Dust build up in Desktops & laptops - a little maintenance!

A look inside a desktop tower covered in dust

Every desktop or laptop collects dust, the trouble is we often forget it's there or even bother to look. Because computers need fans to keep them cool the down side of this is that dust gets sucked in- over a short time this build-up of dust can fill a desktop tower very easily to such levels you can hold it in your hand.

At any level dust is not good news for computers as there is electric passing through the system all the time this could start a small fire if left for too long without cleaning. The worst thing about dust is its very bad for your health unknowingly breathing in dust fumes from your laptop or tower as well as building up static electric so you could get a nasty jolt one day.

Can of Compressed Air

You can safely use any vacuum on the outside of a tower or laptop .If you discover a large amount of dust inside a tower take it outside a use a small paint brush  to remove the dust it may pay to wear a mask over your mouth while doing this. Another alternative is to but a can of compressed air from
your local hardware store, or used compressed air from a compressor (as long as its dry and not too strong). Do not use your vacuum inside the tower as there are many small connections which could easily be damaged or come loose by the suction, not only that vacuum cleaners tend to build up static electricity which can fry the components in your tower.

For laptops buy a laptop cooler plate these often have extra fans which will aid the air flow within the small spaces of a laptop or have it professionally cleaned by us. Read more on laptop overheating remedies in one of my earlier posts http://durbangeek.blogspot.com/2013/05/laptop-overheating-remedies.html

One of the many reasons a computer will slow down is due to dust and the lack of air flow as the pc / laptop becomes hot very quickly - if it gets too hot the desktop or laptop may not start at all as a safety switch kicks in.

We believe that you should at least get your laptop or desktop cleaned out annually if you are in an office environment or more periodically in a dusty environment. If you would prefer to get a professional to do this for you contact us and we will  give you a quote. Not only do we clean them , we will replace the thermal paste between the heat sinks and CPU and GPU .
We will inspect for tired fans - check fan speeds, loose connectors etc  and we will tidy up the cabling.

Windows 8 Shortcuts

Making your way around Windows 8  can be a nightmare however remembering these windows key combinations will help you get around windows 8 more efficiently.

credits: http://makeuseof.com

• From the tiled layout the Windows key and D key will take you to the traditional Windows desktop.
• Pressing the Windows and M keys minimizes everything that is showing on the traditional desktop.
• Windows and E key opens Explorer for quick access to folders.
• Windows and Tab key opens a list of currently running programs.
• Windows and Print Screen key takes a screenshot and saves it in a Screenshots folder within your Pictures folder.
• Windows and Q key opens a global search menu. Type what you’re looking for and where you would like to look.
• Windows and R key opens the Run command which is useful for quickly launching apps and other routines using a command prompt.
• Windows and X key opens the Quick Access Menu, exposing system functionality such as the Command Prompt, Disk Management, File Explorer, Run, and more. Alternately, you can right-click on the bottom right corner of the screen to spawn the Quick Access Menu.
• Windows and I key opens the settings menu, giving you quick access to the Control Panel, Personalization, and your Power button, among other features

KB2821895 update for Windows 8 causes System File Checker to hang & eats up resources

 

During the June 2013 Patch Tuesday, which took place June 11th, Microsoft rolled out a high-priority non-security update KB2821895 via Windows Update. This "servicing stack update" was available for Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012. However, after installing the update, some users are experiencing some major resource consumption issues when it comes to the System File Checker.
After installing the update and running the System File Checker, the process hangs at 100% CPU utilization while eating more RAM than necessary. This process eventually ends after roughly 30 minutes and states that it was "unable to fix problems" while generating a large CBS.log file that repeatedly states "Cannot repair member file." Microsoft has not addressed this issue just yet so we will have to resort to an alternative means to bypass this update since we cannot manually remove it.
In order to fix this issue, run the following command as an Administrator and type at the command prompt 

DISM /Online /cleanup-image /RestoreHealth  [press enter]

If you have yet to install this, head over to Windows Update and find KB2821895. Make sure you right click on the update and select "Hide Update." The update weighs 9.5MB. We will update you as Microsoft issues a formal statement on this issue.