I've written about this subject in years past, but it's so important I feel obligated to repeat myself for those who might have missed it. Your laptop may be choking to death. You see, like desktops, laptops can suck up lots of dust. And because everything in a laptop is packed together so tightly, dust is even more dangerous. When the cooling fans have to run constantly, it's just a matter of time before the machine start to overheat. When that happens, it may lock up. It may damage system components. And it might even kick the bucket. Fortunately, as I've mentioned before, this is easy to fix. All you need is a small screwdriver and a can of compressed air (or an air compressor—though tread lightly with that, as noted below). Turn off the laptop, flip it over, and remove the battery. I recommend unplugging the AC adapter, too. Look for an air vent on an outer edge of the laptop; there should be a nearby access panel on the bottom. Unscrew that panel and remove it.

You should see the fan right underneath. Your mileage may vary, but the three laptops I have here all have panel-accessible fans.Hit the fan in short bursts from lots of different angles, making sure to blow most frequently in the direction of the air vent. If you're using an air compressor, as I did, keep the pressure relatively low, and don't get too close with the nozzle. Too strong a burst and you could damage the fan or something else.panasonic air purifier model After you've blown out all the dust, replace the access panel and battery, then power up the system. green air purifiers air purifierI'll wager that it runs much quieter (and cooler) than it did before.do air purifiers help with mold If your laptop is more than a year or two old, it's long overdue for such a cleaning.

(Same goes for your desktop.) Don't wait until it's too late. And add a reminder to your calendar so you remember to do this again every couple months. Contributing Editor Rick Broida writes about business and consumer technology. , or try the treasure trove of helpful folks in the PC World Community Forums. Sign up to have the Hassle-Free PC newsletter e-mailed to you each week.Unfortunately, unlike a desktop computer, a laptop is not as easy to open and clean. However, there are still several steps an end-user can do to clean and maintain their laptop or portable device. Before cleaning a laptop, we suggest the laptop first be turned off and unplugged. Also, because you are going to be cleaning the laptop, we also suggest you remove the battery. Cleaning a laptop case Cleaning a laptop keyboard Cleaning a laptop mouse (touchpad) Cleaning the LCD (screen) Cleaning internal laptop components Other cleaning information and help Cleaning the exterior portion of the laptop case can help keep the laptop looking new.

The exterior case of a laptop can be cleaned by using a cotton cloth that has been dampened with water. It is not recommended that the exterior case of the laptop be cleaned with household cleaning solutions. However, if there is a substance on the laptop that cannot be cleaned with water, we suggest using rubbing alcohol. If dust, dirt, hair, or other substances are in the case openings, it can prevent airflow, which can cause the laptop to overheat and may even cause it to reboot unexpectedly. Look for laptop openings where the laptop draws in cool air from outside or blows out any hot air from the inside of the laptop. These openings are usually on one of the sides, the back, or the bottom of the laptop. Dust, dirt, hair, or other substances can almost always be removed using a cotton swab or compressed air. Caution: If you are using compressed air to clean the openings that have fans within them, the amount of air blown on the fans can cause them to spin too fast, damaging or destroying the fan.

To help prevent this issue, place something in-between the fan blades, such as a toothpick, to keep the fan from spinning why blowing compressed air at and through the fan and air ducts. Like almost everything else on a laptop, a keyboard is also different from the standard computer keyboard. With many laptop keyboards, the keys cannot be completely removed. Therefore, we suggest cleaning the keyboard by using the same damp cloth you used to clean the exterior case of the laptop. Also, compressed air can be used to blow out any dust, dirt, hair, or other substances from in-between and underneath the keys. If you have spilled something onto the laptop keyboard that is causing the keys to stick and cleaning it does not help, we suggest that you have the laptop professionally serviced. Cleaning the laptop touchpad can help improve the look of the laptop, and it also may help to improve the responsiveness of the touchpad. To clean the touchpad surface, use the same damp cloth used to clean the exterior of the laptop.

Additional information about cleaning LCD and flat panel displays can be found on our main cleaning page. Cleaning the inside of a laptop computer can be a difficult task. However, in some situations, it may be necessary because of excessive dust and dirt buildup within the laptop, such as on the processor's heat sink. Disassembling a laptop is much more complicated than disassembling a desktop computer. Because of the small form factor, it is much more difficult. Instructions for disassembling a laptop depend on the laptop model and brand. Because there are so many different brands and models of laptops, we are unable to provide information on how to disassemble every laptop. If after performing the cleaning steps listed above, you still believe the laptop is overheating because of dust or dirt, we suggest taking the laptop to an authorized repair center. If you still prefer to disassemble the laptop and clean it yourself, you need to find instructions for doing so from the manufacturer, if available, or by searching on the Internet.