Topic: PC Troubleshooting...  (Read 70090 times)

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Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #80 on: December 01, 2006, 09:03:23 pm »
You could try flattening out one of the dusk masks sold to woodworking hobbiests.  If you can get it flat enough it should do the trick.

Glad to hear the computer is working well again.

Now that's the easiest way to that, I think!

And thanks for the sentiment.  It's still sort of hard to believe the thermal insulatiing properties of... of all things... dust.

Offline Nemesis

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #81 on: December 02, 2006, 01:03:13 pm »
I would guess that a lot of the insulating ability of dust comes from the airspaces that are trapped within the layers.  Little straight conduction of heat through a consistant medium.  Much harder for the heat to leave the dust and enter the air pocket then back into dust on the other side only to repeat that over and over as it travels through to the outside environment.  The rate of transmission must be greatly slowed by each of those borders that is transited.  Rather like standard home insulation.
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Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #82 on: December 02, 2006, 02:56:14 pm »
I would guess that a lot of the insulating ability of dust comes from the airspaces that are trapped within the layers.  Little straight conduction of heat through a consistant medium.  Much harder for the heat to leave the dust and enter the air pocket then back into dust on the other side only to repeat that over and over as it travels through to the outside environment.  The rate of transmission must be greatly slowed by each of those borders that is transited.  Rather like standard home insulation.

Oh, you are absolutely and technically right.  I was just moaning and complaining, doing my New Yorker act.  I suspect that if the dust was compressed, it would greatly reduce its insulating ability, as you essentially outlined.

I am right now actually mildly surprised that one doesn't find on Newegg, MWave, Zipzoomfly, etc., filter mounted case fans for sale.  Since this ultimately still is a Star Trek based forum, it would be a very logical product to manufacture and sell!

Offline The Bar-Abbas Anomaly

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #83 on: December 05, 2006, 10:43:32 pm »
 
Filtering limits the airflow too much, which is the more critical concern.


Dust doesn't really hurt too much inside the case except to limit airflow over the heat sinks or clog up the fans, but I had a friend who used to theorize that the real problem was humidity, because when the dust got damp it became conductive....


I'm not sure if he wasn't onto something...

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Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #84 on: December 05, 2006, 10:52:28 pm »
Ah, but no matter how "conductive" wet dust can become, it ultimately approximates the thermal conductivity of water and bare aluminum is always better than that... or for those of you who are rich folks, bare copper...

Offline Nemesis

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #85 on: December 06, 2006, 08:05:54 pm »
Dust doesn't really hurt too much inside the case except to limit airflow over the heat sinks or clog up the fans, but I had a friend who used to theorize that the real problem was humidity, because when the dust got damp it became conductive....

I'm not sure if he wasn't onto something...

Hot dust on the heat sink/fans would have a difficult time becoming and staying damp.
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Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #86 on: December 08, 2006, 09:14:43 pm »
'Rabs is onto something here, and I forgot to address it:

Yeah, I forgot about sufficient airflow.  If I DO put a filter in front of a fan, it will necessarily restrict airflow to some degree.  But are the average case fans you can buy in a comp shop or on the 'Net rotating fast enough to generate enough "thrust" so that any reduction of flow rate due to filtering is not critical?


Filtering limits the airflow too much, which is the more critical concern.


Dust doesn't really hurt too much inside the case except to limit airflow over the heat sinks or clog up the fans...



Offline Javora

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #87 on: December 09, 2006, 05:24:07 pm »

Filtering limits the airflow too much, which is the more critical concern.


Dust doesn't really hurt too much inside the case except to limit airflow over the heat sinks or clog up the fans, but I had a friend who used to theorize that the real problem was humidity, because when the dust got damp it became conductive....


I'm not sure if he wasn't onto something...



As Ed has experienced dust can cause heat and airflow problems for your system.  I agree that a filter can decrease airflow but having dust stuck in the fan gears slows down the RPM rate of the fan and burns the fan out quicker.  To me its six of one and half-dozen of another.  It just comes down to convince for me.

