We had a customer in our New Jersey computer repair store today who was asking about how dust and dirt affects a computer. It was something that has come up more than a few times so I thought it prime time to write a post about it.
One of the services we offer here at Dave’s Computers is a thorough clean of your computer internals. Even the cleanest house has dust and it will build up over time within your computer. But does it do any harm?
Yes it does.
Dust and computers
Any device that uses fans to push air will attract dust as dust is also in the air. As that dust builds up it can have a number of negative effects on that device. That can include a buildup of heat and even a short circuit in the very worst cases.
Heat is a byproduct of energy conversion from electricity into action. Every electronic device converts the potential energy in electricity or a battery into action. That action could be processing a command, spinning a hard drive, running fans or any action that device takes. As a byproduct of that conversion, heat is generated. That’s why your computer has fans and why phones and tablets warm up when you use them.
A PC uses two main methods to keep itself cool. It uses heatsinks and fans. There is also water cooling but if you know how to install water cooling, you already know to control dust!
A heatsink is a piece of metal, usually aluminum, placed over a component. It offers a lot of surface area to let heat dissipate. A heatsink on its own can cope with a modest amount of heat. If more heat is generated, a fan is added. The fan will blow cool air over the heatsink to accelerate heat dissipation. This is what keeps your processor and graphics card cool.
When dust clogs up a PC, the cooling effect of the heatsink and fan is compromised. Dust is an insulator so the heatsink becomes less efficient. It also stops the cool air from the fan from reaching the heatsink. Both of these things can compromise the cooling of your PC.
When it cannot cool properly, computers have a tendency to overheat. Fortunately, hardware has thermal throttling which detect this overheating and reduces the component speed to lower heat output.
So the effect of a dusty computer is either a PC that throttles itself to lower heat generation and therefore runs slow, or a PC that overheats and shuts itself down to protect itself. That’s why it is so important to keep your PC clean.
You don’t have to clean your computer often, just once every few months. Power it off and gently blow the dust off components or use Q-tips or soft cloth to clean dust. Make sure all fans and their shrouds and all surfaces are free from dust. You can buy cans of compressed air to blow dust off if the cloth or Q-tip doesn’t work. Get the inside of your PC as clean as possible and you will keep it running for longer.
Or you could bring your computer to us and we can take care of it for you!We see a lot of computers infected with malware here at Dave’s Computers. Our New Jersey computer store is often visited by people who think they have taken every precaution and yet still fall foul of this virulent annoyance.
If you think you may have malware on your computer, visit our store and we can help you out. Otherwise, look for these ten signs. They aren’t exhaustive but they are the most common signs of computer malware infection.
Ten signs of malware infection
These ten signs could indicate your computer has been infected with malware. Run a malware scan immediately if you see any of these.
- Computer begins running slowly – There are many reasons why your computer may slow down but most of the time it happens gradually. If yours suddenly begins slowing down or taking longer to boot, run a malware scan.
- Computer keeps restarting or crashing – There are many other reasons why this might happen too, but if you see other signs in this list, run a malware scan.
- Hard drive or processor working overtime – If you’re just browsing the internet or doing something basic and your hard drive is working hard or your processor is at high utilization, you could have a virus or malware. Run a scan. It can be other things too, Task Manager will tell you what.
- Browser homepage changes – Most of us have a favorite home page that opens every time we open the browser. If it suddenly changes to something other than the browser default, it’s a sure sign of malware or of you not opting out of changes when you installed free software.
- Search engine changes – The same for your default search engine. Some free software offer to change it for you but so does some malware.
- You begin seeing popup ads – If you start seeing more popup ads than usual, especially when you’re not using the internet, this is a sure sign you have malware.
- Internet activity picks up – If your internet slows down or your firewall shows more activity than usual on your network, this could be a sign of malware. If there are no other obvious reasons for this, run a scan.
- Your security software turns off – If you see your antivirus or firewall disabled and you didn’t do it, it could be malware. Some malware can disable security software without your knowledge so if you notice it, scan.
- Unusual messages or activity – If you start seeing strange messages like not being able to open an app or cannot write to a certain folder, this could be normal Windows or it could be malware. If you also see some of these other signs, run a scan.
- Friends receive emails or messages from you that you didn’t send – This is a sure sign of malware. A piece of code has gotten to your email contacts and is spamming them trying to spread itself. Run a scan.
If you see any of these symptoms on your computer and your malware scanner doesn’t fix them, bring your computer over to Dave’s Computers in New Jersey. We will fix it for you!New Jersey has had some decent weather over the past few weeks and we are seeing more computers than usual overheating. It is a common issue for many home users but is easily preventable. That’s why the team here at Dave’s Computers have put together this quick guide to keeping your PC cool during warmer weather.
Computers generate heat as a byproduct of converting electricity into action. Every time your processor does a piece of work or your graphics card renders a screen, it generates heat. Hard drives, sound cards and your motherboard also generate heat but to a lesser degree. The two components you need to keep an eye on are the processor and hard drive.
Keep it clean
As air moves around a room it collects dust and debris from the air. Even the cleanest home has dust in the air and it collects in computers. Keeping your computer clean and free of dust is the best way to help keep it cool. That doesn’t mean just running a cloth over the outside of the case though. You need to remove the case and dust the inside too.
Make sure the computer is switched off, remove the case and use a cloth, can of compressed air or electronics vacuum to remove all dust from the inside. Don’t put the case back on just yet.
