Clean Your Laptop To Keep It Running Smooth And Cool

@hxp: Oh, I've seen my gaming lappy give up (like, you know, *pink!*, and the screen goes black) a few times. Always while playing in bed, with the thing set on fabric.
It's good to know that at least it turns off before melting my gfx card...

(ps: I don't play on fabric anymore xD)

I totally just did this, and finished doing so and saw this article as the first one I've read since going through every bit of my rig. It's amazing how much stuff gets in there, and how much people don't do this sort of thing, and then their rigs die. This is absolutely one of the most essential things one needs to have done, before things go awry. Unplugging ever piece of internal hardware, resetting the CMOS by removing the battery and setting up BIOS settings from scratch is also a good thing to do.

How frequently is it recommended to clean out your laptop?

Richard Seungki Min

I'm no IT expert, but I had to learn a couple of things to get my job going on. Interior design doesn't get along with slow computers, and you can not always afford a mac.

Couple of months ago I had to unclog the dust from the fan of the laptop of a friend: it was so dusted it had stopped turning altogether, and in the last six months it had been going on using only the video card fan for all of its necessities.

You can imagine how well it worked (put skeptical face here).

Blasts of air from a can can spin your fan much faster than it was ever intended to. Make sure to hold the fan in place with something to keep it from rotating. I've never burned one out, but I have messed a couple up (before I knew better) and ended up with clean, but very noisy, fans.

quidpro

Cleaning a laptop by a normal user is a very difficult task. An ordinary user can not open and clean laptop inside it. They can only clean it's surface like keyboard and mouse pad, screen surface etc.

My first hand accounts with a toshiba that almost bit the dust due to dust in the fins.

Pics and article
[userbytes.com]

digerati

I did this just this past week.

The laptop was running warm, and the fan was ALWAYS on the highest speed, which is quite the nuisance. The intake looked ok from the exterior. The fan was visible with very little dust. I figured it couldn't be that bad inside.

I took the whole thing apart, and cleaned it. Even the CPU HS/F, and it turned out the intake wasn't the problem, but more or less it was the "exhaust" it wasn't going over the copper that covered the cpu, that area was completely sealed off by a layer of dust.

Now it runs as if it were new, installled OS X on it, and it runs it as smoothly as it ever ran XP. The fan rarely comes on now.

EnzoFX

@Shandog: I have the Satellite L300 (pretty much the same model) and I'm wary about this. The bottom vent (intake), I find, gets VERY hot if there's no room underneath. If you're using your laptop on a desk, build one of the stands on the previous lifehacker posts (works wonders). If you're using it on your lap, move your leg over so the intake (bottom left) has ample space.

meow-mixer

So the fan on my laptop (Satellite A100) is almost ALWAYS on and even in the dead of a snowy winter the vent was always pretty damn hot and I had no idea why and just figured it was age. Now I'm almost certain a lot of this would be to do with the exact reason outlined in the article (cat hair, general crap picked up lugging the laptop to uni 2 hours each way for 3 year etc etc). I know I am savvy enough to pull apart things and put them back together the exact same way, I am very meticulous and have a general understanding of mechanics and electronics (heck last week I stripped our cooling fan down to mere pieces and back again to clean it out and stop it's constant rattling with no screws left over ;P ).

My question is, are there any precautions I should take or things to be concerned about because of the fact that this is a computer and not something simpler like a dishwasher? I'm talking about risks of wiping harddrives, screwing it so that it doesn't work ever again etc... Being careful and deliberate with everything I do is not the issue I'm talking about here though, I'm concerned moreso about the specifics of it being a laptop.

Any advice is much appreciated before I weigh up the benefits of doing this. I really do believe dust build up is an issue.

Thanks guys!

My wife would user her laptop in bed and sometimes lay it on the blanket when it got too hot for her lap. After a few months it would get hot soon after starting up and the fan was LOUD. I got a can of air and gave a few quick burst through the intake vent and was able to push out a few dust bunnies out. Needless to say she has now started to use a laptop cooler and doesn't put the laptop on fabric surfaces!

hxp

@grizgza: I run my laptop almost 24/7 as if it were a desktop and I have it hooked to a tower via remote desktop to do things that I don't want running constantly on my laptop. That being said, I just pulled apart my laptop and cleaned it and I have already noticed a significant heat reduction and a performance boost as I was playing on steam for a bit as well.

