# The Filthy, Rotten, Nasty, Helpdesk-Nightmare picture clubhouse



## t_ski (May 6, 2011)

This is not the sexy pic clubhouse.  This is where you post the nasty pics you took when working on some chumps PC.  Stuff like this:






















All the same PC


----------



## t_ski (May 6, 2011)

Here's another PC:






The user couldn't figure out why the PC was very loud and running very slowly :shadedshu


----------



## sneekypeet (May 6, 2011)




----------



## Soylent Joe (May 6, 2011)

Well that stuff in the first pictures looks like it would be easy to blow out, it's like lint or something.

Here's one that I worked on about 9 months ago.


----------



## t_ski (May 6, 2011)

sneekypeet said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/110505/ocz_700w-gxs_003.jpg



Smells like smoke and dead cat? Ugh 



Soylent Joe said:


> Well that stuff in the first pictures looks like it would be easy to blow out, it's like lint or something.
> 
> Here's one that I worked on about 9 months ago.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/110505/comparison.jpg



Yes, mostly lint and dust, but the chunks were flying that day, my friend!

How about these?  The names have been changed to protect the innocent:











Today we moved one office of about 20 people to another office.  After one of the desks were moved, I found this:






Yes, that is some variety of a Hershey's Kiss


----------



## Widjaja (May 6, 2011)

Appears the first pic has mold in the fan...nice 

You can tell which one was the smoker in those pics. 

People with super fluffy PCs like the one above usually have wooden floors and or vacuum often.

Encounter a lot of these fluffy PCs when working as a techie.
Pcs from rural areas are the worst, Cockroaches, spiders, moths and the ones which are left open or have a PCI slot at the back open usually have mouse crap and piss under the area of the HDD where it was nice and warm.


----------



## PopcornMachine (May 6, 2011)

That's some nasty stuff.


----------



## Wile E (May 6, 2011)

t_ski said:


> Smells like smoke and dead cat? Ugh
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Caramel Hershey's Kiss. I know because they are my favorite variety. lol.


----------



## newtekie1 (May 6, 2011)

That is one of the worse ones I've seen come into my shop.  I wish I had taken pictures of the one that had been soaked in cat pee...


----------



## t_ski (May 6, 2011)

I was ok until I got to this one:



newtekie1 said:


>



 That's nasty!!!


----------



## entropy13 (May 6, 2011)

Looks like dirt and grime that grew a hard drive.


----------



## Dippyskoodlez (May 6, 2011)

Ugh. for that last one, You might want to try wearing a mask and gloves.

You might get herpeghonnasyphalaids from that gunk. Thats horrible.


----------



## catnipkiller (May 6, 2011)

smoking+pc=fail


----------



## copenhagen69 (May 6, 2011)

lol nasty!


----------



## pantherx12 (May 6, 2011)

Heh, I have similar Antec pictures.














By the by, dude holding the stuff is the owner of the computer, not me XD


----------



## The Von Matrices (May 6, 2011)

I switched from the Antec 900 to the 902 just because of that - the integrated and cleanable air filters.  The 900 was a veritable air purifier it sucked up so much dust in my house, and I don't smoke or have a pet.


----------



## scaminatrix (May 6, 2011)

pantherx12 said:


> By the by, dude holding the stuff is the owner of the computer, not me XD



lol I was going to say have you put on some weight? 

I'm gonna have to start taking pics of the things I see. My Nan's got 11 cats, a dog (that hates cats) and a PC. I'm dreading taking that job!!!


----------



## Techtu (May 6, 2011)

The thread is going well... or rather bad judging by the photo's 

Now all I need to do is leave my pc outside for a month or so and then post back with a result!


----------



## AsRock (May 6, 2011)

eew that moldy dust yuk...

Just a thought it's common sence that we need to clean a comp and sure there's no excuse for surface dust or what DELLS commonly have.  Maybe thats why DELL does there cases as they do but they still get clogged up inside as well.

Do you really believe people have any idea about if a comp should be kept clean in side ?  In all the computer shops i have been only one said that it might need cleaning every so often.

I am mainly on about those place you walk in to but then again not as i have looked but not seen it on websites either.

Whens the last time you seen a sticker on the computers warning about dust ?. A lot of people don't think like most of us do on here and to be honest not everyone on here thinks about it as time to time some one v cards over heating and those stock coolers are great for dust build up..

So maybe just for a idea if some ones up to it to make a thread about cleaning them and what with and maybe a more advanced part to it as well who went to make it all shiny and new.


----------



## gumpty (May 6, 2011)

You guys should be sending those pics to The Reg, so they can do a Ventblockers III.


----------



## micropage7 (May 6, 2011)

omg. how come? 
like dirt grows from your pc


----------



## Athlonite (May 6, 2011)

Great  nasty shots guys next time I come across something like the above I'll be sure an take plenty of pics to post (shouldn't take to long)


----------



## Techtu (May 6, 2011)

gumpty said:


> You guys should be sending those pics to The Reg, so they can do a Ventblockers III.



 Page 11


----------



## Athlonite (May 6, 2011)

Techtu said:


> Page 11



some of those are just friggin shocking  actually most of those are freakin shocking if someone bought in a PC to me in any of those states I'd be whacking them round the ears


----------



## horik (May 6, 2011)

new lifeforms could come out of there


----------



## claylomax (May 6, 2011)

How about 9 and 10: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/26/ventblockers_2/page9.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/26/ventblockers_2/page10.html


----------



## newtekie1 (May 6, 2011)

Yeah, you'd be surprised what PCs look like when they sit in a manufacturing area their entire lives, and never get any attention.  The problem is made worse when the user is a smoker.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jul 8, 2011)

Why did this tread die? You never know when you need to throw up. Moar pics.


----------



## Frick (Jul 8, 2011)

Kevinheraiz said:


> Why did this tread die? You never know when you need to throw up. Moar pics.



I'm still sad I didn't take pictures of the neighbourghs computer I worked on 10 years ago, it was actually worse than those newtekie posted. I think he had spilled beer inside the case, and he was a heavy smoker and an avid porn fan and the enitre case was sticky with .. something. It was horrible.


----------



## t_ski (Jul 10, 2011)

Not dead, just forgotten.  How about this one?







Alas, it was my own PC, after doing some remodeling at home and neglecting moving my hardware into another case.  Much better now


----------



## HossHuge (Jul 10, 2011)

A friend of mine was having computer problems a few years ago so he asked me to help him out.  This what I found.  The rest of the computer was just as bad.


----------



## theJesus (Jul 10, 2011)

HossHuge said:


> A friend of mine was having computer problems a few years ago so he asked me to help him out.  This what I found.  The rest of the computer was just as bad.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/110710/P1010989.jpg


Damn, looks like that HS was taking some hair-growth supplements.


----------



## PopcornMachine (Jul 10, 2011)

t_ski said:


> Not dead, just forgotten.  How about this one?
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/110710/dirty1.jpg
> 
> Alas, it was my own PC, after doing some remodeling at home and neglecting moving my hardware into another case.  Much better now



Did you have it next to a fireplace?


----------



## t_ski (Jul 10, 2011)

No, it was mostly drywall dust and regular dust.


----------



## Jetster (Jul 10, 2011)

I moved to a house that has all hardwood floors and I hardly ever get dust in the box anymore. Carpet is filthy


----------



## Completely Bonkers (Jul 10, 2011)

HEALTH WARNING

We are all petty disgusted by this dust. But remember that people are also sitting in the same dirty dusty rooms by these PC and breathing similar amounts of dust into their lungs.

Once a week, get the vacuum and CLEAN your room esp. the corners where dust settles.  If your room or desk has visible dust settling, take a moment to think about what this dust does to your PC, but also what it does to your lungs.

Please, friends of TPU, keep your "desks and corners" dust free... for your own health not just your PC.


----------



## Techtu (Aug 2, 2011)

Cleaning my rig out not so long ago and took these few photo's to give this thread a little bit of a bump


----------



## HookeyStreet (Aug 2, 2011)




----------



## assaulter_99 (Aug 2, 2011)

For those who missed my rant about being fed up with f*ckin" ants. I lost a Logitech k/b and thank god, I salvaged my G500. I would have contemplated suicide if not! Bwahaha! Gives goosebumps eh?


----------



## gumpty (Aug 2, 2011)

assaulter_99 said:


> For those who missed my rant about being fed up with f*ckin" ants. I lost a Logitech k/b and thank god, I salvaged my G500. I would have contemplated suicide if not! Bwahaha! Gives goosebumps eh?
> 
> http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab110/millow_99/IMG_0396.jpg
> 
> http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab110/millow_99/IMG_0395.jpg



Are those little fuckers alive? Burn it with fire.


----------



## assaulter_99 (Aug 2, 2011)

gumpty said:


> Are those little fuckers alive? Burn it with fire.



Sure they "were". They belong to the past now! 

I just wanted to throw the mouse out the window. Such was my desperation. Anyways, some pesticide and a good cleaning made sure the G500 would live another day.


----------



## purecain (Aug 5, 2011)

i cant find the pick, but i went to this one house and the pcie slot didnt line up with the cheapest small form factor case i could get hold of.... 

sooo the guy goes off and comes back with a steel saw.... watching his wifes face as he sawed away inside the house spraying red hot metal shards into the carpet and wallpaper.... 

i couldnt help myself and i started laughing hard... 
it was fuckin funny man.... when they went downstairs i took a quick pick cos i just couldnt believe how much of a mess he'd made....
and virtually every pc i fix is minging inside... your just lucky if the house doesnt stink of dead dog...


----------



## Grnfinger (Aug 5, 2011)

Heatkiller midplate all gunked up with fesser one


----------



## Jamborhgini313 (Aug 5, 2011)

Damn I felt chills when I saw the bug and spider pics. I have arachnophobia


----------



## Aceman.au (Aug 5, 2011)

I don't have photos. But my a guy I met @ a private LAN with friends was the last one left at the LAN which was at my house and he said, "My PC is running very hot, can you open it up and see if everything is all right?". So I got a screw driver and popped the side off the PC and to my horror, the entire inside of the PC was caked in dust, you literally could not see the motherboard, CPU (you could make out the shape of the fan under the dust), gfx card, HDD etc. Once we got all the dust off with an air compressor the temperature dropped about 10-15 degrees celcius.

Some of the stuff Im seeing in this thread is amazing... Those poor machines.


----------



## douglatins (Aug 5, 2011)

Brick will be shat after this one


----------



## Aceman.au (Aug 5, 2011)

douglatins said:


> Brick will be shat after this one
> 
> http://img2.samurailol.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/4.jpg&t=e7c16ed6e4102e3ae5419d3ffbd0e433



Wow... Just wow.


----------



## twicksisted (Aug 5, 2011)

douglatins said:


> Brick will be shat after this one
> 
> http://img2.samurailol.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/4.jpg&t=e7c16ed6e4102e3ae5419d3ffbd0e433



im loving the T-Rex pose that mouse has going on there


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Aug 5, 2011)

O_O WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?! I leave my Emachine open 24/7 since 2003 and it isn't even close to that dirty!


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 5, 2011)

some of us are just clean freaks I guess 

but OMG a mouse in the fan that's just freakin nasty and funny as f%@k


----------



## theJesus (Aug 5, 2011)

douglatins said:


> Brick will be shat after this one
> 
> http://img2.samurailol.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/4.jpg&t=e7c16ed6e4102e3ae5419d3ffbd0e433


How the hell did that even happen?  And how did it stay in that position?


----------



## twicksisted (Aug 5, 2011)

theJesus said:


> How the hell did that even happen?  And how did it stay in that position?



Jesus, i think youll find the answer here... (that mouse was a sick puppy!)... look at the Accidental deaths section
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Aug 5, 2011)

Lolololkpookplgeroiwlkegoiwe oh god!  I can not breathe


----------



## kurosagi01 (Aug 5, 2011)

assaulter_99 said:


> Sure they "were". They belong to the past now!
> 
> I just wanted to throw the mouse out the window. Such was my desperation. Anyways, some pesticide and a good cleaning made sure the G500 would live another day.



Why is there ants in there anyway?? Was it because of your house was infested with ants?


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 6, 2011)

kurosagi01 said:


> Why is there ants in there anyway?? Was it because of your house was infested with ants?



Most likely scenario is they were lookin for some place warm


----------



## DanishDevil (Aug 6, 2011)

I sent the rat picture to my boss, and this was his reply:


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Aug 6, 2011)

Do these people not wonder what that sound is?!


----------



## theJesus (Aug 6, 2011)

Kevinheraiz said:


> Do these people not wonder what that sound is?!


Oh, I thought that's just the sound the computer makes when it's thinking.


----------



## robn (Aug 6, 2011)

douglatins said:


> Brick will be shat after this one



"I've got a problem with ma computah ...think sumthin's wrong with tha mouse!"


----------



## MilkyWay (Aug 6, 2011)

This thread is disgusting, I feel sick after looking at this thread.
Some people must live in pure squalor to get their PC's in that state.

LOL there should be a thread warning, "not for weak stomachs".

Im pretty sure there was threads like this before, there was this one PC with inches of thick dust inside. You'd have to wear a mask to look in there. You can get really sick if you let dust and crud build up to that state.


----------



## DrunkenMafia (Aug 6, 2011)

Nasty!!!  but very funny


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 7, 2011)

@ Kieran D  you'd be surprised at how quickly dust can build up in a machine even in a clean house

my sisters a clean freak but I still find crap loads of dust in her machine after six months ofcourse it doesn't help she's got 3 kids and a dog and it sits 6" off of carpet


----------



## assaulter_99 (Aug 7, 2011)

kurosagi01 said:


> Why is there ants in there anyway?? Was it because of your house was infested with ants?



Yeah, kinda sucks but I can't do much, my whole area is infested with them. Once they get a cosy, warm home, you're doomed.


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 8, 2011)

assaulter_99 said:


> Yeah, kinda sucks but I can't do much, my whole area is infested with them. Once they get a cosy, warm home, you're doomed.



Could be worse they could've been fire ants, could you imagine that while playing an FPS


----------



## [XC] Oj101 (Jan 30, 2012)

AsRock said:


> eew that moldy dust yuk...
> 
> Just a thought it's common sence that we need to clean a comp and sure there's no excuse for surface dust or what DELLS commonly have.  Maybe thats why DELL does there cases as they do but they still get clogged up inside as well.
> 
> ...



This is true. A lot of prebuilt machines come with "warranty void if removed" stickers, making cleaning impossible but more so that that, when last did any of you open your monitors, TVs or Hi-Fis for cleaning?

Let me dig out my collection of nasty pictures and select a few later on


----------



## t_ski (Jan 30, 2012)

Yep, forgot about this one.  Moar pics naow!!!!!!!1


----------



## Kreij (Jan 30, 2012)

I modified the club title so it shows a little more than "The.." in the recent posts and such.


----------



## newtekie1 (Jan 30, 2012)

A customer's Dell.  Everything was so clogged up the fan would ramp up to full speed before the machine was even booted into Windows, and shut itself down from overheating a minute or two later.  No air was moving through the heatsink at all.  The customer didn't think the insanely loud fan was an issue.  They figured some kind of virus was causing the computer to turn off...

The front grills were just as bad, but I couldn't get a good shot of those, because they are recessed inside the case.


----------



## brandonwh64 (Jan 30, 2012)




----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jan 30, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> http://www.rayheffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ventblockers_encrustation.jpg
> http://farm1.staticflickr.com/14/18444907_e7978e869e_z.jpg?zz=1
> http://www.computersmartz.com/images/pcdirt.jpg
> http://exciteing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Computer-Dirty-system.jpg
> http://media.bestofmicro.com/J/8/235268/original/ventblockers_fans.jpg



da fuqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq it's like sand


----------



## NAVI_Z (Jan 30, 2012)

HossHuge said:


> A friend of mine was having computer problems a few years ago so he asked me to help him out.  This what I found.  The rest of the computer was just as bad.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/110710/P1010989.jpg



damn u can throw that dust disk like a frisbee!!....


----------



## m1dg3t (Jan 30, 2012)

WOW! I have never seen anything come close to a few of the rig's posted here, just fackin nasty. It take's a whole 5min (at most) to hit your PC with a vaccuum + can of air blast, i thought i was lazy!


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jan 30, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> WOW! I have never seen anything come close to a few of the rig's posted here, just fackin nasty. It take's a whole 5min (at most) to hit your PC with a vaccuum + can of air blast, i thought i was lazy!



it's not that their lazy, just most people don't know what to do.


----------



## _JP_ (Jan 30, 2012)

*You want filth? You got filth!*


----------



## NAVI_Z (Jan 30, 2012)

call in N.E.S.T.! quick! lol


----------



## PopcornMachine (Jan 30, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/2011-11-23_12-07-14_494.jpg
> 
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/2011-11-23_12-02-27_202.jpg
> 
> ...





brandonwh64 said:


> http://www.rayheffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ventblockers_encrustation.jpg
> http://farm1.staticflickr.com/14/18444907_e7978e869e_z.jpg?zz=1
> http://www.computersmartz.com/images/pcdirt.jpg
> http://exciteing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Computer-Dirty-system.jpg
> http://media.bestofmicro.com/J/8/235268/original/ventblockers_fans.jpg



Ya know, you guys could claim these were some super cool mod effects you did and I might have believed you.


----------



## AhokZYashA (Jan 30, 2012)

those are freaking nasty man,,


----------



## m1dg3t (Jan 30, 2012)

Kevinheraiz said:


> it's not that their lazy, just most people don't know what to do.



Step 1: Unplug PC and remove all external connected device's
Step 2: Bring PC to well ventilated area, prefferably outside
Step 3: Remove 2, maybe 3 screw's, holding side panel to case
Step 4: Being mindfull of placement/contact use vaccuum &/or air blast to remove dust

Rinse & repeat!


----------



## brandonwh64 (Jan 30, 2012)

I have seen a picture before Of a PC that someone had barfed in while having a party and didn't find it until like months later. SUPER SICK!


----------



## m1dg3t (Jan 30, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> I have seen a picture before Of a PC that someone had barfed in while having a party and didn't find it until like months later. SUPER SICK!



I had some chick spew chunk's all over my dash one night on my way to droppin' her off @ home, can't stand people who don't know their limit's, or forget what a window/door is! The worst thing is I had to clean it up! Needless to say i never spoke to her again


----------



## t_ski (Jan 30, 2012)

Some of these new pics look like PC's that have been stuck out in a barn or some other storage.  I think we need to make sure the pics posted are ones from PC's that are in use (or stopped working due to the filth issue and you found it when you got called in to look at it).

Agreed?


----------



## brandonwh64 (Jan 30, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> I had some chick spew chunk's all over my dash one night on my way to droppin' her off @ home, can't stand people who don't know their limit's, or forget what a window/door is! The worst thing is I had to clean it up! Needless to say i never spoke to her again



fuck that shit! I would Kill someone if they done that!


----------



## m1dg3t (Jan 30, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> fuck that shit! I would Kill someone if they done that!



I didn't even get any pie! Stoopid biznitch :shadedshu


----------



## t_ski (Feb 1, 2012)

Speaking of vomit...


----------



## The Von Matrices (Feb 1, 2012)

t_ski said:


> Speaking of vomit...
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120201/20120201110530.jpg
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120201/20120201110545.jpg



Look on the bright side.  At least the bottom of the heatsink is clean.


----------



## m1dg3t (Feb 1, 2012)

That give's new meaning to the term integrated heatsink


----------



## xxdozer32 (Feb 1, 2012)

Is it wrong to use a leaf blower to clean a PC? or am i just that big of a mexican?


----------



## newtekie1 (Feb 1, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> I didn't even get any pie! Stoopid biznitch :shadedshu



Yeah, I thought generally the rule was that if a chick spewed in a dudes car she owes him a BJ at the minimum...(redeemable at a time when she isn't vomiting everywhere.)


----------



## twicksisted (Feb 1, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> I had some chick spew chunk's all over my dash one night on my way to droppin' her off @ home, can't stand people who don't know their limit's, or forget what a window/door is! The worst thing is I had to clean it up! Needless to say i never spoke to her again



lol, years back while driving me and some mates back from a nightclub, the dude in the front passenger seat wasnt feeling too good and chunked out the windows while i was on the highway... all of the windows were open (it was summertime and in south africa so was very warm night)... all the puke went straight back into the back of the car through the window and splattered all over the 3 dudes in the back seat 

funny now but i was seriously pissed at the time (and laughing too a bit).


----------



## NAVI_Z (Feb 1, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> Yeah, I thought generally the rule was that if a chick spewed in a dudes car she owes him a BJ at the minimum...(redeemable at a time when she isn't vomiting everywhere.)



what if it's ur sister in law?? does that count too?


----------



## newtekie1 (Feb 1, 2012)

NAVI_Z said:


> what if it's ur sister in law?? does that count too?



Nah, family gets a pass.


----------



## TheoneandonlyMrK (Feb 1, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> Nah, family gets a pass.



my big bro passed me a shitter a few months ago he bought for a tenner, P4 biege box it is, it rattled a fair bit so i opened it to find it had been a jonny stash, their was about 30 unused obv condoms in it, strange and no i didnt fix it i put the lid on and binned it ,the oddtard of a thing


----------



## thebluebumblebee (Feb 1, 2012)

I don't have pics, but I'll try to paint one for you.  You may not want to read this if you're about to have a bite to eat.  
The boss's daughter (remember that) and I were sent out to a client's house back in the late '90's.  I don't remember what we went there for, although, she worked on the software side and I worked on the hardware/LAN side.  The clients were an old married couple and both were lawyers.  When I pulled up to the house, I saw a grand ol house that looked more suited for a horror movie than a lawyer's office.  Big, grand house with almost no paint and the grasshoppers had gotten way behind on the yard work.  I think I even called back to the office to verify I had the correct address.  I believe that I met the boss's daughter on the way out (or she called me) and she warned me about what I was to encounter.  I went up and rang the doorbell and when the door opened, I wanted to run away, but, I have to be professional, right?  I grew up on a farm so I can handle smells, but, as I was lead the length of the house to the stairwell, I noticed 1 foot circles on the carpets (area rugs) ALL over the house and the smell of ammonia and urine was one of the worst smells I'd ever run into. (I'm not sure if I remember actually seeing feces on the floor) I went upstairs as directed and found the same thing upstairs.  I looked into the problem and told them that I would have to take their PC's back to the shop to work on them just as a way to get out of that house.  Of course no one would believe me when I got back to the office. The boss's daughter was no where to be found.  When we finally got ahold of her, we found out that she had gone home to take a shower to get the smells off of her and to get started on laundering her clothes!  When she came back to the office, we were finally able to convince everyone (watching their faces change from "oh right" to "I might have to go there" was priceless) and talked the boss into jacking up the quote so hopefully we would not need to go back.  They accepted our quote but I was fortunate to have a job on the other side of town the day they went back, only to find that they had done a great job cleaning up.


----------



## _JP_ (Feb 2, 2012)

t_ski said:


> Speaking of vomit...
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120201/20120201110530.jpg
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120201/20120201110545.jpg


Is the the CPU glued or something?


xxdozer32 said:


> Is it wrong to use a leaf blower to clean a PC? or am i just that big of a mexican?


If it works....why not?


----------



## t_ski (Feb 2, 2012)

Common issue on some older chips.  The thermal paste gets really thick when cool and the CPU comes out of the socket still attached to the heatsink.

This came out of an HP DC5000 computer.  We had someone that complained their DC5000 was running really loud all the time.  One of the guys pulled the heatsink off on this noisy PC to clean off the old compound and replace it with some Arctic Ceramique I have.  However, he stopped there and left the office for a while.

I came into his office, saw what he was up to and thought I'd help him out.  I cleaned it up and applied the new compound, then went about seating the heatsink.  I put one of the clips on, but saw that the second clip had a loop broken off the plastic mounting bracket (it's a S478 Pentium 4 CPU).  We had another DC5000 that that had it's own issues, so I planned on taking the bracket off that one to use on the noisy PC.  I undid the clips on it and removed the heatsink, only to find the CPU stuck to the bottom of it (and of course, the nasty dust, dander, wtf mess underneath).

If this was one of my computers for home, I probably would have warmed the CPU up a little before I unmounted the heatsink.


----------



## Fitseries3 (Feb 2, 2012)

i wish i could find this pic i had....

customers pc was acting up freezin and getting hot. 

i took the mobo out of the case and OMG....  half the back of the mobo was burnt to a crisp from electric damage. 

remarkably... it still ran. they even refused to replace it. 

they said "if its workin i dont see why i would need to get it replaced"


----------



## Cuzza (Feb 2, 2012)

This thread is full of win. I mean fail. Which is sometimes win.


----------



## _JP_ (Feb 2, 2012)

t_ski said:


> Common issue on some older chips. The thermal paste gets really thick when cool and the CPU comes out of the socket still attached to the heatsink.


I know. I already came across a situation like that. Socket was 939, though. Had to go all hammer and chisel (screwdriver) on it, because the damn thing wouldn't let go of the heatsink.


----------



## t_ski (Feb 2, 2012)

A hairdryer or heatgun will usually work.


----------



## _JP_ (Feb 2, 2012)

Didn't had either. It didn't need that much strength as well. Popped right off at 1st try. Didn't use too much strength and had a cloth so it didn't damage the pins for when it landed on the table.


----------



## m1dg3t (Feb 3, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> Yeah, I thought generally the rule was that if a chick spewed in a dudes car she owes him a BJ at the minimum...(redeemable at a time when she isn't vomiting everywhere.)



Generally accepted rule in these part's as well but i don't chase after spew hound's! 



twicksisted said:


> lol, years back while driving me and some mates back from a nightclub, the dude in the front passenger seat wasnt feeling too good and chunked out the windows while i was on the highway... all of the windows were open (it was summertime and in south africa so was very warm night)... all the puke went straight back into the back of the car through the window and splattered all over the 3 dudes in the back seat
> 
> funny now but i was seriously pissed at the time (and laughing too a bit).





Was at a strip joint with a buddy year's back and i was so plastered he had to carry me out to his car lol I got into the front seat, put the window down, hung my head out and yacked away! Next mornin' i get a call from him saying i owe him a car wash! Turn's out i spewed all over the side of his car  Luckily we were still parked. Good time's, good time's!


----------



## twicksisted (Feb 3, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> Was at a strip joint with a buddy year's back and i was so plastered he had to carry me out to his car lol I got into the front seat, put the window down, hung my head out and yacked away! Next mornin' i get a call from him saying i owe him a car wash! Turn's out i spewed all over the side of his car  Luckily we were still parked. Good time's, good time's!



hehe yeah now imagine that if the back window had been open and the driver was travelling fast on the freeway 

The best part was seeing everyone in the backseat with their faces covered in the drunk guys vomit... worst part was my seats and back dashboard/speakers which had chunks of corn and all sorts on them


----------



## m1dg3t (Feb 4, 2012)

I read your post, that's why i posted the dbl   I wouldn't want to have had to clean up that mess :shadedshu


----------



## twicksisted (Feb 4, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> I read your post, that's why i posted the dbl   I wouldn't want to have had to clean up that mess :shadedshu



The back dashboard was unsalvagable... the seats were leather so i could clean them ok... i bought a new back dash and speakers after that... then a couple of months later took a sick cat to the vet (was a stray outside my house for a few weeks i felt sorry for). It wasnt my cat but had a huge abcess on its leg and was limping and on its way out.... i thought ill put it in the car and itll settle down as I had no cage...lol....... how wrong was I... it went F*cking mad when i started to drive lol ended up snarling on my back dashboard as i was driving, then i got this really strong musky pissy shit smell... basically when i got to the vet and stopped the car to take it inside it had simultaneously shat, pissed and ejaculated (i think by the look of it all) all over my back dashboard (and new speakers lol).!!!! That was completely totally 


hahaha, im so glad i dont have that car anymore, it was bad mojo from day one!


----------



## THRiLL KiLL (Feb 4, 2012)

yup. i need to subscribe to this thread


----------



## m1dg3t (Feb 5, 2012)

twicksisted said:


> The back dashboard was unsalvagable... the seats were leather so i could clean them ok... i bought a new back dash and speakers after that... then a couple of months later took a sick cat to the vet (was a stray outside my house for a few weeks i felt sorry for). It wasnt my cat but had a huge abcess on its leg and was limping and on its way out.... i thought ill put it in the car and itll settle down as I had no cage...lol....... how wrong was I... it went F*cking mad when i started to drive lol ended up snarling on my back dashboard as i was driving, then i got this really strong musky pissy shit smell... basically when i got to the vet and stopped the car to take it inside it had simultaneously shat, pissed and ejaculated (i think by the look of it all) all over my back dashboard (and new speakers lol).!!!! That was completely totally
> 
> 
> hahaha, im so glad i dont have that car anymore, it was bad mojo from day one!



I thought i had bad luck! Further proof that you never really can trust a pussy....cat


----------



## Techtu (Feb 22, 2012)

Been told these's what I'm about to post belong here


----------



## t_ski (Feb 22, 2012)

The two things that jump at me right off the bat is that it's new enough to be an AM3 board, and he has CCFL's in there - is there a window, too?  That would be  if he did and it was that dirty but could see it the who;e time...


----------



## Techtu (Feb 22, 2012)

Sadly the window almost is as big as the side panel itself


----------



## t_ski (Feb 22, 2012)

again, I say    and I'll throw in a  with a side order of


----------



## PopcornMachine (Feb 22, 2012)

The cold cathode light is hilarious....


----------



## Solaris17 (Feb 22, 2012)

this is nothing. I dont have pics but about 4 years ago I was working for geek squad. I got a PC back off the truck. but it wasnt on the dossier. I didnt understand so I tried to run the service code. The dallas facility sent it back but they didnt say why. It went in originally for a bios tattoo after a replacement. So i go to open the box. I open it from the bottom and set it up at an angle like im looking at the side panel (right) I go ask my supervisor why it wasnt on the shipping list. he goes to check. I handle a customer and he comes back. he doesnt know. I go back over to the PC to run a diag on it. i turn it to face me and start pulling off the bag. I look on the left and their is a HUGE BIOHAZARD sticker on the cover bag. I freak. I dont know what to do we werent even trained in this shit. I keep cool (customers are staring at me because I just grilled this PC for like 5min in shock) and walk back over to the sup "bro this compaq with the tattoo came back sealed in a biohazard bag." we were like WTF? So we rummage through the box and we find a work order from the dallas facility. its been tagged and bagged because their was human fecies inside the case. The work was haulted and it was shipped back. warrentee void and we are frozen from doing work on it. We cant enter the tag etc we cant modify the work order we cant do shit. tower was black listed. 

pretty fucked up. the only thing worse was I was the one that had to call and tell them we haulted work, why and that they needed to come get it.


----------



## Techtu (Feb 22, 2012)

PopcornMachine said:


> The cold cathode light is hilarious....



That was nothing... Half of the crap fell down when I took the side panel off :shadedshu


----------



## theJesus (Feb 23, 2012)

Man, I gotta remember to take pictures of some of the servers I'm replacing . . .


----------



## mlee49 (Mar 2, 2012)

Luk guyz, I haz nazty waterl blockk 2


----------



## Munki (Mar 2, 2012)

When I think my PC is nasty, I just look here and feel better instantly. 

Thanks you guys!


----------



## _JP_ (Mar 2, 2012)

mlee49 said:


> Luk guyz, I haz nazty waterl blockk 2
> 
> 
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120302/IMAG0355151.jpg



Nice goo!


----------



## twicksisted (Mar 2, 2012)

Techtu said:


> Been told these's what I'm about to post belong here
> 
> http://i44.tinypic.com/2wq7ozp.jpg
> http://i42.tinypic.com/6fca6e.jpg
> ...



looks like spiderman farted in that case!


----------



## Athlonite (Mar 3, 2012)

mlee49 said:


> Luk guyz, I haz nazty waterl blockk 2
> 
> 
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120302/IMAG0355151.jpg





um you sure that's growth and not something else cough(fap sesion)cough


----------



## The Von Matrices (Mar 3, 2012)

This may not be on the same level of nasty as some of the other pictures posted, but I was certainly surprised to find my radiator was this dirty after only 9 months of operation, especially considering that I strive to keep my case reasonably clean.  I have no pets, am not a smoker, and have hardwood floors, which adds to my amazement.  Luckily, a little vacuuming fixed this quickly (it's an external radiator, so ESD is not an issue).


















The fans fared a bit better.


----------



## t_ski (Mar 15, 2012)

I pulled my case open the other day to swap some parts out and my rad is not quite as bad, but it hasn't been that long since I cleaned it last.  Looks like I'll need to take it out to the garage and use the air compressor on it.

Anybody else got any gross stuffs?


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 15, 2012)

This Gateway came in the shop the other day:










I didn't open it, I didn't even want to touch it:





Notice how the dust is grey, but the stuff in the memory card slots is brown?  Yeah, thats mold.:










WTF?!?  Did they just spit on it?! God I hope that is spit at least...:


----------



## brandonwh64 (Mar 15, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> WTF?!?  Did they just spit on it?! God I hope that is spit at least...:
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/2012-02-14_13-20-09_843.jpg



Looks like jizz....


----------



## t_ski (Mar 15, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> This Gateway came in the shop the other day:
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/2012-02-14_13-19-50_573.jpg
> 
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/2012-02-14_13-20-33_993.jpg
> ...





brandonwh64 said:


> Looks like jizz....



That's where I was going to go.  This was under the desk, right?


----------



## Peter1986C (Mar 15, 2012)

Yup, that is most likely semen. Pee onto it, the ammonia in the urine will kill it (the jizz, not the cum-puter).


----------



## The Von Matrices (Mar 16, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> This Gateway came in the shop the other day:
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/2012-02-14_13-19-50_573.jpg
> 
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/2012-02-14_13-20-33_993.jpg
> ...



This makes me wonder what the _inside_ of the case is like.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 16, 2012)

t_ski said:


> That's where I was going to go.  This was under the desk, right?



I have no idea where it was at, they brought it into my shop.  Either way, I used gloves to handle this nasty POS.


----------



## _JP_ (Apr 1, 2012)

> ...it showed lines on the screen and ran games like crap...


That's what I got from who gave me the card (not the original owner)...translation (and after testing):
- Artifacts;
- Not recognized by the driver.






There were dead bugs in the shroud and on the side of the heatsink...

By now you should recognize what kind of card this is...


----------



## Bambooz (Apr 2, 2012)

8800GTS ?
Kinda looks like one.. the older G80


----------



## t_ski (Apr 2, 2012)

I assume you cleaned it out by now.  Is it behaving any better?


----------



## makwy2 (Apr 2, 2012)

Dirty computers always make me a little sad on the inside.

As a tech it does give me a chance to look up at the client and in my best imitation voice say:

"Dammit [Insert Client's name here], I'm a computer technician not a [Janitor/Maid/Swiffer/Dust Bunny Herder]"


----------



## t_ski (Apr 2, 2012)

I was swapping parts out in my home server and the kids rig and found both to be dusty.  I know may rad on my rig is dusty, too.  Sounds like I'm going to be doing some spring cleaning this week.


----------



## Rhyseh (Apr 2, 2012)

I wish I had taken pictures of some of the nastier rigs I have seen over the years. I used to work for a local council and the machines that used to operate at the tips used to accumulate some horrible stuff, although it had nothing on the machines that I used to pull out of this saw mill I used to support...... I'm surprised none of those things ever caught fire!

While these were dirty it was nothing a good can of compressed air couldn't fix in short order. The worst machines I have ever seen are those owned by smokers... The dust/tar mix just adheres to everything making it a nightmare to try and clean.

I had a mate who was a field services tech. He went onsite to change a PSU at a customers house, arrived onsite and her house was filthy as all hell. He opens up the side of the tower and dozens of cockroaches come pouring out. He then told her it's not covered by the warranty and made a quick escape.

Some nasty shit out there...


----------



## _JP_ (Apr 2, 2012)

Bambooz said:


> 8800GTS ?
> Kinda looks like one.. the older G80


Yes, sir. 640MB.


t_ski said:


> I assume you cleaned it out by now.  Is it behaving any better?


Yes and yes, after a baking session. 

EDIT (MOAR FILTH!):
Bug graveyard:




You know it's bad when you can pick it all up with tweezers:


----------



## NAVI_Z (Apr 2, 2012)

_JP_ said:


> Yes, sir. 640MB.
> 
> Yes and yes, after a baking session.
> 
> ...



looks like carpet!


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 2, 2012)

ahh.. a thread of my liking 

a week after cleaning.....





a month after cleaning...
full system ignore my knee





a better pic
look carefully at the CPU HSF, inbetween the fan blades 












and this is after 2 weeks


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 2, 2012)

sucks living in one of the most busiest cities in the world 

and then there is this metro construction going on now


----------



## Black Panther (Apr 2, 2012)

Not filthy, but nasty. And a bit unexplainable...









Fan still works, but the whole tower now vibrates like a cellphone


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Apr 2, 2012)

Black Panther said:


> Not filthy, but nasty. And a bit unexplainable...
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120402/1.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120402/2.jpg
> 
> Fan still works, but the whole tower now vibrates like a cellphone



Rip out the fan, and put in another VIA molex


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Apr 2, 2012)

Black Panther said:


> Not filthy, but nasty. And a bit unexplainable...
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120402/1.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120402/2.jpg
> 
> Fan still works, but the whole tower now vibrates like a cellphone



I bet that thing cracking apart scared the hell out of you!


----------



## Black Panther (Apr 2, 2012)

Kevinheraiz said:


> Rip out the fan, and put in another VIA molex


Good idea!



TheMailMan78 said:


> I bet that thing cracking apart scared the hell out of you!



It's my brother's pc not mine.

I still have to ask him what happened.


----------



## Bambooz (Apr 2, 2012)

Kevinheraiz said:


> Rip out the fan, and put in another VIA molex



A new fan would be worth more than the whole LC-Power junk PSU lol


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Apr 2, 2012)

Black Panther said:


> Good idea!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I would replace the PSU. That fan was thermal controlled I am willing to bet.


