There are over 250 million computers in use in just the United States alone. They do everything from streamline and control the operations of major manufacturing plants or huge institutions to allowing a person to communicate via the Internet from the comfort of their own living room.
Thanks to a wealth of information from a wide variety of sources, most computer owners understand the importance of running virus protection programs, making back up disks to restore their operating system after a crash and installing a firewall to keep their machines safe from outside intruders.
Although most of us are now indeed conditioned to run all these various system checks on a regular basis, many of us still find ourselves complaining about PCs that crash and freeze, computers that make strange and disturbing noises and annoyances such as a disk drive that refuses to read disks properly any more. So if it is not a virus or a full memory causing these problems what might it be?
The number one cause of these kinds of problems and indeed the number one cause of overall computer failure in general is far simpler than any bug or virus created by a clever hacker. It is dust, common dust that is everywhere in the air.
Yet many people do not realize the amount of dust that can get inside a computer and the damage it can cause. A computer’s cooling fans run all the time that a computer is powered on, even if it is “sleep” mode. Unprotected dust is pulled into the computer every time the fan spins and it accumulates far more quickly than you might imagine.
To protect a computer from this dangerous intrusion costs less than $5 per computer, yet it is still overlooked by many people. A removable, replaceable filter mesh that catches the dust being drawn in before it enters the computer is the best answer available and is a simple way that any computer can be protected from its number one enemy. The average computer repair person charges about $100 just for the first initial visit and a repair can cost much more, not to mention that precious data that can be lost forever when a computer fails. Taking five minutes to install this inexpensive safeguard can add years of useful life to the average computer´s overall function whatever its make or model.
More than a Nuisance, Dust can Be Harmful to Your Health
However much you clean, for even the most fanatical housekeeper household dust is everywhere. But recent studies have revealed that this dust may be far more than just a nuisance, it may be harmful to your health, whether you suffer from allergies or not.
One of the most worrying components of modern day household dust are PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers). These are bromide based compounds that are used as flame retardants in any number of common, everyday household items. Carpets, mattresses, televisions and computers all contain them. There are over 200 different PBDE compounds, often used together in a mixture. Many have been banned over the last few years by a number of countries but the pervasive nature of these compounds means that they hang around for years.
Until 1999 most of these compounds were considered to be quite safe, which is why their use became so widespread. Then animal studies conducted all over the world seemed to indicate that PBDEs caused decreased thyroid function and impaired brain and nervous system growth. There have been some human studies conducted and some researchers believe that the sharp increase in thyroid cancer over the last few years can be attributed in part to PBDEs.
How do the PBDEs get into the air though? The worst culprits are televisions and computers. They are both magnets for dust and as they get hot while in use they release PBDEs into the environment. If dust is allowed to build up inside a computer it impedes its cooling processes, making it run up to 30% hotter than usual. This not only makes the computer function poorly but releases even more PBDEs into the air.
To prevent the spread of PBDEs experts recommend regular dusting all over the home, but with special attention paid to electronics. A regular dust of all the electronic equipment in your home or office can reduce the number of PBDEs in the air significantly.
The average computer can be a little tricky to dust, especially since the majority of PCs draw dust into their inner workings via their cooling fans, which are running all the time when the machine is powered on. It is perfectly possible to open up your PC case and do a spring clean with a can of duster and there are many good videos online that can guide the first timer step by step. For those who are not comfortable with this kind of computer maintenance a computer repair shop will do it for you for a nominal charge.
Once your computer is dust free try to keep it that way, for both you and you PC´s health! One of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your machine´s insides dust free is to buy an inexpensive stick on filter that is placed over the computers air intakes. These filters do not hinder the computer´s performance but they do trap the dust in the air before it enters the machine.
http://www.dustx.net
Article Source: U Publish Articles
Loading...