I wouldn't recommend doing this yourself unless you have a basic understanding of computers or atleast using an anti static band as well as taking pictures with a digital camera so you have a reference as to what the guts of your laptop look like.

@sprice82: Doesn't matter, he would'ave just photoshopped it.

@grizgza: Thanks for this. Now I don't feel so bad about being scared out of my mind to open up my MacBook. Good article for desktop users, though. Bet this could help out my brother...

@OCEntertainment: I was thinking the same thing.

hell ya lifehacker, needed this. Thanks!

khalex22

@operator207: also true, i constantly forget to turn the one off that serves as a media center in the bedroom and i can't remember the last time i turned off my main working and playing comp

@Angry Numismatist: thermal paste only works if there is a thin film of it in use. any more and it becomes an insulator. weird huh? also polishing the heatsink does wonders.

@grizgza: Also I would say a corner of the room on the floor under/behind a desk where it is infrequently vacuumed is probably the dirtiest and dustiest spot in my house.

I'm just worried that there aren't more warnings about voiding your warranty or how complex some laptops are to disassemble!

@operator207: Are you implying that a laptop running the same amount in the same spot as a desktop would collect as much dust as the desktop?

My laptops don't move nearly as much air in and out as my desktops. Many laptops don't have an open intake vent away from hot components or your hot lap. I would suggest a lot of the air is coming from different areas, I'm looking at my laptop now and there are vents spread out under the machine. If you can't feel it than maybe it's not pulling hard enough to suck in many dust particles because it's not a concentrated force. My laptop seems to be getting air from a widely spread surface area.

@Angry Numismatist: Thermal Paste has made many a difference. Go search for Macbook and thermal paste, see what comes up... lots.

@idiosyncrisia: had the same happen with an old compaq laptop (p4 2.8), It had the legendary "power cord plug" problem. I fixed it with a pigtail out the back. ANd I think I still have 4-8 screws from that. It does not fall apart, but its definitely less sturdy. Its my "Garage" PC now though, I could care less what it looks like, I use it to look stuff up when I work on my car.

@grizgza: Uhh... where is this "hot air" coming from then? Are you creating a vacuum in your laptop? The same cubic foot of air that goes in will come out. Just because you cannot feel it, does not mean it does not exist. And the part about how laptops do not get as dirty as desktops. More people today are buying laptops as a replacement to their existing desktop. Whether or not it is a good idea is not in question. They are doing it. More people are treating them like desktops, leaving them on 24/7, adding an external monitor/mouse/keyboard etc. People are also more likely to take a laptop into a dirtier area than a desktop.

operator207

@OptionalJoystick:

Yeah, I actually loctited a few of my screws back in, which is what I think a few of them already had on them. Otherwise they would just fall right out.

idiosyncrisia

@grizgza: I can back you up. Most don't have much of a problem. Some do get dusty and do end up overheating, but that's nothing a $6 can of compressed air can't fix.
It's also what I would suggest, as you won't void your warranty that way.

That said, it's something I would do with my own things, as I know how a computer works and I've been building and repairing computers for a while. Without wanting to sound like I'm full of it, unless you have overall the same experience, and a can of compressed air does not work for you, I highly recommend taking it to a specialist.

Same thing applies to just about every domain. Would you strip down your car in parts with only general knowledge of how things work? I know I wouldn't.

polobunny

I won't mess with my $1000 Macbook... Oh no. It's not worth it when I mess up. I know I'll mess up. Somehow.

So... spraying canned air into a lappy's vent is very bad?

Apparently you can burn out the fan's bearing by spinning it too fast?

Didn't know this so I have been doing it for a couple months now and my fan is still chugging along. Should I pick up a spare fan just in case?

BamAlmighty

@grizgza: Thank you for pointing this out - and it will void your warranty since on some laptops because you have to take the whole case apart.

I also have to disagree about the thermal paste, I've never seen it make that much of a difference.

Angry Numismatist

@idiosyncrisia: I had a similar issue when I cleaned my old laptop. It wasn't that I lost the screws, it was that the case was made of such shoddy plastic that I think it was only the special blue Warranty Paste keeping them in.