----------



## WhiteLotus (Apr 2, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> sucks living in one of the most busiest cities in the world
> 
> and then there is this metro construction going on now



Go buy some cheap womans tights, and wrap them around your fans. Amount of dust being sucked into the computer drastically reduced, and you only have to clean/vacuum/wash the tights.


----------



## Rhyseh (Apr 3, 2012)

WhiteLotus said:


> Go buy some cheap womans tights, and wrap them around your fans. Amount of dust being sucked into the computer drastically reduced, and you only have to clean/vacuum/wash the tights.



This is a really good idea! Thanks!


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Apr 3, 2012)

WhiteLotus said:


> Go buy some cheap womans tights, and wrap them around your fans. Amount of dust being sucked into the computer drastically reduced, and you only have to clean/vacuum/wash the tights.



That is a great Ideal. Any ideal how much airflow is reduced by using them?


----------



## m1dg3t (Apr 3, 2012)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> That is a great Ideal. Any ideal how much airflow is reduced by using them?



Pretty much 0 negative impact, one of the oldest "tricks" in the book


----------



## Radical_Edward (Apr 3, 2012)

WhiteLotus said:


> Go buy some cheap womans tights, and wrap them around your fans. Amount of dust being sucked into the computer drastically reduced, and you only have to clean/vacuum/wash the tights.



THIS. I use to do this before I started buying cases with filters.


----------



## m1dg3t (Apr 3, 2012)

Radical_Edward said:


> THIS. I use to do this before I started buying cases with filters.



I pull the filter's out and stick with my trusty lady garment's 

lol


----------



## assaulter_99 (Apr 3, 2012)

I too use the ladies stuff to block dust from going in. The only downside is that the sellers look at you in a strange way when you go purchase em...


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 3, 2012)

Black Panther said:


> Not filthy, but nasty. And a bit unexplainable...
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120402/1.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120402/2.jpg
> 
> Fan still works, but the whole tower now vibrates like a *cellphone*



like a cellphone  something else came to my mind 

but how is it even possible!! the whole part of the grill thing is to make sure this doesnt happen!


----------



## Radical_Edward (Apr 3, 2012)

Fan grills don't block screws, or screwdrivers for that matter.

Could also be the case of a cheap fan.


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 3, 2012)

i dont think BP is that noob to poke the blade with a screw driver ?


----------



## DRDNA (Apr 3, 2012)

Black Panther said:


> Not filthy, but nasty. And a bit unexplainable...
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120402/1.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120402/2.jpg
> 
> Fan still works, but the whole tower now vibrates like a cellphone



I have seen this happen when someone uses canned air to clean and allow the compressed air to blow directly on the fan. At the very least when using canned air is to keep the fan from spinning during the cleaning process. I am not sure if that is what happened but in my exposure that's the only time I have seen that.


----------



## t_ski (Apr 3, 2012)

I was using compressed air to clean a fan once and the blades were spinning wildly before I accidentally brushed my finger against one of them, causing that blade to snap off and go flying...


----------



## Bambooz (Apr 3, 2012)

WhiteLotus said:


> Go buy some cheap womans tights, and wrap them around your fans. Amount of dust being sucked into the computer drastically reduced, and you only have to clean/vacuum/wash the tights.


I've been doing that since the Pentium 3 days.. Crude but effective


----------



## Black Panther (Apr 3, 2012)

t_ski said:


> I was using compressed air to clean a fan once and the blades were spinning wildly before I accidentally brushed my finger against one of them, causing that blade to snap off and go flying...



I had cleaned his pc with compressed air last week in fact. But it's not the first time I did it, both on my brother's pc, the work computers and my own pc.
I always hold the fans with my fingers before blowing compressed air on them.

Today I spoke to my brother. He told me the pc had been working perfectly. Then last Thursday or Friday he heard a big crackling sound from the tower... but he didn't bother because the sound stopped within a second (sure the fan got jammed) and his pc didn't crash or anything.... so he just continued playing... 

He gave me the pc last Sunday because somehow he managed to corrupt the boot.ini 
Anyway, I just ran recovery console, bootfix, and all was fine. It was some hours later while defragmenting his 1TB drive that I noticed the top of the tower quite abnormally warm. And then I noticed that the PSU fan was jammed 

To see how I solved this (ghetto style!) click here


----------



## Swamp Monster (Apr 3, 2012)

I bough't a new HF for my CPU recently and decided to clean 3 years old PSU from inside , because I was taking apart whole PC anyway. Found a few dead insects inside aswell as spider's web.


----------



## brandonwh64 (Apr 3, 2012)

Black Panther said:


> I had cleaned his pc with compressed air last week in fact. But it's not the first time I did it, both on my brother's pc, the work computers and my own pc.
> I always hold the fans with my fingers before blowing compressed air on them.
> 
> Today I spoke to my brother. He told me the pc had been working perfectly. Then last Thursday or Friday he heard a big crackling sound from the tower... but he didn't bother because the sound stopped within a second (sure the fan got jammed) and his pc didn't crash or anything.... so he just continued playing...
> ...


----------



## ChaoticAtmosphere (Apr 8, 2012)

I was gonna clean my computer today after reading this thread....I opened the side of my case and said "Geez...I guess it can wait until June!"


----------



## Yo_Wattup (Apr 8, 2012)

WhiteLotus said:


> Go buy some cheap womans tights, and wrap them around your fans. Amount of dust being sucked into the computer drastically reduced, and you only have to clean/vacuum/wash the tights.



but that wont look cool...


----------



## entropy13 (Apr 8, 2012)

Yo_Wattup said:


> but that wont look cool...



Buy fan filters from Silverstone or Deepcool. Either 120 or 80mm sizes only though.


----------



## assaulter_99 (Apr 8, 2012)

You don't necessarily have to put them outside. I just put them inside the casing, just make sure you secure the borders well or they might get tangled in the fan.


----------



## theubersmurf (Apr 8, 2012)

Great thread, I haven't had to deal with something really disgusting in a while, the last time was my mother's old Dell. I was invited over to help her with whatever was wrong with her PC. (She usually offers to make me dinner in exchange for helping her with the comp) but anyway, I open up her case, and there's a sheet of dust covering her hsf, dust and dead spiders on the bottom of the case, and sheets of dust all over the add-in cards. I wanted to puke. I told her if I had to do it again to get me a medical mask first and have it waiting for when I arrive. Absolutely foul.


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 8, 2012)

what her or the comp lol 

but I know what you mean I've seen some pretty disgusting sights over the last 20+ years


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 8, 2012)

Yo_Wattup said:


> but that wont look cool...





entropy13 said:


> Buy fan filters from Silverstone or Deepcool. Either 120 or 80mm sizes only though.



you know the black paper thingy that comes with a laptop between the screen and the keyboard?? that seems to work wonders :O
good airflow!


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 9, 2012)

yup and sometimes the foam that comes with motherboards is also good if it's the thiner stuff


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 9, 2012)

Athlonite said:


> yup and sometimes the foam that comes with motherboards is also good if it's the thiner stuff



yes! its the paper like stuff!


----------



## t_ski (Apr 9, 2012)

Athlonite said:


> yup and sometimes the foam that comes with motherboards is also good if it's the thiner stuff



Only if it's "open-cell" foam: "closed-cell" foam won't let any air through.


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 9, 2012)

that's the stuff open-cell I've got some here gun metal gray and see through 

although the closed cell stuff has it's uses too good for quieting down a noisy case a couple or so db


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 9, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> yes! its the paper like stuff!



no it's the foam like stuff not the Dacron sheet that come in-between screen and KB on a laptop but that stuff does work quite well though


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 9, 2012)

then its different i guess.

and i use the polythene foam leafs for daming stuff too.


----------



## XNine (Apr 9, 2012)

Oh, dear god....

I've seen some dirty cases (cat piss, gunk buildup, etc.) but some of these pics actually make me feel queezy.  Spiders?  Ants?  Inch thick dirt?  I mean, this is absolutely disgusting.  It really makes me not want to ever do PC repair ever again....  Hell, I bought a case off a guy from Craigslist a couple years ago, the fans were clogged and there was obvious cat piss in and on it... but this is just....


----------



## Norton (Apr 9, 2012)

XNine said:


> Oh, dear god....
> 
> I've seen some dirty cases (cat piss, gunk buildup, etc.) but some of these pics actually make me feel queezy.  Spiders?  Ants?  Inch thick dirt?  I mean, this is absolutely disgusting.  It really makes me not want to ever do PC repair ever again....  Hell, I bought a case off a guy from Craigslist a couple years ago, the fans were clogged and there was obvious cat piss in and on it... but this is just....



You were warned by the title  You didn't think it would be pictures of cute kittens and puppies did you 

Now you can use this thread as a reference to get NZXT to update the Source 210's with intake filters and include free ones for previous buyers (like me )


----------



## t_ski (May 1, 2012)

Fun with laptops...






Trying to diagnose video issues after the user spilled water on it   Here's what I had to go through to get the motherboard out:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/late6410/en/sm/TD_Palm_Rest.htm


----------



## Solaris17 (May 1, 2012)

t_ski said:


> Fun with laptops...
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120501/IMAG0062.jpg
> 
> ...



Check the inverter iv had to replace or tighten several and a bad or loose inverter iv seen do everything from wicked dim screens to bad colors and checker patterns


----------



## t_ski (May 1, 2012)

This ended up being the panel or the video cable.  After I took everything apart looking for damage & could not find anything, I called in Dell to repalced the LCD panel under warranty 

This one had a vertical bar on the left side of the screen that was over-bright, with a rotating moire pattern.


----------



## Radical_Edward (May 11, 2012)

Was cleaning out a machine with heavy dust buildup yesterday at the shop. It was so dusty/dirty it wouldn't post. This is what the front intake fan looked like.


----------



## theJesus (May 11, 2012)

I've been taking pics for this thread at work and keep forgetting . . .


----------



## Athlonite (May 12, 2012)

ewwwww thats just fecken gross how on earth people can let shit like that happen is beyond me filthy mongrels 

I certainly hope you charged them extra for working in an toxic environment and handling contaminated components


----------



## Radical_Edward (May 12, 2012)

I sometimes charge a hazardous waste cleanup/disposal fee.


----------



## D007 (May 12, 2012)

Lmfao, these are the people who call tech support talking about "my computer won't turn on"   Well is it plugged in? "No".. /slap..
I can imagine this call.. "Uhm, idk why but my computer is very hot and it keeps shutting off"
Lol you don't know why?? Reaalllyyy?

The darker dust clumps systems, are from cig and herb smokers I bet..lol
Looks orangish/yellow.. XD


----------



## DanishDevil (May 12, 2012)

Just started a job @ Staples Easy Tech, so I should have some stuff to post in here before too long!


----------



## t_ski (May 25, 2012)

This better not have been your PC...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diCvsKmDsng


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (May 25, 2012)

t_ski said:


> This better not have been your PC...
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diCvsKmDsng



Sorry that is the rig from my Batcave, it's a little dusty down there.


----------



## t_ski (May 25, 2012)

It's amazing how brown it was before and how silver it was afterwards.  I figured it was de das dude's PC.


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (May 25, 2012)

Heh lol it was crammed full of dirt. Atleast it wasn't packed in there tight.


----------



## Jetster (May 25, 2012)

By far my favorite thread


----------



## popswala (May 27, 2012)

My HX1000. Never been cleaned over the past 2+ yrs. This isn't to bad as I thought.


----------



## MilkyWay (May 27, 2012)

If your going to spray a computer filthy like that use a mask, the shit could otherwise get trapped in your lungs.


----------



## t_ski (May 27, 2012)

Agreed.  I think there's one point in the video where you can hear one of the guys gasping for air since he was holding his breath for so long.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (May 30, 2012)

From one of my school's servers.


----------



## theJesus (May 30, 2012)

That looks perfectly normal to me.  Then again . . . look at the pics I posted from work lol


----------



## Frick (May 30, 2012)

That's EXTREMELY normal.


----------



## Beertintedgoggles (May 30, 2012)

One of two air intake filters for a $1 million dollar tester at a customer's site.  This is in a positive pressure ISO certified cleanroom (it makes its way to different ISO level cleanrooms, the jist is it should be spotless.  Server rooms are like sand boxes supposedly compared to these, or at least how they are supposed to be.)


----------



## Sinzia (May 30, 2012)

Beertintedgoggles said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/120530/2011-09-28 15.44.38.jpg
> 
> One of two air intake filters for a $1 million dollar tester at a customer's site.  This is in a positive pressure ISO certified cleanroom (it makes its way to different ISO level cleanrooms, the jist is it should be spotless.  Server rooms are like sand boxes supposedly compared to these, or at least how they are supposed to be.)



What ISO standard is that room supposed to be?


----------



## Beertintedgoggles (May 30, 2012)

Sinzia said:


> What ISO standard is that room supposed to be?



The dirtiest area is Class M 7, which is equivalent to between an ISO 8 and 9.  That's just the place where they prep the testers and no flight hardware is allowed.  It's obviously not as clean as a fab plant but our systems shouldn't be cleaning the air.


----------



## Dippyskoodlez (May 30, 2012)

Sinzia said:


> What ISO standard is that room supposed to be?



ISO: D1R7Y


----------



## Frick (May 30, 2012)

Beertintedgoggles said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/120530/2011-09-28 15.44.38.jpg
> 
> One of two air intake filters for a $1 million dollar tester at a customer's site.  This is in a positive pressure ISO certified cleanroom (it makes its way to different ISO level cleanrooms, the jist is it should be spotless.  Server rooms are like sand boxes supposedly compared to these, or at least how they are supposed to be.)



How long have that been there?


----------



## Beertintedgoggles (May 30, 2012)

Frick said:


> How long have that been there?



It was about 8 months since that filter had been cleaned.  We modified our recommended maintenance schedule after finding that mess.


----------



## The Von Matrices (May 30, 2012)

t_ski said:


> This better not have been your PC...
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diCvsKmDsng



I'm amazed at that video.  Not because of how dirty the PC was initially, but how clean they made it just using compressed air.  I need to get one of those compressors - it would save me a ton of time.


----------



## The Von Matrices (May 30, 2012)

popswala said:


> My HX1000. Never been cleaned over the past 2+ yrs. This isn't to bad as I thought.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120527/2012-05-25 17.23.55.jpg



How long is the HX1000 warranted for?  I have had one for two years as well and haven't cleaned it, but I'm hesitant to open it if it will void whatever warranty is left.  I also have a Silverstone PSU in my home server that's been running 24/7 for 7 years straight and hasn't been cleaned yet.  I wonder if that will deserve to be on this forum whenever I get a chance to open it.


----------



## t_ski (May 31, 2012)

The Von Matrices said:


> I'm amazed at that video.  Not because of how dirty the PC was initially, but how clean they made it just using compressed air.  I need to get one of those compressors - it would save me a ton of time.



There are a couple of issues that come up using an air compressor:

1. The air itself may not always be clean, as there can be moisture in the tank or oil from the compressor itself.

2. If you are positive the air is clean, make sure the air pressure is low enough that you aren't going to damage anything.


----------



## popswala (May 31, 2012)

The Von Matrices said:


> How long is the HX1000 warranted for?  I have had one for two years as well and haven't cleaned it, but I'm hesitant to open it if it will void whatever warranty is left.  I also have a Silverstone PSU in my home server that's been running 24/7 for 7 years straight and hasn't been cleaned yet.  I wonder if that will deserve to be on this forum whenever I get a chance to open it.



I don't have the slightist idea how long warranty is on them. I pulled that psu out and happened to look inside. It looked dirtier then it was after I opened it up. O well. Its still a strong psu and never gave issues so even if warranty is out. I'm happy it lasted this long with any issues and I have the feeling it still has a lot of life left in it.


----------



## popswala (May 31, 2012)

The Von Matrices said:


> I'm amazed at that video.  Not because of how dirty the PC was initially, but how clean they made it just using compressed air.  I need to get one of those compressors - it would save me a ton of time.



I just watched it. That is complete dirt. Thats funny when hes slapping the side cover to open it and all that dirt fliyin out. OMG


----------



## The Von Matrices (May 31, 2012)

t_ski said:


> There are a couple of issues that come up using an air compressor:
> 
> 1. The air itself may not always be clean, as there can be moisture in the tank or oil from the compressor itself.
> 
> 2. If you are positive the air is clean, make sure the air pressure is low enough that you aren't going to damage anything.



Good to know.  I'd still like to see a video where someone takes it too far and starts blowing components out of the PC.


----------



## t_ski (May 31, 2012)

On the same note, if you go the opposite way and try to vacuum it out, you need to be carefull because most vacuums create static electricity, and I have heard of people sucking jumpers off of boards (back in the days when we used jumper switches to set CPU speeds and such, not like you whippersnappers would know about such things with your jumperless motherboards...).


----------



## Athlonite (May 31, 2012)

t_ski said:


> On the same note, if you go the opposite way and try to vacuum it out, you need to be carefull because most vacuums create static electricity, and I have heard of people sucking jumpers off of boards (back in the days when we used jumper switches to set CPU speeds and such, not like you whippersnappers would know about such things with your jumperless motherboards...).



I remember doing that once on an old socket 5 mobo


----------



## theJesus (May 31, 2012)

t_ski said:


> On the same note, if you go the opposite way and try to vacuum it out, you need to be carefull because most vacuums create static electricity, and I have heard of people sucking jumpers off of boards (back in the days when we used jumper switches to set CPU speeds and such, not like you whippersnappers would know about such things with your jumperless motherboards...).


There are antistatic vacuums available.


----------



## de.das.dude (May 31, 2012)

t_ski said:


> On the same note, if you go the opposite way and try to vacuum it out, you need to be carefull because most vacuums create static electricity, and I have heard of people sucking jumpers off of boards (back in the days when we used jumper switches to set CPU speeds and such, not like you whippersnappers would know about such things with your jumperless motherboards...).



i used to wonder what the pins were when i was a kid.


----------



## t_ski (Jun 1, 2012)

theJesus said:


> There are antistatic vacuums available.



Yes, I know this, but I just figured most people who aren't in the business aren't even going to be looking for something like that.


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 1, 2012)

Beertintedgoggles said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/120530/2011-09-28 15.44.38.jpg
> 
> One of two air intake filters for a $1 million dollar tester at a customer's site.  This is in a positive pressure ISO certified cleanroom (it makes its way to different ISO level cleanrooms, the jist is it should be spotless.  Server rooms are like sand boxes supposedly compared to these, or at least how they are supposed to be.)



the good this from it is the filter works well


----------



## 20mmrain (Jun 1, 2012)

Too bad I never took pics of it. But I had a women give me a computer to fix. The reason it was shorting out I found out was.... Because her cats have been peeing and pooping in it for over a year.
All I have to say is.... 1. I wasn't able to fix it....2. Gross as hell....3. I am surprised she doesn't have dead cats.


----------



## Techtu (Jul 7, 2012)

Right before I gave it a good clean, which I can not deny it really needed!


----------



## Frick (Jul 7, 2012)

20mmrain said:


> Too bad I never took pics of it. But I had a women give me a computer to fix. The reason it was shorting out I found out was.... Because her cats have been peeing and pooping in it for over a year.
> All I have to say is.... 1. I wasn't able to fix it....2. Gross as hell....3. I am surprised she doesn't have dead cats.



I've been "fixing" a computer like that too. But the guy had also smoked beside it (full with that sticky tar-dust) AND he had spilled beer in it. I threw it away(pretty much all the caps at the motherboard had popped). ^^


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 7, 2012)

Techtu said:


> Right before I gave it a good clean, which I can not deny it really needed!
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120707/P7060057.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120707/P7060058.jpg



OMG, you have no dust filter at all?
how long the last time you clean it


----------



## Techtu (Jul 7, 2012)

micropage7 said:


> OMG, you have no dust filter at all?
> how long the last time you clean it



Sadly I lost the only dust filter I had for the case, I have two intake fans though so one was never enough in the first place and been meaning to get new ones but it's just something I forget about 

Honestly the last time I cleaned it was around 5 months ago I'm also a smoker with 2 dogs which doesn't help at all!  I do try clean it around once a month but since being in a serious relationship... Well yea, you know.


----------



## ChaoticAtmosphere (Jul 7, 2012)

Techtu said:


> Right before I gave it a good clean, which I can not deny it really needed!
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120707/P7060057.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120707/P7060058.jpg




At least the fuzzies aren't brown and sticky....cuz that would make it harder to clean and just plain disgusting


----------



## (FIH) The Don (Jul 23, 2012)

some goodies for you sick pervs


----------



## t_ski (Jul 23, 2012)

I know that's an HP - is it a DC-5000?


----------



## scaminatrix (Jul 23, 2012)

Damn my bro bought his Alienware rig (custom parts) down the other day and I did a wole upgrade. He didn't clean it for 2 years and yea, it was caked. You know when the dust is so far gone it starts to make a pattern? And kinda looks nice and appealing to the eye? Yea...

Pics next time, promsie


----------



## t_ski (Jul 23, 2012)

From the front page of [H]:

http://www.hardocp.com/news/2012/07/23/clean_your_damn_computer_keyboard_edition


----------



## Norton (Jul 23, 2012)

t_ski said:


> From the front page of [H]:
> 
> http://www.hardocp.com/news/2012/07/23/clean_your_damn_computer_keyboard_edition



 speechless...


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 23, 2012)

wait, the hdd looks clean enough but the board full of dust


----------



## pantherx12 (Jul 23, 2012)

t_ski said:


> From the front page of [H]:
> 
> http://www.hardocp.com/news/2012/07/23/clean_your_damn_computer_keyboard_edition



The owner of that keyboard has psoriasis or some form of pityriasis .

Nasty!

( The worst I get in my keyboards is hair,weed,tobacco)


----------



## de.das.dude (Jul 23, 2012)

pantherx12 said:


> The owner of that keyboard has psoriasis or some form of pityriasis .
> 
> Nasty!
> 
> ( The worst I get in my keyboards is hair,weed,tobacco)





that pic made me feel weird. what was that shit? skin?


----------



## t_ski (Jul 23, 2012)

When I first saw it, I thought of maggots...

Probably just food & crap.  I see that kind of stuff way too oftren moving people at my work (we clean as we go or replace if too nasty).


----------



## pantherx12 (Jul 23, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> that pic made me feel weird. what was that shit? skin?



I think so, certainly looks like it.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jul 23, 2012)

Looks like wood shavings.


----------



## pantherx12 (Jul 23, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Looks like wood shavings.



It looks to translucent to be wood, definitely organic though 

Maybe it's ham!


----------



## newtekie1 (Jul 23, 2012)

The papery skin from peanuts maybe?  Dude probably liked eating peanuts at his computer.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jul 23, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> The papery skin from peanuts maybe?  Dude probably liked eating peanuts at his computer.



Peanuts makes sense. If it were skin it would be more flakey.


----------



## theJesus (Jul 23, 2012)

It looks kinda like the bottom of a bird cage.


----------



## pantherx12 (Jul 23, 2012)

Nut and seed shells does seem most likely now I look again.


----------



## popswala (Jul 24, 2012)

Wana see gross lol. Just took these yesterday.

My keyboard wasn't as bad as his. T posting that reminded me I needed to clean mine out. Some of my buttons weren't working to well anymore. I fully disassembled the entire key pad and washed everything. Its a Saitek Cyborg.

space bar






Shift+Enter





Number Pad


----------



## trickson (Jul 24, 2012)

People are just so nasty! I could NEVER let my computer get this bad ever. And what really freaks me out is if there computer looks like this just how clean do you think there kitchens are? NASTY!!!!


----------



## popswala (Jul 24, 2012)

actually my place is really clean. I do much in it and I clean my mess while i'm cooking and after before I eat. I never took my kb apart to fully clean it so you figure there was only about 2.5yrs of crap in it.


----------



## trickson (Jul 24, 2012)

popswala said:


> actually my place is really clean. I do much in it and I clean my mess while i'm cooking and after before I eat. I never took my kb apart to fully clean it so you figure there was only about 2.5yrs of crap in it.



If it is that hard to do I would HATE to see what your bathroom looks like (LOL) . I bet the back of your toilet hasn't seen a cleaning since the day it was installed!


----------



## popswala (Jul 24, 2012)

lol, I went through and cleaned the place better then the cleaners did before when I first moved in. Its been cleaned a few time now and I moved in the beginning of Jan. Heck I took the stove vent fan out and the bathroom vent fan and cleaned all in there. That was nasty.


----------



## trickson (Jul 24, 2012)

popswala said:


> lol, I went through and cleaned the place better then the cleaners did before when I first moved in. Its been cleaned a few time now and I moved in the beginning of Jan. Heck I took the stove vent fan out and the bathroom vent fan and cleaned all in there. That was nasty.



Ok I am not calling you filthy or nasty. I am just sayin if some one is that lazy as to not even take a can of air and clean out there computer every week it makes me wounder just how clean there home is.


----------



## popswala (Jul 24, 2012)

I use to blow it with air but keep forget to some more. Plus that stuff is kinda pricey nowadays so I figured I'd was it all out. its need a good thorough clean anyways. I do dust out my pcs bout 1-2 times a month.


----------



## (FIH) The Don (Jul 25, 2012)

t_ski said:


> I know that's an HP - is it a DC-5000?



idk, but yes, Hp of some sorts, added a gt430 a while ago, its just some pos c2d and 2gb ram lol



micropage7 said:


> http://h9.abload.de/img/059customcozb7.jpg
> wait, the hdd looks clean enough but the board full of dust



intake is where dust is, got like a tunnel thingie to lead air to cpu cooler


----------



## t_ski (Jul 25, 2012)

(FIH) The Don said:


> idk, but yes, Hp of some sorts, added a gt430 a while ago, its just some pos c2d and 2gb ram lol



If it's got a C2D then it's probably a DC-7600 or 7800 (or higher).  DC-5000 was S478 + DDR.


----------



## brandonwh64 (Jul 25, 2012)

popswala said:


> Wana see gross lol. Just took these yesterday.
> 
> My keyboard wasn't as bad as his. T posting that reminded me I needed to clean mine out. Some of my buttons weren't working to well anymore. I fully disassembled the entire key pad and washed everything. Its a Saitek Cyborg.
> 
> ...



Looks like someone has been fapping it and getting pubes in the keyboard.


----------



## de.das.dude (Jul 25, 2012)

pantherx12 said:


> It looks to translucent to be wood, definitely organic though
> 
> Maybe it's ham!



might b e bread or biscuit crumbs.


----------



## t_ski (Jul 29, 2012)

Was working on a laptop the other day and saw this:






Every time I get a laptop the keyboard is at least dirty, so I clean the keyboard (carefully, so I don't pop off the keys) with Clorox wipes.  When I started using the wipes on this keyboard, they turned the wipes yellow.  I had to scrub it with four wipes befpre they stopped coming back yellow.


----------



## Athlonite (Jul 29, 2012)

it looks like it's had something spilled on it, 4 wipes is chronic though plurk


----------



## t_ski (Jul 29, 2012)

Considering I work in a hospital, I hate to think of what could have been spilled on it


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jul 29, 2012)

t_ski said:


> Considering I work in a hospital, I hate to think of what could have been spilled on it



It was sperm, it's always sperm.


----------



## t_ski (Jul 29, 2012)

If that sperm was orange, that guys more time in the hospital...


----------



## Jetster (Jul 29, 2012)

Another reason I don't like laptops. Keyboards are discussing. I replace them all the time. Ive had expensive keyboards but I always go back to like the MS Comfort keyboard. Cheap


----------



## theJesus (Jul 29, 2012)

Jetster said:


> Another reason I don't like laptops. Keyboards are discussing. I replace them all the time. Ive had expensive keyboards but I always go back to like the MS Comfort keyboard. Cheap


What are they discussing?  Just curious . . .


----------



## Jetster (Jul 29, 2012)

theJesus said:


> What are they discussing?  Just curious . . .



Everything falls into them crackers, milk, hot sauce and everyone touches them like a bathroom doorknob. Pick up your keyboard turn it over on your desk and hit the bottom


----------



## Yo_Wattup (Jul 30, 2012)

Jetster said:


> Everything falls into them crackers, milk, hot sauce and everyone touches them like a bathroom doorknob. Pick up your keyboard turn it over on your desk and hit the bottom



Read again..


----------



## Maelstrom (Jul 30, 2012)

theJesus said:


> What are they discussing? Just curious . . .



Perhaps they're discussing why their owners let them get so disgusting?


----------



## Jetster (Jul 30, 2012)

Exactly !


----------



## ChaoticAtmosphere (Jul 30, 2012)

The average citizen does not know that a computer is not a dirt repellent.

"It shuts down by itself!!"

"Well when's the last time you got it cleaned?"

"Cleaned?'."

"WTF..........

(Fill in the blank) "_________________________________"!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jul 30, 2012)

t_ski said:


> If that sperm was orange



And?


----------



## de.das.dude (Jul 30, 2012)

t_ski said:


> If that sperm was orange, that guys more time in the hospital...





Kevinheraiz said:


> And?



maybe sperms turn orange after a while?


----------



## Aceman.au (Aug 16, 2012)

This isn't too bad, but man it was hard to breath cleaning this out (had no air compressor on hand, so I had to use a paint brush rofl) and there was more to come after that, the fan was just as badly caked in dust.


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 16, 2012)

you should use a vacuum cleaner aswell that's what I do when no compressor is available also a bucket of hot water and sugar soap works wonders on heatsinks gets them clean as a whistle and looking like new


----------



## Aceman.au (Aug 16, 2012)

Athlonite said:


> you should use a vacuum cleaner aswell that's what I do when no compressor is available also a bucket of hot water and sugar soap works wonders on heatsinks gets them clean as a whistle and looking like new



yeah I had a vacuum on hand thank god


----------



## DanishDevil (Aug 20, 2012)

I'll have some for you guys within the next little bit. Been snapping one here and there at work.


----------



## Aceman.au (Aug 21, 2012)

I think I've found a winner.

Check out this news story!

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/8519570/five-non-graphic-images-to-stop-you-smoking

EDIT: not sure if this has been posted yet


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 21, 2012)

I'll tell you what I'm a smoker and none of my stuff looks like those pics on ninemsn those are from chain smokers who never clean anything AKA lazy bastards


----------



## pantherx12 (Aug 21, 2012)

Aceman.au said:


> This isn't too bad, but man it was hard to breath cleaning this out (had no air compressor on hand, so I had to use a paint brush rofl) and there was more to come after that, the fan was just as badly caked in dust.
> 
> [url]http://www.freeimagehosting.net/t/zk7pu.jpg[/url]




I'm not sure if I've already posted it or not, but I was cleaning a friends PC and he had a solid BAKED on disk of filth and tar on his radial heatsink.

It looked like a dehydrated pineapple ring


----------



## Aceman.au (Aug 21, 2012)

pantherx12 said:


> I'm not sure if I've already posted it or not, but I was cleaning a friends PC and he had a solid BAKED on disk of filth and tar on his radial heatsink.
> 
> It looked like a dehydrated pineapple ring



The f***


----------



## t_ski (Aug 22, 2012)

DanishDevil said:


> I'll have some for you guys within the next little bit. Been snapping one here and there at work.



Still waiting.... :shadedshu


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 23, 2012)

pantherx12 said:


> I'm not sure if I've already posted it or not, but I was cleaning a friends PC and he had a solid BAKED on disk of filth and tar on his radial heatsink.
> 
> It looked like a dehydrated pineapple ring


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Aug 23, 2012)




----------



## sneekypeet (Aug 23, 2012)

is that a mink or chinchilla coat that GPU fan is sporting?


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Aug 23, 2012)

sneekypeet said:


> is that a mink or chinchilla coat that GPU fan is sporting?



No idea, but it has to be some sort of dog.
Theres also this


----------



## pantherx12 (Aug 23, 2012)

Aceman.au said:


> The f***





Athlonite said:


> http://i.imgur.com/5c28C.gif





Kevinheraiz said:


> No idea, but it has to be some sort of dog.
> Theres also this
> http://i.imgur.com/DXdee.jpg





Excuse the blurryness I didn't take the photo, I also had to go through 80 pages on my friends tumblr to find this 






Seriously aside from the colour it had the texture and shape of pineapple  ( I didn't bite it)

Looks like Kevinheraiz has found one too


----------



## Norton (Aug 23, 2012)

pantherx12 said:


> Excuse the blurryness I didn't take the photo, I also had to go through 80 pages on my friends tumblr to find this
> 
> http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3m5e591Sl1qagcbuo1_1280.jpg
> 
> ...



Now we know where the Coneheads got their sex toys  






Sorry couldn't find a better pic.....


----------



## Aceman.au (Aug 23, 2012)

Jesus Christ those are nasty!


----------



## DanishDevil (Aug 24, 2012)

One of my customers.







Some people just don't get it :shadedshu


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Aug 24, 2012)

DanishDevil said:


> One of my customers.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120824/Capture001-20120824-095028.jpg
> 
> Some people just don't get it :shadedshu



O_O I've never seen dirt get on the bottom of the PSU


----------



## pantherx12 (Aug 24, 2012)

DanishDevil said:


> One of my customers.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120824/Capture001-20120824-095028.jpg
> 
> Some people just don't get it :shadedshu



Did they take a crap in that fan!?


----------



## Frick (Aug 24, 2012)

Kevinheraiz said:


> O_O I've never seen dirt get on the bottom of the PSU



Pretty common in that kind of setup.


----------



## HossHuge (Sep 19, 2012)

Don't know how that feather got there?


----------



## 3870x2 (Sep 19, 2012)

TIL that a lot of people on TPU own or work at computer shops.

I work as a Database Administrator.  I can post databases with dirty, nasty redundant data!


----------



## t_ski (Sep 19, 2012)

HossHuge said:


> Don't know how that feather got there?
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120919/2012-08-25 17.01.44.jpg



What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas


----------



## Tartaros (Sep 19, 2012)

Oh, a pity I didn't know this thread earlier. I recently cleaned 2 computers from a friend who were working 24/7 for 3 years and he smokes. I had the cases opened for days to ventilate them before cleaning because the smell of nicotine was so strong I could got cancer standing close to it. I could had take some pictures, it was terrifying  And one of the fans got a brownish perma color even after cleaning it.


----------



## Radical_Edward (Oct 9, 2012)

Not dirt, but still nasty in my book.







:shadedshu


----------



## t_ski (Oct 10, 2012)

I've seen a few of those.  I worked on a 80GB drive that some dumbass had an 8GB OS partition on and it had about 10% free space (I think maybe _after_ I cleaned it up) and I had to defrag it about 10 times (between Windows defrag and JK Defrag) to make it nice.  Of course, the other partition was totally empty.

I think the worst I remember seeing off the top of my head was about 69% total fragmentation.


----------



## GLD (Oct 10, 2012)

Some pretty dusty pics in this thread. ICK!

I gave up on canned air long ago and use my garage air compressor. I use it on the pc's often. I make sure to drain the air tank to get rid of any water now and then.

I have heard of motoctross/offroad riders spraying the underside of their bikes and fenders with silicone spray before a muddy race, to keep the mud from sticking. Anyone ever try silicon spray on heatsinks inside their pc? It could keep the dust from sticking.


----------



## newtekie1 (Oct 10, 2012)

Radical_Edward said:


> Not dirt, but still nasty in my book.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/121009/badfragsnip.jpg
> 
> ...



Yeah, but that is only an 20GB drive, how about a 3TB volume?


----------



## Radical_Edward (Oct 10, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> Yeah, but that is only an 20GB drive, how about a 3TB volume?
> 
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/Defrag.png



That's just wrong. :shadedshu

I'm cloning this Lady's 20GB drive to a 500GB drive now. No more space issues.


----------



## Athlonite (Oct 11, 2012)

I once had an HDD that was so fragmented that it just wouldn't read a complete file it could no longer boot into windows (3.11) had to format C:\ reinstall DOS 6.22 and windows 3.11 lol 

now I write up a list of things for customers to do at home which includes 

1: ChkDsk
2: Full Virus scan
3: Disk clean up
4: Defrag
5: Reboot 

to be done once a week and I tell them if it's not done it'll cost them twice as much to fix next time

seems to work for most 99% of them only the odd lazy prick who has to much money to care


----------



## YautjaLord (Oct 24, 2012)

I got some great B-rated stuff to show too; today was PC cleanup day & before i did that i took some photos of it so try not to be offended. 

Pics:



















Pics were taken with Samsung GT-S5570 so forgive me the poor photo quality.  Sorry. 

Other remarks: didn't cleaned it for about month & a half.


----------



## Techtu (Oct 25, 2012)

YautjaLord said:


> didn't cleaned it for about month & a half.



... Just a month and half?


----------



## YautjaLord (Oct 25, 2012)

Yup.  I didn't said it wasn't just dust but also old wall paint in there despite i cleaned it month & a half ago. Sarcasm much on your behalf?  jk Cheers.


----------



## Techtu (Oct 25, 2012)

YautjaLord said:


> Sarcasm much on your behalf?



Your English is good huh  

Just having a friendly laugh.


----------



## YautjaLord (Oct 25, 2012)

Me too. Cheers mate.


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 28, 2012)

about to clean my comp after a while. pics coming soon XD


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 28, 2012)




----------



## T4C Fantasy (Oct 28, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> http://i.imgur.com/gKVKf.jpg
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/T5jgP.jpg
> 
> ...



I laughed when I seen that even the back plate was dusty, what do u do have the tower in a closed off space near you so all your skin dust has nowhere to go but on the pc? lol ^^ what gpu is that? 

edit: everyone should tel lme what gpus they own in a pm and ill add them to the gpudb


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 28, 2012)

lol. its dusty for a reason, our place was renovated while the pc was still running so there is a lot of plaster of paris and paint dust there. also there is a subway station construction in the locality so that generates a ton of dust. not to mention im in the middle of the city. 

it was last cleaned ~2 months ago.
add to that two panaflow 110+ cfm fans and you have a air filter 

GPU is a GIGABYTE GTS450 OC2 from Barbaric Soul.


----------



## Techtu (Oct 28, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> http://i.imgur.com/gKVKf.jpg
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/T5jgP.jpg
> 
> ...



Is that deaded?


