Posted June 19, 2014 Hey Guys so I was just wondering how do you clean your PC both SOFTWARE-RICALLY and EXTERNALLY?What Programs do you use to do maintenance on your pc? EX Defraggler, CCleaner, Antivirus(Monthly Scans) etcandWhat are your guides in cleaning the hardware? (case fans, mobo etc)How Frequent are you cleaning your pc? A month? Thrice a week?And more importantlyHOW DO YOU KEEP IT CLEAN? i5 4690k @ 3.5Ghz | Stock Cooler :/ | ECS Gank Machine Z87H3-A2X EXTREME | Gskill RipjawsX 8GB 1600Mhz | MSI GTX 960 100th ME 2GB | Samsung 840 Evo 120GB | 1TB WD Caviar Blue | Seasonic m12ii evo 750W | Razer Modded Phantom 410 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 With an air compressor and a towel. Softwarewise my pc is set to automatically defrag my hdd once every week and i personally hunt down junk in my documents and downloads folders. For antivirus I use avg free and run full scans once in a while. Don't ask to ask, just ask... please sudo chmod -R 000 /* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 I use CCleaner to clean up unwanted files, I use it to clean up the registry and also sort out the startup programs so I don't have anything I don't want running when the computer starts up. Other than that I don't have much software for cleanup, I do however keep my documents organised and delete unwanted things. Hardware wise, as long as you have dust filters on your computer you don't need to do this very often, I usually buy a can of compressed air and give it a good clean once every 6 months. Other than that not much to do really. It's important to keep it clean but nothing to be worried about. Just keep an eye on the internals if you can see large build up of dust use the can to get rid of it. You can use the can to clean EVERYTHING in the PC you don't need anything else. the compressed air will get rid of all the dust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 I am using ESET NOD32 AV, Malwarebyte's Antimalware Pro and Anti-Exploit Pro edition to keep my PC secure. I clear the cache of all my browsers on a fortnightly basis. I use Revo Uninstaller Pro(basic install it once every 30 days and it stays Pro forever) to install and uninstall my Program. I backup my documents on a daily basis and an image is created on weekly basis. I keep up to 8 week old image backups(older ones are discarded).Since I live in a dusty environment, I clean all my PC on bimonthly basis. Can of compressed air to unclog the heatsinks and dust filters. On an average my PC last 8 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 I use CCleaner, Avast, and Malwarebytes to keep the software clean, and I don't really clean the hardware all that much (read: ever). Main rig on profile VAULT - File Server Spoiler Intel Core i5 11400 w/ Shadow Rock LP, 2x16GB SP GAMING 3200MHz CL16, ASUS PRIME Z590-A, 2x LSI 9211-8i, Fractal Define 7, 256GB Team MP33, 3x 6TB WD Red Pro (general storage), 3x 1TB Seagate Barracuda (dumping ground), 3x 8TB WD White-Label (Plex) (all 3 arrays in their respective Windows Parity storage spaces), Corsair RM750x, Windows 11 Education Sleeper HP Pavilion A6137C Spoiler Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz, 4x8GB G.SKILL Ares 1800MHz CL10, ASUS Z170M-E D3, 128GB Team MP33, 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 320GB Samsung Spinpoint (for video capture), MSI GTX 970 100ME, EVGA 650G1, Windows 10 Pro Mac Mini (Late 2020) Spoiler Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, macOS Sonoma Consoles: Softmodded 1.4 Xbox w/ 500GB HDD, Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Falcon, XB1X w/2TB MX500, Xbox Series X, PS1 1001, PS2 Slim 70000 w/ FreeMcBoot, PS4 Pro 7015B 1TB (retired), PS5 Digital, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Wii RVL-001 (black) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 I... never do, really. Maybe once a year with Malwarebytes, but I never clean the dust out of my PC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 (edited) Thanks to dust filters I only clean out my PC every 6 months or so but I could easily go 12 before it started getting REALLY dusty. I use a toothbrush to get rid of dust on fans and failing that I just blow it a lot. Softweare wise I use CCleaner and MWbytes and that seems to work pretty well. Edited June 19, 2014 by Robi_g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 Compressed air every few weeks (unfortunately it's very dusty where I live and very fine dust). Every month I take all side panels and the front panel off, clean the disconnect all fans and clean them. Also, I change those little bags with humidity absorbing