OptionalJoystick

@grizgza: Also, check your warranty before doing this. Many laptop warranties are void if they are opened - see MacBooks.

enki

I cleaned out my desktop a while back after getting annoyed at how loud the fans were getting. The main computer's fan wasn't too bad but I was quite surprised to see a decent layer of dust on the video card's fan when I opened the computer up. There was a significant reduction in noise after that.

danramarch

I've taken apart my fair share of laptops, and not one has had a dust problem inside... ranging from 2-10 years old. Laptops generally don't run all day & their fans only run sporadically while they are on, they have smaller fans, much smaller and narrower vents, do not sit on the floor, and this is just a guess - they do not pull in much air for circulation but rather blow hot air out. There isn't much airflow going on in most laptops, nothing like desktops.

I'm not an expert, but I would not recommend taking apart your laptop whatsoever (it is not anything like taking apart a desktop!), unless you were experiencing proven and obvious overheating issues.

"if you practice a little common sense you should be fine."

....Many laptops will die very soon.

@sprice82: You sly bastard. I was thinking of doing that but decided against it.

I cleaned out my laptop a few weeks ago as it was almost getting hot enough to boil water. 90* Celsius with firefox open and 80* idle. Now it's down to 40 under load after cleaning it. While I was at it though, I cleaned all the thermal pads and put on some Tuniq thermal paste. It runs cooler now than it did when I first got it 3 years ago, so I recommend when you already have it apart, put some new grease on the heat syncs. It will really help.

Just don't be like me and end up with 9 extra screws... Stuff just falls off my laptop now. T_T

idiosyncrisia

@VenomIreland: Pics or it didn't happen.

@VenomIreland: I even have it open in another tab!

Hah! I was literally just reading this!

@Shandog: I've never taken apart a laptop to clean it but I have taken one apart to upgrad RAM. I've also taken apart a fair number of desktop computers.

From my understanding, the biggest precaution that you should take is to discharge static electricity before starting. Generally, this involves touching a piece of bare, grounded metal. And not walking across the carpet after doing so.

As a tip, I would suggest putting down a white sheet or something similar so that you have a nice contrasting surface to spot dropped screws. Take your time and don't over torque your screws. Other than that, I don't think laptops are particularly tricky for someone who is relatively technically competent. Afterall, it was assembled by underpaid workers in a third-world country :-)

gwmccull

@Bobly: I just took apart and fixed my Sister-in-Laws HP dv8000 model 17" laptop and it had to be completely disassembled to get access to the heatsink. Why does the monitor need to be removed to get to the screws that allow the back panel be removed? Beats the hell outta me. But I was able to remove everything and clean everything Arctic 5 Thermal paste. She tole me it is like brand new again.

I also had no screws left over afterward!

BigDASH-2

@Stirk: I'm an IT pro. I have a little paper clip holder. I keep my screws in the bottom. The top has a magnet around it, and I keep my mini screwdrivers there to get slightly magnetized. I never lose screws this way. Plus, if I am trashing a laptop, i keep extra screws... sometimes even with all the precautions in the world, screws get stolen by elves.

One thing I'll say, when I took apart my first laptop, I was worried about breaking the plastic pieces you have to pry off. I lost that fear, but I can't say I haven't broken those plastic pieces, sometimes they just break.

I take apart dells all day.

BTW... it's not only dust. I cleaned up a "snacker"'s PC once. I opened it up, and there was food UNDER the keyboard. I still can't figure out how she did that.

Yeah, IT is all glamour. Jealous.

Cleaning dust off any device that requires air cooling is a must. From things like electronics to the fridge. I know my PS2 that I've had since they first came out is still working like champ because I've opened it up on occasion to lay waste to the dust bunny civilization that had grown there. Which reminds me, its time to bring the Apocalypse to the other one in my desktop.

YatimaMeiji

@Jason Fitzpatrick: Yeah I knew I was going to get it from my wording on that. You're right that the air has to come from somewhere. On my laptop though, there are tiny vents spread across the bottom of the machine, as opposed to a dedicated intake vent with a more concentrated air intake force. I haven't done anything scientific, it's just a hunch that a dedicated intake vent would pull in a greater amount of larger dust particles... maybe I'm way off though.

@idiosyncrisia: DISCLAIMER: don't go opening up your laptop unless you want to void your warranty. If you don't know what you are doing, chances are you will not know what you did.