----------



## punisher186 (Oct 28, 2012)

Hardly bad, just some capacitor vomit.


----------



## T4C Fantasy (Oct 28, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> lol. its dusty for a reason, our place was renovated while the pc was still running so there is a lot of plaster of paris and paint dust there. also there is a subway station construction in the locality so that generates a ton of dust. not to mention im in the middle of the city.
> 
> it was last cleaned ~2 months ago.
> add to that two panaflow 110+ cfm fans and you have a air filter
> ...



http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/b658/GIGABYTE_GTS_450_OC2.html

 is this what your card looked like without the dust ^^


----------



## YautjaLord (Oct 28, 2012)

After my girlfriend, this will be the fav thread in TPU for me: watched the pics of your PC d.d.d while listening to Crowbar's "The Lasting Dose" & it was f***in' ace.  Keep headbanging.


----------



## Norton (Oct 28, 2012)

punisher186 said:


> http://i.imgur.com/mceQj.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/jb0l7.jpg
> 
> Hardly bad, just some capacitor vomit.



Someone left a snack in there!


----------



## sneekypeet (Oct 28, 2012)

was it tasty?


----------



## tttony (Oct 28, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> http://i.imgur.com/gKVKf.jpg
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/T5jgP.jpg
> 
> ...



 wow it would be interesting to see the "after" part


----------



## jboydgolfer (Oct 28, 2012)

GLD said:


> Some pretty dusty pics in this thread. ICK!
> 
> I gave up on canned air long ago and use my garage air compressor. I use it on the pc's often. I make sure to drain the air tank to get rid of any water now and then.
> 
> I have heard of motoctross/offroad riders spraying the underside of their bikes and fenders with silicone spray before a muddy race, to keep the mud from sticking. Anyone ever try silicon spray on heatsinks inside their pc? It could keep the dust from sticking.



 Doesn't that stuff breakdown @ higher temp's?
 I use air compressor as well , Wayyyy better than canned air. except for those who are not familiar with using one. like you said draining the moisture. I cant count how many times people have asked me what That little nipple @ the bottom of the tank is for.


----------



## YautjaLord (Oct 28, 2012)

To T4C:

2XGigabyte GTX 460 (factory OC'd) SLI.

To jboydgolfer:

Awesome band. Keep headbanging. 

Nuff of off-topic, sorry.


----------



## Athlonite (Oct 28, 2012)

punisher186 said:


> http://i.imgur.com/mceQj.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/jb0l7.jpg
> 
> Hardly bad, just some capacitor vomit.



I surprised that was even running with that many bulged/blown caps :shadedshu


----------



## punisher186 (Oct 29, 2012)

Norton said:


> Someone left a snack in there!
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/121028/crumbs.jpg


Damn!  You found my crouton.  I toast them on the CPU.



Athlonite said:


> I surprised that was even running with that many bulged/blown caps :shadedshu



It doesn't, I have to replace them.  I counted eight in total (a few look suspicious) so within the week I'm going to swap them, just not sure where to purchase them.


----------



## Radical_Edward (Oct 29, 2012)

punisher186 said:


> It doesn't, I have to replace them.  I counted eight in total (a few look suspicious) so within the week I'm going to swap them, just not sure where to purchase them.



http://www.badcaps.net/


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 29, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> http://i.imgur.com/gKVKf.jpg
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/T5jgP.jpg
> 
> ...



looks like abandoned place


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 29, 2012)

Techtu said:


> Is that deaded?


no  it works just fine



tttony said:


> wow it would be interesting to see the "after" part



sadly only cleaned the GPU and CPU till now and the ram so no pics.



micropage7 said:


> looks like abandoned place


i lol'd



T4C Fantasy said:


> http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/b658/GIGABYTE_GTS_450_OC2.html
> 
> is this what your card looked like without the dust ^^



well i cleaned it off, so it looks like this now


----------



## T4C Fantasy (Oct 29, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> no  it works just fine
> 
> 
> 
> ...



if you want me to use your gpu as the pic for the stats page make it as even as you can for the front, look at other gpus pics on tpu gpudb to see what I mean for a proper frontal shot ^^


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 29, 2012)

if want proper shot just ask. I'll bring in my dslr friend. these pics were taken with my phone. I'll make a white background too!!


----------



## Derek12 (Oct 29, 2012)

I don't have pics but try to figure a computer with daily use, sitting on floor, one smoker (my mom) and 3 cats opened after 8 years due to constant crashing and BSODing even after reinstall. The CPU fan was totally stopped due to cr*p. The mobo capacitors were vented and oozing liquid. That was when I didn't know almost anything of computers.


And every spring/summer my current computer is invaded by the thrips plague in my area, and I've to clean dead thrips inside even those trapped behind LCD screen


----------



## T4C Fantasy (Oct 29, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> if want proper shot just ask. I'll bring in my dslr friend. these pics were taken with my phone. I'll make a white background too!!



yeah man if you can do that I would love that, btw wtf phone took that hi res of a shot! lol its pretty good


----------



## brandonwh64 (Oct 29, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> http://i.imgur.com/gKVKf.jpg
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/T5jgP.jpg
> 
> ...



Dreaded India environment! Similar to the conditions of iraq, its very sandy and dusty! Should have seen my Pentium D machine after my second deployment.


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 29, 2012)

you took your machine with you :O


@t4Fantasy i have a nokia C6-00. it takes really good pictures


----------



## brandonwh64 (Oct 29, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> you took your machine with you :O
> 
> 
> @t4Fantasy i have a nokia C6-00. it takes really good pictures



Hells yea I did! I wasn't going to be gaming on some POS laptop! I rocked our lan parties with my desktop!


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 29, 2012)

LMAO! lanparty in iraq!!

btw learn how to make chappattis?


----------



## brandonwh64 (Oct 29, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> btw learn how to make chappattis?



Not yet, I need to get a recipe


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 29, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> Not yet, I need to get a recipe



check gn i posted it.


----------



## brandonwh64 (Oct 29, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> check gn i posted it.



OK will do!


----------



## t_ski (Oct 29, 2012)

T4C Fantasy said:


> edit: everyone should tel lme what gpus they own in a pm and ill add them to the gpudb





T4C Fantasy said:


> if you want me to use your gpu as the pic for the stats page make it as even as you can for the front, look at other gpus pics on tpu gpudb to see what I mean for a proper frontal shot ^^





T4C Fantasy said:


> yeah man if you can do that I would love that, btw wtf phone took that hi res of a shot! lol its pretty good



Please don't hijack my thread with your GPU quest.  Instead, start your own if you have not already.


----------



## _JP_ (Oct 29, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> http://i.imgur.com/gKVKf.jpg
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/T5jgP.jpg
> 
> ...



Nice camouflage. I almost failed to notice the computer.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Oct 30, 2012)




----------



## EiSFX (Oct 30, 2012)

Holy crap what happened to that video card/Heatsink?


----------



## t_ski (Oct 30, 2012)

I think that belongs in a "ghetto mod" thread...


----------



## sneekypeet (Oct 30, 2012)

t_ski said:


> I think that belongs in a "ghetto mod" thread...



IDK it is pretty nasty to look at, it just isn't filthy or rotten yet. Maybe this is the before image, give it a month or two


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 30, 2012)

dolan plz, gotwo rite thread.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Oct 30, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> dolan plz, gotwo rite thread.



gooby pls y cen i net pst hre


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 30, 2012)

dusty is fine as long as that pc runs well


----------



## THRiLL KiLL (Nov 15, 2012)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/23-vomworthy-broken-computers-will-make-you-want-t


----------



## YautjaLord (Nov 19, 2012)

*I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!!!*  This s**t is something really hillarious; the only thing funnier than that is any GWAR shows.


----------



## caleb (Nov 19, 2012)

wrrr I came here for Contact Center schoolgirls


----------



## Techtu (Nov 23, 2012)

I found this...


----------



## THE_EGG (Nov 23, 2012)

Techtu said:


> I found this...
> http://img.techpowerup.org/121123/dirtyy.jpg



oh shietttt!!!! WTF!!!!!>!??!?!?!

I'm guessing all the open bottles (example being the powerade bottles and the bottle closest to the edge of the table) have been used as toilets....

I don't even want to think about how/where he/she took their dumps D:


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 24, 2012)

I am mainly on about those place you walk in to but then again not as i have looked but not seen it on websites either.


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Nov 24, 2012)

Techtu said:


> I found this...
> http://img.techpowerup.org/121123/dirtyy.jpg



How the hell did they use the keyboard?


----------



## Techtu (Dec 4, 2012)

Found another...


----------



## INSTG8R (Dec 4, 2012)

THE_EGG said:


> oh shietttt!!!! WTF!!!!!>!??!?!?!
> 
> I'm guessing all the open bottles (example being the powerade bottles and the bottle closest to the edge of the table) have been used as toilets....
> 
> I don't even want to think about how/where he/she took their dumps D:



Instantly made me think of this. "Gotta Sh!tbucket?"


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 13, 2012)

Why i will never delid my proc


----------



## 1ceTr0n (Dec 14, 2012)

God I wish I had a camera during my backroom PC tech days at my first IT job. I saw shit that I thought wasn't possible:

_Cat urine on a new $2k Toshiba laptop,
15+ year old pepperoni bits in a resturant POS computer
Breakfast grease that smelled like maple syrup all over a PSU and CPU fan from a breakfast joint
A USB cable shoved into a NIC port
Pastachio nuts inside an HP laser print
Spider webs with dead cockroaches in a kids gaming computer
Lots of self nude pics/vids from webcams right on the desktop
CRAP loads of nasty smelling PC's from smokers houses with the dirt/dust mixed with smoking tar stuck to EVERYTHING inside the case
What really looked like pubic hair stuck in a mouse ball from a dirty looking old man who wanted his porn to load faster 
Dust bunnies so thick from being under a desk that it literally jammed the CD ROM tray into place
A huge wad of blonde air inhaled into the blower fan from an HP laptop that had "heat issues"_


----------



## Athlonite (Dec 14, 2012)

TacoTown said:


> http://i.imgur.com/zZQLB.jpg
> Why i will never delid my proc



 DOH  

That really has to suck for it's owner


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 17, 2012)

Fan melted right off the heatsink.


----------



## Frick (Dec 17, 2012)

Athlonite said:


> DOH
> 
> That really has to suck for it's owner



Hopefully he did it first on a bad chip. If not, yeah. 



TacoTown said:


> http://i.imgur.com/i5QrF.jpg
> Fan melted right off the heatsink.



Sounds like we want to see the underside of the heatsink too!


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 17, 2012)

Frick said:


> Hopefully he did it first on a bad chip. If not, yeah.
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds like we want to see the underside of the heatsink too!



It was an 980x (or so he says) and the bottom is perfectly fine, it was just cheap plastic that melted at around 100c


----------



## TB13 (Dec 19, 2012)

So I bought a 5770 off of craigslist and it ran extremely hot, so I replaced the thermal paste, but saw no difference in temps. So I pulled the heatsink off and found this






Didn't look to bad to me until I lifted the heatsink out of the shroud...






And here lies my issue, blew it out with my air compressor and reapplied TIM and the temps are down 20c with half the fan speed.


----------



## Aceman.au (Dec 19, 2012)

When I was doing work experience at a school I was made to clean and format and reinstall 30 old desktop PCs for fund raising for the school, thankfully this was the worst it got.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Dec 19, 2012)

TB13 said:


> So I bought a 5770 off of craigslist and it ran extremely hot, so I replaced the thermal paste, but saw no difference in temps. So I pulled the heatsink off and found this
> 
> http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo127/traxxasbasher13/IMG_20121218_174939_zpsf4c54e16.jpg
> 
> ...



Someone was a smoker.


----------



## Athlonite (Dec 19, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Someone was a smoker.



Na that's to light a colour for a smoker it'd be all brown and scungy looking if it was


----------



## de.das.dude (Dec 19, 2012)

not necessarily a tobacco smoker XD


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Dec 19, 2012)

Athlonite said:


> Na that's to light a colour for a smoker it'd be all brown and scungy looking if it was



Right. Could be cat hair then. Ive seen cat houses (no pun intended) PC's look like that.


----------



## Xenturion (Dec 19, 2012)

I always called Smoker-dust "AIDS Dust" back in my Geek Squad days. There are very few things as nasty and persistent. You know things are bad when you have to take the tower out to the Car Install Bay and blow it out with a tire hose. I try not to think about all the nice little friendly particles I inhaled working with some of those dust bins. The idea of computer "maintenance" doesn't really occur to some.


----------



## TB13 (Dec 19, 2012)

Athlonite said:


> Na that's to light a colour for a smoker it'd be all brown and scungy looking if it was



Yeah, it wasn't from smoke, the card is immaculate on the outside with now signs of smoke damage. It wasn't pet hair either, it was a fine gray dust that had just piled up in the heatsink.


----------



## The Von Matrices (Dec 19, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Someone was a smoker.



 I'm guessing the PC was on a carpet.  I have an area rug that releases tons of fibers and my radiator looks like that after about a year.  I clean it every six months now as a preventative measure.



Techtu said:


> Found another...
> http://img.techpowerup.org/121204/665461_425444177523426_1675005814_o.jpg



Is there a PC in there?  I can't find it.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 20, 2012)




----------



## segalaw19800 (Dec 20, 2012)

Techtu said:


> I found this...
> http://img.techpowerup.org/121123/dirtyy.jpg



Is that piss bottle over in the back


----------



## Athlonite (Dec 20, 2012)

TacoTown said:


> http://i.imgur.com/PBXBT.jpg



owned by a speed typist that can do 2000 words a minute  or maybe not either way it's no longer a keyboard its a keyput :shadedshu


----------



## t_ski (Dec 20, 2012)

segalaw19800 said:


> Is that piss bottle over in the back



About a dozen piss bottles :shadedshu


----------



## de.das.dude (Dec 20, 2012)

during my exams


----------



## newtekie1 (Dec 31, 2012)

Opened a case this week and found this growing inside:





I had to measure how tall they had gotten, 3/8":


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 31, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/121219/12122012788.jpg
> 
> during my exams



you have no air filter? 
now you have another reason to buy or make custom air filter


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 2, 2013)

IT'S ALIVEEEEeeeeeeee.........


----------



## OneMoar (Jan 2, 2013)

anyone thats ever pissed into a bottle and then accidentally drank it a week later say I


----------



## natr0n (Jan 2, 2013)

OneMoar said:


> anyone thats ever pissed into a bottle and then accidentally drank it a week later say I



Urine turns into ammonia after a few days. The smell alone would alert you before drinking.


----------



## OneMoar (Jan 2, 2013)

natr0n said:


> Urine turns into ammonia after a few days. The smell alone would alert you before drinking.


speaking from experience ?


----------



## HammerON (Jan 2, 2013)

Let's stay on topic please


----------



## Mussels (Jan 2, 2013)

i came to this thread for nasty PC action, and all i got was spam


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jan 2, 2013)

newtekie1 said:


> Opened a case this week and found this growing inside:
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/growing1.jpg
> 
> I had to measure how tall they had gotten, 3/8":
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/growing2.jpg



I would just set that thing on fire. Then I would light a candle, put on some Boy George and take a Lysol bath.


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 2, 2013)

HammerON said:


> Let's stay on topic please



Don't think you can avoid the question by using your MOD powers on us HammerON LOL 

and for my answer... NO I haven't ever done that my dunny is like 10' from where I sit


----------



## stefanels (Jan 4, 2013)




----------



## HossHuge (Jan 4, 2013)

stefanels said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/130103/1304550897OFGPuJch3o_1_1_l.jpg



Not sure what the spec on that computer is but it looks solid.

How could you let it get that bad....:shadedshu


----------



## t_ski (Jan 4, 2013)

That's what I was thinking


----------



## stefanels (Jan 4, 2013)

It's not mine... mine is cleaner


----------



## Random Murderer (Jan 4, 2013)

stefanels said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/130103/1304550897OFGPuJch3o_1_1_l.jpg


Wait a tick...
3 sticks of RAM. Not x79, x58 or old K6. WTF?



stefanels said:


> It's not mine... mine is cleaner
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130104/000_1151.jpg



A hell of a lot cleaner. Only dust buildup I see is under the blades of the GPU cooler, but i would imagine removing that plastic shroud/frame that holds those two fans is a PITA.
Other than that, the to-be-expected light dust over the heatsinks.


----------



## theubersmurf (Jan 4, 2013)

stefanels said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/130103/1304550897OFGPuJch3o_1_1_l.jpg


Love the cobwebs, any insect carcasses littering the bottom of the case? People who live out in the boonies sometimes get some interesting creepy-crawlies in their cases.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jan 5, 2013)

Someone just sent this to me.


----------



## brandonwh64 (Jan 5, 2013)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Someone just sent this to me.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130105/IMAG0137.jpg



Looks like my favorite motherboard.


----------



## HammerON (Jan 6, 2013)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Someone just sent this to me.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130105/IMAG0137.jpg



Nice
Have fun cleaning that mess


----------



## theubersmurf (Jan 6, 2013)

I like the bottom of the case, which looks to have a few mm of dust on it.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jan 6, 2013)

Here is another.


----------



## theubersmurf (Jan 6, 2013)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Here is another.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's growing I think.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jan 6, 2013)

Random Murderer said:


> Wait a tick...
> 3 sticks of RAM. Not x79, x58 or old K6. WTF?



If it were K6, aren't they single channel anyways?


----------



## Luke (Jan 7, 2013)

Just some photos of a system i had to deal with today from a vet clinic
No wonder it stopped working since temperatures around here are reaching 47c


----------



## Mussels (Jan 7, 2013)

uggh, reminds me of the old dells i had to clean out at work :/


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jan 7, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> If it were K6, aren't they single channel anyways?



Yeah k6 is single channel and wouldn't need 3 sticks of memory anyway LOL. I think depemding on the mobo they start flaking out over 128 mb of ram. Atleast the ones I had did. Ran fine with 128 but above that and they ran like a turd.


----------



## t_ski (Jan 7, 2013)

Luke said:


> Just some photos of a system i had to deal with today from a vet clinic
> No wonder it stopped working since temperatures around here are reaching 47c
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130106/20130107_102206.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130106/20130107_102230.jpg
> ...



You're lucky none of the caps have gone bad on that HP from it being too hot.


----------



## Luke (Jan 7, 2013)

t_ski said:


> You're lucky none of the caps have gone bad on that HP from it being too hot.



They had so i just tossed it in the bin and installed a new computer


----------



## t_ski (Jan 7, 2013)

Hmmm, didn't see any in the pics...


----------



## Jetster (Jan 7, 2013)

Luke said:


> Just some photos of a system i had to deal with today from a vet clinic
> No wonder it stopped working since temperatures around here are reaching 47c
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130106/20130107_102206.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130106/20130107_102230.jpg
> ...



It always amazes me how its not an issue until it stops working


----------



## Random Murderer (Jan 7, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> If it were K6, aren't they single channel anyways?





ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Yeah k6 is single channel and wouldn't need 3 sticks of memory anyway LOL. I think depemding on the mobo they start flaking out over 128 mb of ram. Atleast the ones I had did. Ran fine with 128 but above that and they ran like a turd.



Yeah, K6 is single channel, but there were quite a few boards that had 3 RAM slots.


----------



## The Von Matrices (Jan 8, 2013)

Random Murderer said:


> Yeah, K6 is single channel, but there were quite a few boards that had 3 RAM slots.



I remember having a socket 754 K8 Newcastle processor, and that processor was single channel but the boards supported three memory slots.  And you could use three dual-sided DIMMS, just at a significantly reduced memory speed.

Anyway, the picture in the original post is a Gigabyte X58 motherboard.  I used to own one very similar to it.  It has 4 memory slots due to space constraints since they couldn't fit 6.  Three DIMMS provide optimal bandwidth across all addresses.


----------



## The Von Matrices (Jan 8, 2013)

Luke said:


> Just some photos of a system i had to deal with today from a vet clinic
> No wonder it stopped working since temperatures around here are reaching 47c
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130106/20130107_102206.jpg
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130106/20130107_102230.jpg
> ...



And this is exactly who I don't own nor would ever want to own a pet.


----------



## cdawall (Jan 8, 2013)

The Von Matrices said:


> I remember having a socket 754 K8 Newcastle processor, and that processor was single channel but the boards supported three memory slots.  And you could use three dual-sided DIMMS, just at a significantly reduced memory speed.
> 
> Anyway, the picture in the original post is a Gigabyte X58 motherboard.  I used to own one very similar to it.  It has 4 memory slots due to space constraints since they couldn't fit 6.  Three DIMMS provide optimal bandwidth across all addresses.



Newcastle, sledgehammer and a couple others supported a 3 dimm single channel configuration. All of which were obviously s754. They supported 3 dimms at pc2700 speeds vs 2 dimms at pc3200. Wasnt exactly a major speed drop.


----------



## HossHuge (Jan 8, 2013)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Here is another.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I didn't know that computer cases came with wall to wall carpeting...


----------



## Jetster (Jan 8, 2013)

The Von Matrices said:


> And this is exactly who I don't own nor would ever want to own a pet.



Get a hairless cat


----------



## Xenturion (Jan 8, 2013)

Better yet, if you're going to have a pet, make it a Roomba.


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 8, 2013)

The Von Matrices said:


> And this is exactly who I don't own nor would ever want to own a pet.



You just need to bare in mind that that PC came out of an vets they must have thousands of animals go through a year your average joe cat or dog living at home will never be that bad unless your just a lazy biarch and don't bother to vacuum ya house and dust your machine out once in a while....... I own two cats one short hair and one fluffy non stop malter my PC never look as bad as in those pics ever


----------



## The Von Matrices (Jan 9, 2013)

Athlonite said:


> You just need to bare in mind that that PC came out of an vets they must have thousands of animals go through a year your average joe cat or dog living at home will never be that bad unless your just a lazy biarch and don't bother to vacuum ya house and dust your machine out once in a while....... I own two cats one short hair and one fluffy non stop malter my PC never look as bad as in those pics ever



Yes, you need to occasionally clean out the PC no matter what, but you don't get hair in the case unless you have pet.  It's also hard to argue that a home with a pet would be cleaner than one without given the same cleaning routine; if you have a pet, you need to clean more often to maintain the same level of cleanliness.  And I don't think the number of pets served by a veterinary clinic is a fair argument for the amount of junk in that case.  Unless the PC is in the waiting room of the clinic, the maximum number of pets that would be in the room with it is probably one or two at a time, which is no different than having pets in a home.  I'm sure veterinary clinics are also cleaned more frequently than an average home, not only to prevent the spread of disease but to maintain a good appearance for clients.  That PC is dirty due to a _combination_ of pet hair and neglect.


----------



## OneMoar (Jan 9, 2013)

The Von Matrices said:


> Yes, you need to occasionally clean out the PC no matter what, but you don't get hair in the case unless you have pet.  It's also hard to argue that a home with a pet would be cleaner than one without given the same cleaning routine; if you have a pet, you need to clean more often to maintain the same level of cleanliness.  And I don't think the number of pets served by a veterinary clinic is a fair argument for the amount of junk in that case.  Unless the PC is in the waiting room of the clinic, the maximum number of pets that would be in the room with it is probably one or two at a time, which is no different than having pets in a home.  I'm sure veterinary clinics are also cleaned more frequently than an average home, not only to prevent the spread of disease but to maintain a good appearance for clients.  That PC is dirty due to a _combination_ of pet hair and neglect.



I have 4 cats and 2 dogs in my home and I never get pet hair in any of my machines and I only vacuum once a week


----------



## Luke (Jan 9, 2013)

The Von Matrices said:


> Yes, you need to occasionally clean out the PC no matter what, but you don't get hair in the case unless you have pet.  It's also hard to argue that a home with a pet would be cleaner than one without given the same cleaning routine; if you have a pet, you need to clean more often to maintain the same level of cleanliness.  And I don't think the number of pets served by a veterinary clinic is a fair argument for the amount of junk in that case.  Unless the PC is in the waiting room of the clinic, the maximum number of pets that would be in the room with it is probably one or two at a time, which is no different than having pets in a home.  I'm sure veterinary clinics are also cleaned more frequently than an average home, not only to prevent the spread of disease but to maintain a good appearance for clients.  That PC is dirty due to a _combination_ of pet hair and neglect.



This machine was located in one of the consulting rooms where they examine the animals.
It also has probably not been cleaned in 6-7 Years.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jan 9, 2013)

OneMoar said:


> I have 4 cats and 2 dogs in my home and I never get pet hair in any of my machines and I only vacuum once a week



Thats because you live in an attic. The pets are downstairs enjoying the heater.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jan 9, 2013)

OneMoar said:


> 1. its not a attic
> 2. the dog/cat sleeps in my room because its warm



at·tic  
/ˈatik/Noun
A space or room just below the roof of a building.

You live in an attic


----------



## de.das.dude (Jan 9, 2013)




----------



## OneMoar (Jan 9, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/130109/09012013036.jpg



ewww furry


----------



## de.das.dude (Jan 9, 2013)

lol. just cleaned


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 12, 2013)

my stabilizer, after about 1 year needs to get cleaned 









cleaning and it looks like brand new again


----------



## Krazy Owl (Jan 12, 2013)

Dafuq guys! I live like 5 minutes from highway and have 4 cats in the place, a gf that loose her hairs like shit......i barely remove dust...my cmputer case is sitting on the floor with a 120mm sucking in and after 6 months i had found no dust like in what you show!  How can that happen ?


----------



## newtekie1 (Jan 12, 2013)

The Von Matrices said:


> And this is exactly who I don't own nor would ever want to own a pet.



I own 4 dogs and a cat, one of the dogs actually prefers to sleep right next to my computer. I think she likes the warmth.  My computer is also on a carpeted floor.  It doesn't look anything like that.  Dust filters and cleaning it out with a vacuum and some compressed air every 3-4 months keeps it very clean, and it only takes about 5 minutes of my time.



Krazy Owl said:


> Dafuq guys! I live like 5 minutes from highway and have 4 cats in the place, a gf that loose her hairs like shit......i barely remove dust...my cmputer case is sitting on the floor with a 120mm sucking in and *after 6 months* i had found no dust like in what you show!  How can that happen ?



Try letting it go for years.  Most of these PCs have probably never even had the side panel taken off since they were built.


----------



## Krazy Owl (Jan 12, 2013)

I change my setup before the years ... so no chance to get that much dust


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 12, 2013)

newtekie1 said:


> . * Dust filters and cleaning it out* with a vacuum and some compressed air every 3-4 months keeps it very clean, and it only takes about 5 minutes of my time.



And that's one reason I decided to buy an silverstone RV02B-W case it came with filters for all the fans except the one on the HDD cage but that hardly ever get crud on it anyways


----------



## de.das.dude (Jan 12, 2013)

my guardian 921rb has a filter only on the hdd fan and psu.
hdd one isnt removeable.


----------



## Peter1986C (Jan 12, 2013)

Use coffee filtering paper to cover the intake fan/vent holes, ddd. I did the same and it works (as long as your cooling creates a low pressure environment in your case).


----------



## de.das.dude (Jan 12, 2013)

we drink tea here. i doubt we will get coffee filtering paper.

i will try looking for alternatives. i did use air filter paper, but the filter gets clogged up to fast. in a day or two.


----------



## Peter1986C (Jan 12, 2013)

Maybe a piece of old shirt?


----------



## Random Murderer (Jan 12, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> Maybe a piece of old shirt?



Pantyhose.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jan 12, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> we drink tea here. i doubt we will get coffee filtering paper.
> 
> i will try looking for alternatives. i did use air filter paper, but the filter gets clogged up to fast. in a day or two.



I done told you once panty hose.


----------



## Frick (Jan 12, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> we drink tea here. i doubt we will get coffee filtering paper.





But yeah pantyhose is da boss. Seriously try it, it works quite well and one pair is cheap and lasts for miles. Buy XXXL.


----------



## Jetster (Jan 12, 2013)

LIke I'm gonna be seen buying a pair of triple X pantyhose. I have a rep to uphold


----------



## adulaamin (Jan 12, 2013)

You could use silk screen cloth... I did it before on my Antec 300 side panel fan intake... I think I still have the silk screen cloth dust filter i used before... I'll upload pics as soon as I find it... I had it stitched to velcro loops then I glued (used rugby so it's easy to remove/clean) the velcro hooks to the side panel... cost me less than a dollar and you could just remove and wash if ever it gets clogged with dust...


----------



## Frick (Jan 12, 2013)

Jetster said:


> LIke I'm gonna be seen buying a pair of triple X pantyhose. I have a rep to uphold



You go ahead and pretend that's true.


----------



## SaiZo (Jan 12, 2013)

I have found several computers.. In a dust room.. And none, I say none were even as dusty in comparison to some of the systems I have seen here!


----------



## Krazy Owl (Jan 13, 2013)

Frick said:


> But yeah pantyhose is da boss. Seriously try it, it works quite well and one pair is cheap and lasts for miles. Buy XXXL.



Man....just a trick like that. Never buy a pair of pantyhose that fits your size. That could give bad impression if you know what I mean.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jan 13, 2013)

Jetster said:


> LIke I'm gonna be seen buying a pair of triple X pantyhose. I have a rep to uphold



Get some beer, Nyquil, and lube with those pantyhose


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Apr 1, 2013)




----------



## Peter1986C (Apr 1, 2013)

What did you do with it after finding it there?


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Apr 1, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> What did you do with it after finding it there?



I put it in some rice to prevent water damage. This isn't actually mine btw I just thought it was funny.


----------



## _JP_ (Apr 1, 2013)

I bet it still works if cleaned and if no components have physical damage.


----------



## Mussels (Apr 2, 2013)

_JP_ said:


> I bet it still works if cleaned and if no components have physical damage.



the PSU has no wires. i think its gunna work fine.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Apr 2, 2013)

Mussels said:


> the PSU has no wires. i think its gunna work fine.



It's energy efficient.


----------



## Peter1986C (Apr 2, 2013)

Mussels said:


> the PSU has no wires. i think its gunna work fine.



Well observed.



TacoTown said:


> It's energy efficient.



Well played.


----------



## TB13 (Apr 9, 2013)

I bought a 8800GT off some dude the other day and it ran really hot so I decided to replace the TIM, this is what I found... Do you think they could have used a bit more TIM?


----------



## t_ski (Apr 9, 2013)

I remember seeing an article where they published the repair instructions for one of the Macbooks.  In it, it said to use the entire tube of thermal paste, and the people responding to the article were showing gobs and gobs of thermal paste on their chips.  WTF.


----------



## TB13 (Apr 9, 2013)

t_ski said:


> I remember seeing an article where they published the repair instructions for one of the Macbooks.  In it, it said to use the entire tube of thermal paste, and the people responding to the article were showing gobs and gobs of thermal paste on their chips.  WTF.



This?


----------



## The Von Matrices (Apr 9, 2013)

TacoTown's pictures make me laugh when I see that the processor is still there.  It's obvious that whoever encountered it first took all the wires for the copper, but if I came across it, the first thing I would take would be the processor.


----------



## Batou1986 (Apr 9, 2013)

TB13 said:


> This?
> 
> http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7541/lol1qe.jpg



my god its horrible


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 9, 2013)

lol thats a lot of paste. plus iTs mispelled as daub? shouldnt it be a dab of ...?


----------



## Frick (Apr 9, 2013)

Shouldn't there be those thermal pads there? If so that might be an attempt on recreating them, sort of.


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 9, 2013)

true, since ram chips can vary in height, you need to use thermal pads. the foam ones.

in guessing, he wanted to compensate with a lot of paste.


----------



## sneekypeet (Apr 9, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> lol thats a lot of paste. plus iTs mispelled as daub? shouldnt it be a dab of ...?



daub is grammatically correct...http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daub


----------



## t_ski (Apr 9, 2013)

TB13 said:


> This?
> 
> http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7541/lol1qe.jpg



yep, that's the one :shadedshu


----------



## Mussels (Apr 10, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> lol thats a lot of paste. plus iTs mispelled as daub? shouldnt it be a dab of ...?



american vs british english


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Apr 21, 2013)




----------



## micropage7 (Apr 21, 2013)

TacoTown said:


> http://i.imgur.com/SpcPOpk.jpg


just little rust?
i guess old school case has good material
just clean up repaint it and it would rock


----------



## _JP_ (Apr 21, 2013)

TacoTown said:


> http://i.imgur.com/SpcPOpk.jpg


IRL Farmville compatible.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Apr 28, 2013)

micropage7 said:


> just little rust?
> i guess old school case has good material
> just clean up repaint it and it would rock



Not rust, it's sand. This one doesn't float so well.


----------



## micropage7 (Apr 28, 2013)

TacoTown said:


> Not rust, it's sand. This one doesn't float so well.


really? 
if i was you, im gonna take that case home and mod it
at least paint it and plan new build with that


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Apr 28, 2013)

micropage7 said:


> really?
> if i was you, im gonna take that case home and mod it
> at least paint it and plan new build with that



If you wanna give me a dremel, and some decent gear to put in it ill do it. Side note, I will sell the case for $700 dollars..


----------



## micropage7 (Apr 28, 2013)

TacoTown said:


> If you wanna give me a dremel, and some decent gear to put in it ill do it. Side note, I will sell the case for $700 dollars..



hehe.. maybe one of the member interested


----------



## newtekie1 (May 9, 2013)

Don't smoke kids:


----------



## Random Murderer (May 9, 2013)

newtekie1 said:


> Don't smoke kids:
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/smoker.jpg~original



I hope that's not one of your systems


----------



## newtekie1 (May 9, 2013)

Random Murderer said:


> I hope that's not one of your systems



Nope.


----------



## Jstn7477 (May 9, 2013)

newtekie1 said:


> Don't smoke kids:
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/smoker.jpg~original



I wonder how well the thermal armor protects against smokers and their sticky tar dust.


----------



## cdawall (May 9, 2013)

Ton of highend components in there ruined by smokers :/


----------



## Random Murderer (May 9, 2013)

newtekie1 said:


> Nope.



Good, I'd expect better from you


----------



## Athlonite (May 10, 2013)

I *used* to smoke next to my computer but damn I never ever had that much crud in my system thanks a regular cleaning schedule it just makes me wonder how many fags an hour would that take to accomplish such a yuk state, kinda reminds me of some the jap import cars we used to get in at the car valets I used to work at we'd spray em with enviro green and stand back while all the tar would melt and run off


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jun 21, 2013)




----------



## Random Murderer (Jun 21, 2013)

Some people just don't deserve nice PCs :shadedshu


----------



## Sasqui (Jun 21, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/JyMDKkw.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/4601GBH.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/QnrWZ0v.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/eRkExd9.jpg



First step:


----------



## t_ski (Jun 21, 2013)

Sasqui said:


> First step:
> 
> http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_9hseiPxK4/UJZudbjso8I/AAAAAAAAEnk/gRgkJMTmru8/s640/leaf+blower.jpg



i lol'ed


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Jun 21, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/JyMDKkw.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/4601GBH.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/QnrWZ0v.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/eRkExd9.jpg



OMFG, that is filthy. How long was it left for?


----------



## Sasqui (Jun 21, 2013)

t_ski said:


> i lol'ed



I've done that to one of my PC's, followed by 150 psi air compressor with blow nozzle.  Nice breezy day out in the driveway


----------



## RCoon (Jun 21, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/JyMDKkw.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/4601GBH.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/QnrWZ0v.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/eRkExd9.jpg



I've seen this situation before in a home where there are a great deal of spiders, smokers and in quite dusty countries. Wouldnt be surprised if this happened over a few months in a poor location.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jun 21, 2013)

tigger said:


> OMFG, that is filthy. How long was it left for?



No idea, it wasn't mine.


----------



## de.das.dude (Jun 21, 2013)

RCoon said:


> I've seen this situation before in a home where there are a great deal of spiders, smokers and in quite dusty countries. Wouldnt be surprised if this happened over a few months in a poor location.



it takes around 6 months or less for it to get that dirty here. minus the cobwebs. spiders are small here.


----------



## t_ski (Jun 21, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> it takes around 6 months or less for it to get that dirty here. minus the cobwebs. *spiders are small here*.



Maybe this is the house that came from?


----------



## d1nky (Jun 21, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/JyMDKkw.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/4601GBH.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/QnrWZ0v.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/eRkExd9.jpg



please say thats a mod.... 6/10


----------



## xvi (Jun 21, 2013)

How have I not seen this before?

Bumping to sub. Everyone's seen a bad case, I'm sure. I heard a rumor that dryer freshener cloths work well as a ghetto-mod fan filter. Confirm/deny?

Also, I've heard of issues using an air compressor. Something about static buildup? Also, there's issues of the condensation being spit out the nozzle, so I was thinking about getting a water trap (like for paint sprayers). Anyone heard of this?


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 21, 2013)

Dryer sheets will work, but are rather closed off and will impede air flow. I prefer women's stockings/Nylons, to use for ghetto fan filters.


----------



## stinger608 (Jun 21, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> I prefer women's stockings/Nylons, to use for ghetto fan filters.



Is that after you try them on Sneeky? 

Just kidding brother! Your right man, they work awesome.


----------



## Radical_Edward (Jun 21, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> Dryer sheets will work, but are rather closed off and will impede air flow. I prefer women's stockings/Nylons, to use for ghetto fan filters.



The open cell foam that's included with mobos, GPUs, etc. works pretty well.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 21, 2013)

Radical_Edward said:


> The open cell foam that's included with mobos, GPUs, etc. works pretty well.



If it is thin enough, yes!

@ stinger....Shhhhhhhh!


----------



## d1nky (Jun 21, 2013)

the only things i use stockings for is: my head, K&N air filters and wearing tonight!

stockings work on motorbikes pretty good, especially in sand! so i think ya safe!


----------



## Random Murderer (Jun 21, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> Dryer sheets will work, but are rather closed off and will impede air flow. I prefer women's stockings/Nylons, to use for ghetto fan filters.



Man, you and I have been telling people that for years here and yet it seems we're still the only ones that use them, lol


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 21, 2013)

Random Murderer said:


> Man, you and I have been telling people that for years here and yet it seems we're still the only ones that use them, lol



easy to do and cheap to source, especially with a woman in the house, why bother using anything else?


