7/21/2014

Cooling system could get worse in time

I got a trouble with my PC last night. It has become impossible for me to type with the keyboard. While typing a message somewhere in BBS, I found the PC became not to respond to typing at all. Changing the battery for the remote type keyboard and then the keyboard itself to new one won't work out at all. I was sure the PC itself had acted up. Did it act up since I had uploaded my performance video clips so much with the PC? No kidding!

It could be a big trouble if I could not use the PC. This morning, I hurried with the troubled PC to a repair shop. They told me it should be sent to the manufacturer for repair, which would take 3 weeks. Oh my, I was seriously thinking to replace it to new one.

Fortunately, it has turned out to be due to the weakened cooling of the PC. Too much dust in the cooling fan and the ducts. Having it cleaned, it has become operative again. It runs even much faster now.

It could have been broken to the extent it could not return normal. i was lucky. It must be a quite common problem. Does everyone knows of this problem and clean the fan at certain interval? It has been told Windows OS would gradually get slowed down as it is used for a long time. I was inclined to ascribe the slowing to the Windows. Now I am feeling most cases of this kind of problem are due to this acted up cooling system. I should apologize to Microsoft regarding my wrong conviction about their product.

I was told the same thing for the cooling of the amplifier, VL1000, by a Yaesu engineer. My last one has had very dusty cooling lines. It may make it less efficient and eventually ruin the FETs. Any equipment with fans for cooling could give rise to the same problem. I have learned it from this experience.

In addition, I should back up the data in the PC to some device at regular interval. It is often advised. But I could be lazy. I should have prepared a HDD for that purpose. And, as Pete K4EWG told me this morning, I should be less dependent on this handy device. If my life won't go on at the failure of the PC, it is not a right thing.

3 comments:

  1. Shin San,

    One comment...... When you overheat a computer, there can be latent damage which may
    be the cause of more problems later in time. I learned this many years ago when a personal computer was just beginning to become a popular gadget to own. Back then
    they used a lot of servers with remote terminals, and the servers were kept in a special
    room that was not only temperatue but also humidity controlled. They emphasized that
    keeping the temperature cool was very important, and if the tempearture went up enough to cause functional problems, you were sure to shorten the life of the computer.

    A second thought, your friend was accurate in his statement about becoming so connected that your way of life depends on one, it is time to re-think your way of life! I see that happening to my grand kids and it concerns me. There is more to be said about that matter and I am not the person to be saying it !

    73'
    Bob Gates
    W7AYN

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  2. I had a similar problem with my new CPU. I checked the core temperature in the BIOS. I had to go online to figure out how to do that. The core temperature was running way too warm. Maybe 60C or so. I have many applications running at the same time. Again, on line, I found recommendations for installing an improved cooling tower for the processor in my computer. I purchased a Cooler Master Hyper 212 from Amazon for under $50. Took about an hour to install. Now, the core is running about 15-20C lower in temperature than it was with the stock cooling tower.

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  3. Bob and Don,

    Thanks for the comments. My trouble with the PC was the inefficient cooling due to obstruction of the duct by dust. Cleaning it has completely resolved the problem. My PC is now running as fast as a brand new one. Anyway, I appreciated your concerns.

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