Environmental Factors that Can Kill Your Computer

Your computer sits on your desk, unaware of the many dangers lurking in the room ready to attack and send it to the repair shop. Dust, static electricity and condensation can render a computer useless just when you need it the most. While most computer users take steps to protect their computer from viruses, they do little to protect it from these external environmental hazards.

Static electricity - The static electricity that makes your hair stand straight out from your head on a cold, dry day and causes your wool sweater to cling to socks when taken out of the clothes dryer is the same force that can cripple your computer. Walking across a room on certain types of carpet, especially when the air is dry, can build up a static charge of thousands of volts on you. Your charge can rapidly discharge with a zap when you touch an object that has a different electrical charge. Such discharges have been known to damage the integrated circuit "chips" inside computers simply by touching the computer's case. Hold a metal key between your fingers and experiment wearing different shoes, socks and bedroom slippers while scuffing across the carpet by your computer. Touch the key to a metal object, such as a lamp stand or baseboard heat register. If you see a spark, consider purchasing an antistatic spray that can be applied to carpet. These sprays often reduce static charges for periods of up to several months with a single application.

Condensation - Water and electricity don't mix, and when moisture builds up inside a computer it can cause a short circuit. In winter, taking a computer from a cold car into a warm house can cause condensation to quickly form inside the case. Always let a computer sit for several hours before turning it on when it is exposed to such temperature differences. Keep your computer away from open windows, especially on damp days. During the winter, some heating systems add moisture to the air to make it feel more comfortable to people, but place your computer away from the direct source of this moisture flow.

Dust - Take a look in a bright light at any television or computer monitor that has a glass picture tube and you'll see how quickly thick dust can build up. Dust gets into your computer case, too, and when it does it can accumulate on heat sinks, those fin-like metal boxes attached to the microprocessor and other chips. This prevents the heat sinks from properly dissipating heat generated by the chips. Heat can destroy chips. The symptoms of a heat build-up caused by dust include a computer demonstrating erratic behavior or shutting down after it has been on a while, but then running normally again after it has been turned off and allowed to cool down. Have a service technician give your computer a thorough cleaning, or do the job yourself if you feel confident opening the computer case. Use a can of compressed air to blow out dust inside your computer or use a vacuum cleaner to remove it. Pay particular attention to the heat sink on the microprocessor. Dust can become glue-like and may have to be removed by using a toothpick to pry dust out of the heat sink's fins. Of course, be careful not to disturb any cables or components, and disconnect the computer's power cord from the wall outlet before opening the case.