----------



## Norton (Jun 21, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> easy to do and cheap to source, especially with a woman in the house, why bother using anything else?



These Scotch Brite pads also make decent filters 






Available in a variety of sizes and colors too if you look around a bit


----------



## natr0n (Jun 21, 2013)

I love finding grimy computers. I blow them out, strip and wash them like new.


I gave my friend a restored system and then he gave it to his friend when he got a laptop.


----------



## Random Murderer (Jun 21, 2013)

Norton said:


> These Scotch Brite pads also make decent filters
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130621/Scotch Brite.jpg
> 
> Available in a variety of sizes and colors too if you look around a bit



I've used those before. I found pantyhose to be cheaper and easier to work with.
Not to discount those Scotch Brite pads, they do an excellent job.


----------



## de.das.dude (Jun 21, 2013)

this might sound funny, bit i removed the filters from my cabinet. the dust just passes through. filters just get clogged with dust and stop functioning. specially un-removeable ones.


----------



## newtekie1 (Jun 21, 2013)

Sasqui said:


> First step:
> 
> http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_9hseiPxK4/UJZudbjso8I/AAAAAAAAEnk/gRgkJMTmru8/s640/leaf+blower.jpg



No, I'm sorry, this is the first step:






I f'n hate spiders!  In fact this should probably be done to the whole house, just to be safe.


----------



## de.das.dude (Jun 22, 2013)

lol. i like those wobbly legged ones. they are funny.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jun 28, 2013)




----------



## RCoon (Jun 28, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/Gz0Tzxs.jpg



That looks like something a woman would do, because of their love of cushions.

Copper shim? Cushions? Copper Cushion shim? WIN


----------



## de.das.dude (Jun 28, 2013)

is that a .... copper foil sachet filled with liquid? thats a good idea XD


----------



## cdawall (Jun 28, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> is that a .... copper foil sachet filled with liquid? thats a good idea XD



Also known as a vapor chamber like what you find in the XFX DD cards and sapphire vapor-x cards.


----------



## Geofrancis (Jun 28, 2013)

The worst one I came across was when I was buying a HP laptop to repair and sell. Everything was supposed to be ok with it apart from the keyboard was missing and so was the DVD and hard drive that's all fine and replaceable I thought. So I ordered all the new parts and a new quad core for it and once they arrived I started to strip down the laptop and as soon as I took the top case I could see it blue/black coloured MOULD!!! It was everywhere and had started corroding the motherboard that greenish colour copper goes when it corrodes. It was properly nasty I had to scrub the motherboard and case with a toothbrush and water to try and get everything. My best guess is that a can of beer got emptied inside it and they didn't know how to take it apart so took the hdd,DVD and keyboard off to hide the damage. I wish I had a photo.


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Jun 28, 2013)

Norton said:


> These Scotch Brite pads also make decent filters
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130621/Scotch Brite.jpg
> 
> Available in a variety of sizes and colors too if you look around a bit



That's a great idea


----------



## RCoon (Jun 28, 2013)

sweetydcruze said:


> Nice photography man keep it up
> wordpress developer



You have to physically put that link in to your comments every time, so either you're a spammer (I sure hope not), or you're new and dont know where the signature edit function is. I'll assume you're just new, so here's the link to edit your signature, so you can put that link of yours in the right place, and look less suspicious.


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 28, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/JyMDKkw.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/4601GBH.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/QnrWZ0v.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/eRkExd9.jpg



eeek... they just ruin their own pc
i dunno whats on their mind, 
they just think i dont give a d#mn as long as my pc run


----------



## HossHuge (Jul 14, 2013)

Just cleaned out my computer.


----------



## de.das.dude (Jul 14, 2013)

in the bathroom?


----------



## d1nky (Jul 14, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> in the bathroom?



if its that dirty i would of done it outside LOL


----------



## HossHuge (Jul 14, 2013)

d1nky said:


> if its that dirty i would of done it outside LOL



That was the plan until it started to rain.


----------



## silkstone (Jul 14, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/Gz0Tzxs.jpg



What is that? I can;t tell what I am looking at.


----------



## SimpleTECH (Jul 14, 2013)

Here's an old pic of my MSI Twin Frozr R7950 w/ Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer.  Was used for Bitcoin mining for several months with light cleaning in between.  The photo below is when I hadn't cleaned it for about 2 weeks.  






After cleaning it with my Metro Vacuum ED500:


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jul 26, 2013)

oh well its not from me but from a random WTF computer post on facebook





hum ... 
at last the owner has the reason why his fan stoped working ... and judging by the lizard look ... it has been a long time before he'd notice it ...

i posted it somewhere else but thanks to Random Murderer now i know that topic 
i had many computer and many dust problem but now i dont have any i learned the lesson and unluckly i didnt take any pics of them ... but i might have some pic of gpu i brought for cheap and surprise i got when i dismantled them to clean and refresh TIM...time for diging thru imageshack pics and BRB.

1st a generic Nvidia 9800GT 1gb from HP











and the one who sold me this stated "not working anymore overheat like mad, dunno why"

2nd ASUS Radeon 4870 512mb same excuse for "non working state"














As i said in nostalgic hardware club ... DONT CLOSE YOUR COMPUTER CASE IF YOUR CAT IS MISSING!!!





also ... buisness class dont mean no cleaning needed but its far better than some comp i've seen here...


----------



## Athlonite (Jul 27, 2013)

HOW the F@&% do you get a lizard stuck in your fan and not feckin know about it until it's a mummified husk


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jul 27, 2013)

Athlonite said:


> HOW the F@&% do you get a lizard stuck in your fan and not feckin know about it until it's a mummified husk



i absolutely dont know either ... just like : HOW CAN YOU CLOSE YOUR CASE WITH A CAT INSIDE! ok im joking but the amount of fur i found inside those 2 card tells me the cat wasnt outside!


----------



## Athlonite (Jul 27, 2013)

yeah the cat fur thing happens alot when you own a cat and don't have fan filters


----------



## Frick (Jul 27, 2013)

SimpleTECH said:


> Here's an old pic of my MSI Twin Frozr R7950 w/ Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer.  Was used for Bitcoin mining for several months with light cleaning in between.  The photo below is when I hadn't cleaned it for about 2 weeks.
> 
> http://oi41.tinypic.com/2crwth1.jpg
> 
> ...



That's a lot of stuff in two weeks. Where do you live?


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jul 27, 2013)

Frick said:


> That's a lot of stuff in two weeks. Where do you live?



i bet the rig is in the garage and he's a ... hum ... 







LUMBERJACK!!!!  "IM OUT, dont hit me!" it really look like it was wood sawdust


----------



## de.das.dude (Jul 27, 2013)

lizard guy is sick. rotten lizards smell really really foul. we had one get trapped and elecricuted in a electric box, we didnt know where the smell was coming. smells as bad as rotten corpses.


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jul 27, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> lizard guy is sick. rotten lizards smell really really foul. we had one get trapped and elecricuted in a electric box, we didnt know where the smell was coming. smells as bad as rotten corpses.



not small one like that and when dried like that they dont smell at all (oh well not the noticeable rotten usual scent) its not rotten its dried.

but indeed when rotten they smell like any rotten creature (or human)


----------



## t_ski (Jul 27, 2013)

Electrical contractors tore out old CAt5 when they demoed areas and then ran new CAT6 from remodel areas back to the existing network closet.  Then they had to move the patch panels around in the switches.  This is what we were left with:







Yes, that orange cable you see is fiber, and in one place it's completely looped around two of the CAT6 cables.  I was pissed when I saw that.


----------



## ehume (Jul 27, 2013)

A nightmare in blue . . .and yellow, and orange -- and the blending of the cables makes me think I'm seeing green sometimes.


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jul 27, 2013)

Damn T, you have about a month worth of work there to straighten that out.


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jul 27, 2013)

t_ski said:


> Electrical contractors tore out old CAt5 when they demoed areas and then ran new CAT6 from remodel areas back to the existing network closet.  Then they had to move the patch panels around in the switches.  This is what we were left with:
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130727/spaghetti.jpg
> 
> Yes, that orange cable you see is fiber, and in one place it's completely looped around two of the CAT6 cables.  I was pissed when I saw that.



get tha Salsa its spaghetti time!

 ... i quoted this after making that comment and noticed only now the name of the image 

ahahah mind reading!


----------



## t_ski (Jul 27, 2013)

Label all the cables, take the closet down after hours and rewire it should be a few hours at least.  I think I do it fairly quickly.


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jul 27, 2013)

t_ski said:


> Label all the cables, take the closet down after hours and rewire it should be a few hours at least.  I think I do it fairly quickly.



unless your avatar state the truth!


----------



## t_ski (Jul 27, 2013)

GreiverBlade said:


> unless your avatar state the truth!



Lol that usually only refers to my personal endeavors.  The business one always get


----------



## de.das.dude (Jul 28, 2013)

GreiverBlade said:


> not small one like that and when dried like that they dont smell at all (oh well not the noticeable rotten usual scent) its not rotten its dried.
> 
> but indeed when rotten they smell like any rotten creature (or human)



the one stuck in our place was a small one. older ones are smarter not to mess with 220V XD

its true they dont smell after drying up.


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 26, 2013)

just found from FB 




https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...32314513451668&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf


----------



## Aceman.au (Sep 26, 2013)

Dear baby jesus...


----------



## DanishDevil (Sep 26, 2013)

It gives a new meaning to the furry donut, aka FurMark...


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Oct 3, 2013)




----------



## natr0n (Oct 3, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/lv8UnOr.jpg



"Hey your dust has a motherboard in it"


----------



## MxPhenom 216 (Oct 3, 2013)

t_ski said:


> Electrical contractors tore out old CAt5 when they demoed areas and then ran new CAT6 from remodel areas back to the existing network closet.  Then they had to move the patch panels around in the switches.  This is what we were left with:
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130727/spaghetti.jpg
> 
> Yes, that orange cable you see is fiber, and in one place it's completely looped around two of the CAT6 cables.  I was pissed when I saw that.



Holy crap! I worked at Microsoft for the last year doing lab technician stuff, and was taught to cable things the completely opposite way.


----------



## t_ski (Oct 3, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/lv8UnOr.jpg



That looks like Des.das.dude's PC



MxPhenom 216 said:


> Holy crap! I worked at Microsoft for the last year doing lab technician stuff, and was taught to cable things the completely opposite way.



I forgot to mention that this pic was after I had to separate some of the patch panels to put in cable management that they forgot to 

I still haven't had the time to clean that up.  Kinda hard to when you have six people doing the work of ten


----------



## newtekie1 (Oct 3, 2013)

This was a _woman's_ laptop. I'm glad I didn't have to go to her house.


----------



## Jetster (Oct 3, 2013)

I'm sure there is some DNA on it


----------



## Mussels (Oct 3, 2013)

i'd charge extra to work on that. health hazard.


----------



## Doc41 (Oct 3, 2013)

Damn, some of the pics here are just......"shudders", and Sir B. where do you find those pics

I've encountered some nasty PC's but most weren't as bad as some here.
 Currently at work so I'll update post after I return home and dig through the files (just switched to and SSD so new windows and I think most related files were on previous HDD T-T)


----------



## SKBARON (Oct 3, 2013)

newtekie1 said:


> This was a _woman's_ laptop. I'm glad I didn't have to go to her house.
> 
> http://tpuminecraft.servebeer.com/pictures/Nasty1.jpg
> http://tpuminecraft.servebeer.com/pictures/Nasty2.jpg
> ...





The only question that comes into my mind is how old is that laptop, how much time did it take her to "make it that beautiful".


----------



## newtekie1 (Oct 3, 2013)

SKBARON said:


> The only question that comes into my mind is how old is that laptop, how much time did it take her to "make it that beautiful".



Its about 3-ish years old.


----------



## SKBARON (Oct 3, 2013)

newtekie1 said:


> Its about 3-ish years old.



It took 3 years for that person to realize the pc needs cleaning? Holy molly...


----------



## newtekie1 (Oct 3, 2013)

SKBARON said:


> It took 3 years for that person to realize the pc needs cleaning? Holy molly...



Nope, they didn't bring it in for cleaning. They bought a new laptop and wanted me to transfer the data.  They had no issues with the dirt on the old one.:shadedshu


----------



## Red_Machine (Oct 3, 2013)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> http://i.imgur.com/lv8UnOr.jpg



That's sand.  Was that taken with someone on deployment or something?


----------



## Frick (Oct 3, 2013)

Red_Machine said:


> That's sand.  Was that taken with someone on deployment or something?



Looks like sawdust to me.


----------



## Random Murderer (Oct 3, 2013)

Frick said:


> Looks like sawdust to me.



Looks like classic smokers' dust to me.


----------



## xvi (Oct 3, 2013)

t_ski said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/130727/spaghetti.jpg
> Yes, that orange cable you see is fiber, and in one place it's completely looped around two of the CAT6 cables.  I was pissed when I saw that.





MxPhenom 216 said:


> Holy crap! I worked at Microsoft for the last year doing lab technician stuff, and was taught to cable things the completely opposite way.




Our philosophy at work is 





> "Do you really need that cable there? Like, _really_ need?"
> Well, yeah. It gives me a gigabit connection between my laptop and desktop. Without it, I'd have to transfer files over the office WiFi which is considerably slower (costing you extra man-hours, I might add)
> "..but do you _REEEEALLLLLLYYY_ need it? Your desk just looks so messy. Could you tidy it up a bit?"
> Well, I have to be able to work on these radios and various computers that come in.
> "Just clean your desk." *walks off*



I'm just kidding, of course. They usually just skip to the last line there. Keeps things tidy though.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Oct 8, 2013)

Random Murderer said:


> Looks like classic smokers' dust to me.



It was the pc in the woodshop of a friend's house. Chances are lots of smoking was done in there as well.


----------



## droopyRO (Oct 19, 2013)

Nothing fancy, just an old photo of an old pc from a old house.


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 8, 2014)

a projector
still works but like no one pay attention to that dust or they just dont care as long as it works??


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 8, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> a projector
> still works but like no one pay attention to that dust or they just dont care as long as it works??



Maybe they cant get it out of that beefy cage to clean it


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 8, 2014)

tigger said:


> Maybe they cant get it out of that beefy cage to clean it


he he he.. if they wanna clean it just using paint brush and done, at least the dust doesnt acumulate like that. 
so i just think that no one give attention to that, yeahh its dusty but it runs well so thats fine.. too bad


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 8, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> he he he.. if they wanna clean it just using paint brush and done, at least the dust doesnt acumulate like that.
> so i just think that no one give attention to that, yeahh its dusty but it runs well so thats fine.. too bad



I'm guessing that there is probably a lot of dust inside, maybe clogging the fan etc though, eventually it will overheat and die. Some companies do not figure maintenance into the cost of expensive electronic equipment I guess.


----------



## de.das.dude (Mar 8, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> he he he.. if they wanna clean it just using paint brush and done, at least the dust doesnt acumulate like that.
> so i just think that no one give attention to that, yeahh its dusty but it runs well so thats fine.. too bad


brushing will only clean the dust outside.


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 8, 2014)

de.das.dude said:


> brushing will only clean the dust outside.


true, at least from outside its clean


----------



## de.das.dude (Mar 8, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> true, at least from outside its clean


doesnt matter if its clean on the outside lol.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 8, 2014)

de.das.dude said:


> doesnt matter if its clean on the outside lol.



yes it does. that crap on the outside is slowly working its way inside.

the outside being cleaner will slow the mess going inside.


----------



## Athlonite (Mar 9, 2014)

from the looks of the amount of dust on the outside I would say it's already to late for the inside... It needs to be taken down opened up and cleaned out properly the hotter the internals get the shorter it's life span


----------



## manofthem (Mar 9, 2014)

Nothing like a dirty filthy radiator.  Should be better from now on since it's inside the case with a dust filter.


----------



## natr0n (Mar 9, 2014)

I was about to post how this thread needs more filth and such.
Bing search I haven't seen this one yet.


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 9, 2014)

natr0n said:


> I was about to post how this thread needs more filth and such.
> Bing search I haven't seen this one yet.


dammm, looks like sound dampening foam


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 9, 2014)

natr0n said:


> I was about to post how this thread needs more filth and such.
> Bing search I haven't seen this one yet.



Good god, that person should not be allowed to own a PC, disgusting, wonder what his crib is like.


----------



## _JP_ (Mar 9, 2014)

Between that and glass wool, I don't know what's worse...


----------



## t_ski (Mar 9, 2014)

It's to be expected, as it's from a Dell


----------



## YautjaLord (Mar 9, 2014)

natr0n said:


> I was about to post how this thread needs more filth and such.
> Bing search I haven't seen this one yet.



Daf*ck? lol Wonder how the bugs & such feel inside this bug infested dome. Probably comfy & sh*t.


----------



## purecain (Mar 14, 2014)

we've all fixed a pc in a stinking house with stuffed pets and opened the pc case to find a whole ecological system starting...

cant beat breathing it all in when your cleaning it....


----------



## Athlonite (Mar 14, 2014)

purecain said:


> we've all fixed a pc in a stinking house with stuffed pets and opened the pc case to find a whole ecological system starting...
> 
> cant beat breathing it all in when your cleaning it....



I use a dust mask and a can of air and do it out side


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 14, 2014)

natr0n said:


> I was about to post how this thread needs more filth and such.
> Bing search I haven't seen this one yet.



A little frosting and you'll have the coolest birthday cake ever!  Yummm...


----------



## natr0n (Mar 14, 2014)

This is somewhat relevant. Just changed air conditioners airfilter make sure you guys check yours out.


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 9, 2014)

just in 2 days, d#mn that dust
i guess i need clean it more often


----------



## Frick (Jun 9, 2014)

Aye I really don't know why my home is so dusty. I blame my magnetic personality.

EDIT: Seriously though, those duster things in many colours are very good. Get one and wipe once a day and it will look good.


----------



## THE_EGG (Jun 9, 2014)

natr0n said:


> This is somewhat relevant. Just changed air conditioners airfilter make sure you guys check yours out.


I clean mine out every 3 months.   I learnt the hard way, a few years ago my air-con was spurting out water. Apparently the airfilters were clogging airflow enough to cause condensation to form and then it was blown out.


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 9, 2014)

Frick said:


> Aye I really don't know why my home is so dusty. I blame my magnetic personality.
> 
> EDIT: Seriously though, those duster things in many colours are very good. Get one and wipe once a day and it will look good.



yeah, i usually wipe it with microfiber, in 2 days usually not much


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jun 9, 2014)

No matter how many times I mop a week and clean my desks (All glass tables) they are covered in dust in about a day and a half. I spend half my time gaming and the other half dusting and cleaning.


----------



## RCoon (Jun 9, 2014)

TheMailMan78 said:


> No matter how many times I mop a week and clean my desks (All glass tables) they are covered in dust in about a day and a half. I spend half my time gaming and the other half dusting and cleaning.



I can picture Mailman with a mop and pinney now, singing The Sound of Music while he sweeps the decks.


----------



## Ferrum Master (Jun 9, 2014)

Most the dust comes from our skin, other from outdoor. I clean usually my PC once in two weeks. Nothing really builds up much...

Get rid us useless stuff at home, don't change yer socks, sheets and undress women and etc stuff things near your PC. I don't open up my windows during day due to traffic it gets really nasty and dirty.

Cleaning rooms once in two days is the bare minimum really... If you live alone... If not then more often...


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 9, 2014)

i usually clean my desk once a week, but cleaning my case every 2 or 3 days depends on how bad the dust


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Jun 9, 2014)

Clean


----------



## Mussels (Jun 9, 2014)

i feel like my PC's hygiene is questionable now.


----------



## t_ski (Jun 9, 2014)

I have at least three air filters running 24/7 in my office (~300 sq/ft).  They're called crunchers...


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Jun 9, 2014)

RCoon said:


> I can picture Mailman with a mop and pinney now, singing The Sound of Music while he sweeps the decks.


I do a lot of mopping. My whole house is tile and glass.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jun 9, 2014)

TheMailMan78 said:


> I do a lot of mopping. My whole house is tile and glass.


ill give you all my gear in dayz if you mop my house


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 9, 2014)

my biggest gripe is the Pinex tiles on the ceiling even though they're painted there's minute gaps between them if it get breezy outside the dust from those just falls like invisible snow


----------



## Aceman.au (Jun 10, 2014)

I havent cleaned my case in months since I have no air compressor. I'll take photos when I get an air compressor


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 11, 2014)

Aceman.au said:


> I havent cleaned my case in months since I have no air compressor. I'll take photos when I get an air compressor


good idea, before and after
maybe its a good idea to create another club "cleaning club"
so post it before and after you clean it


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 14, 2014)

found from internet, but i forgot where


----------



## THE_EGG (Jun 14, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> found from internet, but i forgot where



Well I guess there won't any risk of cutting yourself on the heatsink fins -.- furry.


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 24, 2014)

found from the net
it must be easy to clean it up, just buy paint brush


----------



## _JP_ (Jun 24, 2014)

Oh gee, inside it must be lovely.


----------



## ruff0r (Jun 24, 2014)

A friend was asking me why WoW was slowing down. The Answer


----------



## Jetster (Jun 24, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> found from the net
> it must be easy to clean it up, just buy paint brush



Looks like every PC at my work


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jul 10, 2014)




----------



## Toothless (Jul 10, 2014)

A techie friend of mine went to a house call. The owner was a HEAVY chain smoker, keep that in mind.

So he went there because he was told that the desktop was running slow, so he opened it up.

Inside there was an *1/8th inch thick of pure nicotine* coating everything inside the desktop.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jul 10, 2014)

Lightbulbie said:


> A techie friend of mine went to a house call. The owner was a HEAVY chain smoker, keep that in mind.
> 
> So he went there because he was told that the desktop was running slow, so he opened it up.
> 
> Inside there was an *1/8th inch thick of pure nicotine* coating everything inside the desktop.


Yup! Just cleaned a pc yesterday that was on 24/7 for close to 8 years in a house with 2 cats, and a heavy smoker. Huge clumps of dirt everywhere, and apparently sharp edges because it gave me this



Spoiler


----------



## natr0n (Jul 10, 2014)

Oh how I want to use a shopvac blower right now.

here fannybottom


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jul 13, 2014)

t_ski said:


> I have at least three air filters running 24/7 in my office (~300 sq/ft).  They're called crunchers...


Right there with ya T.


----------



## Athlonite (Jul 13, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> Yup! Just cleaned a pc yesterday that was on 24/7 for close to 8 years in a house with 2 cats, and a heavy smoker. Huge clumps of dirt everywhere, and apparently sharp edges because it gave me this
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler



I'd be making sure to get a tetanus shot from the docs after that don't want tetanus setting in


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jul 13, 2014)

Athlonite said:


> I'd be making sure to get a tetanus shot from the docs after that don't want tetanus setting in


The cut still hasnt closed up, think I might go to the doctor in a few days if its still not healing


----------



## Jetster (Jul 13, 2014)

Butterfly bandage


----------



## silkstone (Jul 13, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> The cut still hasnt closed up, think I might go to the doctor in a few days if its still not healing



If it's stopped bleeding, you'll get a hard scab buildup in there that will eventually disappear. If it hasn't, then get a buterfly bandage like Jetster said.

Just keep it clean and aired and it'll be fine. Theren't not much the doc will do, it's too short for stitches and the wound would have to be re-opened to stitch anyway. They only usually do that if you're worried about scarring.



Athlonite said:


> I'd be making sure to get a tetanus shot from the docs after that don't want tetanus setting in



You really don't have to worry about tetanus. The bacteria is found in soil, not dust.


----------



## andrewsmc (Jul 13, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> Yup! Just cleaned a pc yesterday that was on 24/7 for close to 8 years in a house with 2 cats, and a heavy smoker. Huge clumps of dirt everywhere, and apparently sharp edges because it gave me this
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler




YUCK!


----------



## andrewsmc (Jul 13, 2014)

ruff0r said:


> A friend was asking me why WoW was slowing down. The Answer



Looks like an old LGA775 P5Q


----------



## ruff0r (Jul 13, 2014)

andrewsmc said:


> Looks like an old LGA775 P5Q



Asus Striker Extrem  Socket 775, Old but still running OC´ed from the day i bought it, I gave it to my friend to use it when i moved on to 1336.

Also that Cooler you see guys is an peltier cooler, Rare and burned out as well at least the control unite was.


----------



## mlee49 (Jul 16, 2014)




----------



## t_ski (Jul 16, 2014)

mlee49 said:


>


I hop you turned around and beat the user with that keyboard...


----------



## DanishDevil (Jul 16, 2014)

Ohh...were the keys even registering key presses? I don't even...


----------



## RCoon (Jul 16, 2014)

mlee49 said:


>



If you put that in a free range farm, I bet the chickens would assume it's chicken feed by the looks...


----------



## HammerON (Jul 16, 2014)

[/QUOTE]

WOW - that is just gross


----------



## Warrgarbl (Jul 16, 2014)

I'll have to ask my intern when he's back from his holidays. We had a PC here from what seemed to be a stoner and heavy smoker. We denied his warranty because of excessive dirt. Thick, brown, gunky, sticky "wool" everywhere. All white parts were yellowish-brown... yuck. Luckily my intern is a smoker and agreed to work on it.


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 16, 2014)

and this is the projectors where in 3 years got no cleaned at all
i dunno, they are lazy or just dont give a d#mn or both, lazy and dont give a d#mn as long as these projectors run well


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 16, 2014)

mlee49 said:


>



how come someone can live with keyboard like that
people like that shouldnt  have a pc


----------



## digibucc (Jul 16, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> how come someone can live with keyboard like that
> people like that shouldnt  have a pc


you should see my car... but don't dare say i shouldn't have one 



Mussels said:


> i feel like my PC's hygiene is questionable now.



seriously... every 3 days? once a week? I cleaned mine about 1.5 months ago and will again in another 1.5. No it's not spotless but it's clean, I just must have low dust here.


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 16, 2014)

digibucc said:


> you should see my car... but don't dare say i shouldn't have one
> 
> 
> 
> seriously... every 3 days? once a week? I cleaned mine about 1.5 months ago and will again in another 1.5. No it's not spotless but it's clean, I just must have low dust here.


if you have AC and always close the door, you may have lower dust there


----------



## Random Murderer (Jul 16, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> and this is the projectors where in 3 years got no cleaned at all
> i dunno, they are lazy or just dont give a d#mn or both, lazy and dont give a d#mn as long as these projectors run well
> View attachment 57746 View attachment 57747 View attachment 57748 View attachment 57749


SAND! It's everywhere, get used to it!


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Aug 2, 2014)

douglatins said:


> Brick will be shat after this one


anyone still have this photo? Its the one with the dead mouse in the computer


----------



## RCoon (Aug 12, 2014)

Time to destroy some data. Why pay for a company when I have 16oz's of heavy metal to do the job for me?
1 batch of many hundred I intend to do today:


----------



## Sinzia (Aug 12, 2014)

RCoon said:


> Time to destroy some data. Why pay for a company when I have 16oz's of heavy metal to do the job for me?
> 1 batch of many hundred I intend to do today:



I like to use them for target practice myself, oddly satisfying.


----------



## RCoon (Aug 12, 2014)

Sinzia said:


> I like to use them for target practice myself, oddly satisfying.



I don't have any firearms powerful enough to penetrate them, without a gun license, and air rifle doesn't quite cut it.


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 12, 2014)

RCoon said:


> I don't have any firearms powerful enough to penetrate them, without a gun license, and air rifle doesn't quite cut it.


i may take the pcb then use it for any modding project first


----------



## digibucc (Aug 12, 2014)

Out of curiosity, does the company require physical destruction or are the drives just worthless, or is that just the way you prefer? I always pull ram and hdds, as they are the most common replacements for private customers, and most business customers have been fine with a simple 0 write, rather than having to destroy anything physical.


----------



## RCoon (Aug 12, 2014)

digibucc said:


> Out of curiosity, does the company require physical destruction or are the drives just worthless, or is that just the way you prefer? I always pull ram and hdds, as they are the most common replacements for private customers, and most business customers have been fine with a simple 0 write, rather than having to destroy anything physical.



They require physical destruction, but all the ones I've destroyed are worthless ancient 160/250GB drives.


----------



## OneMoar (Aug 12, 2014)

save the magnets


----------



## Peter1986C (Aug 12, 2014)

digibucc said:


> Out of curiosity, does the company require physical destruction or are the drives just worthless, or is that just the way you prefer? I always pull ram and hdds, as they are the most common replacements for private customers, and most business customers have been fine with a simple 0 write, rather than having to destroy anything physical.


Why the RAM if is volatile?


----------



## Random Murderer (Aug 12, 2014)

RCoon said:


> I don't have any firearms powerful enough to penetrate them, without a gun license, and air rifle doesn't quite cut it.


If you were close in the US, I'd lend my 7.62x54R sniper rifle. It would punch through all of those drives in a single shot.
That being said, if your air rifle is ~1350FPS or more and you're willing to modify some pellets, flechette pellets and nail pellets work great against HDDs.


----------



## digibucc (Aug 12, 2014)

Chevalr1c said:


> Why the RAM if is volatile?


My point was I don't destroy ram, only hard drives when required (or ancient as in rcoon's case)


----------



## Norton (Aug 12, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> If you were close in the US, I'd lend my 7.62x54R sniper rifle. It would punch through all of those drives in a single shot.
> That being said, if your air rifle is ~1350FPS or more and you're willing to modify some pellets, flechette pellets and nail pellets work great against HDDs.



I'll +1 that and I would let him feed them to one of these and record the mayhem:

MUCH fun!










I have access to several of them in my area


----------



## t_ski (Aug 13, 2014)

Norton said:


> I'll +1 that and I would let him feed them to one of these and record the mayhem:
> 
> MUCH fun!
> 
> ...


We have a similar one at my work   It was cheaper to buy one and recycle the shredded material than to pay a vendor to securely destroy them for us.


----------



## Steevo (Sep 9, 2014)

All out of one old smoker cat lady computer. This was after I tapped most of the dirt off outside with the sides off.

Bonus pic of dead hard disk, nothing from inside the PC though.


----------



## de.das.dude (Sep 9, 2014)

RCoon said:


> Time to destroy some data. Why pay for a company when I have 16oz's of heavy metal to do the job for me?
> 1 batch of many hundred I intend to do today:



why not microwave them? should be faster.


----------



## natr0n (Sep 9, 2014)

RCoon said:


> Time to destroy some data. Why pay for a company when I have 16oz's of heavy metal to do the job for me?
> 1 batch of many hundred I intend to do today:



I would use them for raiding or something. I don't like destroying drives ever.


----------



## de.das.dude (Sep 9, 2014)

Even 10gb ones lol?
These are from his school I think


----------



## RCoon (Sep 9, 2014)

natr0n said:


> I would use them for raiding or something. I don't like destroying drives ever.



They're very very very old 250GB drives. There's only so many sata ports on a motherboard, and 250GB drives are barely large enough to warrant any kind of RAID.


----------



## natr0n (Sep 9, 2014)

de.das.dude said:


> Even 10gb ones lol?
> These are from his school I think



well if is hasnt got any bad sectors and still works it can be used for something.


----------



## natr0n (Sep 9, 2014)

RCoon said:


> They're very very very old 250GB drives. There's only so many sata ports on a motherboard, and 250GB drives are barely large enough to warrant any kind of RAID.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115026

8 x 250/238gb drives = 1856 gb

let say 60 mb read per drive would equal 480 mb read on a raid


----------



## Frick (Sep 9, 2014)

natr0n said:


> well if is hasnt got any bad sectors and still works it can be used for something.



I thought that too until I realized I had like 150 PCI NIC's. I ended up tossing most of them, though I did save some for solder practice.


----------



## RCoon (Sep 9, 2014)

natr0n said:


> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115026
> 
> 8 x 250/238gb drives = 1856 gb
> 
> let say 60 mb read per drive would equal 480 mb a sec on a raid



Why would I waste 8 Sata ports on 250GB drives? We replaced all drives with SSD's in the workplace except for the file servers which use huge enterprise storage drives. HDD's have had their time, I have no intention of running such small sized drives and filling up my PC with 8 drives, when I can obtain that kind of space with two (and arguably use less power).

I already offered out 150 of them free to the UK TPU users, shipped some out and sat on the rest for about 3 months. Nobody wanted them, so in the bin they went.

It's just not practical.


----------



## natr0n (Sep 9, 2014)

Frick said:


> I thought that too until I realized I had like 150 PCI NIC's. I ended up tossing most of them, though I did save some for solder practice.



they have gold platting on them


RCoon said:


> Why would I waste 8 Sata ports on 250GB drives? We replaced all drives with SSD's in the workplace except for the file servers which use huge enterprise storage drives. HDD's have had their time, I have no intention of running such small sized drives and filling up my PC with 8 drives, when I can obtain that kind of space with two (and arguably use less power).
> 
> I already offered out 150 of them free to the UK TPU users, shipped some out and sat on the rest for about 3 months. Nobody wanted them, so in the bin they went.
> 
> It's just not practical.




I have like 10 drives in my system lol. If only I was in UK.

You could try to ebay them as a lot maybe.
I see what you mean though.


----------



## Frick (Sep 9, 2014)

natr0n said:


> they have gold platting on them



Indeed. A better, more profitable way, of spending my time is just sitting down and waiting for the inevitable end times.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Sep 10, 2014)

RCoon said:


> Why would I waste 8 Sata ports on 250GB drives? We replaced all drives with SSD's in the workplace except for the file servers which use huge enterprise storage drives. HDD's have had their time, I have no intention of running such small sized drives and filling up my PC with 8 drives, when I can obtain that kind of space with two (and arguably use less power).
> 
> I already offered out 150 of them free to the UK TPU users, shipped some out and sat on the rest for about 3 months. Nobody wanted them, so in the bin they went.
> 
> It's just not practical.


I would've taken them if you were in canada  I've got a Nas server with a huuge shortage of storage, and about 7 sata ports free


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 25, 2014)

from HP Compaq dc7600, i bought it and for pc from XP era the dust looks not too bad 



but anyway, i really love the case. its pretty solid and heavy like a tank


----------



## Jetster (Sep 28, 2014)

This is my brothers laptop. He lives in the mountains in Tahoe. He sends me this everytime he needs it formatted due to viruses and malware. He has a new laptop but like this one.
Its an Old Dell D600 and its about 12 years old or more. I'm amassed it still works. Its filthy and smells like a campfire


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Sep 28, 2014)

Jetster said:


> This is my brothers laptop. He lives in the mountains in Tahoe. He sends me this everytime he needs it formatted due to viruses and malware. He has a new laptop but like this one.
> Its an Old Dell D600 and its about 12 years old or more. I'm amassed it still works. Its filthy and smells like a campfire


Old Dells are made of titanium. I have a Dell Inspiron 1100,and its literally fallen down 20 stone stairs, all that happened was the plastic covering on the hinge cracked a little. The chargers however were damn terrible, I've had a few literally melt from the heat of the laptop


----------



## Jetster (Sep 28, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> Old Dells are made of titanium. I have a Dell Inspiron 1100,and its literally fallen down 20 stone stairs, all that happened was the plastic covering on the hinge cracked a little. The chargers however were damn terrible, I've had a few literally melt from the heat of the laptop



His new laptop has W8.1 so he doesn't like it. He wanted me to put XP on it I told him no, that he needed to get use to it. I think Ill hold on to this for awhile so he has to use the other


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Jetster said:


> This is my brothers laptop. He lives in the mountains in Tahoe. He sends me this everytime he needs it formatted due to viruses and malware. He has a new laptop but like this one.
> Its an Old Dell D600 and its about 12 years old or more. I'm amassed it still works. Its filthy and smells like a campfire


wow that dent, it looks like bullet hit it


----------



## t_ski (Sep 29, 2014)

I've never seen the 600, but I've seen the 610, 510, 515, 520, 620, 530, 630, 830.  The 610 had a horrible history of the backlights going on out them.  The rest weren't bad, and the 620/630 is still a decent laptop today.


----------



## Norton (Sep 29, 2014)

t_ski said:


> I've never seen the 600, but I've seen the 610, 510, 515, 520, 620, 530, 630, 830.  The 610 had a horrible history of the backlights going on out them.  The rest weren't bad, and the 620/630 is still a decent laptop today.



I still have a D810 at home and it's still the toughest laptop I've ever owned. I have a D610 in my work truck for some "specialty" work that I need a serial port for.

FYI @Sir B. Fannybottom - the D series Latitudes were made with a Magnesium alloy


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Sep 29, 2014)

Norton said:


> I still have a D810 at home and it's still the toughest laptop I've ever owned. I have a D610 in my work truck for some "specialty" work that I need a serial port for.
> 
> FYI @Sir B. Fannybottom - the D series Latitudes were made with a Magnesium alloy


Shit, were they really? I was simply saying titanium because they were strong as hell


----------



## OneMoar (Sep 29, 2014)

Norton said:


> I still have a D810 at home and it's still the toughest laptop I've ever owned. I have a D610 in my work truck for some "specialty" work that I need a serial port for.
> 
> FYI @Sir B. Fannybottom - the D series Latitudes were made with a Magnesium alloy


lol I have a D810 as well its been kicked dropd .. fell off a motor cycle at 30Mph still lives


----------



## Norton (Sep 29, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> Shit, were they really? I was simply saying titanium because they were strong as hell



You can still get D series refurbs at NewEgg and other places for under $200 and most of them still look like brand new! Great field laptops imo


----------



## AhokZYashA (Sep 29, 2014)

i still use it (D630) until a few weeks ago, 
tough as hell, looks almost brand new after a few years

its still being used today by a colleague


----------



## Random Murderer (Sep 29, 2014)

Norton said:


> I have a D610 in my work truck for some "specialty" work that I need a serial port for.


ECU tuner?


----------



## OneMoar (Sep 29, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> ECU tuner?


samething I use my D810 for lol thats how it fell off the bike i had it on there was doing some tuning and it fell off


----------



## Norton (Sep 29, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> ECU tuner?



Programmable timer relay for a sewage pump station (8 different ones actually).... never would have guessed that one eh?


