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ok so I put in some ram+new graphics card about a week ago and WOW...inside my computer is sooo dusty. How can I clean this up??? like its really bad in there lol. adn I dont want that to ruin my computer so...ady suggestions? thanks
Delete programs you don't use or need
Remove any programs you don't use – again Windows has its own tool for this. In Windows 10, just search 'Add or remove programs'. You can sort the list by size to quickly find those apps using up the most disk space.
In Windows 7 head to Start, Control Panel, Programs and choose 'Uninstall a program'.
In Windows 8 head to the Search Charm and search 'Uninstall'. You'll see an entry for 'Uninstall programs to free up Disk Space'.
In each case you can see a list of programs and the space they take up. Scroll down the list and select the program you want to remove, then click the Uninstall button at the top of the window. Remember you want to delete only programs you don't use.
It isn't always possible to completely remove all traces of a program using Windows' utility. For this, you need a third-party tool such as Revo Uninstaller. In Revo's interface, double-click a program's icon to remove it. You can then scan for and remove leftover files or Registry entries. We've rounded up a selection of the the best Windows Uninstallers.
3: Defrag your hard drive Once you have removed uneccessary files and programs from your PC, a good next step is to compact the remaining data so that your PC can access data in as efficient manner as possible.
Defragging your hard drive is a way of speeding up your PC or laptop in Windows - in principle, at least. The idea is that as data is saved and resaved to the spinning disc in your hard drive, small packets of information are deposited in random places all over the platter. This then takes longer to read, when Windows calls upon your hard drive to find out information.
By defragmenting or compacting that data the operating system removes the gaps between packets of data, moving it all closer to the middle of the disc. This in turn makes each access of the hard drive quicker, by a tiny amount. It should improve the speed of your PC or laptop, even if it does so by only an imperceptible amount.
Don't defrag if your PC has an SSD. Defragmenting an SSD doesn't make sense as the technology is completely different, so don't do it!
To defrag the drive in Windows 7, click the Start button. Select All Programs, then Accessories. Choose System Tools, and then select Disk Defragmenter.
Then hit Defragment Now.
In Windows 8 and Windows 10 defragmentation is automatic and your computer will sort itself out every week thanks to the scheduled task: Optimise Drives. So if you haven't changed any settings, you shouldn't need to defrag. But if you aren't sure and you want to check the status of- or manually defrag your drive open Search and type in 'Defragment'. One of the results will be 'Defragment and optimise your drives'. Select this.
You'll see a dialog featuring a list of the hard drives in your PC or laptop, their media type, when they were last defragged, and how fragmented they are. You really need to defrag only if the drive is more than 10 percent fragmented. If you can't see a figure in Current status, to find out if a particular drive needs to be optimized highlight it and hit Analyze. Then confirm your choice. This will update the Current status column.
If any of your drives is fragmented by 10 percent or more, highlight it and hit Optimise. Confirm your choice.
4: Stop programs from starting automatically You don't have to get rid of a program from your PC to speed things up. You could just prevent them from automatically loading when you start Windows. Many programs default to starting with Windows so you don't need to wait around when you later want to use them. But some really aren't necessary and you may never use them.
I used to be a service technician so this is the best way:
Do NOT use compressed air. It is a waste of money since you just blow the dust back into the air which will again settle in your room and back onto/into the computer. Of course this doesn't hold as true provided you take your system outside.
Buy an ESD (Electrostatic Discharge Strap) clip it to the metal on the back of your system fan or other metal framing, the other end goes around your wrist. System is turned off but the power cord stays plugged in (for grounding).
Use a computer sized vacuum for the job. If you don't have a computer vacuum, you can carefully use a regular room vacuum cleaner with the brush and crevice tool. The key is to be very gentle and careful around the mother board and other planar surfaces. Everywhere that you can see, see into, or poke your finger near/in/around should be carefully probed with the vacuum.
Clean also the inside and outside (of the case) of all fans, and your power supply box. Electricity draws more dust. And fans are the exit port for air and dirt.
Don't forget to clean around floppy drives, cd rom drives, any opening where things are inserted or where air can get in from outside the case.
Graphic cards, sound cards, and any card inserted into an expansion slot can have its contact edge cleaned carefully with isopropal alcohol and swabs designed for electrical cleaning (radioshack carries them). They are like cotton swabs, only the cotton material is very well secured to the long wooden stick as not to impart bits of cotton to what you are cleaning. Gently but firmly reinsert the card into the slot.
During cleaning, always check the ESD strap to make sure it is still attached to the metal frame and to your wrist so that you do not impart any electrical discharge to sensitive electronics.
Lastly be sure that your surge protector is working and that the computer is plugged into a grounded (3 prong outlet) (light on surge protector will alert you to an unsafe condition). Suggest APC brand surge protectors. Electricity is enemy #1
I used to be a service technician so this is the best way:
Do NOT use compressed air. It is a waste of money since you just blow the dust back into the air which will again settle in your room and back onto/into the computer. Of course this doesn't hold as true provided you take your system outside.
Buy an ESD (Electrostatic Discharge Strap) clip it to the metal on the back of your system fan or other metal framing. System is turned off but the power cord stays plugged in (for grounding).
Use a computer sized vacuum for the job. If you don't have a computer vacuum, you can carefully use a regular room vacuum cleaner with the brush and crevice tool. The key is to be very gentle and careful around the mother board and other planar surfaces. Everywhere that you can see, see into, or poke your finger near/in/around should be carefully probed with the vacuum.
Clean also the inside and outside (of the case) of all fans, and your power supply box. Electricity draws more dust. And fans are the exit port for air and dirt.
Don't forget to clean around floppy drives, cd rom drives, any opening where things are inserted or where air can get in from outside the case.
Graphic cards, sound cards, and any card inserted into an expansion slot can have its contact edge cleaned carefully with isopropal alcohol and swabs designed for electrical cleaning (radioshack carries them). They are like cotton swabs, only the cotton material is very well secured to the long wooden stick as not to impart bits of cotton to what you are cleaning. Gently but firmly reinsert the card into the slot.
During cleaning, always check the ESD strap to make sure it is still attached to the metal frame and to your wrist so that you do not impart any electrical discharge to sensitive electronics.
Lastly be sure that your surge protector is working and that the computer is plugged into a grounded (3 prong outlet) (light on surge protector will alert you to an unsafe condition). Suggest APC brand surge protectors. Electricity is enemy #1
I use a air-compresser to blow the dust out but make sure the air tank doesnt have iny water in it. are you can buy a can of air but the presser is not as strong.
wow thanks for the great info!! tytyty