From time to time, I share Technical Tips on programs or things you can do to help your PC. If you have a question, feel free to ask. I may or may not know the answer but I will get back to you.
Recently I learned something that will help extend the life of your PC. Now if you just bought your PC no need to do this. If your PC is at least a year old or older then keep on reading.
Every PC has a fan, in fact on mine there are 3. One is on the power supply (can’t touch that). One is on the Heat Sink and the other is just a general fan to help keep the heat down inside the case. Ventilation is the best thing for your PC. You ideally want to keep your machine off of the ground, even if only 1 inch. It helps to cut down on dust. Make sure the sides are not blocked so your machine can breathe.
Now back to the fan, powered the machine down and disconnected everything from it. Then took it to a different area where I could work on it. First, I blew out all of the dust with an Air Compressor, you can also use canned compressed air or if you want to be fancy and can’t stand dust (I should have done this) use a vacuum but be careful. You need a soft brush attachment and/or a crevice tool. Once that was done, I unplugged the fan from the Motherboard and then took out all four screws. There is a sticker on most fans, carefully peel that off and underneath you will find an oil reservoir, use some 3 in 1 oil (be sure to use this and NOTHING else) and apply a couple drops. Don’t use too much. Wipe off any excess and then carefully put the sticker back. If it won’t stick, use some tape. Then reinstall the fan, hook up the power back to the motherboard and all is done. This is something you need to do on an annual basis.
Why? Well over time the lubricant that was inside the fan, will wear out with run time and heat. The ball bearing inside the fan will then grind away and your fan will shoot craps. All modern PC’s will shutdown if they get too hot. If your fan does go out on you, you can pick up a new one at your local computer supply house or even Best Buy.
I did this first because I heard of the tip. Second because my machine was making some odd noises. I didn’t see any obvious causes and this fixed it. It’s all quiet now except for the occasional subtle click of the hard drive. Just like the day I brought it home some 5 years ago. Wow, it’s been a good machine and I hope it keeps on going for a while longer. It’s not like I can afford a new PC right now.
A few words of CAUTION. First, if you try this your doing it at your own risk. I’m not responsible for anything that goes wrong. This is merely friendly advice. If I was doing the work myself and something went wrong, that my friends would be a whole different story. So please be careful if you do try this!
I hope that you found this helpful and that if you try it, your PC will be happier and much quieter too. Take care and Happy Computing!
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