Dust Kills

Cleaning the Unit Fan is Essential Computer Care

Between taking care of the household, the kids, the pets, and the district PTA, computer care is probably one of the last things that you think of doing on a regular basis. Without a regular maintenance schedule however, you could find out (the hard way) that a neglected computer is an energy hog - one that works harder than it needs to and one that could be a financial burden to replace.

Let's talk about maintaining hardware. So much emphasis is put on maintaining a computer's operating system that we sometimes forget how important it is to maintain a computer's hardware components. Since there can be quite a few components to take care of, let's talk about the most important one.

The most important component of a computer's hardware system is its fan. The fan is located on the computer's CPU unit and when that thing gets clogged with dirt and dust, it can run down a computer faster than you can say, "Something's wrong with my computer and I don't know what it is!" In short, the fan is responsible for keeping a computer's motor cool and this motor is what keeps the computer's hard drive and peripherals functioning the way you need them to, which translates to "fast."

A dirty fan doesn't rotate fast enough to keep that motor cool and a completely clogged fan just stops rotating altogether. This causes the computer's motor to work harder - and a harder working motor can raise the electric bill! Worst case scenario: the motor can overheat and stop working as well. No motor equals no computer.

Keep your computer's fan clean by preventing the fan from getting dirty or dusty in the first place. Use the computer in a dust-free environment and never smoke around it. Nicotine and tar mean certain death when it comes to computer fans, however should you find a need to clean the fan, do so with extreme care.

It's quite easy to cause more damage from cleaning so if you're not comfortable with cleaning your PC yourself, take it to a shop for servicing. Otherwise, you can unplug and disassemble the computer to do it yourself.

You'll need a can of compressed air and an anti-static rag to remove stubborn clumps of dust. Hold the can perfectly vertical and spray the fan being careful not to spray the dust off the fan onto other sensitive parts of the computer like circuit boards or inside the motor casing. Wipe up remaining dust with your anti-static rag and then reassemble the computer.

One thing that you certainly don't want to use to remove computer dust is a vacuum cleaner. Although using a vacuum cleaner seems to make more sense, the strong suction of a vacuum cleaner can actually spark damaging static electricity or dislodge loose cables. You also don't want to use oil-based cleaners. Although Pledge may dust your wooden tables and cabinets to a perfect shine, the oil inside a cleaner like this will erode sensitive computer parts. Stick to a liquid-free dusting method and your dusting routine will be safe enough to repeat as often as you need.

As previously mentioned, preventing dust from entering the computer is extremely important and will reduce the need to open and dust your system in the first place. The severity of outside elements (smoking, humidity, pets, etc.) will ultimately determine how often you'll need to de-dust your machine. But as an average, you shouldn't need to perform this procedure any more than once or twice a year.

The entire exercise should take no more than twenty minutes tops and once complete, you'll immediately see and hear the difference in your machine. The computer's keyboard and mouse will run more smoothly, hardware won't take as long to connect, and the entire machine won't be as loud as one that's corroded with ugly dust bunnies.

Videos with your computer

Hello, sorry for being so deliquent in keeping things going here. Like the mechanic who works on his car last so I do my blog last.



I have been working on videos for the internet, making, editing publishing and making them fit the "style" that the gurus say is right. In the next few weeks I will be posting some ideas and suggestions on that very subject, hope they are helpful.

Video Editing with Computers

Prior to the invention of computers, video editing was not an easy task. It would cost hundred of thousands of dollars just to put up a professional video editing room equipped with all the components like tape decks, effects generator, switcher, audio mixer, character generator, multiple monitors, and signal enhancers. To be a video editor, it takes years to learn how everything works. If you’re not knowledgeable enough, you can’t operate the equipments inside the room. The computers changed the world of video editing. Now, even novice video editors can perform the different tasks at home.

Shots taken for several seconds take a couple of hours to edit and if you’re renting out an editing room for $500 to $1,000 dollars every hour, it will cost you a lot of money just to edit a shot taken for a whole minute. Instead of renting out an editing room, you can spend the money to buy a complete video editing system and good software. Through the use of computers, video editing is a lot cheaper and easier. Besides, it’s really a lot of fun to edit or create videos in the comfort of your home. The possibilities are also endless in today’s modern world.

Video editing is no longer limited to big and rich companies. Today, even an ordinary individual can enter the video and TV production industry; thanks to the creation of computers. Oftentimes, the computer is already equipped with a video editing program or software and you already have the opportunity to create edited videos or clips.

Microsoft Movie Maker allows you to import, edit, title, add graphics and you can also use the audio feature of the program. If you purchase a Mac, it is already equipped with IMovie. This is one of the easiest programs to use and it suits beginners. These programs are free and you don’t have to spend anything.

If you’re not satisfied with the free programs, you can purchase affordable programs like that of Movie Studio (Sony Vegas) for only $99 or the Movie Maker (Corel DVD) for $48. According to users, these programs are good enough for beginners. The basics are easy to learn so novice editors will not find it hard to pass the learning curve. Learning how video editing works is just like learning the word processing programs.


For those who are not content with the basic features of the video editing program, you can opt for software ranging from $50 to $300. Professional software packages usually cost more than a thousand dollars but only the pros buy them. The Media Composer by Avid costs $50,000 and many pros are clamoring for it because it is still a good deal instead of spending millions of dollars on editing equipment.

If you don’t have a computer at home and plan to get one, consider the disk space of your computer since you will be using a lot of space for video editing. Try to conduct a search online and you will be overwhelmed with the many choices you can find.

As long as you have the computer and a good video editing program, you can create your own videos. Capture memories with your camcorder or mini DV and create exciting videos. Video editing with computers is the surest way to tap the video and TV industry. Who knows, you too can become famous.