If you use your laptop (mac/pc) on fabric, or have pets, eat around it, or have a dusty living space, chances are you are contaminating the cooling system. I've just opened a Dell D830 which the fan was erroring (error code in diags). I found a lintball the size of a mouse in the fan.
The cooling design pulls air up from the bottom, and the fan is not screened (a fabric like a nylon stocking) to protect from finer particles.

Not to be gross, but I've had to clean numerous macbooks and laptops: hair (is that a PUBE? eeewwww), finger nails (or is that a toe nail???), food stuff and skin flakes! (mmmm, just add milk), and dog/cat hair. (you cat lovers, you NEED to keep kitty hairs out. nothing like shorting the life of your laptop for good old kittypuss).

SigmundTheSeaMonster

Little canned air can do a lot. Many small sprits of canned air is what I do around biweekly or triweekly. Usually wipe down my laptop with a light alcohol solution, usually stronger on portions that are touched, since I bring this thing to a lot of places. My fans always run, but that's just how it is, they run at a low RPM, kick up at higher temps, my last notebook always went up, kicked on, then turned off, then went back up and repeat, and that died in less than a year...

Huh, my MacBook is still dead quiet after two years of everyday use.

No need to touch what isn't broken (...although it would need a bigger harddrive... hmm)

I cleaned my laptop fan a few weeks ago [picasaweb.google.com] And lemme tell ya, it was dirrrrrrty. From the outside shining a flashlight through the vents, it looked perfectly fine, but it was because the dust was trapped on the INSIDE of the heatsink fins. My laptop is just under 2 years old and it's amazing how dirty it can get. I don't think it's "bad fan design" ... I just think it needs to be cleaned.

Here's a big tip for those of you with Toshiba notebooks:

[www.irisvista.com]

This site has a TON of disassembly guides for Toshiba laptops complete with photos of the screw locations. When I took apart my Toshiba, I simply put post-its with the number of the step I was on. Then, to reassemble the laptop, I just followed the directions backwards. It was a piece of cake!

mulletmandan

@operator207: Thank you operator for saying everything I was going to say (literally).
+1 operator

SloYerRoll

@Angry Numismatist: Than you haven't built many computers.

SloYerRoll

@grizgza: "they do not pull in much air for circulation but rather blow hot air out." The air being displaced has to come from somewhere and it brings all the dust in the environment right along with it.

@Jake712: Also, some screw wells were really deep, I could undo the screw but not extract it from the deep well. I took a fridge magnet and rubbed it against the screwdriver a few times, this gave it enough magnetism to lift the screw out.

Some people don't like that idea, but I'm the kinda guy that runs with scissors.

Jake712

@grizgza: I picked up a used laptop out of my workplace's "disposal" box. It had a busted hinge, no hard drive, and a damaged AC plug.

I didn't care about the hinge, as it was going to be hooked up to an HDTV. The hard drive was no problem to replace. But the power adapter plug had to be replaced, which required removal of the motherboard.

The laptop was previously someone's primary computer, and had been on probably 16/7, but not 24/7. Nevertheless, it was dusty as heck inside.

dagwud

@Shandog: I took my A70 apart and put it together again with no left over parts.

Google for step by step instructions, I don't have the link anymore but they're out there with pictures.

I printed the pics and taped the screws onto the pics in their correct locations. That way putting it back together was quite easy.

My needed a DC jack repair but it was also crammed with dust, design issue I think. It's a lot quieter now and the exhaust port isn't blowing fire anymore.

Jake712

@paintbox: For shakiness, and it's something we all experience, rest your elbows on the table.. go against everything mom ever told you. The extra stability may help that problem.

If you're worried about losing screws, a good magnetic tipped micro screwdriver set is invaluable. Don't worry, you're not going to kill your data with the little charge on these things.

I've seen some magnetic wrist straps for sticking screws onto that you could experiment with as well, but I'd want to dry run that before attempting it on a project :)

For the eyes, you could try one of those magnifier headsets you can get at most hardware stores. They are cheap enough to make them a good purchase for occasional work. The 1.2 - 2.0x magnification helps quite a bit, and you can wear them over glasses too.

Those pictures can save your bacon if you end up with a great big piece of heat shield left over when everything is closed up!

@Bobly: Similar to your Alienware unit, IBM Thinkpads were (historically) easy to clean. I can't speak to the newer Lenovo models, though.

It was also not particularly difficult to replace the stock piece of thermal compound with a better compound, which has resulted in reduced operating temps, over and above getting the dust out of the fan.

dagwud

@Stirk: If I had a dime for every screw I dropped inside my computer or knocked onto the floor....... I'd be slightly rich.