----------



## OneMoar (Sep 29, 2014)

Norton said:


> Programmable timer relay for a sewage pump station (8 different ones actually).... never would have guessed that one eh?


man I knew your job was shitty didn't know it was that bad
#obligatorypoopjoke


----------



## Norton (Sep 29, 2014)

OneMoar said:


> man I new your job was shitty didn't know it was that bad
> #obliatorypoopjoke



May be poop to you but it's money to me!


----------



## t_ski (Sep 30, 2014)

Norton said:


> Programmable timer relay for a sewage pump station (8 different ones actually).... never would have guessed that one eh?


And that's why he's "Norton"


----------



## OneMoar (Sep 30, 2014)

t_ski said:


> And that's why he's "Norton"


come now lets not derail this thread with shit like that


----------



## Norton (Sep 30, 2014)

OneMoar said:


> come now lets not derail this thread with shit like that



Back on topic then...


----------



## OneMoar (Sep 30, 2014)

was that a frog ...


----------



## rtwjunkie (Sep 30, 2014)

Tell me a frog did NOT somehow make it into that computer and die?!


----------



## OneMoar (Sep 30, 2014)

I guss his GPU
*CROKED *


----------



## t_ski (Sep 30, 2014)

OneMoar said:


> come now lets not derail this thread with shit like that


Shit? Sewage?  I see where you're going 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Honeymooners#Edward_Lillywhite_.22Ed.22_Norton


----------



## OneMoar (Sep 30, 2014)

this thread is simply _Ribbiting _


----------



## de.das.dude (Sep 30, 2014)

Norton said:


> Back on topic then...


someone's pet went missing?


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 30, 2014)

Norton said:


> Back on topic then...


OOO... SH%T
dead on vga card
never cross my mind that its frog died there


----------



## Frick (Sep 30, 2014)

t_ski said:


> I've never seen the 600, but I've seen the 610, 510, 515, 520, 620, 530, 630, 830.  The 610 had a horrible history of the backlights going on out them.  The rest weren't bad, and the 620/630 is still a decent laptop today.



I had the D610 with the 1400x1050 res, it was GLORIOUS. The Geforce GPU in the 630 had a tendency to die iirc though.


----------



## t_ski (Oct 1, 2014)

Frick said:


> I had the D610 with the 1400x1050 res, it was GLORIOUS. The Geforce GPU in the 630 had a tendency to die iirc though.


Never had one of those: mine were the Intel chipset.


----------



## OneMoar (Oct 1, 2014)

t_ski said:


> Never had one of those: mine were the Intel chipset.


same intel GMA 965 less then useless lol
also thread needs more dead critters in pc pictures
so the guy calls in says his mouse isn't working ....


----------



## OneMoar (Oct 2, 2014)

for norton








skip to 5:15


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 2, 2014)

thats


OneMoar said:


> for norton
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

a good morning show!. just watched it with the first tea of the day.


----------



## JunkBear (Oct 2, 2014)

For norton image is only a black square for me.


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 2, 2014)

its a youtube video. make sure you have java and flash enabled.


----------



## Norton (Oct 2, 2014)

JunkBear said:


> For norton image is only a black square for me.



Might be a USA to Canada thing regarding Youtube? iirc @fullinfusion has mentioned having this issue before...


----------



## OneMoar (Oct 3, 2014)

good news I removed the dead mouse and got the machine purring like a kitten


----------



## jboydgolfer (Oct 3, 2014)

@ the Risk of this turning into a D-610 thread, I decided to "Show-Off" My Ole' Girl 
 Not good For much that I do, but she Still Hosts a 24/7 32Bit TS3 Server.....MANY of My friends are very greatfull. Had to remove the battery , it Still works well enough, but Since it's plugged in 24/7, I'd rather it NOT be installed in the machine, For heat reasons.

More on topic, Technically, it IS pretty Filthy, although there are NO dead amphibian's stuck to it


----------



## MilkyWay (Oct 3, 2014)

There isn't a big enough gap in my case for any critters to get through.


----------



## Peter1986C (Oct 3, 2014)

OneMoar said:


> good news I removed the dead mouse and got the machine purring like a kitten



Cutest way to get your parts statically charged.


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 4, 2014)

OneMoar said:


> same intel GMA 965 less then useless lol
> also thread needs more dead critters in pc pictures
> so the guy calls in says his mouse isn't working ....


i still not get how can a mouse trapped in that
and in strange position


----------



## ehume (Oct 4, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> i still not get how can a mouse trapped in that
> and in strange position


Perhaps it wasn't trapped? Perhaps it died and that is the position it ended up in when rigor mortis set in.


----------



## Jetster (Oct 11, 2014)

Not really filthy but rather really poor quality control. This is why you don't buy HP laptops. CPU heat-sink


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 11, 2014)

Jetster said:


> Not really filthy but rather really poor quality control. This is why you don't buy HP laptops. CPU heat-sink


whats that, like bad coating or glue or residue?


----------



## Jetster (Oct 11, 2014)

I think its from the casting. Like a film in the mold that should have been sanded off


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 11, 2014)

Jetster said:


> Not really filthy but rather really poor quality control. This is why you don't buy HP laptops. CPU heat-sink



to be honest, it looks like someone has already had a go at it.
those scratches are not machining marks.


----------



## Mussels (Oct 11, 2014)

resubbed to this thread. i demand more dirty hardware.


----------



## OneMoar (Oct 11, 2014)

daily dirt for @Mussels


----------



## _JP_ (Oct 11, 2014)

Dang it, now I wish I could have a personal title, so that it would be 'MASTER CDROM'.


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 11, 2014)

damng i just cleaned mine and forgot to take pics.


----------



## ehume (Oct 11, 2014)

OneMoar said:


> daily dirt for @Mussels


It's pics like this that motivate me to get inside my machines to clean them so they won't look this bad.


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 11, 2014)

i clean mine when they stop working well. this time it was the voltage.. psu was getting too hot because of dust bunnies on its intake filter lol.


ehume said:


> It's pics like this that motivate me to get inside my machines to clean them so they won't look this bad.


----------



## R00kie (Oct 11, 2014)

Haven't cleaned my mums pc in a while...


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 12, 2014)

i hate lint too.


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 22, 2014)

look what i found XD


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 22, 2014)

de.das.dude said:


> look what i found XD


d@mn, just saw it through facebook
how come......
he shouldnt have a pc at all


----------



## Jetster (Oct 22, 2014)

de.das.dude said:


> look what i found XD



That is sweet


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 22, 2014)

micropage7 said:


> d@mn, just saw it through facebook
> how come......
> he shouldnt have a pc at all


you are in that group too?


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 22, 2014)

de.das.dude said:


> you are in that group too?



westcoast?
yea


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 22, 2014)

i reverse searched that image and got this better res one


----------



## Doc41 (Oct 22, 2014)

found old images of some PC's that i worked on, i guess these two were "thankfully" the worst that i ever handled


----------



## Frick (Oct 22, 2014)

de.das.dude said:


> look what i found XD












@Doc41 My worst work was on something similar, but infused with beer and cigarettes.


----------



## t_ski (Oct 22, 2014)

de.das.dude said:


> look what i found XD


...and that's why this person has a Dell.


----------



## Misaki (Oct 22, 2014)

1,5 month in college. Maybe not much, but for 1.5 month...
http://imgur.com/0ma55uU,Brc7FyE,opkyW2X,AScyeyY,cvVxMQn,tz5To3i,FnNhyqL,7b2NGW8,3WDikBj#0


----------



## Doc41 (Oct 22, 2014)

Misaki said:


> 1,5 month in college. Maybe not much, but for 1.5 month...
> http://imgur.com/0ma55uU,Brc7FyE,opkyW2X,AScyeyY,cvVxMQn,tz5To3i,FnNhyqL,7b2NGW8,3WDikBj#0


i get that amount of dust in ~2 weeks.......... which reminds me it's time to clean my pc again


----------



## Frick (Oct 23, 2014)

I want to know how your lungs look.


----------



## Misaki (Oct 23, 2014)

Frick said:


> I want to know how your lungs look.


Are you a cannibal?


----------



## THE_EGG (Oct 23, 2014)

Saw this on another website D:


----------



## Random Murderer (Oct 23, 2014)

THE_EGG said:


> Saw this on another website D:


When did Dell start including free blankets with their PCs?


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 23, 2014)

THE_EGG said:


> Saw this on another website D:


comes with nice plush carpeting inside! talk about luxury!


----------



## Mussels (Oct 24, 2014)

but no cupholder, typical dell.


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Oct 24, 2014)

Hey look free insulation to keep it warm in the winter.


----------



## thebluebumblebee (Oct 25, 2014)

Sasqui said:


> First step:


I don't know if this is the first place on TPU that I saw reference to using a leaf blower to dust PC's, but I was like -yeah right - but was curious.  I have an electric Toro leaf-blower-vac that has a way to adjust the amount of air that it blows (think throttle body) and removable nozzle, so between the 2, I have something that blows about twice (maybe more) as much air as a hair dryer at low pressure.  All I can say about the result is: Dust be gone.  I have an air compressor and although it is better at removing the fine-adhered dust, it ends up blowing the dust bunnies around in circles.


----------



## Toothless (Oct 25, 2014)

Bonus points to whoever guesses who this is from and what CPU it is.


----------



## t_ski (Oct 25, 2014)

Obviously it's an AMD, but I can't read the rest of the number under the TIM.  All I can make out is ...00WMWAKHK


----------



## Toothless (Oct 26, 2014)

t_ski said:


> Obviously it's an AMD, but I can't read the rest of the number under the TIM.  All I can make out is ...00WMWAKHK


FX-6300 with stock paste from the OEM.


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Oct 26, 2014)

I was getting readt to say it's an Fx of some sort. The board is an am3+ board.


----------



## McSteel (Oct 26, 2014)

Mussels said:


> but no cupholder, typical dell.



You mean you don't use the optical drive as one?


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 26, 2014)

McSteel said:


> You mean you don't use the optical drive as one?


my tray closes automatically after some time.


----------



## Sasqui (Oct 26, 2014)

thebluebumblebee said:


> I don't know if this is the first place on TPU that I saw reference to using a leaf blower to dust PC's, but I was like -yeah right - but was curious.  I have an electric Toro leaf-blower-vac that has a way to adjust the amount of air that it blows (think throttle body) and removable nozzle, so between the 2, I have something that blows about twice (maybe more) as much air as a hair dryer at low pressure.  All I can say about the result is: Dust be gone.  I have an air compressor and although it is better at removing the fine-adhered dust, it ends up blowing the dust bunnies around in circles.



I drag my pc out to the driveway and use both a gas powered leafblower then a large compressed air tank with blower nozzle.  Really quick and easy, plus I don't have to breath in that shit.


----------



## DanishDevil (Oct 29, 2014)

I totally should have taken pictures, but I'm pretty sure the moist, salty air just killed my wife's motherboard. I took out the fan filter (admittedly hadn't cleaned it in too long) and after blowing it out with canned air, there were giant salt particles embedded in the mesh. I bet one of those made it through and fried something on the mobo. When we move away from the ocean I'm, buying all new components.


----------



## THE_EGG (Oct 29, 2014)

DanishDevil said:


> I totally should have taken pictures, but I'm pretty sure the moist, salty air just killed my wife's motherboard. I took out the fan filter (admittedly hadn't cleaned it in too long) and after blowing it out with canned air, there were giant salt particles embedded in the mesh. I bet one of those made it through and fried something on the mobo. When we move away from the ocean I'm, buying all new components.


I know what you mean, I lived across the road from the beach on the Gold Coast here in Australia for about a year (last year). I noticed the metal prong/stand thing on my AOC screen was pitting or beginning to corrode, the TV's housing was rusting along with the AV receiver and so on. Many other things were like this too but I thought I'd just mention a few (the external air-con unit thing was uber rusty - the paint was bubbling and other nasty stuff had occurred even before I moved in). Luckily nothing fell victim to the salt for me. No corrosion or salt particles in my stuff since I moved back to Brisbane.  Although Gold Coast is certainly the more fun city to live in.


----------



## DanishDevil (Oct 29, 2014)

Here's at least a look under the stock CPU cooler. This is just what the canned air didn't get before I took the cooler off:


----------



## Mussels (Nov 11, 2014)

server at work overheated. wonder why, when a P4 has a heatsink like this


----------



## JunkBear (Nov 11, 2014)

Mussels said:


> server at work overheated. wonder why, when a P4 has a heatsink like this



Im illeterate in servers but what type of business still use P4 as server?


----------



## RCoon (Nov 11, 2014)

Mussels said:


> server at work overheated. wonder why, when a P4 has a heatsink like this



Heatsink invaded by tribbles.



JunkBear said:


> Im illeterate in servers but what type of business still use P4 as server?



File servers. Our latest FS4 uses a Pentium G3220. Files servers don't need processing power, just RAID arrays, and billions of gorrilabytes of space.


----------



## Mussels (Nov 11, 2014)

our work server has to host about 200MB of files and be accesible on the LAN for other machines to do the work on. its not exactly high end stuff.


----------



## Random Murderer (Nov 11, 2014)

Mussels said:


> server at work overheated. wonder why, when a P4 has a heatsink like this


See, _*this*_ is why I never liked the LGA775 and newer stock intel heatsinks. That, and the potential to lose a chunk of a finger against those fan blades that aren't exactly shrouded and made of some sort of plastic nearly as hard as diamond.


----------



## JunkBear (Nov 13, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> See, _*this*_ is why I never liked the LGA775 and newer stock intel heatsinks. That, and the potential to lose a chunk of a finger against those fan blades that aren't exactly shrouded and made of some sort of plastic nearly as hard as diamond.


 

Yup one time the fan turned under my nail lifting it.


----------



## Aceman.au (Feb 1, 2015)

This isn't from a helpdesk job, but I think it belongs here, it's my keyboard that I cleaned out last week. This hadn't been cleaned since I bought it over a year ago. Probably should do it more often...

BEFORE:









AFTER:


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 1, 2015)

Do you share a room with bigfoot?  And feed him the occasional tortilla chip?

That most certainly does belong here though, thanks!


----------



## Aceman.au (Feb 1, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Do you share a room with bigfoot?  And feed him the occasional tortilla chip?
> 
> That most certainly does belong here though, thanks!


Hahahahaha. I like my Doritos. And I have a long hair cat.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 1, 2015)

Close enough hehe.

I've had some awful times cleaning my model M in terms of hair, food matter...  etc.  Next cleaning I will post here...  The horrifying thing is, there are no pets in my room.  Just me. D:


----------



## Aceman.au (Feb 1, 2015)

Yeah humans shed a lot of hair and skin.


----------



## Jetster (Feb 1, 2015)

Aceman.au said:


> Yeah humans shed a lot of hair and skin.



Not if you shower


----------



## Aceman.au (Feb 1, 2015)

Jetster said:


> Not if you shower


Your skin makes up about 16 percent of your body weight, which means you have roughly 1.6 trillion skin cells. Of course, this estimate can vary tremendously according to a person's size. The important thing is that you have a lot of skin cells. Of those billions of skin cells, between 30,000 and 40,000 of them fall off every hour. Over a 24-hour period, you lose almost a million skin cells.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/shed-skin-cells.htm

If you're at the computer as much as I am, alot of those will get in the keyboard or just fall in there from the air.


----------



## Frick (Feb 1, 2015)

Jetster said:


> Not if you shower



I'm pretty hairy, so I let loose a lot of hair.

That's why I hate cats btw. People all just "naaawwww he's pissing on my keyboard, how adorable". They've brainwashed you all!



Aceman.au said:


> Your skin makes up about 16 percent of your body weight, which means you have roughly 1.6 trillion skin cells. Of course, this estimate can vary tremendously according to a person's size. The important thing is that you have a lot of skin cells. Of those billions of skin cells, between 30,000 and 40,000 of them fall off every hour. Over a 24-hour period, you lose almost a million skin cells.
> 
> http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/shed-skin-cells.htm
> 
> If you're at the computer as much as I am, alot of those will get in the keyboard or just fall in there from the air.



*Cells* man. You don't see cells.


----------



## Aceman.au (Feb 1, 2015)

How many cells to form a visual particle then?


----------



## Jetster (Feb 1, 2015)

Aceman.au said:


> If you're at the computer as much as I am, alot of those will get in the keyboard or just fall in there from the air.



Well you obviously eat there too. I'm just Fn with you. Ill take a pic of mine    And this has been almost a year


----------



## Aceman.au (Feb 1, 2015)

Not as bad


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 1, 2015)

Jetster said:


> Not if you shower



Shower?  What is this shower?


----------



## Mussels (Feb 1, 2015)

I have the same keyboard as up above, black widow ultimate.


It fills up with hair super damn fast. i use an air compressor to clean it out every few months.


----------



## Aceman.au (Feb 1, 2015)

Mussels said:


> I have the same keyboard as up above, black widow ultimate.
> 
> 
> It fills up with hair super damn fast. i use an air compressor to clean it out every few months.


Yeah I gave it a basic wiping out then air compressor, dunno why I didnt do it the other way around, wasn't thinking that day.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 1, 2015)

I think the occasional crumb of food is acceptable.

The occasional pubic hair is not.


----------



## Mussels (Feb 1, 2015)

Aceman.au said:


> Yeah I gave it a basic wiping out then air compressor, dunno why I didnt do it the other way around, wasn't thinking that day.



the pointy bit of a zip tie can be used sideways to push all the crap to one end, as an alternative. too lazy to rip the keys out.


----------



## Aceman.au (Feb 1, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> I think the occasional crumb of food is acceptable.
> 
> The occasional pubic hair is not.


*clears throat* well I have a cat you see and... yeah, um....


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 1, 2015)

I have no need for a cat... i have a dirty pc


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 1, 2015)

Yeah, I think those keyboards have a very short keystroke lenth, thus less room for dust to fill up.

My model M can eat a cubic foot of dust before it starts to get funky.  It's unreal during my biyearly cleaning (I'm lazy).



> *clears throat* well I have a cat you see and... yeah, um....



"To avoid unwanted arrests, do not mention cats and pubic hair in the same context. "

--Legal advice from RTB


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 1, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> "To avoid unwanted arrests, do not mention cats and pubic hair in the same sentence. "
> 
> --Legal advice from RTB




Wise words.  Did you get Legal Aid? for that case as well.



Oh My Fucking God.............

i just found something pube like inside my other mouse..   (my weekend mouse )







So as not to be accused of tangenting...again.... take the ball out of your mouse and scrape the crud off the rollers inside.

This will bring renewed vigour to your mouse.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 1, 2015)

Wait you use a ball mouse?

...

Why?


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 1, 2015)

I have mousing options...

Always have done.

If i choose to have a "weeekend" mouse, i will, if it happens to be riddled with pubic hairs so be it..

Here is a picture of what mice get up to when you are not looking.







Decency prevents me from taking a pic of the wifi ones around the corner.   Disgusting.      


the ball mouse is ps2


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 1, 2015)

That's why I took all the balls out of my few remaining ones.  Besides they make good balls to throw at your brother when he gets annoying.

Despite what he says, they don't hurt that bad.


----------



## RCoon (Feb 1, 2015)

Mussels said:


> I have the same keyboard as up above, black widow ultimate.
> 
> 
> It fills up with hair super damn fast. i use an air compressor to clean it out every few months.



Had the same problem with my BW ultimate. Seems to accumulate foreign objects quite quickly. Ended up giving it away and buying an alternative keyboard, which so far seems to have stayed pretty clean.
I think it's down to the fact the BW seems to have raised plastic surrounding the keys, whereas my K95 is all open around the keys, so it's far easier to tap dirt out than peel off every single key.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 1, 2015)

This mouse needs to wipe her bottom.







Notice the glitter make up....................slut.












i told you the wifi ones are bad.I just caught this one........ i didnt even know they could be gay !!
But a rapist as well  !!


----------



## Solaris17 (Feb 1, 2015)

Jetster said:


> Fn


----------



## R00kie (Feb 1, 2015)

RCoon said:


> Had the same problem with my BW ultimate. Seems to accumulate foreign objects quite quickly. Ended up giving it away and buying an alternative keyboard, which so far seems to have stayed pretty clean.
> I think it's down to the fact the BW seems to have raised plastic surrounding the keys, whereas my K95 is all open around the keys, so it's far easier to tap dirt out than peel off every single key.


I had fun cleaning it, by the way, thanks!


----------



## RCoon (Feb 2, 2015)

gdallsk said:


> I had fun cleaning it, by the way, thanks!



Believe it or not, I attempted a deep clean beforehand


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

Found some classic photos...  My model M when I got it.  The previous 20 years before hitting ebay had done it few favors:


----------



## andrewsmc (Feb 2, 2015)

I just threw up in my mouth. I really don't understand how you guys get this shit sooooooooo dirty? My keyboard is about 3 years old and I have probably wiped it down once and it's very clean.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 2, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Found some classic photos...  My model M when I got it.  The previous 20 years before hitting ebay had done it few favors:




So thats where all the old pubes in the world go is it ?


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

It came from an elementary school according to ebay.  But these hairs look...  older.

Cleaning it may have given me lice.  Probably should've left a negative for that.



andrewsmc said:


> I just threw up in my mouth. I really don't understand how you guys get this shit sooooooooo dirty? My keyboard is about 3 years old and I have probably wiped it down once and it's very clean.



25+ years without a cleaning on that one.  For the record I clean it biyearly now and it's nowhere near that bad.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 2, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Plus it may have given me lice



ha ha ha Funny as Fuc


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

The bad part is, I think I see...  eggs?

EDIT:  In the keyboard.  My scalp is fine now, thank you ebay.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 2, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> elementary school




thats my ebay sellersname.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

you bastard!


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 2, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> My scalp is fine now, thank you ebay.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

Cleaning it was actually remarkably easy.  The hairs had woven together into a sheet of sorts.  Pretty impressive.  I guess it's the same principle that makes all your computer cords writhe like snakes when you aren't looking/restraining them until they form an invincible, impenetrable knot.

Either way, the keyboard is fine now.  I'm used to refurbishing Panasonic Toughbooks and similar heavy duty items that have probably had toxic waste spilled on them, so nothing phases me anymore.


----------



## 64K (Feb 2, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Found some classic photos...  My model M when I got it.  The previous 20 years before hitting ebay had done it few favors:



Dear lord! Take that keyboard out in your back yard and kill it with fire. What a disgusting mess!


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

> Dear lord! Take that keyboard out in your back yard and kill it with fire. What a disgusting mess!



But I paid $20 for it. 

Once cleaned, these are actually worth $100+ now (pre-90s models that is).  I'd never destroy a model M.  Sacrilege.

I type on it every day now.  It's great.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 2, 2015)

IBM model kb 7993 i am typing with it now and use it everyday.
I got the pic off the internut as my keyboard is filthy.

earlier on it looked like this











theres no way im pressing the button with no label. I think a tray might shoot out covered in pubes and lice and such.


Is this anything like the model M of which you, @R-T-B  speaketh of ?


----------



## Ferrum Master (Feb 2, 2015)

Mates... Looking at these, no wonder women think all men are swines.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

Nah.  Model M's used a unique mechanical keyswitch that has not really been used since except on a few expensive (and IMO, worse) unicomp clones, as they bought the patent.

The original Model M also has a steel plate in it that makes it quite heavy.  People used to joke that you could beat a man to death with one.  It's quite possible this is not entirely a joke.

The switch though, is pretty unique and hard to get a replica of that "feels" the same.  It's essentially a spring that buckles and completes a circuit, so when you feel it "pop" you know you've really registered a key press.  Typists like me love them.

They are getting pretty hard to find though.  Especially the true pre-90 made by IBM ones (most later ones are made by Lexmark or Unicomp).

There's actually one on ebay now that was made on my birthday.  I am tempted to get it, but...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-1390131...195?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa128af0b

...dat price!  And it's not even precleaned!


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 2, 2015)

Ferrum Master said:


> Mates... Looking at these, no wonder women think all men are swines.





My wallet speaks louder than my keyboard...........



_↑_
_Nah. Model M's used a unique mechanical keyswitch that has not really been used since except on a few expensive (and IMO, worse) unicomp clones, as they bought the patent.

The original Model M also has a steel plate in it that makes it quite heavy. People used to joke that you could beat a man to death with one. It's quite possible this is not entirely a joke.

The switch though, is pretty unique and hard to get a replica of that "feels" the same. It's essentially a spring that buckles and completes a circuit, so when you feel it "pop" you know you've really registered a key press. Typists like me love them.

They are getting pretty hard to find though. Especially the true pre-90 made by IBM ones (most later ones are made by Lexmark or Unicomp).
Click to expand...


_

Im feeling the pop Dude....im feeling the pop and it feels great.

If i remember right all these keys functioned in the days of W 93......... Play cd, volume, fast forward,mute and the crescent moon which puts the pc to sleep.

theres a "help" key as well.......... untouched, obviously, i am a bloke.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

A quick google search tells me it's a standard rubber dome keyboard.  A "better one" but a rubber dome all the same.

Thus any "pops" you feel are...  something else.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Feb 2, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> I have mousing options...
> 
> Always have done.
> 
> ...



Are those mice reproducing?  It's like watching an old episode of Animal Kingdom!


----------



## Ferrum Master (Feb 2, 2015)

If the help key was actually directly calling for hot helpdesk chick each time? No wonder they are so expensive.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 2, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> And it's not even precleaned!



you've changed Dude. some would say for the better



oooooooo back to the filth.    Same panties as yesterday. Filthy.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 2, 2015)

Hey if I'm paying $300 for a keyboard, I expect it to be clean damnit!

20 Bucks and I may accept toxic biohazards.  300, no way.

EDIT:  How much for that panty computer?  It might be worth something with some TLC.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 3, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> A quick google search tells me it's a standard rubber dome keyboard.  A "better one" but a rubber dome all the same.
> 
> Thus any "pops" you feel are...  something else.






 


i think it was the keyboard, i am not audibly rheumatic yet.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Feb 3, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Hey if I'm paying $300 for a keyboard, I expect it to be clean damnit!
> 
> 20 Bucks and I may accept toxic biohazards.  300, no way.
> 
> EDIT:  How much for that panty computer?  It might be worth something with some TLC.



I bet the panties cost extra!


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 3, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> How much for that panty computer? It might be worth something with some TLC.




You cant put a price on love.

p.s. You can have the panties for a tenner.

pps   not the ones in the picture.


the pc is a Shuttle.. I have 2 at the mo......... My pet name for her is Shuttle Butt.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 3, 2015)

Shuttle butt?  Ok that's just too much.  It sounds like some kinda STD...

I'm out.


----------



## Mussels (Feb 3, 2015)

andrewsmc said:


> I just threw up in my mouth. I really don't understand how you guys get this shit sooooooooo dirty? My keyboard is about 3 years old and I have probably wiped it down once and it's very clean.




open it up and see. they can look clean outside, and be nasty inside.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 3, 2015)

Mussels said:


> open it up and see.



Pandora's box a bit much?

Like, you want to open it for the mystery, but god knows what's inside!?


----------



## t_ski (Feb 4, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> you've changed Dude. some would say for the better
> 
> 
> 
> oooooooo back to the filth.    Same panties as yesterday. Filthy.


A Shuttle with a whale tail?  You should mount the case upside down, and when Windows starts make it play this 2Live Crew song:


----------



## Athlonite (Feb 4, 2015)

can't decide which is more disgusting the insides of that keyboard or that damn video


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 4, 2015)

watch this if you like funny, (and bottoms)  not rude, or x rated, just funny















OR ........?


----------



## Frick (Feb 4, 2015)

Good grief you're annoying.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 4, 2015)

Frick said:


> Good grief you're annoying.




Kindly ignore me.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 4, 2015)

Athlonite said:


> can't decide which is more disgusting the insides of that keyboard or that damn video



Speaking from experience, the insides of that keyboard.  It even had sticky shit at the bottom, like from spills.  Pretty bad.  The hair was the least of the trouble.


----------



## THE_EGG (Feb 4, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Speaking from experience, the insides of that keyboard.  It even had sticky shit at the bottom, like from spills.  Pretty bad.  The hair was the least of the trouble.


I know it's a Model M and all but to me that particular KB was too far gone (nasty as sh!t man) for saving. Props for the refurbishment though.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 4, 2015)

As I said, I refurbish toughbooks, so if it's not outright dangerous I'll probably try to fix it, lol.

It's actually really clean now, I'll take a photo later.  You wouldn't recognize the thing.


----------



## Athlonite (Feb 22, 2015)

If it were me I'd be all


----------



## dorsetknob (Feb 22, 2015)

Quote "watch this if you like funny, (and bottoms) not rude, or x rated, just funny"

Caps   you know that's the guy in your IT Department who'se Pants you got on your shuttle


----------



## Mussels (Mar 13, 2015)

just got given an older PC from family, heavy chain smokers. quite nasty, pics and video uploading.


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Mar 13, 2015)

Mussels said:


> just got given an older PC from family, heavy chain smokers. quite nasty, pics and video uploading.


Holy shit balls


----------



## rtwjunkie (Mar 13, 2015)

Mussels said:


> just got given an older PC from family, heavy chain smokers. quite nasty, pics and video uploading.


 
I would hate to see the inside of that PSU!  That PSU is probably not rescuable, but the rest looks promising.


----------



## krusha03 (Mar 13, 2015)

Mussels said:


> just got given an older PC from family, heavy chain smokers. quite nasty, pics and video uploading.



If later you write you found a SSD, GTX 970 or an i5 or something in there i am quitting this forum


----------



## rtwjunkie (Mar 13, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> If later you write you found and SSD, GTX 970 or an i5 or something in there i am quitting this forum


 
Don't be surprised.  The amount of techy "gold" that Mussels either finds or gets given by clueless people is beyond all rational understanding.


----------



## krusha03 (Mar 13, 2015)

rtwjunkie said:


> Don't be surprised.  The amount of techy "gold" that Mussels either finds or gets given by clueless people is beyond all rational understanding.


I know that is what i was referring to


----------



## 64K (Mar 13, 2015)

Mussels said:


> just got given an older PC from family, heavy chain smokers. quite nasty, pics and video uploading.



Disgusting habit does disgusting things. So glad I gave up smoking 8 years ago. Probably all of their electronic devices look like that on the inside.


----------



## natr0n (Mar 13, 2015)

Mussels said:


> just got given an older PC from family, heavy chain smokers. quite nasty, pics and video uploading.



Watching videos of dusty pc's getting cleaned/airblasted gives me a high almost.


----------



## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Mar 13, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> If later you write you found a SSD, GTX 970 or an i5 or something in there i am quitting this forum


I don't think you have to worry about that. If I am right on the mobo ( asus K8v skt 754),  the fastest proc that can be in there would be ab A64 3700+ single core.


----------



## stinger608 (Mar 13, 2015)

natr0n said:


> Watching videos of dusty pc's getting cleaned/airblasted gives me a high almost.




Well hell, you'd be a cheap date..........


----------



## Mussels (Mar 13, 2015)

that one had a sempron 3000+ and a 9500GT 512MB.


No nuggets of gold this time.


----------



## krusha03 (Mar 13, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> I don't think you have to worry about that. If I am right on the mobo ( asus K8v skt 754),  the fastest proc that can be in there would be ab A64 3700+ single core.


It was a joke, you could clearly see that there is nothing of great value in the pictures


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 14, 2015)

Mussels said:


> just got given an older PC from family, heavy chain smokers. quite nasty, pics and video uploading.



duh ide hdd
so its been several years not cleaned


----------



## Mussels (Mar 14, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> duh ide hdd
> so its been several years not cleaned




PC is 3 years old, they used an older HDD in there. paid a fortune and got scammed on it, my partners grandparents system.


----------



## xvi (Mar 14, 2015)

Mussels said:


>



o_0


----------



## Mussels (Mar 14, 2015)

not sure it was obvious in the recording, but i had to use the air to blow the dust off the phone screen so i could SEE what i was recording.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 15, 2015)

i cleaned out the CRT monitor that came with that system. bear in mind this video was *after* the first attempt, so it was actually worse than what you see here :/


----------



## JunkBear (Mar 15, 2015)

Bad thing is that on mobile apps i see only a black square instead of the video.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 15, 2015)

JunkBear said:


> Bad thing is that on mobile apps i see only a black square instead of the video.



just use chrome for mobile already


----------



## krusha03 (Mar 15, 2015)

Mussels said:


> i cleaned out the CRT monitor that came with that system. bear in mind this video was *after* the first attempt, so it was actually worse than what you see here :/


My solution for that would be throwing it in the nearest garbage container


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Mar 15, 2015)

One sad little bunny in this Dell Optiflex i just opened and a few little babies on the way. Remarkably clean considering its' age, i am certain it has never been cleaned  (i know the family )






2.8ghz with H/T
1gb RAM
and a massive 60gb hdd
XP  running sweet.....Absolutely nothing wrong with it............runs at 49 degrees.

Cant give a date other than the BIOS is  2005.
A nice little web machine for a struggling artist friend of mine who has never been online.

Crunching at 75% ................... a nice little test.


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 15, 2015)

Mussels said:


> i cleaned out the CRT monitor that came with that system. bear in mind this video was *after* the first attempt, so it was actually worse than what you see here :/



sometimes i just dont get it why people wont clean it. like exterior if it has some dust it should be visible and looks getting nasty if it accumulated over time
except inside the case, if you dont open it or its not visible, maybe its easier to ignore it as long as the pc runs well


----------



## Mussels (Mar 15, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> sometimes i just dont get it why people wont clean it. like exterior if it has some dust it should be visible and looks getting nasty if it accumulated over time
> except inside the case, if you dont open it or its not visible, maybe its easier to ignore it as long as the pc runs well



with some people its as simple as if they clean one thing, the rest looks dirtier.

And they could never admit they're filthy slobs, oh no. it only looks nasty when it gets taken to a clean house.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Mar 15, 2015)

A lot of people wouldnt even think of taking the side off a case, let alone appreciate how dirty they can and do get.

The dust is a fire risk.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 15, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> A lot of people wouldnt even think of taking the side off a case, let alone appreciate how dirty they can and do get.
> 
> The dust is a fire risk.



that filthy tobacoo ash is a cancer risk, that wasnt dust in my videos.


----------



## AsRock (Mar 15, 2015)

Forgetting those who don't understand too.


----------



## 64K (Mar 15, 2015)

Frankly I'm surprised you could even blow the dust/ash off of that PC. When I smoked the tar that was in the cigarette smoke would stick to everything in the house and when dust landed on anything it would make a sticky goop if you let it build up. Hell, it's 2 screws and the side panel is off. How hard is that? I'm sure youtube even has a video that people can watch on how to do it.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Mar 15, 2015)

More often than not, the most difficult part of hands-on routine maintainance is getting the side panel on/off.
Experience helps though some sidepanels can be a real nightmare.
Shuttle pcs in particular can be very tricky simply because of the number of slots that have to fit in perfectly.  The Dell i showed earlier wasnt especially easy and took me 3 attempts to reseat it correctly so that it would snap shut.

Given peoples' ignorance and general fear of all things electrical I am not at all surprised that a typical domestic user will NEVER clean the inside of their pc. and in my experience it is  rare to open a pc and find it clean inside.


----------



## Athlonite (Mar 15, 2015)

If you really want to get that monitor clean take the back off it then blow it out


----------



## jsfitz54 (Mar 15, 2015)

With regards to monitors, I have taken out the logic/power boards on ones that were not working (starting normally due to dust grease ect) and completely sprayed them off (both sides) with
http://www.walmart.com/ip/16817418?www=true&productRedirect=true
and afterwards they worked fine.


----------



## de.das.dude (Mar 17, 2015)

can you guys upload images to techpowerup image host? i cant see hosted images at work but i can see TPU ones  
thanks


----------



## Frick (Apr 6, 2015)

de.das.dude said:


> at work



Liar!


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 6, 2015)

de.das.dude said:


> can you guys upload images to techpowerup image host? i cant see hosted images at work but i can see TPU ones
> thanks


Should you not be doing work instead browsing TPU


----------



## de.das.dude (Apr 25, 2015)

Athlonite said:


> Should you not be doing work instead browsing TPU


since i am living on campus and am not permitted to bring personal computers, i have to use the work pc  on weekends and holidays as well 
i do have a tablet but wifi is not available in the ac


----------



## JunkBear (Apr 29, 2015)

t_ski said:


> Common issue on some older chips.  The thermal paste gets really thick when cool and the CPU comes out of the socket still attached to the heatsink.
> 
> This came out of an HP DC5000 computer.  We had someone that complained their DC5000 was running really loud all the time.  One of the guys pulled the heatsink off on this noisy PC to clean off the old compound and replace it with some Arctic Ceramique I have.  However, he stopped there and left the office for a while.
> 
> ...



Socket 478 all make that. Guess the system that hold cpu down was not that effective after all.


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 29, 2015)

the three dust filters from a mates Silverstone RV02 I don't think he's ever cleaned them since I built the PC despite me telling him to do so every 2 months and showing him how to do it albeit he got a slap on the wrist when he came to pick it up


----------



## rtwjunkie (Apr 29, 2015)

There is zero air getting through those things!


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 29, 2015)

Yeah I know case temps went down 5 deg c after cleaning them and you could actually feel the hot air being forced out the top of the case where as before the only place with air flow out of it was the top 120mm fan now the hot air is leaving via the top fan and the vented pci cover plates, Much better now


----------



## xvi (May 15, 2015)

Found this on Imgur.


----------



## micropage7 (May 15, 2015)

xvi said:


> Found this on Imgur.



its ruin from roman empire, look at that colosseum


----------



## xvi (May 15, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> its ruin from roman empire, look at that colosseum


..and the leaning tower of capacitance.


----------



## Jetster (May 15, 2015)

I though it was the set from the new Star Wars


----------



## JunkBear (May 15, 2015)

Starts the song .. Like a dussttt in the wiiiinndddd


----------



## rtwjunkie (May 15, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> its ruin from roman empire, look at that colosseum



LOL! My first thoughts exactly!! "Why are ancient Roman ruins in the desert in this thread?" Upon closer inspection however....wow!


