[strange_man]

Hi guys!

Two questions:

1. What kind of equipment do you need to clean the inside and outside of your computer AND laptop?

2. Where can one get such items, and are there any specific shops/brands geared towards this?

Very sorry for the newb question, but my ultra-fast Dell PC is now slowing on me and I know its time for a good clean!

Thanks and Regards,
Strange Man

[Max]

you referring to the software kind or the hardware kind??

[Shutensa]

For the software side, start with a good spyware remover (spybot or ad-aware to the trick), and probably disk cleaner

For the hardware size, get a couple good canisters of compressed air, and have at it! Also while you're at it get some better fans

[Expatriate]

Hong Kong has a good collection of dry-cleaners. A good vacuum will also help.

However, the computer won't become faster that way.

One solution is to replace windows by something like BSD.

If that's too drastic, try some anti-virus, anti-spyware, and not to forget the "Easy-Cleaner" from Tony Arts.

You probably have only one processor in your laptop. And every program you run in the foreground and in the background wants to get some attention from that processor - to get processed.
It's like at school, if you have only 15 kids in a class, then the teacher gets more time for each kid than if you have 40 kids. As a result the kids learn faster and get better.

So, check which programs are absolutely necessary to run and throw the other ones out, or at least stop them.

A firewall might help to keep unwanted guests out, for example "Outpost" from Agnitum.

At the end run some defrag program. The one from Windows is just fine.

[strange_man]

Hi guys!

Sorry, I purely referred to hardware - I have my software all figured out.

So specifically:

- for screens: those screenwipes available commercially
- for keyboards: compressed air? or vacuums?
- for internal: compressed air and dusters? and better fans?

Also, is it recommended to clean out the inside of your laptop?

Again, sorry for sounding like a newb! Thanks already for all the help!
Strange Man

[banang]

HK air is dirty as it's full of dust and it sticks to the innards of the computer case. The dust builds up after several months of usage.

What I do is take off the cover and vacuum it. For hard to reach places, I use a paint brush to remove the dirt and then vacuum it off.

Sure you can get all sorts of "professional" cleaners but I guess you can also do it nicely with a vacuum and a piece of cleaning cloth.

[Shutensa]

Yeah, a few canisters of compressed air is all you need.

Also, you might want to move your comp outside (or into a clearer area) before you clean it out. The dust that builds up inside computers is particularly nasty, and it's amazing how much of it builds up

[cerberus]

your screen: a damp cloth.

inside of desktop case: compressed air, around 70-80 bucks at any PC market.

laptop: damp cloth.