And this is my other problem. My hands get shaky around small parts. Not that I can't keep still. It's the (I'm going to knock something over, so I do) thing.

which reminds me of what you said about lighting.... it is definitely crucial, even for people with good eyes. My eyes are sh*t so I need all the light I can get when I'm looking at anything.

Also I'd like to have a digicam around, partly for the reason you mentioned, to document what I do if I decide to rip something apart myself.

paintbox

@BrandiImbecilium: Thanks for all the info. I like this topic.

paintbox

@Stirk: 2. Leave nothing LOOSE on the desktop. :/

Not that I'm showing of my technical skill here, but when I worked in retail service between 2000 and 2006, I was our shop's defacto lappy repair guy. I've taken apart a fair share of notebooks, and let me tell you, they do get dusty.

Here's the common sense hints -

1. Pay attention to any markers near the screw holes. Some manufacturers are nice enough to tell you what screws come out of what holes.. if not.. draw a quick picture. It's worth it.

2. Put all of your screws into an available plastic or glass bowl. Leave nothing lose on the desktop. you WILL knock it onto the floor.

3. LOTS of light. The more light you have available when you start to disassemble one of these things.. the better!

4. HOLD ALL FANS when you dust them! If it sounds like one of those novelty rings that you blow into and it goes Zweeeeeeee! you're likely damaging your fans.

5. As you dive deeper into your notebook, make notes about what piece goes over what, and where. Again, you'll thank me for this later.

6. When in doubt, photos or even a video of your disassembly are invaluable if it's your "first time".

Enjoy these hints, and keep your laptop clean :D
A little wipedown of your keyboard can help too. Notebook keyboards are gross! D:

I will never take apart my wife's Toshiba again, it was a complete cluster fuck. It is a good laptop, but near impossible to take apart with all the plastic clips and illogical assembly.

I have taken apart my fair share of laptops, Lenovo (easiest from my experience), Dell, Gateway (too many screws), HP/Compaq and a Toshiba. Granted I have only done one Toshiba and it wasn't a business class, I do not have high hopes for the rest of their laptops. I am just waiting for Windows 7 to gt my wife a new Lenovo and all of our problems should be solved.

-zargon-

I had the same laptop this guy does, and I know the inside of it too well. This was a monthly task.

jetRink

This is the bad part about people swapping to laptops: it can vary from trivial to impossible to clean them. Above me, I have a 1 inch hairball that was recovered from the squirrel cage compartment. (It was only half an inch high then.) All things being equal you shouldn't need to clean them; but things aren't equal. People have cats, they have dusty houses, and they do more stupid things with laptops. Several things. a) Dells almost always have the repair manuals available online, with full disassembly instructions. Yay Dell! b) You can find similar guides for Macs! Yay online fixit place! c) Compressed air lasts a long time if you remember Boyle's gas law. That is, warm the can back up when it gets cold. Use a bath of warm water or hold it under tap. Don't forget to dry it off! Warning: don't let it get too hot- I've never had one explode, but I did blow the straw right out one time. d) microfiber cloths are better at initial cleanings. Do this BEFORE you use the qtip and clean the fan and fan areas. e) The tolerances are weird on laptop coolers. By this I mean: sometimes you have to use that (inferior) cooling pad because the heat pipe attachment won't screw down tight enough to allow a paste to work. /and paintbox, that 28c sound pretty good, as a guess.

BrandiImbecilium

I am trying to put off cleaning day for the laptop. It lives on a counter for one thing, well ventilated, perched on a retired cd burner. The burner is large enough to keep it stable, yet small enough not to cover any vents at the bottom.

I'm not looking forward to me or anyone else having to open the thing up.

The desktop machine is different. That one I can take apart and vacuum, no big deal, except procrastination.

Btw, my notebook's temp levels off to 28°C with the fan on. I still don't know if that's an average number or close to it. Can anyone comment? It's a Dell D600 and it isn't doing any gaming, just tunes.

paintbox

@The Amazing Ant: I don't even know how to photoshop correctly, my last attempt to make a sig for a forum went terribly, the only good thing I've made is my avatar.

@OptionalJoystick: Isn't that "special blue warranty paste" just thread lock?

