....NASTY

Case Cleaning Grossness

Registered

Registered

Member

Registered

Member

Registered

Member

Registered

Member

Member

Member

Master of teh Ghetto Mods

Member

Member

Masta Tweeka!

Registered

Member

Member

Registered

Member

Similar threads