Computers Don't Smoke

                                                                                         

If you have worked in the electronics field for any length of time you will have heard that you should not smoke around electrical equipment. It was one of those things you hear then quickly forget.Fast forward a little and now I fix computers and I run across many that are killed by smoking. And I'm sure if you talk to other technicians they will have run across the desktop of a smoker. You remove the cover and everything inside is coated with sticky smelly amber goo. As a non-smoker I have to tell ya, it is not pleasant and it is not at all good for the equipment. Why you ask? Simple, it is the same tar that is killing you. The same tars and goo that coat your lungs also form a nice consistent coating over everything inside the computer. It coats cables, cards, drives, and the motherboard, behind the motherboard, everything including the sides of the case.

How does it get in? The fans. The fans draw in outside air to cool the components on the inside. Anything in that air is going to be drawn in too. This includes dust, pet hair and smoke.What kind of damage can it do? Well like I said the goo covers everything. If causes fans to stick, processors overheat, hard drives to stick and fail.

Power supplies can overheat or CD/DVD burners stick or their optics fail and this is a short list. We can go into the damage the corrosives in the smoke do to the motherboard and video cards but you get the idea.

There is also collateral damage, keyboards stick, monitors overheat or have screen discoloration. External hard drives and game controls gook up and fail, you get the idea here too.How do you fix it? Generally you can't. You just replace the part. Sometimes you get lucky by reseating everything cleaning pins, plugs and contact points as you go but that is rare. And if data recovery is involved it can become expensive fast.How can you prevent it? Short of building an elaborate exhaust system over your head, don't smoke around the equipment! So take my advice, if you need to smoke step away from your computer because computers don't smoke.

About the author:
Lone Bird Studio web design, http://www.lonebird.com, is based in Asheville, NC. CEO and head web designer Chris Kaminski built his first website in 1996. He has a passion for computer technology, web design and development, and loves to share his knowledge and empower other internet businesses with tips and advice. Feel free to contact Lone Bird Studio with any questions, business or to link up with us!! http://www.lonebird.com/WEB/index.html

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