For my last build I got a positive air pressure case, it's made so it only blows out and the intake where it pulls air in from has 4 large filters.

I've opened it a few times just to check, after a year now I hadn't had to clean it, almost no dust inside, just gotta remember to clean the filters once in a while.

Cleaning the dust bunnies out..... that is important. 


I just went to a site on a service call..... new server.... (installed in August 2012) and the air intakes were just about closed off with dust.... the exhaust vents were the same and had dust webs waving in the breeze..... 

For those who like blowing air from air compressors set it so it is not too strong otherwise you can damage the more delicate things inside. 

Also it is not a great idea to let the fans spin up to the very high speed they sometimes reach when using a source of powerful compressed air. The fans would never reach those speeds under any normal operating conditions and it is possible to damage them as a result. Just stop the fans from turning either by hand or wedging a small screwdriver/gaffa etc  into the blades so they won't move. Remember to take it out though!

If you're using those little spray cans of compressed air, it's also important to be careful of the moisture they can sometimes spit out. I always make sure to keep the can fully upright (less moisture escapes) and I always leave the computer alone for at least a couple of hours before switching back on. 

What I can't prevent, however, are the baffling problems which always occur when I unplug everything from my tower and then put it all back together. Last night when I did it, the wireless mouse wouldn't work until I'd moved the receiver dongle around a few USB ports. Then, the wireless keyboard's caps button was reversed so that caps on was really caps off. Plus a left mouse button click was registering as a middle mouse button click. To top it all off, my M-Audio interface was not being recognized by Sonar. Got it all working again via the usual combination of random groping about in the dark interspersed with lots of cursing and "why me's"

sharke


If you're using those little spray cans of compressed air, it's also important to be careful of the moisture they can sometimes spit out. I always make sure to keep the can fully upright (less moisture escapes) and I always leave the computer alone for at least a couple of hours before switching back on. 

That's not moisture.. while it is a liquid, trust me... it's not water. The temperature drops as a result of evaporation and water vapor will then condense out of the air,,,, fisrt as frost and then water.   Gas duster, also known as canned air or compressed air, is a product used for cleaning electronic equipment and other sensitive devices that cannot be cleaned using water. Despite the name "canned air," the cans actually contain gases that are much easier to compress into liquids, such as difluroethane, trifluroethane, or tetrafluroethane.   hydrocarbons, like butane, were often used in the past, but their flammable nature forced manufacturers to use flurocarbons.


I use that stuff all the time to clean smoke detectors in my line of work. It works well on computers too for dust removal. Turning the can upside down allows the liquid gas to be released. It evaporates extremely rapidly at room temperature and as a result, super cools that it touches. It will also remove warts and skin tags much cheaper than a medical professional will do and just as efficiently.

Kenneth


For my last build I got a positive air pressure case, it's made so it only blows out and the intake where it pulls air in from has 4 large filters.

I've opened it a few times just to check, after a year now I hadn't had to clean it, almost no dust inside, just gotta remember to clean the filters once in a while.

Ive considered taking a road case and making it a filtered box as well.  In my last line of work, all computers and servers were encased and filtered.  Sure kept things nice and neat not to mention the ease of transporting everything at once when taking it out on the road to record with.

bapu

Crg

craigb


I like (the other) Craig's approach better.  Just buy a new kick-butt machine.

My old box needs cleaning. I'm having trouble discerning which is the magic dust and which is just static fuzz.

Most people smoke the magic dust.


just sayin'

Hence my problem, cough, cough.

I work on friends computers from time to time. I was working on it and it just wouldn't turn on. Nothing. Open it up, see TONS of dust bunnies and clean it out. Vacuum and air. Turned it on and all was well. People underestimate the cleaning, but more power to ya! :D

Now THIS, my friends, is a dusty computer. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diCvsKmDsng

sharke


Now THIS, my friends, is a dusty computer. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diCvsKmDsng

A tad bit of humidity and that would have been trash, IF it isnt already


Thats why all ours were encased and filtered.  USPS is nothing but a dust factory that isnt maintained.  Of course its been a number of years since I retired so it might have gotten better-JUST NOT MY PROBLEM NOW