material every few months. I still have Norton but I'm not going to stick with it (Bitdefender as soon as my abonnement runs out). CCleaner every few days and only backups of my docs on a USB flash drive (everything else I can easily install again) and write down my passwords and contacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 19, 2014 Author Do you guys have like a "go signal" when to clean your pc? I mean if it gets slow? Or you're just bored? I really want to take care of my Very 1st Rig and I hope you guys will give me some advice or experiences :3 i5 4690k @ 3.5Ghz | Stock Cooler :/ | ECS Gank Machine Z87H3-A2X EXTREME | Gskill RipjawsX 8GB 1600Mhz | MSI GTX 960 100th ME 2GB | Samsung 840 Evo 120GB | 1TB WD Caviar Blue | Seasonic m12ii evo 750W | Razer Modded Phantom 410 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 22, 2014 ^^^ I recently saw this and have to wonder how badly it would effect airflow to have this material so close to your intake fans, seems it would make the fan work harder. Current Rig: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/joenewbie/saved/THTzK8 What I would build today: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/joenewbie/saved/xHTzK8 Economy Gaming: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/joenewbie/saved/9CWBD3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 22, 2014 I hate CCleaner. Everytime i use it it blows up my Browser and several accounts and stuff and isn't helping much. I also try to look at my msconfig from time to time to uncheck useless programs. who cares... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 22, 2014 And as far as cleaning, couldn't we theoretically just remove everything from the motherboard, submerge it in water, wipe off with paper towel and then give it a week to dry off and you're back to new? I wonder if the same is theoretically possible for video cards sans fans of course, unless they're those new Noctua industrial black ones. How many youtube videos are there of people using a leafblower? Many of these solutions are rather tempting, then I realize, it's the internet, stop watching videos. Current Rig: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/joenewbie/saved/THTzK8 What I would build today: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/joenewbie/saved/xHTzK8 Economy Gaming: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/joenewbie/saved/9CWBD3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 22, 2014 i have a question :should i worry about the fluid that comes out of the can sometimes when i don't hold it right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 23, 2014 i have a question :should i worry about the fluid that comes out of the can sometimes when i don't hold it right? If it's not conductive it's ok (air is AFAIK not conductive, nor is propane-butane). Also it evaporates very quickly under normal pressure. My rig: CPU: Intel core i5 4670K MoBo: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming RAM: Kingston HyperX Beast 2x4GB 1600mhz CL9 GPU: EVGA GTX780 SC ACX SSD: ADATA Premier Pro SP900 256GBHDD: Western Digital RED 2TB PSU: FSP Aurum CM 750W Case: Cooler Master HAF XM OS: Windows 8 Pro My Build log, the Snowbird (heavy WIP): http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/188011-snowbird-by-lachy/?hl=snowbird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 23, 2014 I... never do, really. Maybe once a year with Malwarebytes, but I never clean the dust out of my PC. Please do it, heck I will do it for you, I don't want your chips to burn out. I use a air compressor, I kind of have a day every 6 months when I clean and dust off all my electronics.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 23, 2014 If it's not conductive it's ok (air is AFAIK not conductive, nor is propane-butane). Also it evaporates very quickly under normal pressure. this is just compressed air right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 23, 2014 this is just compressed air right?Depends, all is marketed as canned air, however the cheaper ones are usually propane-butane and only the most expensive actually use compressed air. Both are harmless and have the same effect, but you should only use the propane-butane cans outside so you don't breathe it or accidentally ignite it. My rig: CPU: Intel core i5 4670K MoBo: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming RAM: Kingston HyperX Beast 2x4GB 1600mhz CL9 GPU: EVGA GTX780 SC ACX SSD: ADATA Premier Pro SP900 256GBHDD: Western Digital RED 2TB PSU: FSP Aurum CM 750W Case: Cooler Master HAF XM OS: Windows 8 Pro My Build log, the Snowbird (heavy