----------



## Mussels (May 15, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> its ruin from roman empire, look at that colosseum



not kidding, i'm tired as all fuck and after seeing your comment that IS what my brain decided it was. took a good minute for my brain to kick in and correct it.


----------



## Random Murderer (May 15, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> its ruin from roman empire, look at that colosseum





rtwjunkie said:


> LOL! My first thoughts exactly!! "Why are ancient Roman ruins in the desert in this thread?" Upon closer inspection however....wow!





Mussels said:


> not kidding, i'm tired as all fuck and after seeing your comment that IS what my brain decided it was. took a good minute for my brain to kick in and correct it.



I saw it, too. It even looks like it's resting atop a mountain...


I wonder which board that is... was?


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (May 15, 2015)

Ashrock?


----------



## Ferrum Master (May 15, 2015)

It is a *Soltek 75KV2 KT133*, There were not that many AGP Pro boards for Socket A and using SDRAM. And that idiotic IDE placement.
*



*


----------



## JunkBear (May 16, 2015)

Ferrum Master said:


> It is a *Soltek 75KV2 KT133*, There were not that many AGP Pro boards for Socket A and using SDRAM. And that idiotic IDE placement.
> *
> 
> 
> ...



Just by the colour it screams VIA chipset. Am I right?


----------



## xvi (May 16, 2015)

JunkBear said:


> Just by the colour it screams VIA chipset. Am I right?


That and the KT133 in the model. That was a pretty popular chipset by VIA, iirc.


----------



## Jetster (May 25, 2015)

A little spring cleaning

I love filters, but cleaning this Silverstone Granada GD05 is a pain in the ass. This has been the best HTPC though


----------



## Athlonite (May 26, 2015)

If you dislike cleaning it then maybe think about putting those filters on the outside of the case so the fans don't get dusty then all you need do is give it a vacuum and the dust is gone


----------



## xvi (May 26, 2015)

Yeah. Slightly surprised they don't have filters on the front. Why let your fans get all dusty?


----------



## micropage7 (May 27, 2015)

Jetster said:


> A little spring cleaning
> 
> I love filters, but cleaning this Silverstone Granada GD05 is a pain in the ass. This has been the best HTPC though



duh that dust, i always prefer filter in front of fan, coz it would keep the components behind it clean


----------



## m4gicfour (May 27, 2015)

Probably because, if you look at the case, he probably can't put them on the outside. The case has raised metal grills there. The filters would be sitting away from the frame and air could just go around them, even if they could be attached (magnetic?).

Of course you can always dremel them off.


----------



## Athlonite (May 28, 2015)

m4gicfour said:


> Probably because, if you look at the case, he probably can't put them on the outside. The case has raised metal grills there. The filters would be sitting away from the frame and air could just go around them, even if they could be attached (magnetic?).
> 
> Of course you can always dremel them off.



Or he could go like this Case>Filter>fan instead of Case>Fan>Filter


----------



## Mussels (May 28, 2015)

somehow i lost my subscription to this thread :O


----------



## xvi (May 28, 2015)

Mussels said:


> somehow i lost my subscription to this thread :O


Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Makes it all that much better when you come back.

Did you lose alerts or the actual subscription?


----------



## Mussels (May 28, 2015)

xvi said:


> Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Makes it all that much better when you come back.
> 
> Did you lose alerts or the actual subscription?



email alerts, it seems


----------



## Jetster (May 28, 2015)

If you ignore a thread  it goes away. Not sure how long or how many post you don't check on. But it will definitely go away


----------



## Mussels (May 28, 2015)

Jetster said:


> If you ignore a thread  it goes away. Not sure how long or how many post you don't check on. But it will definitely go away



i get emails for years old threads when someone necros them, so i don't think thats how it works.


----------



## Athlonite (May 29, 2015)

Mussels said:


> somehow i lost my subscription to this thread :O



What'd you do ban hammer yourself Mussels


----------



## HossHuge (May 29, 2015)

I still like mine from a few years ago.


----------



## Athlonite (May 30, 2015)

I always try and talk people into buying a third party tower cooler because of that one reason ^ stock intel coolers are carpet makers


----------



## Toothless (May 30, 2015)

Athlonite said:


> I always try and talk people into buying a third party tower cooler because of that one reason ^ stock intel coolers are carpet makers


Maybe I need a fluffier carpet.


----------



## R-T-B (May 30, 2015)

Toothless said:


> Maybe I need a fluffier carpet.



Trust me when I say you most certainly do not.


----------



## Toothless (May 30, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Trust me when I say you most certainly do not.


BUT, BUT, FLUFFY CARPEEEEET.


----------



## R-T-B (May 30, 2015)

gdallsk said:


> Haven't cleaned my mums pc in a while...



Old post, but I gotta say...  Ruby, why do you look so turned on by that dusty fan?


----------



## xvi (May 30, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Old post, but I gotta say...  Ruby, why do you look so turned on by that dusty fan?


Maybe she's a big FAN of dust. Maybe she's a dirty kind of girl. Perhaps her story is SHROUDed with mystery. I think she.. um.. she, uh.. I haven't had enough coffee to think of any more puns.


----------



## xvi (Jun 1, 2015)

Sig rig was in desperate need of a cleaning. The shot of the radiator is actually _after_ I blew it out. I wish I had a video of that process, but here's what it looked like from a distance.


----------



## lZKoce (Jun 1, 2015)

xvi said:


> Sig rig was in desperate need of a cleaning. The shot of the radiator is actually _after_ I blew it out. I wish I had a video of that process, but here's what it looked like from a distance.



How much time did it take to accumulate this amount of dust?


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 1, 2015)

and they dont give a d*mn at all


----------



## t_ski (Jun 1, 2015)

xvi said:


> The shot of the radiator is actually _after_ I blew it out.


I have an old toothbrush I use for cleaning things like this.


----------



## xvi (Jun 1, 2015)

t_ski said:


> I have an old toothbrush I use for cleaning things like this.


Now I wish I'd tried that. I blew it out with an air compressor, ran it under hot water for a bit, then blew it out again to try to quickly remove water. It's drying near a window now. It looked decently clean, but I'll leave the final judgement for when it dries.


lZKoce said:


> How much time did it take to accumulate this amount of dust?


Eeerruuummm.. Year-ish? I'm honestly not sure at all. I'm REALLY lazy sometimes. 
I only brought it down because the WC pump was starting to throw a tantrum.
Edit: vreeeeeee*FFFHGGHCHUG*vreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevrrrrrrrrrrrvveeeeeeeeeeevrrrrrrrrrrrr*VVVRRRRRRFFFFCHUG*vvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
(Yes the reservoir was full)


----------



## Liquid Cool (Jun 1, 2015)

xvi said:


> Found this on Imgur.



I have an old trusty laptop that I take with me when I head out to do repair jobs...I'd really like this turned into a wallpaper.  It would be perfect...for making some of the people I run across not feel too bad.  Can't count how many times I've heard...."you're supposed to blow these things out?"

Best,

Liquid Cool


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 2, 2015)

xvi said:


> Now I wish I'd tried that. I blew it out with an air compressor, ran it under hot water for a bit, then blew it out again to try to quickly remove water. It's drying near a window now. It looked decently clean, but I'll leave the final judgement for when it dries.
> 
> Eeerruuummm.. Year-ish? I'm honestly not sure at all. I'm REALLY lazy sometimes.
> I only brought it down because the WC pump was starting to throw a tantrum.



the absolute best way to clean a RAD is to use hot water and sugar soap you wont need to scrub just dip it a few times and blow out the excess water takes all of 5 minutes and your done and the rad will look like it's brand new again


----------



## xvi (Jun 2, 2015)

Athlonite said:


> the absolute best way to clean a RAD is to use hot water and sugar soap you wont need to scrub just dip it a few times and blow out the excess water takes all of 5 minutes and your done and the rad will look like it's brand new again


I was kind of thinking that. I wished I had a tub of hot soapy water that I could dunk the rad in. Sugar soap though? Looked it up on Google, seems like a somewhat common item, but I don't think I've seen it before. Pretty common in stores?



Liquid Cool said:


> "you're supposed to blow these things out?"


No, you're just supposed to let it sit and age, like a fine wine.


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 2, 2015)

another one




 

no one pay attention at least they can use tissue to wipe the dust


----------



## Jetster (Jun 2, 2015)

Too much porn without a splash guard


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 2, 2015)

xvi said:


> Pretty common in stores?




yup common as in most super markets


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jun 2, 2015)

Sugar soap

 The comparable *cleaning* product in the USA is trisodium phosphate, also known as "TSP"  The solution is alkaline

i would recommend

STERADENT


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 2, 2015)

*United Kingdom[edit]*
The precise ingredients and their proportions (and consequentially what hazards, if any, are associated) vary between manufacturers and suppliers but are now generally found listed in the Material Safety Data Sheets found on manufacturers' and suppliers' web sites. The alkali component is normally sodium carbonate or less commonly sodium hydroxide at a concentration of a few percent and an organic solvent and an abrasive agent are normally the other functional ingredients, as well as coloring and water. Many brands of sugar soap are freely available for domestic use in the UK, being commonly sold for preparing surfaces for redecoration, stripping certain types of wallpaper, removing accumulations of grease in kitchens or removal of tar deposits caused by tobacco-smoking; products are supplied in powder to be diluted before use or liquid form to be brushed or sprayed.

*United States[edit]*
The comparable *cleaning* product in the USA is trisodium phosphate, also known as "TSP". However, due to environmental concerns about the impact of phosphorus on lakes and streams, products labeled TSP may not actually contain any trisodium phosphate.

"Sugar Soap" in the USA is generally a cosmetic product. If sugar is actually used in the product it helps the natural soap to generate more lather.[1]

*France[edit]*
A comparable product in France is sold under the brand name St Marc. It is branded by Reckitt Benckiser and its formula is a derivative of a resin soap made from terpene. The ingredients listed in the safety data sheet [1] include >30% sodium carbonate.


----------



## Random Murderer (Jun 3, 2015)

Athlonite said:


> The alkali component is normally sodium carbonate...


Oh, that's a pretty common alkali and safe to boot. You can buy it as washing soda or cleaning soda for cheap, but you can make it yourself for cheaper. Bake NaHCO3(Baking soda) at 400F, mixing occasionally, until the baking soda becomes slightly whiter, more powdery, and less clumpy. You will now have Na2CO3, more commonly known as washing soda. Carbon dioxide and steam are released in this reaction, heat is the catalyst.
Personally, I've had great success using sodium carbonate in a 1:16 solution with water as an electrolyte solution for electrolysis.


----------



## xvi (Jun 4, 2015)

Random Murderer said:


> Oh, that's a pretty common alkali and safe to boot. You can buy it as washing soda or cleaning soda for cheap, but you can make it yourself for cheaper. Bake NaHCO3(Baking soda) at 400F, mixing occasionally, until the baking soda becomes slightly whiter, more powdery, and less clumpy. You will now have Na2CO3, more commonly known as washing soda. Carbon dioxide and steam are released in this reaction, heat is the catalyst.
> Personally, I've had great success using sodium carbonate in a 1:16 solution with water as an electrolyte solution for electrolysis.


Huh. Now to bring it full circle, sodium carbonate in water would work as a metal/enamel paint/general purpose cleaner? Does it leave any residue? Wondering if I'd have to plug the bungs on the radiator.


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 4, 2015)

Aslong as you rinse it off under the hot water tap there's no residue left I clean all my heatsinks from my Thermolab Baram to my GPU heatsink this way and brings them up looking like new again


----------



## Random Murderer (Jun 4, 2015)

xvi said:


> Huh. Now to bring it full circle, sodium carbonate in water would work as a metal/enamel paint/general purpose cleaner? Does it leave any residue? Wondering if I'd have to plug the bungs on the radiator.


No residue, I use it to clean out gas tanks


----------



## JunkBear (Jun 6, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Sugar soap
> 
> The comparable *cleaning* product in the USA is trisodium phosphate, also known as "TSP"  The solution is alkaline
> 
> ...





TSP can also be found in 1 litre cardboard juice-alike package in Canadian Tire.


----------



## JunkBear (Jun 6, 2015)

Athlonite said:


> *United Kingdom[edit]*
> The precise ingredients and their proportions (and consequentially what hazards, if any, are associated) vary between manufacturers and suppliers but are now generally found listed in the Material Safety Data Sheets found on manufacturers' and suppliers' web sites. The alkali component is normally sodium carbonate or less commonly sodium hydroxide at a concentration of a few percent and an organic solvent and an abrasive agent are normally the other functional ingredients, as well as coloring and water. Many brands of sugar soap are freely available for domestic use in the UK, being commonly sold for preparing surfaces for redecoration, stripping certain types of wallpaper, removing accumulations of grease in kitchens or removal of tar deposits caused by tobacco-smoking; products are supplied in powder to be diluted before use or liquid form to be brushed or sprayed.
> 
> *United States[edit]*
> ...





I modified the page you posted to insert Canada also for TSP.


----------



## Atomic77 (Jul 27, 2015)

I guess  a lot of people have never heard of the term compressed air those cans used to blow dust out of the pc vents and stuff.


----------



## ehume (Jul 27, 2015)

Nah. Use a DataVac.


----------



## redundantslurs (Jul 28, 2015)

I like using a leaf blower to clean out the dust, been using it for years without any issues.


----------



## OneMoar (Jul 28, 2015)

for those water blocks that are complete write offs try flushing with toilet bowl cleaner + a few table spoons of water for 30 seconds followed by a through rinse with a gallon of hotwater with 1/4 of baking soda in it
guaranteed to remove the most vile of build up even rust
*note most toilet bowl cleaner contains hydrochloric acid prolonged exposure will destory any plating no more then 30 seconds maximum and rise quickly


----------



## AsRock (Jul 28, 2015)

OneMoar said:


> for those water blocks that are complete write offs try flushing with toilet bowl cleaner + a few table spoons of water for 30 seconds followed by a through rinse with a gallon of hotwater with 1/4 of baking soda in it
> guaranteed to remove the most vile of build up even rust
> *note most toilet bowl cleaner contains hydrochloric acid prolonged exposure will destory any plating no more then 30 seconds maximum and rise quickly



Better name a brand when you talk about toilet cleaner as last time i used it on plastics it started to melt it which formed a some what poisonous gas cloud


----------



## OneMoar (Aug 1, 2015)

AsRock said:


> Better name a brand when you talk about toilet cleaner as last time i used it on plastics it started to melt it which formed a some what poisonous gas cloud


I use "the works"  and yes it will destroy some plastic's and or rubber if used at 100% strength 
its why I said work very quickly and use the baking soda and water


----------



## Atomic77 (Aug 12, 2015)

That picture with the retainer on it reminded me of efferdent.


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 12, 2015)

another dust by dust




sorry i need to make it smaller since my shitty connection wont let me post any bigger pics


----------



## Jetster (Aug 12, 2015)

Finally some descent filth. Why do people torture SATA cables


----------



## t_ski (Aug 12, 2015)

I was looking at the SATA cable, too.  Pretty much defeats the purpose of a flat cable.


----------



## Random Murderer (Nov 12, 2015)

Not mine, but I ran across this and figured it belongs here.


----------



## THRiLL KiLL (Nov 12, 2015)

Random Murderer said:


> Not mine, but I ran across this and figured it belongs here.


that takes talent.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 12, 2015)

THRiLL KiLL said:


> that takes talent.










people round here eat those for kicks on a saturday night.


----------



## PCGamerDR (Nov 12, 2015)

Random Murderer said:


> Not mine, but I ran across this and figured it belongs here.



Glad to know GPUs serve as petridishes. Would be fun to think that an organic GPU is growing out of it haha....


----------



## theJesus (Nov 12, 2015)

Now we can have OGPUs to power OLED screens.


----------



## droopyRO (Nov 12, 2015)

Can those mushrooms be eaten, or smoked ?


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 12, 2015)

In uncivilised parts of the world they call it shit,

 in Wales we call it...... cachu
 ( if you arent Welsh this word is probably unpronouncable)



 



 

oh yeah, my PC, my lungs too...


----------



## MIRTAZAPINE (Nov 12, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> In uncivilised parts of the world they call it shit,
> 
> in Wales we call it...... cachu
> ( if you arent Welsh this word is probably unpronouncable)
> ...



Have that radiator been smoking? Maybe to much cigarettes for the radiator.


----------



## Ahhzz (Nov 12, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> In uncivilised parts of the world they call it shit,
> 
> in Wales we call it...... cachu



Gesundheit.


----------



## xvi (Nov 13, 2015)

Random Murderer said:


> Not mine, but I ran across this and figured it belongs here.



Filthy: ☑
Rotten: ☑
Nasty: ☑


----------



## theJesus (Nov 13, 2015)

xvi said:


> Filthy: ☑
> Rotten: ☑
> Nasty: ☑


Nightmare: Possible if consumed


----------



## Athlonite (Nov 14, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> people round here eat those for kicks on a saturday night.



Holy shitake I'm pretty sure when they talk about organic computing this is so not what they had in mind


----------



## silentbogo (Nov 14, 2015)

Before and after. Couldn't make a photo of the entire cockroach-infested dirty SFF case, but the inside of the PSU could not escape the vengeance of my mighty brush!


----------



## peche (Nov 14, 2015)

i was about to clean my personal rig in the office today... then came to the office... make everything ready ... then realize that i never get my computer at car... 
epic fail ....computer still at home...


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 14, 2015)

peche said:


> i was about to clean my personal rig in the office today... then came to the office... make everything ready ... then realize that i never get my computer at car...
> epic fail ....computer still at home...




some people take their work home with them, you take your home to work, dont worry, i wont tell the boss.


----------



## peche (Nov 14, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> some people take their work home with them, you take your home to work, dont worry, i wont tell the boss.


----------



## theJesus (Nov 14, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> some people take their work home with them, you take your home to work, dont worry, i wont tell the boss.


And others work from home regularly and can't tell the difference between work and home.


----------



## Frick (Nov 14, 2015)

theJesus said:


> And others work from home regularly and can't tell the difference between work and home.



Jesus was always on duty man. Don't you judge man.


----------



## R-T-B (Nov 14, 2015)

theJesus said:


> And others work from home regularly and can't tell the difference between work and home.



This is me.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 14, 2015)

Oh how i wish i COULD work, genuinely,i really wish i could do the great fun shit i used to.

I would still spend just as much time here on TPU so hard luck i will still be here if these meds ever work., and they wil let me drive massive diggers and dumptrucks while im hallucinating on mental medecines.


----------



## R-T-B (Nov 14, 2015)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Oh how i wish i COULD work, genuinely,i really wish i could do the great fun shit i used to.
> 
> I would still spend just as much time here on TPU so hard luck i will still be here if these meds ever work., and they wil let me drive massive diggers and dumptrucks while im hallucinating on mental medecines.



Forget the meds.  Just use the homegrown PC mushrooms.

What could go wrong?


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 14, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> Forget the meds.  Just use the homegrown PC mushrooms.
> 
> What could go wrong?




aaaaaahhhhh            "PC" mushrooms, thats where i went wrong,

i heard "Presselli" Mushrooms,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preseli_Hills


thats where the Stonehenge stones came from and the best magic mushrooms  




Back to dirty, cos that is where this thread is at...... CPU cooler out of DELL Dimension 5100..........from a blonde  and ever so dirty household


----------



## theJesus (Nov 14, 2015)

Frick said:


> Jesus was always on duty man. Don't you judge man.


Not judging; I just felt compelled to mention the group that I fall into.


R-T-B said:


> This is me.


Me as well.  I love that I can just roll out of bed at 9am, walk into the other room and BAM! I'm at work.  Just like that.  Then whenever I'm done or feel like taking a break, I just roll my chair over to my other desk and there is my gaming rig.

On the other hand though; I don't really have a clear cutoff between when I'm working and I'm not.  I spend all day/evening in my home office and just constantly go back and forth between working a bit, goofing off a bit, then working some more, etc.  Only time the distinction is clear is when I have to go to a customer site for something.


----------



## Divide Overflow (Nov 15, 2015)

Ran across this beauty a little while ago.


----------



## t_ski (Nov 15, 2015)

Why is it that Dells show up here so many times?


----------



## Peter1986C (Nov 15, 2015)

Because of the kind of user that operate Dells are often the kind of people that never clean the machine? Just a hypothesis, BTW.


----------



## red_stapler (Nov 15, 2015)

t_ski said:


> Why is it that Dells show up here so many times?



Who cleans out their work computer?  Nobody.


----------



## silentbogo (Nov 15, 2015)

red_stapler said:


> Who cleans out their work computer?  Nobody.


Wrong answer! The IT department.


----------



## dorsetknob (Nov 15, 2015)

In Most Places of work unless you have permission to open and go inside the pc
it would be a Dismissal offense to do so ( Security health and Safety ect )
Most office users dont know how to open a pc let alone How to clean the inside of one
thats the job for the BOFH and his PFY ( IT Dept )


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 15, 2015)

Opening a Dell is easy, try putting the Bastards back together.!!!!


----------



## dorsetknob (Nov 15, 2015)

If you have had reason to open a dell then you have had a reason to scrap it


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 15, 2015)

dorsetknob said:


> If you have had reason to open a dell then you have had a reason to scrap it



two reasons

i was given two Dells. 
3100
5100
and correct, both scrap,


----------



## Athlonite (Nov 15, 2015)

Dell = Foreign name for dust accumulator we all no it as a Vacuum


----------



## de.das.dude (Nov 16, 2015)

Random Murderer said:


> Not mine, but I ran across this and figured it belongs here.


looks kind of fake to be honest.


----------



## peche (Dec 4, 2015)

well.... here are a few pics of a friend's Corsair h60....


 

and this was after some care...


 

i did this build like 5 months ago... is awesome to see how it gets dust in my friend's home....


----------



## cdawall (Dec 4, 2015)

^I have to clean my in-laws H50 every other month or it looks like that. Dogs do that bad.


----------



## peche (Dec 4, 2015)

Well, is amazing because there is just one fan on that rad,  is pretty filthy and the fact that the build has no more than 5 months alive… priceless,

my friend is about to add another fan to this rand for making a push / pull config on that rad… but unfortunately his motherboard just died,  so he is going to be out of PC life for a little time…

all other hardware is working.. just a dead motherboard….


----------



## cdawall (Dec 4, 2015)

The H50 I setup is just a single fan. It's cooling an X3 @3.4ghz even with a single fan it doesn't break 45C under load (which it never really does)


----------



## peche (Dec 4, 2015)

H60 are brave enough also i may confess that corsair has came back with excellent products, excellent tubing and also great fans on their AIO kits, compared the older with crappy tubes....


----------



## cdawall (Dec 4, 2015)

This has the old crappy plastic tubes and has been running for something like 5 years.


----------



## peche (Dec 4, 2015)

cdawall said:


> This has the old crappy plastic tubes and has been running for something like 5 years.


lol ... you got maybe a gold one... because those crappy tubes are the worst thing in this wrecked world.,...


----------



## cdawall (Dec 4, 2015)

peche said:


> lol ... you got maybe a gold one... because those crappy tubes are the worst thing in this wrecked world.,...



I don't want to jinx it...


----------



## Liquid Cool (Dec 22, 2015)

Recent Dell Precision T3500 I purchased off eBay...





 

 


The ad said..."Seller Refurbished"

Best Regards,

Liquid Cool


----------



## Silas Woodruff (Dec 22, 2015)

Liquid Cool said:


> Recent Dell Precision T3500 I purchased off eBay...
> 
> View attachment 70272
> 
> ...


He was probably refurbishing the dust and grime, just look at that thing near the motherboard, good as new.


----------



## 64K (Dec 22, 2015)

Liquid Cool said:


> Recent Dell Precision T3500 I purchased off eBay...
> 
> View attachment 70272
> 
> ...



Refurbished?  That poor PC.


----------



## xvi (Dec 22, 2015)

That's pretty clearly misrepresented. Neutral feedback?


----------



## Ithanul (Jan 2, 2016)

cdawall said:


> This has the old crappy plastic tubes and has been running for something like 5 years.


Not the only one rocking a old H50.  Got one on the 1090T in the folder rig.  It still trucking, think its over five or six years old bought it second hand.  But yeah those tubes are a pain, especially if you want to move it into a different position.


----------



## Jetster (Jan 14, 2016)

*Its not too bad but the doctor is looking at it *


----------



## xvi (Jan 14, 2016)

Jetster said:


> Its not too bad but the doctor is looking at it


A little surprised there isn't more hair in the case. Found the doctor in uniform though.


----------



## Jetster (Jan 14, 2016)

He sneezed after he stuck his head in there


----------



## Random Murderer (Jan 14, 2016)

Jetster said:


> *Its not too bad but the doctor is looking at it *


Not too bad? I'd hate to see what you consider awful.


----------



## silentbogo (Jan 14, 2016)

Jetster said:


> Its not too bad but the doctor is looking at it



What is my cat doing inside your computer?


----------



## Mussels (Jan 15, 2016)

we can still see the fins so its not too bad. i forgot to take pics, but i cleaned out a friends Q6600 HTPC last night and you couldnt see the fans on the CPU HSF, or the PSU at all.


----------



## Jetster (Jan 15, 2016)

xvi said:


> A little surprised there isn't more hair in the case. Found the doctor in uniform though.




Love this pic


----------



## Sasqui (Jan 27, 2016)

Bump and an addition to the filthy hall of horrors.  A friend at work is going through a divorce :/ and really, really needed his Dell to work so he could access Quicken and files (No backup whatsoever).

I looked at his rig in complete wonder and disgust.  I told him I'd look at it, it was probably infested with dust bunnies and needed an exterminator...

An LED on the power supply told that it was getting juice, but pressing the power button yeilded *Nothing*...  I'm pretty sure the hunk of metal floating around in the case was the problem.






And I'm sure this didn't help, lol...






My tools of filth, an air compressor, N95 mask, eye protection, lol...






And the final product ... it worked perfectly, I still think it was the metal bracket causing the problem, sure the filth didn't help...


----------



## jboydgolfer (Feb 2, 2016)

i cant speak for the "Help" part... but the Nasty and rotten are Here ....the left click went all "double Clicky", and i attempted to fix it , but my hands are FAR too big. sorry bout my face being in the pic, I took a pic as proof, and i was too lazy to take another. hope this qualifies for the thread...or atleast for a laugh.the anger in my face is undeniable 




btw, if anyone need soem spare parts, the right click is still fine  as is everythin else Steelseries diablo III sensei. 5 months old  R.I.P


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 2, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> i cant speak for the "Help" part... but the Nasty and rotten are Here ....the left click went all "double Clicky", and i attempted to fix it , but my hands are FAR too big. sorry bout my face being in the pic, I took a pic as proof, and i was too lazy to take another. hope this qualifies for the thread...or atleast for a laugh.the anger in my face is undeniable
> 
> 
> 
> ...




you have lost weight. !!!! (and gained facial hair)


----------



## jboydgolfer (Feb 3, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> you have lost weight. !!!! (and gained facial hair)



I REFUSE to shave 

my 3rd steelseries mouse, and support refuses to honor support becasue i bought it from Ebay  ..


----------



## AsRock (Feb 3, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> you have lost weight. !!!! (and gained facial hair)



It cold this time of year, who can blame him .


----------



## theJesus (Feb 3, 2016)

What am I looking at?  Did you accidentally rip the button off?


----------



## Ferrum Master (Feb 3, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> I REFUSE to shave
> 
> my 3rd steelseries mouse, and support refuses to honor support becasue i bought it from Ebay  ..



shaite, you really look like Eddie...


----------



## jboydgolfer (Feb 3, 2016)

Ferrum Master said:


> shaite, you really look like Eddie...


----------



## ShiBDiB (Feb 7, 2016)




----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 12, 2016)

Its a sort of salty encrustation, more than that i dont know.

 I think the hairs must be a carpet it got stuck to.....


----------



## Sasqui (Feb 12, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Its a sort of salty encrustation, more than that i dont know.
> 
> I think the hairs must be a carpet it got stuck to.....
> 
> View attachment 72080



That's an odd one... looks like rust caused by some moisture spot and yes, carpet fibers stuck to whatever liquid and rust that formed.


----------



## Sasqui (Feb 12, 2016)

Why is my PC not booting?






(apologies if this is a re-tread picture)...


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 12, 2016)

^^^^^^^^
PSU

*P*ossibly  *S*hitfilled *U*nit  ?


----------



## AsRock (Feb 12, 2016)

Sasqui said:


> Why is my PC not booting?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



A part often for got, a lot seem to think they never need cleaning.


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 12, 2016)

Just a few minutes ago I had the weirdest laptop cleanup ever. My neighbor brought his Dell, which was running hot regardless of very recent checkup, TIM replacement and dusting. 
Too bad my phone wasn't charged for photo-documentary, but the insides were spotless, TIM was fresh and heatsink made perfect contact with CPU and GPU.
What was really suspicious, is that fan was super-noisy, almost like an old Acer from early 2000s, but did not produce any distinctive clicking or grinding... just a constant loud who-o-oshhh.
I thought it needed some lube, or a complete replacement, but once I opened it, I pulled almost a fistful of bunny fur! 
He forgot to mention that his wife was using this laptop in the kitchen right next to a nesting place of a decorative fluffy monstrosity, while still wondering why his laptop is loud and hot...


----------



## dorsetknob (Feb 12, 2016)

only reason to keep wabbit in the kitchen is as a stew pot filler


----------



## Sasqui (Feb 12, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> ^^^^^^^^
> PSU
> 
> *P*ossibly  *S*hitfilled *U*nit  ?



I'm guessing that PC was right next to an ashtray based on the color of nicotine!




silentbogo said:


> Just a few minutes ago I had the weirdest laptop cleanup ever. My neighbor brought his Dell, which was running hot regardless of very recent checkup, TIM replacement and dusting.
> Too bad my phone wasn't charged for photo-documentary, but the insides were spotless, TIM was fresh and heatsink made perfect contact with CPU and GPU.
> What was really suspicious, is that fan was super-noisy, almost like an old Acer from early 2000s, but did not produce any distinctive clicking or grinding... just a constant loud who-o-oshhh.
> I thought it needed some lube, or a complete replacement, but once I opened it, I pulled almost a fistful of bunny fur!
> He forgot to mention that his wife was using this laptop in the kitchen right next to a nesting place of a decorative fluffy monstrosity, while still wondering why his laptop is loud and hot...



Damn man, get pictures next time! ;P


----------



## newtekie1 (Feb 12, 2016)

This Mac came into the shop the other day.  So nasty!  He bought it in because he lost all his email, his Outlook profile was corrupt.  The hard drive was dying, bad sectors, but he wouldn't believe me and told me to re-setup his email in Outlook.  He blamed the problem on "Microsoft's crappy program" because "Macs never have problems"...

I wore gloves when working on this.  Hey, did you know you can still work a touchpad with those cheap 3 Mil thick Nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight?


----------



## dorsetknob (Feb 12, 2016)

Did you post the 3rd pic  in the wrong thread 
looks like the milky way on a misty night

Edit 
at least those hairs on keyboard are not black short and curly


----------



## Sasqui (Feb 12, 2016)

newtekie1 said:


> This Mac came into the shop the other day.  So nasty!  He bought it in because he lost all his email, his Outlook profile was corrupt.  The hard drive was dying, bad sectors, but he wouldn't believe me and told me to re-setup his email in Outlook.  He blamed the problem on "Microsoft's crappy program" because "Macs never have problems"...
> 
> I wore gloves when working on this.  Hey, did you know you can still work a touchpad with those cheap 3 Mil thick Nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight?



Damn, those images are blocked here at work!

EDIT: I see.. OMFG yes gloves and a mask.  I'd start with a good wipedown with some nasty chemicals like Lysol.  Is that HAIR all over the keyboard?


----------



## Peter1986C (Feb 14, 2016)

newtekie1 said:


> This Mac came into the shop the other day.  So nasty!  He bought it in because he lost all his email, his Outlook profile was corrupt.  The hard drive was dying, bad sectors, but he wouldn't believe me and told me to re-setup his email in Outlook.  He blamed the problem on "Microsoft's crappy program" because "Macs never have problems"...
> 
> I wore gloves when working on this.  Hey, did you know you can still work a touchpad with those cheap 3 Mil thick Nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight?


Pics do not work, although I guess I do not miss out much...


----------



## Mussels (Feb 17, 2016)

never trust a woman to record a video (she stopped it early), but it came out well enough:

(FYI, that's not dust - its cigarette ash, tar, cat hair, and dust. the stench was incredible)


----------



## AsRock (Feb 17, 2016)

Sorry but that looks more like dust than tar, although i bet the tar helped it all to stick to it lol.  Cleaning tar from smoking is different over here just don't blow of like that HAHA.


Real problem is people don't clean there computers.


----------



## Mussels (Feb 17, 2016)

AsRock said:


> Sorry but that looks more like dust than tar, although i bet the tar helped it all to stick to it lol.  Cleaning tar from smoking is different over here just don't blow of like that HAHA.
> 
> 
> Real problem is people don't clean there computers.



the tar was more over the external peripherals, which are in the bin. bad wording on my part.

the dust bunnies floated away freely - but only because this PC has been in storage for about 3 years. the dust itself was formed into sticky clumps, which are now joyously rolling around my backyard like little tumbleweeds.


----------



## Frick (Feb 17, 2016)

Mussels said:


> never trust a woman to record a video (she stopped it early), but it came out well enough:
> 
> (FYI, that's not dust - its cigarette ash, tar, cat hair, and dust. the stench was incredible)



Went through something similar years ago, but with beer too.


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 17, 2016)

Wow, that's quite extreme.

The worst I've seen was my friend's PC. He used to work as a DJ in a club/restaurant and, as with most entertainment places, smoking was allowed inside.
His Sempron got stuck to a heatsink due to excessive tar buildup in a gap between HS and CPU (Socket A).


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 17, 2016)

Sasqui said:


> Why is my PC not booting?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Needs more lube.  How can the cogs turn with all that dirt man?  Every computer has gears.  Just ask C3PO...


----------



## Sasqui (Feb 17, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> Wow, that's quite extreme.
> 
> The worst I've seen was my friend's PC. He used to work as a DJ in a club/restaurant and, as with most entertainment places, smoking was allowed inside.
> His Sempron got stuck to a heatsink due to excessive tar buildup in a gap between HS and CPU (Socket A).



How did tar get into a gap like that and what the hell do his lungs look like!


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 17, 2016)

Sasqui said:


> How did tar get into a gap like that and what the hell do his lungs look like!



My guess is they have a lot in common with the lungs of King Tut at this point.


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 17, 2016)

Sasqui said:


> How did tar get into a gap like that and what the hell do his lungs look like!


It was a Socket A sempron - they did not have a heatspreader, just a small die and a 2mm gap between textolite and heatsink. But most the components also get dust and other nasty stuff in a mix (gross but easier to clean up)... his CPU was covered in brown goo and needed a thorough isopropyl bath just to come off the heatsink. 

Nasty, but still does not beat cockroaches and spiders in my friend's stereo from 18 years ago. Every time my grandma visits me and sees a pile of disassembled electronics - she always gives me shit about that incident.


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 18, 2016)

So, I finally got tired of playing around with MacBook Pro, and got another project laptop to fix.
I found a Lenovo G580 in super beat-up shape, but specs and price were too good to pass on it (~$50 for the whole thing with charger, original box etc.).
Fortunately for me, it was the first-ever online transaction that this guy did, so he was honest and straightforward about laptop's shape:
- It has a broken display
- It had some liquid spillage
- there is some cosmetic damage
- It kinda still boots!

In my economically retarded country I usually expect people to take care of their expensive electronics, but apparently all of this shit was done by stupidity, rather than by accident (at least never at the same time):
  

1) The spilled liquid was beer, and there was a lot of it! the whole screen and top housing is covered in sticky residue, which will require a bucket of isopropyl to clean up
2) In addition to frame and display damage, both hinges were ripped out of their sockets. Gotta get some superglue
3) The owner is a smoker, so this thing on the fan is not just dust - it is that crusty nicotine/tar stuff I was talking about. Air can or my faithful duster won't do - gotta get a toothbrush or a giant plasma cannon.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 18, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> So, I finally got tired of playing around with MacBook Pro, and got another project laptop to fix.
> I found a Lenovo G580 in super beat-up shape, but specs and price were too good to pass on it (~$50 for the whole thing with charger, original box etc.).
> Fortunately for me, it was the first-ever online transaction that this guy did, so he was honest and straightforward about laptop's shape:
> - It has a broken display
> ...



That's the laptop I would be forced to use in my personal hell, I think.

I'd better stop being such a nuisance...


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 18, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> That's the laptop I would be forced to use in my personal hell, I think.
> 
> I'd better stop being such a nuisance...


I had worse. This one is very promising, though. Most laptops from the same lineup share some parts and design which can make my life a lot easier.
I have another dead lenovo with the exact same screen and hinge placement, which means I can probably transplant the whole thing and throw away the beer-covered madness altogether.
If I stay within the budget on other parts, and given that HDD is working and has no bad sectors, I can probably throw in another $30 on an i3-3110M, or $50 on an i5-3230M (it came with Celeron 1000M).
Top it all off with an 8GB stick of RAM and you get a decent workhorse.

The laptop is barely 2.5 years old and has a fully operational battery: for that kind of money (including upgrades) I can only get some beat-up 2nd gen EEE PC with cookie crumbs under the keyboard .


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 18, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> I had worse. This one is very promising, though. Most laptops from the same lineup share some parts and design which can make my life a lot easier.
> I have another dead lenovo with the exact same screen and hinge placement, which means I can probably transplant the whole thing and throw away the beer-covered madness altogether.
> If I stay within the budget on other parts, and given that HDD is working and has no bad sectors, I can probably throw in another $30 on an i3-3110M, or $50 on an i5-3230M (it came with Celeron 1000M).
> Top it all off with an 8GB stick of RAM and you get a decent workhorse.
> ...