As far as I am concerned, I don't like the idea of opening up the beast. So what I have done is to use my vacuum cleaner at full speed. In order to avoid scratches on the back I have used the soft brush which is provided with the vacuum cleraner. My PC runs now like new.

HelgaDadgits

@OCEntertainment: I had a friend try and de-dust his Toshiba laptop, he eventually called me up to give him a hand seeing as he thought it was getting a bit excessive...

He had to remove the keyboard and back-panels (standard), remove any of the wires going over the protective panels covering some components (still following...), remove these panels (makes sense), remove the plastic covering the speakers under the screen, remove the screen (Surely it could have been designed so you can access the processor without removing the SCREEN?), remove the VGA and power ports (luckily I had one of those hexagonal un-screw a screw holding screw thingies, for mounting motherboards, because it's not usually in your every day toolkit), before finally removing the motherboard as only then can you turn it over to access the heatsinks covering the processor...

Basically the processor is at the very bottom of the computer but you can't access it from underneath, had to follow 4 pages of picture tutorials found online (massive tip, google for a tutorial to take your laptop apart before you do).

They might be overpriced as you pay for the brand (who thinks I'm talking about apple? :P) but I have to say, my old Alienware laptop was dead easy to clean: remove back-panel... ta-daaa you've got the heatsink infront of you, remove that (6 screws I think it was) and you have direct access to ram, mini pci-e, processor and GPU... They get a thumbs up for simplicity in my book.

Bobly

I don't think you understand. Put your hand near the exhaust vent of your laptop. If you can feel air coming out (which I can when the computer is busy with intensive tasks), then there is just as much air coming in through various vents. Air that, most likely, is carrying dust. Less than a desktop? Yeah, probably. Still enough for significant dust buildup.

2_of_8

My Gateway tablet is pretty much on 16 hrs a day, on a desk, tethered to a monitor (the tablet feature just wasn't that great). It's still as cool as a cucumber, and I have never opened it. And I never will--I don't use it on the rug, and whatever marginal benefit I'd gain from blowing out some dust bunnies is more than reduced by the risks involved in opening up the machine, losing screws, etc. I used to take apart my old Dell laptop a lot, and it was pretty easy to figure out. There's so many screws on this Gateway machine (which has been rock steady by the way) that I don't want to bother. As long as it's running <60 C, I am fine with it.

DangerousLiberal

been thinking about how to do this... thank God I found it here. Thanks.

RoswellAlectrona

My wife's Toshiba Satellite laptop is usually on most of the day. Lately it started to randomly shutdown. I turned it over, located the fan cover and removed it. The heat sink and fan were very dirty. Using a cotton swab and a Dustbuster, I cleaned everything up and put the cover back on. No more shutdowns! What surprised me the most was how easy it was to do.

SevitaAgave

@SevitaAgave: My friend you are very lucky. I also have a toshiba laptop and attempted to clean out my fan tonight, it took me about 20 minutes and 30 screws to get good access to the fan. I wish I just had a fan cover to take off.

@kbrook: That should read *cooler*, not *cooller*. hit post just as I noticed Firefox didn't like it. Sigh.

kbrook

My Toshiba Satellite is a heat hog to begin with, but I recently took it apart to rewire the faulty power supply and was astounded by the amount of schmutz that had accumulated - not on the fans, they get blown out pretty regularly, but on the heat sinks. Got rid of all the crap (and made the @$%*# power supply actually WORK for a change...), and it's running cooler. Not cool, mind you, but cooller than before.

kbrook

@BamAlmighty: I use a bread tie or some other thin piece in between the blades to prevent movement. The bread tie is handy because it's flexible but still solid enough to prevent movement. Anyway, to the best of my knowledge, if your fan still works, you're fine. Damage caused by overspinning would be immediately obvious (it wouldn't work).

nolabar10der

I was going to do this until I realized how much work it would be to properly disassemble (and reassemble!) my Dell E1505. Seems like there's a good possibility that I'd end up breaking something, so I'm going to drop this project.

I used to completely disassemble my old Inspiron 9100 (thank you Dell for the technical manual) and clean it. When it died, I finally accepted company computers. Now, I just use air cans or blow into the vents.

@hxp: I've gotten really paranoid about stuff being sucked in since my insides have fried twice (with the use of a cooling pad, I blame HP's design). Not only do I use a cooling pad, but I even place that on top of a big old textbook.

JonBarr