Check all fans are working
While you have the computer case off, you should make sure all your fans are working. A typical computer will have one or two intake fans at the front, one or two exhaust fans at the rear or top, a fan on the processor and one on the graphics card. You may see others too but these are the usual ones.
Turn on your computer and watch the fans. They should all start spinning and blowing air through the case. If they are all working, great. If one isn’t working, take a look at the connection to see if it has come loose. Don’t touch it while your computer is on though. Secure it once you turn the computer off.
Check airflow
If all your fans are working, your final check is to make sure air can flow freely from the fans at the front to the exhaust fans at the rear. If you have anything blocking airflow then your computer may overheat. Flowing through hard drive racks is fine but there should be no barriers such as cables, brackets or anything you have added in the way of that air.
In an ideal computer, cables would be tidied away behind the motherboard, hard drives would be in their caddies and there would be nothing stopping air flowing across the motherboard and out the rear of the computer.
If your computer still overheats or runs excessively hot, the computer repair guys at Dave’s Computers in New Jersey can help. Bring your computer to our store and we will see how we can keep it cool!
I love Christmas, it’s the one time of year where people put aside their differences and get together, communicate with other people and play more of a part in family. It’s also a time for getting new stuff which is always nice. If you got a new computer or phone for Christmas, like millions of you likely have, there are a few things you need to do before you do anything else.
If you do these quick things, you improve the security of your device and protect yourself from the worst of the threats on the internet. Considering it will take less than half an hour, it’s an exercise that is well worth doing.
Protect your new computer
I suggest you:
- Check your firewall and install a third party one
- Install an antivirus software solution
- Set up malware detection
- Make a backup of your computer
All of these tasks should be done regardless of whether you have a Windows or Apple computer.
Check your firewall and install a third party one
Both Windows and Mac come with a software firewall built in but neither is very good. The Windows firewall isn’t very effective and doesn’t block outgoing traffic and Apple’s version is difficult to manage and a bit fragmented. It is easier to turn them both off and use a third party firewall.
Both operating systems have a range of paid-for and free options that do a much better job of stopping traffic and allowing you to configure them. Shop around, find a good one and use it. It will help protect you and your data.
Install an antivirus software solution
The same goes for antivirus software. Windows Defender is okay but falls way behind other commercial products in terms of detecting and neutralizing viruses. Apple is more secure but no longer immune to viruses and will also need protection from malicious code.
Once you have installed a firewall, it’s time to find a good quality antivirus. Again, there are both free and paid-for options. Both are as effective as each other but premium products have more features. You are no less protected with free products!
Set up malware detection
Malware is another threat that targets both Mac and Windows. Many malware threats use web protocols that can target both operating systems. There are also specific threats for each system too, which is why good malware detection is important.
As far as I’m concerned, the only one worth having is Malwarebytes. It comes in both Windows and Mac flavors, it’s free and very, very good at catching and removing malware.
Make a backup
Once you begin configuring your computer how you like it and begin adding media, programs, apps and personal data, it’s a good idea to make a backup so you don’t lose any of it. Macs come with Time Machine which allows you to make backups and Windows users can utilize Windows backup which can create a copy of your files and data or entire drive for when the worst happens. You can then just reinstate the backup should anything happy to your computer.
Perform those four tasks and your new Christmas present should continue giving joy long after we’re all back at work, school or college.
Protect your new phone
Did you get a new phone for Christmas? A new iPhone? New Pixel? Something else? Been using it a few days and loving it? That’s great, but before you disappear into your post-Christmas routine, there are a few things you need to do to make sure your phone is secure.
You will already likely know that you don’t just pick up a piece of technology and begin using it without an eye on how to protect it and you from the risks out there on the internet. If you take care of these things first, you can use your phone freely without having to worry about a thing!
You should:
- Set up a lock code
- Set up backups
- Check for updates
- Install antivirus
Get these four tasks out of the way and you can use your phone, customize it, change the look and feel and generally use it as you see fit. All without worrying about a thing!
Set up a lock code
A lock code is the PIN or pattern you enter into your phone to unlock the sleep screen. Newer phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 use fingerprints to unlock. If yours has this function, set it up right now. You will still need to set up a backup PIN, but securing your lock screen is the most basic protection.
Set up backups
Setting up automatic backups is another very useful task you should complete right away. Android has Google Sync and Apple has iCloud. Both are cloud services that can be set up to automatically backup important data that can be downloaded to a new phone should yours break, get lost or stolen.
Check for updates
Both Apple and Android will automatically keep themselves up to date unless you tell it otherwise. Configuring your phone to only use a Wi-Fi connection instead of your cell data is an important move if you have limited data. All this should be set up for you but it is important to check. Updates will include security enhancements as well as new features and bug fixes so are vital but you don’t want them burning through your data allowance.
Install antivirus
Just like your computer, your phone uses an operating system to control it. That operating system and the apps that run on it are susceptible to malicious code as much as a computer. Setting up mobile antivirus is as important here as it is on a desktop. Even more so if you spend a lot of time on the internet. Most phones don’t come with antivirus built in so you have to install it. Do it, now.
Once you have those things covered, you can safely use your phone wherever and whenever you like. Now it’s time to remove your carrier’s bloatware, tell apps how to use your data and share your number with those you deem worthy of having it.
📞 Call Dave's — 908-428-9558