It's true, I've had worse as well.  I used to refurb toughbooks and flip them...  as you can imagine, they get some extra special level of abuse...

I once had one that I'm pretty sure had vomit in the keyboard, as well as obvious signs of cat urine.  I really don't know what they were doing with it...


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 18, 2016)

Always wanted to get one. I know a place nearby that sells refurb. units from Germany, but the price on CF-19 is like $200... and newer i5-powered models are way out of my budget.


----------



## Sasqui (Feb 18, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> So, I finally got tired of playing around with MacBook Pro, and got another project laptop to fix.
> I found a Lenovo G580 in super beat-up shape, but specs and price were too good to pass on it (~$50 for the whole thing with charger, original box etc.).
> Fortunately for me, it was the first-ever online transaction that this guy did, so he was honest and straightforward about laptop's shape:
> - It has a broken display
> ...



Ick... I'm fine with dust bunnies but nicotine and tar accumulation not as much!


----------



## Octopuss (Feb 19, 2016)

How could I miss this thread for almost five years?


----------



## stinger608 (Feb 19, 2016)

Octopuss said:


> How could I miss this thread for almost five years?



Because you been smoking your breakfast for 5 years?  Na man, just kidding bro. Hell, it happens.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Feb 19, 2016)

Going through all the posts are ya octopuss?


----------



## Octopuss (Feb 20, 2016)

I actually gave up around page 30 when I got too bored


----------



## Nosada (Feb 20, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> giant plasma cannon


Can't wait for those pics ...


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 20, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> Always wanted to get one. I know a place nearby that sells refurb. units from Germany, but the price on CF-19 is like $200... and newer i5-powered models are way out of my budget.



You need a good supply of junker ones (electrically wrecked somehow but cosmetically good).  Then, the second part you need is pretty easy to find in toughbook land:  Ones that look like they got used in the sewage treatment plant but still boot and run ok.  Clean, swap innards, make a grand.

It used to be profitable before everyone got the same darn idea and drove me out of business...


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 23, 2016)

It's alive!


----------



## dorsetknob (Feb 23, 2016)

Dr Bogostien i presume


----------



## ruff0r (Mar 10, 2016)

Still speechless. 
s


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 10, 2016)

ruff0r said:


> Still speechless.


User error... No compute.... 
 I think I've never-ever in my life seen anything like that.


----------



## dorsetknob (Mar 10, 2016)

what is it
""Gremlin jizz " ????? 

( probably cheap commercial heat grease )


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 10, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> User error... No compute....
> I think I've never-ever in my life seen anything like that.



No kidding, same here... I'm guessing the RMA department at ASUS has seen everything! lol


----------



## peche (Mar 10, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> I think I've never-ever in my life seen anything like that.


 cannot trust that image... must be a joke


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 10, 2016)

ruff0r said:


> Still speechless.
> s




Wait.... is that NOT the way TIM is supposed to be applied??!! Shit! no wonder my temps have been SO off.and i EVEN watched an Entire 45 second Youtube video tutorial too...


----------



## theJesus (Mar 10, 2016)

That actually improves the conductivity between the CPU and the socket so it runs faster.  It's like overclocking.


----------



## dorsetknob (Mar 11, 2016)

i thought that in order to make your Pc run faster you used coke paste between the CPU and the socket 
apparently they call it " The Crystal METH  od" ========//


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 11, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> Wait.... is that NOT the way TIM is supposed to be applied??!! Shit! no wonder my temps have been SO off.and i EVEN watched an Entire 45 second Youtube video tutorial too...


About them Youtube videos, I have a whole collection of "I've seen it on Youtube" epic fails.  
I'll make some pictures later today.


----------



## R-T-B (Mar 11, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> Wait.... is that NOT the way TIM is supposed to be applied??!! Shit! no wonder my temps have been SO off.and i EVEN watched an Entire 45 second Youtube video tutorial too...


  Reminds me of that ancient prank post where one of the oldtimers made a fake "noob account" mistake of using toothpaste for a TIM, and put it on everything, then put it in the dishwasher to fix it, etc...  People were speechless about the amount of retard in that thread.  Shame it was all fake, I could almost buy it today...  Anyone got a link?


----------



## R-T-B (Mar 11, 2016)

AHA!  Found it!

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/please-help-used-toothpaste-and-now-wont-boot.33041/

Gotta love @erocker's wonderfully diplomatic reply there... 



> > I dont know what it is called... where the cpu goes into? what is that?
> 
> 
> Your butt.


----------



## Frick (Mar 11, 2016)

theJesus said:


> That actually improves the conductivity between the CPU and the socket so it runs faster.  It's like overclocking.



It's like the pin mods you could do on some C2D's.






Anyway, did anyway post this? Shamelessly stolen from @OneMoar. https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/561041-980ti-darwin-awards-help/


----------



## R-T-B (Mar 11, 2016)

Frick said:


> Anyway, did anyway post this? Shamelessly stolen from @OneMoar. https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/561041-980ti-darwin-awards-help/



Not really gag inducing, more "ghetto mod" thread material.


----------



## Toothless (Mar 11, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> AHA!  Found it!
> 
> http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/please-help-used-toothpaste-and-now-wont-boot.33041/
> 
> Gotta love @erocker's wonderfully diplomatic reply there...


Oh my goodness you just made my morning.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 11, 2016)

Here we go.

*PART 1. *Not so nasty, but still horrifying... LGA socket pin straightening.

I'll start with a typical Youtube DIY video followed by a few newbie attempts at replicating the repair process.









Attempt #1 - "I had 2 bent pins and tried to fix 'em with scissors... It didn't work..."

_Red circle marks the spot where he accidentally pulled out a pin after successfully straightening its neighbor. The best low-budget H81 board banished into oblivion...
_
Attempt #2 - "I saw a guy on youtube: he used a flathead screwdriver."

_End result - requires full socket replacement.
_
I'll add some nasty fails tomorrow, because it requires some digging in my "discard box".


----------



## Ahhzz (Mar 11, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> Here we go.
> 
> *PART 1. *Not so nasty, but still horrifying... LGA socket pin straightening.
> 
> ...


I always preferred to use a mechanical pencil. the pins fit right into the end of the pencil


----------



## natr0n (Mar 12, 2016)

Cleaning out the upright vacuum cleaner outside today; I thought of this thread.

...Dust was flying and then some.


----------



## t_ski (Mar 12, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> Not really gag inducing, more "ghetto mod" thread material.


You obviously didn't see the whole bit, including the card breaking in half...


----------



## R-T-B (Mar 13, 2016)

t_ski said:


> You obviously didn't see the whole bit, including the card breaking in half...



I did now.


----------



## ruff0r (Mar 13, 2016)




----------



## micropage7 (Mar 13, 2016)

ruff0r said:


>




so after years no one realize its there?


----------



## P4-630 (Mar 13, 2016)

ruff0r said:


>



LOL  good find, and they probably never checked the CPU temps before....I wonder why my pc is so slow and throttling..Hahaha


----------



## Frick (Mar 15, 2016)

Where's the Ghetto mods thread?


----------



## 64K (Mar 15, 2016)

Frick said:


> Where's the Ghetto mods thread?



http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/ghetto-mods.55387/


----------



## Ithanul (Mar 15, 2016)

ruff0r said:


> Spoiler


Wow, that gave me a good laugh.  I could probably find something around here full of dust.  Hmmm, maybe opening up that old Hewlett-Packard would be interesting since it never been open and very old (it has Windows 3.1 on it).


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 17, 2016)

this drive doesnt seem to want to cooperate with me....it IS old tho...let see what i can do




nevermind i THINK i fixed it


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Mar 17, 2016)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 17, 2016)

You probably won;t believe, but this just came from the kid that broke the first motherboard in my previous post. 
The email only says "Can you fix it??? plzzzz..."


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 17, 2016)

do You NOT have a micro-processor lab @ your disposal?!
i cannot Believe that in this day and age people are forced to live in such conditions.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 17, 2016)

What's really sad is that he also broke an LGA1155 motherboard and GTX750 in a past 2-3 weeks...
Really nice kid, but as people say in Ukraine: his hands grow out of his ass


----------



## Octopuss (Mar 17, 2016)

How do you even manage to do this except for dropping it on the floor?
And why the hell is he touching anything when he's either stupid or completely lame?


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 17, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> You probably won;t believe, but this just came from the kid that broke the first motherboard in my previous post.
> The email only says "Can you fix it??? plzzzz..."
> View attachment 72988



I'm guessing an IHS removal with a hammer... gone really wrong.


----------



## R-T-B (Mar 18, 2016)

Octopuss said:


> And why the hell is he touching anything when he's either stupid or completely lame?



Unfortunately, even stupid people are allowed to touch things.  I know, I've seen the damage.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 18, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> Unfortunately, even stupid people are allowed to touch things



Yup, ill attest to that, and I get my hands on everything too.


----------



## jaggerwild (Mar 18, 2016)

I got a call(I work temp for a computer repair place wont name it)drove 45 minutes to customers house, issue "customer cant get CD out of computer". I looked the guy in the eye n said it's $99 even if it takes me 2 seconds, he agreed it was a Dell with the black face and eject on the right hand side. I hit the button and asked anything else you need?


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 18, 2016)

jaggerwild said:


> I got a call(I work temp for a computer repair place wont name it)drove 45 minutes to customers house, issue "customer cant get CD out of computer". I looked the guy in the eye n said it's $99 even if it takes me 2 seconds, he agreed it was a Dell with the black face and eject on the right hand side. I hit the button and asked anything else you need?



i thought for SURE you were gonna say you sold him a "specialty DvD/BD tray key"   aka a paper clip


----------



## jaggerwild (Mar 18, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> i thought for SURE you were gonna say you sold him a "specialty DvD/BD tray key"   aka a paper clip [/QUOTE
> 
> I made sure I had the paper clip just in case!!!


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 18, 2016)

its amazing just How many people dont know what that little hole is For... *insert filthy jokes*


----------



## Ahhzz (Mar 18, 2016)

jaggerwild said:


> I got a call(I work temp for a computer repair place wont name it)drove 45 minutes to customers house, issue "customer cant get CD out of computer". I looked the guy in the eye n said it's $99 even if it takes me 2 seconds, he agreed it was a Dell with the black face and eject on the right hand side. I hit the button and asked anything else you need?


I've actually had to charge that for a client that put bad batteries in a wireless mouse....




jboydgolfer said:


> i thought for SURE you were gonna say you sold him a "specialty DvD/BD tray key"   aka a paper clip


You know, there are only 5 of those in each box of 100.

and that's also properly referred to as a "CD Extraction Tool".


----------



## Frick (Mar 18, 2016)

I went through some boxes and found this.







It is beyond me why I put it away in that state. I cleaned off the TIM and everything, but left that. Yay me!


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 18, 2016)

Good God man, it looks like a Vacuum cleaner filter.


----------



## Frick (Mar 18, 2016)

The heatsink does not come from me BTW. I have never owned a single system so long as to build up that kind of civilization.


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 18, 2016)

Frick said:


> The heatsink does not come from me BTW. I have never owned a single system so long as to build up that kind of civilization.



At one point, that was likely someones pet.


----------



## Octopuss (Mar 18, 2016)

Frick said:


> civilization.


ROFL!


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 18, 2016)

I told her it was the cpu holding her pc back, but she wasnt hearing it.....the sweatshirt turned out to ve VERY misleading


----------



## Ithanul (Mar 18, 2016)

rofl, O lord, these past few posts have been hilarious.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 22, 2016)

Old Socket Am2 rig from my friend.

"I think I've got a virus" he says...
... I hope it's not Ebola.


----------



## P4-630 (Mar 22, 2016)

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/26/exploding_computer_vs_reg_reader/


----------



## PHaS3 (Mar 22, 2016)

Wow... Bet he won't buy a no name PSU again... Hectic.


----------



## hihihi8 (Apr 2, 2016)

bet u havent seen m@gic mushrooms yet


----------



## Ahhzz (Apr 2, 2016)




----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 2, 2016)

My professional opinion is....that gpu may have some increased temp's without a good cleaning.


----------



## P4-630 (Apr 2, 2016)

I think it's on purpose... 
Because mushrooms need a moist/damp area to grow.


----------



## dorsetknob (Apr 2, 2016)

Mushrooms   are they not the favorite food of Trolls
Especially the ones in season from Early April


----------



## Toothless (Apr 2, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> I told her it was the cpu holding her pc back, but she wasnt hearing it.....the sweatshirt turned out to ve VERY misleading


Rip RIVA TNT.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 2, 2016)

yup


----------



## dorsetknob (Apr 2, 2016)

I got a riva 128 it looks smaller than that one then again its not in two halves


----------



## Jetster (Apr 3, 2016)

I still have one too


----------



## RejZoR (Apr 3, 2016)

Two words. HOW? and DAAAAAAAAAMN!


----------



## P4-630 (Apr 19, 2016)




----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Apr 19, 2016)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Not me....


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Apr 27, 2016)

I lent a friend a keyboard till his funky new one arrived

look what his dog did.....






i guess there were bits of food in there...


----------



## Ahhzz (Apr 27, 2016)

Holy bugger me....


----------



## BiggieShady (Apr 27, 2016)

P4-630 said:


>


I like how you can see VRM fire through back fan ventilation holes and in the reflection of the tower heatsink. I like also how he went simultaneously to PSU power switch and case power switch, and how the system burned off half a second before it was turned off


----------



## dorsetknob (Apr 27, 2016)

BiggieShady said:


> I like also how he went simultaneously to PSU power switch and case power switch, and how the system burned off half a second before it was turned off


Sign of a good Arsonist eh!


----------



## BiggieShady (Apr 27, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> Sign of a good Arsonist eh!


Ha, he may be an arsonist who is a good person if that's what you mean ... but I wouldn't say he is a successful arsonist unless he managed to burn the house in later attempts.


----------



## Octopuss (Apr 27, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> I lent a friend a keyboard till his funky new one arrived
> 
> look what his dog did.....
> 
> ...


Dogs are retarded.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 27, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> I got a riva 128 it looks smaller than that one then again its not in two halves



Yea,i have a lot of older hardware.....used to do a lot of service work,and i never like throwjng old stuff out,and selling it wasnt professional imo...so it sat.
I had to dump a bunch of old stuff,iirc it had been 8+ years ,and storing it was a pain...especially crt monitors.ugh.still got one left in my garage tho,its come in handy once or twice.

Sometimes i clean out a bunch ,and members here generally take it for shipping cost.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jun 10, 2016)

A friend said " i have a present for you"


----------



## dorsetknob (Jun 10, 2016)

@CAPSLOCKSTUCK
Show and tell Your Friend

"That's where Belly button Fluff goes when you do Internet Porn"  NAKED 
Now i hope you wore Marigold gloves and a Face mask


----------



## m4gicfour (Jun 10, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> Now i hope you wore Marigold gloves and a Face mask


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jun 10, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> @CAPSLOCKSTUCK
> Show and tell Your Friend
> 
> "That's where Belly button Fluff goes when you do Internet Porn"  NAKED
> Now i hope you wore Marigold gloves and a Face mask




i have renamed it  a heatstink.





This cable has provided a handy collection shelf.


----------



## xvi (Jun 10, 2016)

That's why we had rounded IDE cables. Before you could buy 'em, the thing to do was to take a razor, cut them up yourself, and tape them up.


----------



## RejZoR (Jun 10, 2016)

All hail to SATA cables.


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 10, 2016)

Hideous but oh so common on intels stock HSF's


----------



## jaggerwild (Jun 10, 2016)

Least the caps weren't swollen.....................


----------



## Mussels (Jun 11, 2016)

oh i forgot to post here - was given an FM2+ system that 'stopped working' - hard to tell if it was the 15A on the 12V rail, or the three loose screws...  or maybe this


----------



## Random Murderer (Jun 13, 2016)

Mussels said:


> oh i forgot to post here - was given an FM2+ system that 'stopped working' - hard to tell if it was the 15A on the 12V rail, or the three loose screws...  or maybe this


Now I have to know what kind of board that is!


----------



## Mussels (Jun 13, 2016)

Random Murderer said:


> Now I have to know what kind of board that is!



i threw it out sorry, so i cant really help there. it was gigabyte  mATX FM2 iirc.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Aug 7, 2016)

"There wont be any dust in there" said the guy, " my Mum keeps the house spotless"


----------



## P4-630 (Aug 7, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> "There wont be any dust in there" said the guy, " my Mum keeps the house spotless"
> 
> 
> 
> ...



And then the previous owner wondering why his GPU temps were so high


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Aug 7, 2016)

Its a noisy blower on the Radeon 6950 anyway but with temps rising the noise was just getting worse. He just bought a bargain GTX 970 so this one is going in a childs Minecraft pc for a friend of mine.


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 8, 2016)

P4-630 said:


> And then the previous owner wondering why his GPU temps were so high



Just one more reason not to buy a stock cooled GPU you never see the crap until you take it apart


----------



## Rhyseh (Aug 8, 2016)

Oh wow there is some nasty ones here.

The worst PC's I've ever seen came from the diesel workshop floor at a coal mine. They were so gummed up with grease, dirt and coal dust....

The most disgusting  PC I ever saw was a buddies computer. Was in a smoking household, with poor hygeine, zero cleaning and pets.... The tar, the dust, the animal matter.... Yuck!

Makes me unwell thinking about it....


----------



## peche (Aug 8, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> "There wont be any dust in there" said the guy, " my Mum keeps the house spotless"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


blower or reference cards use to keep several disgusting Tons of filthiness......


----------



## natr0n (Aug 8, 2016)

This is cute.Pretty sure those are cookies.


----------



## peche (Aug 8, 2016)

Epic Lego minifigure!!


----------



## Sasqui (Aug 8, 2016)

natr0n said:


> View attachment 77696
> This is cute.Pretty sure those are cookies.



Those are cherry brown, switches, no?


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 9, 2016)

Sasqui said:


> Those are cherry Chocolate, switches, no?



Fixed


----------



## xvi (Aug 10, 2016)

Sasqui said:


> Those are cherry brown, switches, no?


Cherry brownie switches.

Mmm. Cherry brownie.


----------



## Bones (Aug 10, 2016)

I did some testing of a cleaner I discovered that works on smoke damage, gets rid of the stains, sticky/icky buildup and the smell too.
I tested it on a GPU I have that was nasty with it and decided to see how well it would do. The card in question had never been cleaned and the crap had been in it for at least 10 years - I should know because I was the cause of it being there in the first place and bought the card brandnew back in the day.

So, to start off I prepared things for the test. The first pic shows the card itself, just how nasty inside it was.


This shows what I used and how, I filled the container to the half-full (2 quart) mark then added half of that (1 quart) as cleaner making a 2 to 1 mix of water to cleaner. This shows the kind of cleaner used, the cleaning mix ready to go with the test card ready for cleaning. Note the color of the mix as you see it in this pic.
 

I then took the card and dunked it - Swished/stirred it around in the mix twice for 30 seconds each time. This shows the card after it was done as described - Note the color of the mix in the container and how much it's changed from the previous pic.

I also tried it with a NB cooler after I finished with the card - Note the fan blades are clear except they aren't in this shot, bit of brown tinge to them to say the least and although the cooler itself doesn't look all that bad it could look better so......

After dunking it for about 30 seconds, repeating the stirring action used with the card I took it out and here's the result, note it's still wet from being in the cleaner:

I have to say this stuff works and it can be used as a weaker mix no prob, it will work at least as a 3 to 1 mix and have the same results. If you try it I advise that you use rubber gloves while dunking, it will work on your skin and also to fully rinse the parts as soon as they are removed from the container if possible. Since these parts are electronic, a dryout time of no less than a few days to a week should be observed, perhaps using a hairdryer on low for a few minutes or set these in front of a small fan at least overnight to help speed the dryout process will help but definitely make sure it's thoroughly dried out BEFORE putting back into use. I also advise a few drops of oil into the fans, I used regular 3 in 1 oil and it worked just fine.

I'm hoping this may be of use to someone here and if you do try it let me know how it worked out for you.


----------



## Mussels (Aug 10, 2016)

did uhh... did the card survive being drowned in that?


----------



## rtwjunkie (Aug 10, 2016)

Mussels said:


> did uhh... did the card survive being drowned in that?



I need to know this as well!  I'm thinking no way.


----------



## Sasqui (Aug 10, 2016)

Mussels said:


> did uhh... did the card survive being drowned in that?



Once washed a keyboard in a dishwasher.  Went light on the dishwasher detergent, but after sitting on a radiator for 2 days drying out, the keyboard worked fine... and was clean


----------



## stinger608 (Aug 10, 2016)

Mussels said:


> did uhh... did the card survive being drowned in that?





rtwjunkie said:


> I need to know this as well!  I'm thinking no way.




I have pulled the CMOS battery on motherboards and washed them with light detergent and distilled water in the kitchen sink in the past. No problems with them. Of course a person has to let them dry for a day or two.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Aug 10, 2016)

stinger608 said:


> I have pulled the CMOS battery on motherboards and washed them with light detergent and distilled water in the kitchen sink in the past. No problems with them. Of course a person has to let them dry for a day or two.



So it's the distilled water rinse after that makes it usable.  Thanks, I wan't even thinking on those terms!


----------



## stinger608 (Aug 10, 2016)

rtwjunkie said:


> So it's the distilled water rinse after that makes it usable.  Thanks, I wan't even thinking on those terms!



I have used the mild detergent such as Dawn liquid diluted. About a cap full to a quart of distilled water and then rinse with distilled water. 
I used one of them dirt cheap ($0.59) garbage paint brushes to do the cleaning with.

I've done that just to insure there is no electrically conductive residue that could cause a short in the board.

When a person does an RMA with a motherboard or video card the manufacture does a sterilized water wash on the PCB's before shipping back to the consumer.
Of course I'm sure the water that they use is much cleaner that store bought distilled water.


----------



## t_ski (Aug 10, 2016)

I have bathed a video card in alcohol after some light water damage, then blew it dry with canned air and used it the same day.  Not talking about a dunk in water, but a slow drip from a CPU block that had bad O-rings.


----------



## Bones (Aug 10, 2016)

I've done this before with things like boards and such, no probs afterwards provided it had enough time to sit and dry which in each case was about a week. I've even had two monitors that I salvaged that had been sitting in the rain for a few hours when found, took those and let them sit in the dry for about two weeks and both worked fine when tested.

Drying time is critical because water vapor itself can remain within certain components and needs time to work itself out. Normally you can set parts in front of a small fan for a few days to help with the drying but even then I tend to allow for even more drying time to ensure it's as dry as it can get before powering up. The card I dunked is still sitting ATM, awaiting the time for testing but I've already tested the fan to the cooler. After hitting it with 3-in-1 oil, working that in and giving it a couple of days to dry I plugged it up yesterday and the fan motor worked great. I'l be testing the card next week and I'm certain it will be OK.

I had to be sure once the parts shown had been cleaned they were rinsed thoroughly, immediately after dunking. I do not know if the cleaner would attack any of the components so that was done to ensure no problems with that and as long as rinsing is done immediately after dunking there should be no problems. 
I had the cleaner diluted to help offset this too but it worked great as I had it and literally got the entire card squeaky-clean. I had to remove the cooler to the card to oil it's fan and went ahead and re-TIM'ed it, no probs observed while I had the cooler off.


----------



## Recon-UK (Aug 10, 2016)

Awww damn wish i had some dusty stuff, good submissions in here woah


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 11, 2016)

I use sugar soap and hot water to clean heat sinks make them look like brand new again fans on the other hand get the alcohol and cotton buds treatment and keyboards well a sink full of hot soapy water and a blow out befor putting them back together again


----------



## peche (Aug 11, 2016)

Athlonite said:


> fans on the other hand get the alcohol and cotton buds treatment and keyboards well a sink full of hot soapy water and a blow out befor putting them back together again


For that i use wet wipes, alcohol or also some contact cleaner...on keyboards i also use a blower, i got one on the office, so when my keyboard needs a deeep clean i have to take it to the office,

Also for cleaning most hardware i use this:




Anti-static PC brushes, for most parts, PCB's or whatever you need to clean, pretty cheap on ebay by the way, 

Regards,


----------



## xvi (Aug 12, 2016)

Athlonite said:


> keyboards well a sink full of hot soapy water and a blow out befor putting them back together again


+1
I make a delicious and nutritious bowl of hot soapy keycap soup and just stir it around a bunch. 

Had a friend who spilled some tea on her keyboard, I told her I was at least 73% confident the best thing to do is rinse it off with rubbing alcohol to displace/rinse out the sugary water.


----------



## verycharbroiled (Aug 12, 2016)

I've sprayed and submerged motherboards, cards and audio amp boards with iso alcohol, soapy water, contact cleaner, all sorts of liquids over the years. Let dry for a week or so, or use fans and dehumidifers to speed it up a bit. Haven't killed anything yet.

Also salvaged stuff that's been smoke damaged and sat in water for days.. just needs to dry properly.


----------



## peche (Aug 12, 2016)

verycharbroiled said:


> I've sprayed and submerged motherboards, cards and audio amp boards with iso alcohol, soapy water, contact cleaner, all sorts of liquids over the years. Let dry for a week or so, or use fans and dehumidifers to speed it up a bit. Haven't killed anything yet.
> 
> Also salvaged stuff that's been smoke damaged and sat in water for days.. just needs to dry properly.


i have cleaned an old video card like that, but leave it outside in summer, got dried in 45min, completerly, 

Regards,


----------



## Bones (Aug 31, 2016)

Just to update:
Some one did ask earlier if the card survived the dunking - The card is OK and doing fine.
In the pic there is a line on the monitor screen but the monitor itself is causing that to happen, it's a really old one so I guess that's expected with it. Does it with other cards too so I know it's not the card having a problem. Had to retire the other CRT monitor and this one was just lying around so I put it to good use. 

Re-TIM'ing the card was done along with some 3-N-1 oil in the cooler fan and it's off and running again.


----------



## xvi (Aug 31, 2016)

Bones said:


>


..aaaaaannnd now I miss my DFI boards. Such good boards.


----------



## Bones (Aug 31, 2016)

To clarify - The board shown is an Ultra A. 
It's not a bad board and works well but there are boards that clock better including the B variant of course.
My Ultra B is being stored and saving that one for obvious reason.


----------



## Mussels (Sep 24, 2016)

I am here to hurt your minds, as i found a blast from the past.

I opened up my E-sata enclosure to move some drives around, and found one that's been in there for a good 4 years now.
Short version is a friend and i rented a house off a workmate, and discovered we had extra housemates who had not been previously mentioned who had keys to the house, outstanding warrants for their arrest and a desire to eat our food and steal our shit. They got caught, cops got called - and they did as much damage as they could before they left.

So someone with nothing to lose, wanted to do all the damage he could to a nerd before he got dragged away... so he did this.






Thats right guys - he painted the back of my hard drive. Didn't shake it, drop it, format it, damage the SATA connector... just.... colored the black metal silver to match the top of the drive?


Edit: i opened up the next drive and OH MY GOD NO














its a WD green, i mean seriously what was i thinking when i bought this shit.


----------



## Jetster (Sep 24, 2016)

He must of been huffin paint while was doing that


----------



## Nuckles56 (Sep 24, 2016)

What the hell, why would you bother? But I suppose that you should be grateful for it though


----------



## Frick (Sep 24, 2016)

Mussels said:


> I am here to hurt your minds, as i found a blast from the past.
> 
> I opened up my E-sata enclosure to move some drives around, and found one that's been in there for a good 4 years now.
> Short version is a friend and i rented a house off a workmate, and discovered we had extra housemates who had not been previously mentioned who had keys to the house, outstanding warrants for their arrest and a desire to eat our food and steal our shit. They got caught, cops got called - and they did as much damage as they could before they left.
> ...



He pimped your drive.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Sep 24, 2016)

Mussels said:


> I am here to hurt your minds, as i found a blast from the past.
> 
> I opened up my E-sata enclosure to move some drives around, and found one that's been in there for a good 4 years now.
> Short version is a friend and i rented a house off a workmate, and discovered we had extra housemates who had not been previously mentioned who had keys to the house, outstanding warrants for their arrest and a desire to eat our food and steal our shit. They got caught, cops got called - and they did as much damage as they could before they left.
> ...






sorry about that @Mussels 


no hard feelings eh?.......


----------



## Mussels (Sep 24, 2016)

i edited in the second drive as it has more paint on it. Was the dumbest vandalism ever - they also stole the stock cooler from my 5870 as they thought it was the video card itself.

Mostly just hilarious, the vandalism was so bad that i didnt even bother cleaning them, i just kept using them as is, til this day. Where i've promptly moved them from an E-Sata enlcosure to a USB enclosure, and still give zero shits about the paint job.




CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> sorry about that @Mussels
> 
> 
> no hard feelings eh?.......




ahah, he was going for the badger stripes!


----------



## biffzinker (Sep 24, 2016)

Mussels said:


> Was the dumbest vandalism ever - they also stole the stock cooler from my 5870 as they thought it was the video card itself.


What the heck Mussels? Sorry Mussels, but I still got a laugh though.


----------



## Mussels (Sep 24, 2016)

biffzinker said:


> What the heck Mussels? Sorry Mussels, but I still got a laugh though.



before the drama hit the fan and we thought they were just visiting the landlord (who was there at the time) they asked about the contents of a bag, and i said it was the broken cooler off a $500 computer part. They clearly missed the 'off' part.

The old story, tragedy + time = comedy... stupidity just speeds up the equation.


----------



## Frick (Sep 24, 2016)

Failure is the essence of comedyfo sho.


----------



## Octopuss (Sep 24, 2016)

How much time are they serving and what for, out of curiosity?


----------



## silentbogo (Nov 1, 2016)

That's already after the first round of cleanup. This crap was everywhere (even on VRAM)! 
I guess the previous owner was really paranoid about overheating...


----------



## Random Murderer (Nov 1, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> That's already after the first round of cleanup. This crap was everywhere (even on VRAM)!
> I guess the previous owner was really paranoid about overheating...
> View attachment 80718


750ti?


----------



## biffzinker (Nov 1, 2016)

Random Murderer said:


> 750ti?


Probably from this post? https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...ur-purchase-thread.225885/page-5#post-3545953


----------



## silentbogo (Nov 1, 2016)

Random Murderer said:


> 750ti?


Yep. Palit 750Ti StormX Dual.



biffzinker said:


> Probably from this post? https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...ur-purchase-thread.225885/page-5#post-3545953


Exactly!


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 1, 2016)

peche said:


> For that i use wet wipes, alcohol or also some contact cleaner...on keyboards i also use a blower, i got one on the office, so when my keyboard needs a deeep clean i have to take it to the office,
> 
> Also for cleaning most hardware i use this:
> 
> ...


U can get those brushes for less than a dollar at a barber/salon supply store. They are used to clean hair out of electric hair clippers

They also come with most clipper sets that ive bought.....but i just use a med to small. Size paint brush, 2-3" wide type.


----------



## manofthem (Nov 11, 2016)

It had been a while since I cleaned out my pc, and it was overdue.  CPU load temps went down quite a bit back to normal, and it's easy to see why.  I should have take a pic of the kitchen floor after cleaning out this nasty dust build up.


----------



## natr0n (Nov 11, 2016)

manofthem said:


> It had been a while since I cleaned out my pc, and it was overdue.  CPU load temps went down quite a bit back to normal, and it's easy to see why.  I should have take a pic of the kitchen floor after cleaning out this nasty dust build up.


 Best to do it/clean outside while still daylight. The dust is just gone with the wind.


----------



## manofthem (Nov 11, 2016)

natr0n said:


> Best to do it/clean outside while still daylight. The dust is just gone with the wind.



Ha, that's what my wife "told" me, after the fact!   Problem is, my rig is stupid heavy and pretty difficult to move easily.  I slid it on the tile to the kitchen, and I try not to have to lift it much.  the 900D case is heavy alone but fully loaded up, it's killer on the back


----------



## FYFI13 (Nov 11, 2016)

HP laptop heatsink...


----------



## Mussels (Nov 11, 2016)

i've cleaned out 5-10 HP laptops this year, and they ALL look like that. It looks like felt with cat hair mixed in doesnt it?


----------



## Frick (Nov 11, 2016)

Mussels said:


> i've cleaned out 5-10 HP laptops this year, and they ALL look like that. It looks like felt with cat hair mixed in doesnt it?



And they are retarded to take apart.


----------



## Mussels (Nov 11, 2016)

Frick said:


> And they are retarded to take apart.



i see a lot of older laptops, dell core 2 duos and such... and most of them have small panels to give direct access to the heatsink and socketed CPU's.

I miss those generations, upgraded tons of C2D laptops to higher clocked models for basically zero cash and sold them as media PC's


----------



## FireFox (Nov 11, 2016)

pantherx12 said:


> Heh, I have similar Antec pictures.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those people don't deserve to have a Pc.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 11, 2016)

god i love this thread


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 11, 2016)

I hate having a bath on my own


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 11, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> I hate having a bath on my own
> 
> View attachment 81000
> 
> ...



That's so cute how old is he?


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 11, 2016)

The new bathroom suite was installed in the summer
The board is about 7
The towel is 16


Its on my mantle shelf by the coal fire where it will stay for the next couple of days.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 11, 2016)

Sorry about the double post.......this is a different bit of nasty


----------



## Frick (Nov 11, 2016)

Mussels said:


> i see a lot of older laptops, dell core 2 duos and such... and most of them have small panels to give direct access to the heatsink and socketed CPU's.
> 
> I miss those generations, upgraded tons of C2D laptops to higher clocked models for basically zero cash and sold them as media PC's



Oh yeah those, those were easy. I'm working on a HP Touchsmart 15 right now, and ugh. Ugh I tells ya.


----------



## stinger608 (Nov 11, 2016)

Dude, you NEED TO PULL THE BATTERY @CAPSLOCKSTUCK before submerging a motherboard in water man.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 11, 2016)

I took it out as soon as i noticed , check the pic with Thomas.


----------



## stinger608 (Nov 11, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> I took it out as soon as i noticed , check the pic with Thomas.



Hopefully, it wasn't to late man.

I would also let it dry for a couple of days before putting the battery back in or attempting to use the board. 

Also, the best practice is to use distilled water.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 11, 2016)

Its leaning by my coal fire and will stay there for a few days. It will get a new battery, they are 2 for a quid.

if you think im getting in a bath full of cold distilled water you've got another think coming. !!!!!!!!!!


----------



## stinger608 (Nov 11, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> It will get a new battery, they are 2 for a quid.
> 
> if you think im getting in a bath full of cold distilled water you've got another think coming. !!!!!!!!!!




Wasn't worried about shorting the battery out. Dropping it in water with the CMOS battery can short the BIOS chip out and leave the board dead.


Ah come on man, jump right in there. Hell, put the water in the freezer for an hour or so.


----------



## ruff0r (Nov 11, 2016)

Don't Smoke kids.


----------



## Vario (Nov 11, 2016)

Imagine that stuff on your lungs!


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 11, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Sorry about the double post.......this is a different bit of nasty
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 81010



Thats what my nephews dell optiplex 7010 hs looked like when I removed it


----------



## silentbogo (Dec 7, 2016)

It's been a busy week with lots of nasty stuff.
Couldn't get all of it on camera, but few things cut my eye:

#1. DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
Young lady bought a PC for her son. After some time it started to work very slow and lose power by itself.
She already tried to call a PC repairman, and he attributed everything to a "virus" that her 8 y.o. boy caught with one of his "games".
A free version of Avast and Kaspersky (at the same time) did not solve the problem. Actually, for an entry-level PC with only 2GB RAM it was more like treating common flu with intense radiation therapy.

The real problem was this:
   

#2. FOOL'S ERRAND 
- "Hi, my PC stopped working! Help, please!"
- "Can you tell me what happened before it stopped working?"
- "Nothing..."









And, here's what I saw when I opened it up:
  
That shiny thing on the heatsink is the CPU die. Poor Celeron J1900 did not stand a chance...
The customer then confessed that he tried to change the thermal compound "just in case".
Not sure what can qualify as a just case for a poor 10W SoC...


----------



## Toothless (Dec 7, 2016)

silentbogo said:


> It's been a busy week with lots of nasty stuff.
> Couldn't get all of it on camera, but few things cut my eye:
> 
> #1. DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
> ...


I cringed at that poor cpu.


----------



## Recon-UK (Dec 7, 2016)

I see  @CAPSLOCKSTUCK  knows how to treat a motherboard


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 18, 2016)

peche said:


> For that i use wet wipes, alcohol or also some contact cleaner...on keyboards i also use a blower, i got one on the office, so when my keyboard needs a deeep clean i have to take it to the office,
> 
> Also for cleaning most hardware i use this:
> 
> ...


nice but i never use that just bought paint brush and i use that for cleaning from motherboard, keyboard, monitor and so far it works pretty good


----------



## silentbogo (Dec 18, 2016)

micropage7 said:


> nice but i never use that just bought paint brush and i use that for cleaning from motherboard, keyboard, monitor and so far it works pretty good


Few years back I visited one of those "everything for a $1" stores and bought a keyboard cleaning set.
A "microfiber" cloth went to trash after the fist use, but a little duster is still rocking. Used it for various tasks: from cleaning dust from heatsinks to stirring chemical concoctions for PCB development.
Still as good as new!


----------



## jboydgolfer (Dec 29, 2016)

its not a PC , but I have been noticing Chewed up Acorn's in My wives Hyundai's engine Compartment lately, So this Morning , i was adding Washer fluid to the resevoir, and i happened to look over at the coolant, and check that, as well as the Engine oil, when i looked at the engine oil fill cap, i saw a bunch of "fluff", and acorns Wedged down underneath the Plastic engine cover, the ones that serve no function other than to make an engine look "pretty" to people who dont know about engines ....this is what i found...

the Piss saturated "Fluff" qualifies as "nasty", and IMO the shit pellets dont hurt that cause either....and My hands Prove the Filthy part. 
that Fluff goes down about 5-6 inches FYI.


----------



## silentbogo (Dec 29, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> its not a PC , but I have been noticing Chewed up Acorn's in My wives Hyundai's engine


a-a-a-a!!! it's alive!!!!