WIP): http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/188011-snowbird-by-lachy/?hl=snowbird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 23, 2014 little paint brush to knock the dust off of fans and heatsinks. then i turn all of the fans to 100% and sweep everything again, from PCBs to the floor. I do that every other week. I wash the filters about once a week. About twice a year ill dissemble every active gpu and give it a sweeping, lapping, polish the plastic and new TIM For the exterior paint I use End Dust and a microfiber towel. For any plastic or acrylic LOTS of 91% rubbing alcohol and microfiber. To remove micro scratches in plastic or acrylic, get some Novas acrylic polish. Software? Just re-install win7. i have everything I've ever DL'd sitting on the NAS. Automatic file back up applications are always a must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 25, 2014 I unplug all fans from motherboard before blowing out all the dust with a small (but loud) air compressor about once a month weather it needs it or not since I do have a really dust house with two dogs and I use CC cleaner and Disk clean up about once a month and defrag it about once a month using windows defrag and my virus scans are automatic once a week current build and total cost http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/150083-thrift-shop-build/ I apologize for my crappy English I'm American Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 26, 2014 Get a case with dust filters... I have my gaming PC in my workshop that is a lot more dusty than a house and I never clean it. There is a bit of dust in there, but not enough to be a concern. The only issue I have are all the bugs that fly in thru the holes in the PCIe slot covers... I haven't cleaned this case since I got it in early March. My R4 was even better about dust, after a year it didn't look as bad as the H440 does now after a few months... but the H440 looks much better IMO, so I'll deal with it. This is a couple feet away from the PC and gets dusted off every 2-3 weeks, just as a comparison of how dusty it is in here. Software? Just re-install win7. i have everything I've ever DL'd sitting on the NAS. Automatic file back up applications are always a must. Now that I run a storage server I do this as well, just a complete re-format every now and then. All my steam games are on a separate drive, I keep all the installers and my outlook files/saves on the server, and stream my music/pictures/docs from the server as well. It takes maybe an hour to do and there is nothing better than a fresh Windows install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 26, 2014 I hate CCleaner. Everytime i use it it blows up my Browser and several accounts and stuff and isn't helping much. I also try to look at my msconfig from time to time to uncheck useless programs. you can manually choose what it cleans find the stuff you don't want cleaned and remove the check mark current build and total cost http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/150083-thrift-shop-build/ I apologize for my crappy English I'm American Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 26, 2014 Wait you guys clean you PC? ....maybe I should check the filters Spoiler i5 4670k, GTX 970, 12GB 1600, 120GB SSD, 240GB SDD, 1TB HDD, CM Storm Quickfire TK, G502, VG248QE, ATH M40x, Fractal R4 Spoiler i5 4278U, Intel Iris Graphics, 8GB 1600, 128GB SSD, 2560x1600 IPS display, Mid-2014 Model Spoiler All the parts are here, just need to get customized cords to connect the motherboard to the front panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 27, 2014 I used a leafblower last time, worked quite well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 27, 2014 little paint brush to knock the dust off of fans and heatsinks. then i turn all of the fans to 100% and sweep everything again, from PCBs to the floor. I do that every other week. I wash the filters about once a week. About twice a year ill dissemble every active gpu and give it a sweeping, lapping, polish the plastic and new TIM For the exterior paint I use End Dust and a microfiber towel. For any plastic or acrylic LOTS of 91% rubbing alcohol and microfiber. To remove micro scratches in plastic or acrylic, get some Novas acrylic polish. Software? Just re-install win7. i have everything I've ever DL'd sitting on the NAS. Automatic file back up applications are always a must. Sounds a bit OCD. Two motoes to live by "Sometimes there are no shortcuts" "This too shall pass" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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