How to Clean & Repair a PC
Whether you have an old computer that someone gave you or your computer is just getting dirty and falling into disrepair, cleaning it up and getting it working right is a good idea to make the most of it. Getting things looking and working like new again is especially important if you want to resell the computer. This is a project that could take a significant amount of time, depending on what kinds of repairs are needed, so plan to work on the computer in spurts of an hour or two at a time.
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Instructions
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Test to see what works. Turn on the computer and run several programs to see if the computer is working. If the computer starts but you don't see anything, you will need to try another monitor. If you still see nothing with another monitor, your video card is likely bad. If you get an error message at startup about the hard drive or disk controller, you will need to replace the hard drive. Any other problems could be related to the motherboard, CPU or RAM. You will have to troubleshoot the computer using standard troubleshooting techniques (see Resources).
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Open the case by removing the thumbscrews on the side panel and then pull the panel door out. Open the other side of the case the same way. Some of the screws may be Phillips screws if not thumbscrews.
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Blow out the dust with an air duster. Remove all of the components by unscrewing them from the case or disconnecting them from the motherboard. Wipe down the components with a microfiber cloth very carefully. Make sure you have discharged any static electricity before starting this work.
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Pull out any nonworking parts that you diagnosed earlier and replace them. Put the computer back together and close the case.
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Install a new clean copy of Windows on the computer. Put the Windows CD in the CD-ROM and follow the instructions to install Windows. Make sure you have backed up any important files on the computer.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit www.sxc.hu
