Don't forget the $150 to the kid at Geek Squad for replacing it.

If Val were comfortable replacing fans, she'd have done it already without this thread.

Let me know if you want me to drive up and have a listen, Val.

 

And I, personally, am still using a 10-yr-old computer. Not using it for much other than a firewall and router, but it does those jobs just fine. I also stuck a couple big disk drives into it and I'm using it as a network file server. None of those tasks require anything like the latest processing and memory capacity.

If I can keep the old computer running by just replacing a simple fan, why should I toss out a useful machine?

She's obviously capable of pulling the case apart, which is where most people won't go in the first place. Replacing a fan is easier than taking the case apart, usually. FINDING the correct replacement fan (or any other old hardware) is sometimes the bigger problem.

 

o ya that clicky, hey least ya had this for that


http://www.grc.com/tip/clickdeath.htm

 

I have never done this. Maybe I need to look into it, huh?

 

I just use my computer. I don't ever clean anything about it. I have a new one now, since December, but my old one still works. My son told me I needed it so I let him talk me into it. It's supposed to be so much faster but for some reason it loads S2ki pages slower than my old, supposed POS.


Valentine, you go! I'll just keep typing in ignorance.

 

Now that's an offer that would be hard to refuse and I thank you, Dave. I've got everything backed up, so I at least know I won't lose anything that's meaningful to me. I realllllly appreciate everyone's advice. Since we're leaving in a few days to begin the first leg of our journey to Florida, I'm planning to let the puppy go (unless it dies) until we return sometime in the next couple/months. I guess it won't hurt to start looking for available parts. If I can find a cheap new computer, I may get that and then work on this one at my leisure. Again, thanks everyone.

 

Don't do it! That's why I have several inert and really obsolete carcasses of computers sitting around in my house. It's a slippery slope from "still useful and I'll fix it someday" to "that doorstop is so old that the BIOS is written in Sumerian".

(Not many people remember that Gilgamesh was one heck of a coder. He started on the Apple II, and then moved on to the abacus when it came on to the market. Eventually he upgraded to a TRS-80 Model IV, then got eaten by a dragon or something.)

 

^^ I finally discarded my old Apple 2Ci a couple/years ago. I have a laptop I'll use if I get a complete failure. Reading through Dell archives I discovered that I'll get a message on the screen if the fan completely fails. Meanwhile, I'll keep chugging along. Like Raymo said as long as it still boots, I'm not too worried. BTW, I can thank Dell's "experts" for the fact that I don't mind popping open the cover and fiddling around inside. In total exasperation over dealing with Dell when I had computer problems I went out and bought a book about building your own computer. I learned a great deal from that book (one thing being its cheaper to buy one than build one from scratch unless you're looking to go with a megapowered gaming machine). I've managed to upgrade parts several times (just pop 'em in and go), clean the inside out from time to time and what NOT to do if you're not an expert. It appears that the fan deal is no biggy but the biggy is finding a compatible replacement unit. I'll do some looking and fool with the thing when I'm not pushed for time.

 

As far as cleaning goes, I clean my servers every 3-4 months. First I vacuum, making sure I don't get the nozzle too close to anything inside...just enough to suck out all the dust bunnies. Once the worst of the dust is extracted I switch the vac to blow and blow out the remaining small bits of dust.

Like Raymo said, about the only harm dust can do is inhibit cooling. We have users who have their PCs under their desks on the floor where they get nice and dusty. Some haven't been cleaned in four or five years and they still run.