Offline Nemesis

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #88 on: December 10, 2006, 09:30:25 am »
Yeah, I forgot about sufficient airflow.  If I DO put a filter in front of a fan, it will necessarily restrict airflow to some degree.


Only the input fans should get the filters, the output fans will be unaffected.  Relatively thin filter material may be used to limit the flow reduction (you might consider nylon instead of the fiber filter I suggested earlier).  I don't use filters myself but many serious modders do.  It really depends on how often you need to clean the heat sinks and how annoying you find doing so.

Dust doesn't really hurt too much inside the case except to limit airflow over the heat sinks or clog up the fans..


Actually it coats everything inside the case and causes all components to run at higher temperatures than they really need to which does reduce the life expectancy of the system.  When I do clean the heat sinks I always blow dust off of everything in the system not just the sinks.

Link to tech support ;)
Do unto others as Frey has done unto you.
Seti Team    Free Software
I believe truth and principle do matter. If you have to sacrifice them to get the results you want, then the results aren't worth it.
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Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #89 on: December 10, 2006, 05:37:48 pm »
I was such a hamhanded bad shot with that can of compressed gas that the entire insides got cleaned anyway.  It's unbelievable that there's still something left in the can!

I think I will just use the "tape the drinking straw or coffee stirrer (depending and the smallness of the crevice to be suctioned out) to mouth of vacuum cleaner nozzle" trick in conjunction with the compressed gas...

... more often this time!

I'm not too sanguine, really, about using a filter, which in a way amounts to having a "permanent thin layer of dust" due to lowered air flow.

Offline Tus-XC

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #90 on: January 14, 2007, 04:50:24 pm »
ya dust is a pain.  My system the other day when nutz on me because it overheated.  Had to take my airbrush and clean it out (ahhhh, having a a compressor and airbrush is so convient now ;))
Rob

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Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #91 on: January 14, 2007, 04:57:07 pm »
Ay ya... do you ever draw pictures with it??

(Still, it's a great "precision" tool to zap away dust.  Ingenious!)

Offline Tus-XC

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #92 on: January 14, 2007, 05:05:15 pm »
its for model work mostly, though the last time i painted was 6 months ago, i've been pretty broke saving up for my spring break trip so i can't buy paints... hopefully next month i can buy paints and paint my D 7 (i've decided to use k'tinga color scheme... i don't llike my ships w/o some color ;) lol)
Rob

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Offline pepperman

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #93 on: January 14, 2007, 08:41:28 pm »
Quote
Hmmm... filtered fan intakes!  Great idea.

If I come up with a way to install somethiing like that as nifty as yours, I'll post it, too.

A pair of your girl friends nylons cut properly will make a good intake screen...just remember to clean them regularly.  What is you input/output fan ratio.

Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #94 on: January 14, 2007, 09:11:32 pm »
Yo!  Watch it!!

It's wife.

You can get me seriously hurt.

Offline KBF-Kurok

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #95 on: May 10, 2007, 09:03:06 pm »
 ok here goes i have a friend whos internet connection is going real slow in exp he  went to tools,internet options then deleted the temp files and cookies and  had no change. any ideas?

Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #96 on: May 10, 2007, 09:07:12 pm »
Often, it's not that stuff; it may be the connection itself.  How's he connecting to the Internet?

Offline KBF-Kurok

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #97 on: May 10, 2007, 09:08:28 pm »
cable and his isp provider says he is operating at 6 megs per sec

Offline E_Look

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #98 on: May 10, 2007, 10:50:23 pm »
Hmmm... 6... that SOUNDS good...

... but I have a work PC and though it reports its connection speed as 10 Mbps, it's slow for a broadband (T1? T3?) connection.  I guess it may be due to its being on a big or big and poorly maintained network.

I don't know what to say to this.

Anyone else?

Offline KBF-Kurok

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Re: PC Troubleshooting...
« Reply #99 on: May 11, 2007, 10:24:23 am »
im thinking your correct its cable so the net work might very well be real busy or porley maintained. Thanks for trying to help.