.... and hungry...


----------



## Boatvan (Jan 8, 2017)

Not that nasty, but unique. I picked up a ticket when I worked at the University I attended. It was for a broken fan in a PC in a publicly accessible computer lab. Found out what broke the fan... Smoking kills.


----------



## t_ski (Jan 9, 2017)

Boatvan said:


> Not that nasty, but unique. I picked up a ticket when I worked at the University I attended. It was for a broken fan in a PC in a publicly accessible computer lab. Found out what broke the fan... Smoking kills.View attachment 82797


Yeah, but it was a Dell, so it needed to go anyway


----------



## JunkBear (Jan 9, 2017)

Like mine à Dell Inspiron 640m 



Mussels said:


> i see a lot of older laptops, dell core 2 duos and such... and most of them have small panels to give direct access to the heatsink and socketed CPU's.
> 
> I miss those generations, upgraded tons of C2D laptops to higher clocked models for basically zero cash and sold them as media PC's


----------



## silentbogo (Jan 11, 2017)

Not sure if I posted this yet, but here we go.

That's on topic of people with questionable intelligence baking shit on every imaginable occasion. Poor GTX660 only had a malfunctioning PWM controller, before it was put in the torture oven.

 

If someone is offended by my post and wants to mention some examples of successful "baking", please move on. I am short-tempered.


----------



## peche (Jan 11, 2017)

micropage7 said:


> nice but i never use that just bought paint brush and i use that for cleaning from motherboard, keyboard, monitor and so far it works pretty good


agreed, just look for the plastic ones! i have lost the middle of of a kit i have purchased several years ago, replaced with a plastic handle regular paint brush ...


----------



## witkazy (Jan 12, 2017)

Front panel on hinges,fantastic idea


----------



## dr emulator (madmax) (Jan 17, 2017)

Frick said:


> I went through some boxes and found this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



careful you don't get legionnaires disease from that 



my local store has an air-conditioner in the ceiling that has dust on the outlets like that, maybe it's time to call environmental health services


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 17, 2017)

dr emulator (madmax) said:


> careful you don't get legionnaires disease from that View attachment 83141
> 
> my local store has an air-conditioner in the ceiling that has dust on the outlets like that, maybe it's time to call environmental health services



this partly why I turn the fans over on stock HSF's so the air gets sucked through the heatsink and you don't get carpet growing on the top temp difference is marginal at best +/- 2~3 degrees


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 9, 2017)

There is a category of people I call Dumb Fucks. These shouldn't be anywhere near computers and they should be banished far-far away from civilized society.... preferably somewhere in Antarctica.

Just received a return on motherboard purchase. Not sure if you can see it, but there is one 5.6K SMD resistor missing near the mosfet (I've also marked the ones that are in place).
Most likely knocked off during installation.

 

The guy claimed that he is a super-experienced IT tech, and worked with computers for decades, and I am a scammer, who sells non-working boards (even though I gave him a full refund before even inspecting the MoBo for signs of damage).
So much for being a nice guy.


----------



## Toothless (Feb 9, 2017)

Sooo he ignored the damage on the board and decided to be a bigoted dunce? He sounds like an ass.

EDIT: I see two damaged and one missing in the middle-left.


----------



## dorsetknob (Feb 9, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> The guy claimed that he is a super-experienced IT tech,



And Normally works on V-Tech Equipment ?????
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/ArgosPromo3/includeName/Vtech-shop.htm


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 9, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> And Normally works on V-Tech Equipment ?????
> http://www.argos.co.uk/static/ArgosPromo3/includeName/Vtech-shop.htm


Probably fixes Leapfrog laptops with kitchen oven reflow method.

I know, it's only one resistor fixable in 2-3minutes, but I was really motivated to send him a greeting e-mail from a Nigerian prince Thomas Kalabunga the Third with an invitation to receive an inheritance of $2,500,000.


----------



## dorsetknob (Feb 9, 2017)

" What Your Going to SPOOF/use one of my spam email Accounts"


silentbogo said:


> but I was really motivated to send him a greeting e-mail from a Nigerian prince Thomas Kalabunga the Third with an invitation to receive an inheritance of $2,500,000.


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 9, 2017)

The board is alive. Just booted up with my Celeron G1840 into Ubuntu.
Though, those 0402 resistors are pain in the ass to work with.... 
I really need a new set of tweezers


----------



## Athlonite (Feb 9, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> There is a category of people I call Dumb Fucks. These shouldn't be anywhere near computers and they should be banished far-far away from civilized society.... preferably somewhere in Antarctica.
> 
> Just received a return on motherboard purchase. Not sure if you can see it, but there is one 5.6K SMD resistor missing near the mosfet (I've also marked the ones that are in place).
> Most likely knocked off during installation.
> ...



You sure he's not the scammer pulling the old switcher roo by buying a dunger Mobo and a good one and sending the dunger back to you for the refund


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 9, 2017)

Athlonite said:


> You sure he's not the scammer pulling the old switcher roo by buying a dunger Mobo and a good one and sending the dunger back to you for the refund


I'd notice, cause I keep track of my stuff by S/N. Even keep repair logs for myself, just as a habit (not really working for anyone ATM).
It's the same board, just a bad buyer with bad hands and loose brain gears.


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 16, 2017)

You can never have too much butter 
 

Even had some inside the socket, which means now I have to give it a bath...


----------



## Toothless (Feb 16, 2017)

"I wonder why it hit 112c."


----------



## EntropyZ (Feb 16, 2017)

I wanted to change the stock AMD heatsink on an FX-8350. The old thermal paste was... uncooperative. Not even heat could make it loosen, so I had to brute force the heatsink off and it came off w/ the CPU still stuck to it out of the socket while the retention arm was unreachable. Luckily I didn't bend any of the pins because I pulled upwards while trying to move it sideways slightly. The damn thing is still too hot even with a Zalman CNPS11x Extreme.

Most office computers I open have thermal paste that is rock-solid. I never had the pleasure of delidding an Intel CPU, so I don't know how bad the TIM they use really is.

I once tried to pry off a small heatsink off of a Pentium MMX 200Mhz CPU. Had to use a knife to get job done. I just wanted to see the shiny surface that they have. Alas some of the rocky TIM was still on it, so I continued to use the knife until there was little left, then used some perfume to ghetto clean off what was left. Now the CPU sits with other several pre-core series CPU's. I even found a Cyrix MII recently that was in an unfamiliar ceramic CPU package.

Edit: I forgot I was boiling eggs, TPU makes me lose track of time sometimes.


----------



## Mussels (Feb 16, 2017)

EntropyZ said:


> I wanted to change the stock AMD heatsink on an FX-8350. The old thermal paste was... uncooperative. Not even heat could make it loosen, so I had to brute force the heatsink off and it came off w/ the CPU still stuck to it out of the socket while the retention arm was unreachable. Luckily I didn't bend any of the pins because I pulled upwards while trying to move it sideways slightly. The damn thing is still too hot even with a Zalman CNPS11x Extreme.
> 
> Most office computers I open have thermal paste that is rock-solid. I never had the pleasure of delidding an Intel CPU, so I don't know how bad the TIM they use really is.
> 
> I once tried to pry off a small heatsink off of a Pentium MMX 200Mhz CPU. Had to use a knife to get job done. I just wanted to see the shiny surface that they have. Alas some of the rocky TIM was still on it, so I continued to use the knife until there was little left, then used some perfume to ghetto clean off what was left. Now the CPU sits with other several pre-core series CPU's. I even found a Cyrix MII recently that was in an unfamiliar ceramic CPU package.



stock heatsinks can 'slide' in one direction, next time gently tap the HSF with a small hammer in the direction it can slide to break the seal and leave the CPU in the socket


or use a mallet and fuck that shit up


----------



## EntropyZ (Feb 16, 2017)

Mussels said:


> stock heatsinks can 'slide' in one direction, next time gently tap the HSF with a small hammer in the direction it can slide to break the seal and leave the CPU in the socket
> or use a mallet and fuck that shit up


Good to know I could have done that without going postal on stuck heatsinks. I kept thinking the hammer blow would be enough to bend the pins while the CPU is still in the socket. I did have a wooden hammer around at some point which would be best but I kind of lost it.


----------



## Mussels (Feb 16, 2017)

i just whack mine with the handle of my screwdriver to break the seal, but its a heavy old one with a rubber grip. i just want to see some violence.


----------



## peche (Feb 16, 2017)

i really hate when your client comes with a decent laptop, with dedicated GPU... and you might have to spend like 2 hours just taking TIM from GPU and CPU.... 

Regards,


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 16, 2017)

Today I've received an ASUS K53 from my "favorite" customer.
I'm surprised this machine is still alive, after being painted with a permanent marker, having cookies and bread stuffed into its cooling vents, surviving 3 liquid spills (one of which was hot chocolate) and being smashed by a giant speaker.
It already underwent a complete replacement of almost everything, except motherboard. Last time (only 3 months ago) I spent 6 hours reviving the charging and CPU power circuitry. Installed a new HDD and a brand-spanking-new-and-shiny keyboard.
Now look at it:


----------



## peche (Feb 16, 2017)

@silentbogo  quite great job!


----------



## Ferrum Master (Feb 16, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> Today I've received an ASUS K53 from my "favorite" customer.
> I'm surprised this machine is still alive, after being painted with a permanent marker, having cookies and bread stuffed into its cooling vents, surviving 3 liquid spills (one of which was hot chocolate) and being smashed by a giant speaker.
> It already underwent a complete replacement of almost everything, except motherboard. Last time (only 3 months ago) I spent 6 hours reviving the charging and CPU power circuitry. Installed a new HDD and a brand-spanking-new-and-shiny keyboard.
> Now look at it:
> View attachment 84138



You simply charge way too low for your work!!


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 16, 2017)

peche said:


> @silentbogo  quite great job!


Nah... I restored it completely 3+ months ago. Just wanted to show what's left of that new keyboard.
Poor laptop. It needs a hug...


----------



## peche (Feb 16, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> Nah... I restored it completely 3+ months ago. Just wanted to show what's left of that new keyboard.
> Poor laptop. It needs a hug...


i mean for all the repairs, lol

Regards,


----------



## Komshija (Feb 17, 2017)

@silentbogo That's pure recklessness. But something similar happened sometimes in the past once to most of us. 
Once I destroyed half of laptop's fan wings (the one in my signature) with 8 bar air blast. I had to buy a super glue and carefully, using toothpicks, glued them back. Funny thing, it was sunday and I didn't have super glue at home so I had to wait until monday. Since then, I limit air compressor to 3,5 - 4 bars for cleaning electronic components.  So, yeah...


----------



## Mussels (Feb 17, 2017)

thats worse than the laptops i get for free in my 'look at the cool shit i got free this month' thread


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 17, 2017)

Mussels said:


> thats worse than the laptops i get for free in my 'look at the cool shit i got free this month' thread


That's because you never had pretty Samsung NP350 ultrabooks covered in lipstick 
I think that was the worst one I ever had. 

What's even worse, it was not that kind of lipstick that "stays on your lips", according to advertising... it was the bright oily kind, which (some of you, guys, probably encountered it at least once) after one kiss on the cheek manages to get on your shirt, your hair and in some cases - underwear 
Needed a bubble bath and 2 bottles of isopropyl to get it off completely.


----------



## dorsetknob (Feb 17, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> (some of you, guys, probably encountered it at least once) after one kiss on the cheek manages to get on your shirt, your hair and in some cases - underwear


 Is that how you request payment 
Reminded of Xbox Red ring of dicDeath


----------



## Jetster (Feb 21, 2017)

Dell Inspiron with a Pentium M

Convenient CPU heat sink cleaning


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Feb 21, 2017)

I hate laptops, usually shitty cooling, pain in the sitter to repair, inc taking them apart and putting them back together.


----------



## P4-630 (Feb 21, 2017)

Jetster said:


> Dell Inspiron with a Pentium M
> 
> Convenient CPU heat sink cleaning



That's ideal! Wished more companies designed them like that, easy accessible for cleaning or to replace parts.


----------



## Jetster (Feb 21, 2017)

tigger said:


> I hate laptops, usually shitty cooling, pain in the sitter to repair, inc taking them apart and putting them back together.



I hate them too, but unfortunately everyone has one.  I don't even use my personal one but  I make money on them



P4-630 said:


> That's ideal! Wished more companies designed them like that, easy accessible for cleaning or to replace parts.



I know right? They got rid of it on purpose


----------



## P4-630 (Feb 21, 2017)

Jetster said:


> I know right? They got rid of it on purpose



Lol! I thought it was a good idea!


----------



## ironwolf (Feb 21, 2017)

Sorry for the pic if it is a little blurry.

Recently one of the guys here in town who does some small system builds/service and buys stuff from us came in asking about water cooling.  He had a kid (lower 20's?) with a very nice water cooled gaming system call him, the motherboard died.  This guy sends the board back to Asus for him, forgot to pull the CPU *and* the retention backplate for the water cooler.  Asus sends a replacement board back, the CPU back but *not* the backplate bracket.  So he asks if we had one, told him uh no, check fleaBay or Corsair.  Two days go by and the actual system owner comes in all pissed off, machine wouldn't boot back up at all.  I open case up, heatsink paste was *literally* running/oozing out from under the water cooling unit, all over the motherboard.  On top of that, the techie guy decided the backplate bracket wasn't needed (!!) and took four brass standoffs and screwed the unit down with them.  Since the brass standoffs didn't come up through the mounting holes, the water cooling unit got screwed down too tightly and without the right height.  This is what the socket looked like when I pulled the CPU:





I told him there was nothing I could do.  He tried to RMA the board back to Asus and they of course denied the RMA, user inflicted damage, yadda yadda.  So the owner is trying to get the techie guys to man up and replace the board (still available on Newegg).  I told the owner that I will cut him a break on putting it all back together.  Still no word back.  I am pretty sure the techie guy is going to deny all of this and refuse to man up over this.  Yeah, as a gamer myself, it sucks to see a kid with a sweet box that is just doing nothing right now.

Do you guys think that the techie guy needs to pony up for a replacement board for this kid?


----------



## Jetster (Feb 21, 2017)

Who's this techie guy? A friend? I wouldn't give them a break. Charge them for the work and they need to right it off as lessen learned. Offer to show them how its done correctly if they pay for the work

Most RMAs instructions say to not send anything but the board with a protective cover on the socket


----------



## ironwolf (Feb 21, 2017)

Oh heck no, not a friend.  Just a guy who has been buying stuff/parts from us for years.  This was his first dealing with water cooling (according to him).  I'm pissed that this guy ignored everything I told him, ie. look on eBay or Corsair.  I found the bracket kits on Corsairs website in like 3 minutes.


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Feb 21, 2017)

ironwolf said:


> Sorry for the pic if it is a little blurry.
> 
> Recently one of the guys here in town who does some small system builds/service and buys stuff from us came in asking about water cooling.  He had a kid (lower 20's?) with a very nice water cooled gaming system call him, the motherboard died.  This guy sends the board back to Asus for him, forgot to pull the CPU *and* the retention backplate for the water cooler.  Asus sends a replacement board back, the CPU back but *not* the backplate bracket.  So he asks if we had one, told him uh no, check fleaBay or Corsair.  Two days go by and the actual system owner comes in all pissed off, machine wouldn't boot back up at all.  I open case up, heatsink paste was *literally* running/oozing out from under the water cooling unit, all over the motherboard.  On top of that, the techie guy decided the backplate bracket wasn't needed (!!) and took four brass standoffs and screwed the unit down with them.  Since the brass standoffs didn't come up through the mounting holes, the water cooling unit got screwed down too tightly and without the right height.  This is what the socket looked like when I pulled the CPU:
> 
> ...



I don't think techie guy are the words I would use, first on begins with F and second with W. He does need to pony up indeed, and pay for the damage he has caused.


----------



## Jetster (Feb 21, 2017)

ironwolf said:


> Oh heck no, not a friend.  Just a guy who has been buying stuff/parts from us for years.  This was his first dealing with water cooling (according to him).  I'm pissed that this guy ignored everything I told him, ie. look on eBay or Corsair.  I found the bracket kits on Corsairs website in like 3 minutes.




Oh I see he's a customer. Well just see if he will pay for the fix then show him how its done.

Maybe he will bring in more broken parts, I mean business


----------



## Random Murderer (Feb 22, 2017)

tigger said:


> I don't think techie guy are the words I would use, first on begins with F and second with W. He does need to pony up indeed, and pay for the damage he has caused.


Pretty sure you and I came up with the same word for the guy, I'm assuming the word you came up with is f***wit.
Agreed that this guy needs to nut up and accept responsibility.


----------



## Ahhzz (Feb 22, 2017)

Random Murderer said:


> Pretty sure you and I came up with the same word for the guy, I'm assuming the word you came up with is f****wit*.
> Agreed that this guy needs to nut up and accept responsibility.


I would have gone with "Wad"


----------



## micropage7 (Feb 22, 2017)

ironwolf said:


> Sorry for the pic if it is a little blurry.
> 
> Recently one of the guys here in town who does some small system builds/service and buys stuff from us came in asking about water cooling.  He had a kid (lower 20's?) with a very nice water cooled gaming system call him, the motherboard died.  This guy sends the board back to Asus for him, forgot to pull the CPU *and* the retention backplate for the water cooler.  Asus sends a replacement board back, the CPU back but *not* the backplate bracket.  So he asks if we had one, told him uh no, check fleaBay or Corsair.  Two days go by and the actual system owner comes in all pissed off, machine wouldn't boot back up at all.  I open case up, heatsink paste was *literally* running/oozing out from under the water cooling unit, all over the motherboard.  On top of that, the techie guy decided the backplate bracket wasn't needed (!!) and took four brass standoffs and screwed the unit down with them.  Since the brass standoffs didn't come up through the mounting holes, the water cooling unit got screwed down too tightly and without the right height.  This is what the socket looked like when I pulled the CPU:
> 
> ...


yeah, i got one friend that act like he knows everything and try to handle tech stuff by himself
then he broke something and left it like nothing happened then say its ok when i use that


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Feb 22, 2017)

Random Murderer said:


> Pretty sure you and I came up with the same word for the guy, I'm assuming the word you came up with is f***wit.
> Agreed that this guy needs to nut up and accept responsibility.



No lol f....ng W...er


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 22, 2017)

No pics today, but I just gave a laptop back to its owner. 

The previous "service center" sent it back with a diagnosis - It's dead, get over it.
To be more specific - "a non-working south bridge"... _on a f%$n Zacate Laptop!_
That's usually what most Eastern European techies write in service reports, when they either can't or won't fix it, regardless of the actual fault.
I guess they were way too lazy and overfed to bother with reviving an entry-level Samsung laptop, which only had a failed HDD.
Probably the quickest $30 I ever made.

Had a similar story with a lot more expensive ASUS N61DA, maxed out to its full potential. 
Bought it for $70 couple of years ago, assuming from the words of the previous owner, that the motherboard was dead (he spent 2 trips and some cash on diagnostics in two separate repair shops).
1 hour later I had a fully functional gaming laptop. 2 years later still kicking like a champ at my relative's house.


----------



## Random Murderer (Feb 22, 2017)

tigger said:


> No lol f....ng W...er


Oh right, you're on the other side of the pond, hence "w***er." I like what you came up with better, lol.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 22, 2017)

I knew straight away he meant "fucking wanker"


----------



## Norton (Feb 25, 2017)

Pretty nasty! 






The Silverstone TD02 AIO cooler that I had running on one of my rigs died recently so I decided to take it apart- the inside was loaded with scale, corrosion, and other assorted gook.


----------



## dorsetknob (Feb 25, 2017)

Looks like a cesspit pump


----------



## Norton (Feb 25, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> Looks like a cesspit pump


I deal with those at work, sewage, wastewater pumps, etc.., and some of those were in better condition than this!


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 25, 2017)

Norton said:


> Pretty nasty!
> The Silverstone TD02 AIO cooler that I had running on one of my rigs died recently so I decided to take it apart- the inside was loaded with scale, corrosion, and other assorted gook.


Oh no... 
Definitely looks like my sewage pump.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 25, 2017)

Norton said:


> Pretty nasty!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




it makes you wonder what it was filled with. I stripped my H100 recently and it  was spotless inside -----even in the tiny copper fins........nothing.


----------



## Norton (Feb 25, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> it makes you wonder what it was filled with. I stripped my H100 recently and it  was spotless inside -----even in the tiny copper fins........nothing.


It was a dark blue coolant of some sort- most likely a glycol-type mixture.


----------



## stinger608 (Feb 25, 2017)

Wow, something must have contaminated that coolant for it to look like that @Norton


----------



## Jetster (Feb 25, 2017)

Or the coolant that was in there was water for a long time then changed to the blue stuff


----------



## Norton (Feb 25, 2017)

Jetster said:


> Or the coolant that was in there was water for a long time then changed to the blue stuff


Was the original stuff- cooler came direct from manufacturer and was never opened.

Definitely a glycol/antifreeze type product- I got some on my hands and it felt, smelled like, cleaned up like car antifreeze.


----------



## thebluebumblebee (Feb 25, 2017)

Norton said:


> Pretty nasty!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is a total design/specification failure by the ODM.  Silverstone should refund your money..., but I know where you get most of your coolers....


----------



## Athlonite (Feb 26, 2017)

Norton said:


> Pretty nasty!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Than you !!!! I just about spat my coffee all over my keyboard and screen that truly is disgusting


----------



## Random Murderer (Feb 27, 2017)

Norton said:


> Pretty nasty!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The hell? Did they pair the copper coldplate with an aluminum radiator? That's not just gunk, that's corrosion, oxidation, and mineral/lime scale buildup as well. It looks like you would have been better off running straight tap water in that AIO...


CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> it makes you wonder what it was filled with. I stripped my H100 recently and it  was spotless inside -----even in the tiny copper fins........nothing.


Same, I've had an old H80i apart and it was absolutely spotless. Whatever mixture Corsair uses in their AIOs is fantastic.


----------



## pantherx12 (Mar 29, 2017)

So I set up a new computer for a customer and they gave me their old PC. 

This is how it looks. 


























image hosting free


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 29, 2017)

pantherx12 said:


> So I set up a new computer for a customer and they gave me their old PC.
> 
> This is how it looks.
> 
> ...





Gross.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Mar 29, 2017)

Thats horrific, I m glad i havent had breakfast.


----------



## dorsetknob (Mar 29, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Thats horrific, I m glad i havent had breakfast.



Me to   having couple of pies from the "Welsh pantry" for lunch
Hope i can keep them down (sold by poundland) after viewing above pics


----------



## pantherx12 (Mar 29, 2017)

The photos don't even do it justice lol

The side panel fan looks like it's made entirely out of organic matter. 

Normally I fix computers like this up and let people have them for free ( it's a pentium 4 system) but this, this I think I should just burn.


----------



## Vayra86 (Mar 29, 2017)

pantherx12 said:


> So I set up a new computer for a customer and they gave me their old PC.
> 
> This is how it looks.
> 
> ...



Quite a feat to build a computer out of all that dust!


----------



## pantherx12 (Mar 30, 2017)

So one of my old builds has turned up at my door. 

Phenom 1050t, 8 gb of ddr3 1600, 1gb 6870.

Was a fine rig when i had it, unfortunately it's motherboard/ power supply had a suicide pact a few years back but the new owner has finally got round to asking me to get it going again. 


Its a... Little worse for wear.


----------



## biffzinker (Mar 30, 2017)

At least it's only dust, and some hair without the tobacco smoke unlike the other photos you posted.


----------



## pantherx12 (Mar 30, 2017)

biffzinker said:


> At least it's only dust, and some hair without the tobacco smoke unlike the other photos you posted.



Yeah the other one is rank I've not even started to take it apart yet because I want gloves and a mask ha.


----------



## Athlonite (Mar 31, 2017)

pantherx12 said:


> Yeah the other one is rank I've not even started to take it apart yet because I want gloves and a mask ha.



Just take it outside and water blast it or pour a ltr of petrol in it and set it on fire


----------



## Random Murderer (Mar 31, 2017)

Athlonite said:


> Just take it outside and water blast it or pour a ltr of petrol in it and set it on fire


I was thinking dishwasher.


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 1, 2017)

Random Murderer said:


> I was thinking dishwasher.



eww hell no you put things you eat off of in that I wouldn't put that anywhere near food utensils


----------



## Frick (Apr 1, 2017)

pantherx12 said:


> So I set up a new computer for a customer and they gave me their old PC.
> 
> This is how it looks.
> 
> ...



I looked at a system like that once. Tobacco and beer. Luckily the caps were all fried on the motherboard so I just tossed the whole thing. The guy ahd beaten on it quite badly in a drunken range. The village drunk.


----------



## pantherx12 (Apr 1, 2017)

The exhaust fan guys. 

Just wow. 



 



It managed to compress the dust into a solid mass.


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 1, 2017)

yurk that's disgusting


----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 19, 2017)

*in the name of Science*.


----------



## dorsetknob (Apr 19, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> *in the name of Science*.


Overclocked Router/modem ???
How fast did it Overclock before Boofh time ????


----------



## Frick (Apr 19, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> *in the name of Science*.



That's a ghetto mod dude, and a nice one at that.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Apr 21, 2017)

Ive seen worse


----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 21, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> Overclocked Router/modem ???
> How fast did it Overclock before Boofh time ????


  No OC, it was a cooling modification but that night the router just died entirely so I had sum fun 



Frick said:


> That's a ghetto mod dude, and a nice one at that.



Its in that thread too,  >>



Spoiler: Ddwrt install howto ;)










<<check it out


----------



## biffzinker (Apr 21, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Ive seen worse
> 
> View attachment 86763
> 
> ...


Looks as though your 7970 helped you out on dusting/vacuuming the house. Tell the wife you contributed in some way.


----------



## Octopuss (Apr 21, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Ive seen worse
> 
> View attachment 86763
> 
> ...


Looks like the dark energy stuff from Mass Effect Andromeda.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Apr 21, 2017)

It's coal dust, tobacco smoke and dog.


----------



## silentbogo (Apr 21, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> It's coal dust, tobacco smoke and dog.


Your dog is a chain-smoking coal miner?


----------



## alucasa (Apr 21, 2017)

We need spaceage to come fast.

Zero gravity and heavily filtered air means dust will be no more.

No more humping as well tho.


----------



## Caring1 (Apr 22, 2017)

alucasa said:


> We need spaceage to come fast.
> 
> Zero gravity and heavily filtered air means dust will be no more.
> 
> No more humping as well tho.


Try and stop me


----------



## Nuckles56 (Apr 22, 2017)

Zero g= more positions  You just have to hold onto something


----------



## natr0n (Apr 22, 2017)

lol the convo is getting filthy, rotten and nasty.


----------



## R-T-B (Apr 22, 2017)

pantherx12 said:


> The exhaust fan guys.
> 
> Just wow.
> 
> ...



It looks like he pooped in it.


----------



## Komshija (Apr 25, 2017)

How about this after only 10 days? I know, it's not something, buy I usually clean my room every three weeks and sometimes (rarely) every two weeks, so you can imaggine how it looks after 21 days.


----------



## alucasa (Apr 25, 2017)

"10 days" sounds like an awesome new title for a survival game. Go for it.


----------



## Caring1 (Apr 25, 2017)

Poltergeists leaving messages in the dust?


----------



## Komshija (Apr 25, 2017)

alucasa said:


> "10 days" sounds like an awesome new title for a survival game. Go for it.


 It could be a title for a horor movie.



Caring1 said:


> Poltergeists leaving messages in the dust?


 Seems that they are reminding me that I missed a few masses.


----------



## alucasa (Apr 25, 2017)

You could use your avatar for inspiration. 10 days with those two hot chicks and you end up being a skeleton.



Komshija said:


> It could be a title for a horor movie.
> 
> Seems that they are reminding me that I missed a few masses.


----------



## Ahhzz (Apr 25, 2017)

alucasa said:


> You could use your avatar for inspiration. 10 days with those two hot chicks and you end up being a skeleton.


definitely be some bones involved....


----------



## Komshija (Apr 26, 2017)

alucasa said:


> You could use your avatar for inspiration. 10 days with those two hot chicks and you end up being a skeleton.


 Very possible, but I wouldn't be the main target for such women. The best they could get from me is excellent quality time, but mostly they are not interested in that. It's very important to outplay them or at least to keep your money in your pockets and avoiding spending too much money on them.


----------



## Jetster (May 5, 2017)

I built this 2 years 9 months ago. He wants the G3258 swapped for a i7 4770K and an additional 8 Gb ram. Might need a little cleaning too


----------



## alucasa (May 5, 2017)

Only 3 years to get that much dust? My word.


----------



## Capitan Harlock (May 5, 2017)

Jetster said:


> I built this 2 years 9 months ago. He wants the G3258 swapped for a i7 4770K and an additional 8 Gb ram. Might need a little cleaning too


He need a Fire Extinguisher bundled with it because imagine what is going to happen with a 4770k inside this DUST MONSTER.


----------



## Jetster (May 5, 2017)

He said he cleaned it once or twice and thought it was clean until he got it in the light


----------



## Komshija (May 5, 2017)

Jetster said:


> I built this 2 years 9 months ago. He wants the G3258 swapped for a i7 4770K and an additional 8 Gb ram. Might need a little cleaning too


Mine would look very similar after 2y 9m if I skip regular monthly cleaning.  

Air compressor is the best tool to combat such problems.


----------



## Capitan Harlock (May 5, 2017)

Jetster said:


> He said he cleaned it once or twice and thought it was clean until he got it in the light


ahahahahah , Tell him to shoot some picture before and after cleaning XD.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (May 5, 2017)

Jetster said:


> I built this 2 years 9 months ago. He wants the G3258 swapped for a i7 4770K and an additional 8 Gb ram. Might need a little cleaning too




give him one of these



Spoiler


----------



## Vayra86 (May 5, 2017)

Komshija said:


> How about this after only 10 days? I know, it's not something, buy I usually clean my room every three weeks and sometimes (rarely) every two weeks, so you can imaggine how it looks after 21 days.
> 
> View attachment 86994



Take it up a notch and try 28 days. It'll be super exciting


----------



## biffzinker (May 5, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> give him one of these
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler


A knuckle sandwich? Well that wouldn't be never nice.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (May 5, 2017)

i am recommending a "bop" square on the nose as it is less painful than a burnt down house.

i shudder to think what the inside of the PSU looks like.


----------



## AhokZYashA (May 5, 2017)

woah, i forgot to take the pic of my cousins PC, 
its so dusty, i have to disassemble everything, and wipe it off with a paintbrush and air


----------



## pantherx12 (May 7, 2017)

That pc was awful man.

Seeing as the guy clearly doesn't look after the machine you may want to flip that psu. 

Dust falling directly in can't be good.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (May 31, 2017)

My computer


----------



## dorsetknob (May 31, 2017)

where is little Miss Muffet then ???


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jun 24, 2017)

Dan......."Ger, i think my laptop is shagged....it wont start"

Me........" bring the piece of shit round if you must"





I prescribed ibuprofen





Thats £35.00 please.....


----------



## Octopuss (Jun 24, 2017)

That's ghetto as fck


----------



## jaggerwild (Jun 24, 2017)

Did you use yer tongue to make sure you had current flowing?


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jun 24, 2017)

jaggerwild said:


> Did you use yer tongue to make sure you had current flowing?



no, i waited for him to get here and i made him do it.

its getting soldered and heat shrunk later, a fresh install of windows and done.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jun 25, 2017)

Fixed


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jul 9, 2017)

My wife just noticed something.....


----------



## dorsetknob (Jul 9, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> My wife just noticed something.....



Needs a ............................................


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jul 9, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> Needs a ............................................




Wet wipe?


----------



## dorsetknob (Jul 9, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Wet wipe?


Nope (Sexist comment incoming)
WORKING  WET WIFE


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jul 9, 2017)

Fixed by me and a wet wipe





Its starting to get dark so its changed colour a bit, i didnt use a blue wet wipe.


----------



## Frick (Jul 10, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> Nope (Sexist comment incoming)
> WORKING  WET WIFE



How would that help a dirty keyboard?


----------



## R-T-B (Jul 10, 2017)

Frick said:


> How would that help a dirty keyboard?



You must be a hoot at parties, Frick.


----------



## Octopuss (Jul 10, 2017)

I expected you to kill it with fire...


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 10, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> My wife just noticed something.....
> 
> View attachment 90026
> 
> View attachment 90027


Nice keyboard, i may throw it some acid to make sure it cleaned


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jul 10, 2017)

It will be 20 years old next year and has been in use every single day. I have never cleaned the inside though i do occasionally give it a good shake and see what surprises fall out.


----------



## Prince Valiant (Jul 11, 2017)

Question about cleaning filthy components. Can I use distilled water without worrying about any ill effects?


----------



## Jetster (Jul 11, 2017)

Prince Valiant said:


> Question about cleaning filthy components. Can I use distilled water without worrying about any ill effects?



Just make sure it's dry afterwords, like a week or two later before you plug it in

Everything is relative, so yes, distilled water will conduct electricity--but very very little compared to city water. But there are impurities on the parts so really it doesn't have to be distilled


----------



## Prince Valiant (Jul 11, 2017)

Jetster said:


> Just make sure it's dry afterwords, like a week or two later before you plug it in


Good to know, thanks.

I should have quite a few pictures for this thread if I remember to take them before cleaning .


----------



## Beastie (Jul 11, 2017)

Octopuss said:


> I expected you to kill it with fire...


Nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure .


CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Fixed by me and a wet wipe


Seriously though, it's cleaned up quite nicely.


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 12, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> It will be 20 years old next year and has been in use every single day. I have never cleaned the inside though i do occasionally give it a good shake and see what surprises fall out.


The last time i open and clean and shake it.. I lost a key.. it took me 2 days to find it.. Sometimes it is interesting how people couldnt clean it for years As long as it runs


----------



## biffzinker (Jul 12, 2017)

micropage7 said:


> Sometimes it is interesting how people couldnt clean it for years As long as it runs


Reminds me of the filthy keyboards I see at work. Always makes me want to use a sanitizing wipe before I lay a finger on the keyboard, and mouse.


----------



## verycharbroiled (Jul 25, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> It will be 20 years old next year and has been in use every single day. I have never cleaned the inside though i do occasionally give it a good shake and see what surprises fall out.



did anything that fell out wave back at you?


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jul 25, 2017)

verycharbroiled said:


> did anything that fell out wave back at you?




 i smoked most of the shit that fell out


----------



## jboydgolfer (Jul 25, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> i do occasionally give it a good shake and see what surprises fall out.



 I did that once ,and bacon bits & nerds fell out  ...I have no idea where they came from

 I wish I was more active when I still had my old Dell keyboard, and trackball mouse. I remember after retiring that keyboard I ceremoniously parted with it by destroying it and inside was enough food to sustain a person for at least a couple days the mouse was not much better


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Sep 17, 2017)

Whoops


----------



## biffzinker (Sep 17, 2017)

How did you manage that Caps?


----------



## silentbogo (Sep 17, 2017)

biffzinker said:


> How did you manage that Caps?


Knowing CAPS, I'd say lots of effort and dedication to the task! 

But I've seen worse. Last year I was fixing a HDD, which suffered damage from an exact same crappy cable. But instead of broken clamp he had broken pins. That failed attachment mechanism held it so hard, that 2-3 contacts on the SATA connector were ripped from the PCB on the drive. Had to replace the whole connector from the donor HDD to save the day...  
Sry, but no picz...


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Sep 17, 2017)

Mainly by being stupid.

The pc is on a plank of wood with the hdd on the psu. When i picked it up the hdd slid off.


----------



## EntropyZ (Sep 17, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> Knowing CAPS, I'd say lots of effort and dedication to the task!
> 
> But I've seen worse. Last year I was fixing a HDD, which suffered damage from an exact same crappy cable. But instead of broken clamp he had broken pins. That failed attachment mechanism held it so hard, that 2-3 contacts on the SATA connector were ripped from the PCB on the drive. Had to replace the whole connector from the donor HDD to save the day...
> Sry, but no picz...


I remember trying to cram a 3x Windforce mounted card in the Cooler Master HAF 912 while having the extra HDD cage in place it was completely filled and I had to take it out to fit the card first, some of the drives used angled SATA connectors (which I completely forgot about), I was lazy to remove all of the data/power cables, so I tried sliding the cage out, which didn't budge at first because one of the angled connectors was touching against a part of the case, then I pulled harder and realized something snapped off... It was one of the SATA connections off a 3TB NAS drive.

When I saw that port broken, cold sweat and fear kicked in. It was not pleasant. Luckily only the pins got bent but the plastic keying was broken. So I stuck it inside the cable, carefully bent the pins in a way they would still connect and plugged the cable back into the drive, it worked, but now every time you move the back panel you risk possibility of losing the drive in BIOS or Windows.

Every SINGLE time I try to rush something I end up dun f***ing it up. I keep telling myself I learned not to do it, but I still do it from time to time without thinking first. This is the number 1 reason why some hardware that I have gets destroyed.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Sep 17, 2017)

EntropyZ said:


> I remember trying to cram a 3x Windforce mounted card in the Cooler Master HAF 912 while having the extra HDD cage in place it was completely filled and I had to take it out to fit the card first, some of the drives used angled SATA connectors (which I completely forgot about), I was lazy to remove all of the data/power cables, so I tried sliding the cage out, which didn't budge at first because one of the angled connectors was touching against a part of the case, then I pulled harder and realized something snapped off... It was one of the SATA connections off a 3TB NAS drive.
> 
> When I saw that port broken, cold sweat and fear kicked in. It was not pleasant. Luckily only the pins got bent but the plastic keying was broken. So I stuck it inside the cable, carefully bent the pins in a way they would still connect and plugged the cable back into the drive, it worked, but now every time you move the back panel you risk possibility of losing the drive in BIOS or Windows.
> 
> Every SINGLE time I try to rush something I end up dun f***ing it up. I keep telling myself I learned not to do it, but I still do it from time to time without thinking first. This is the number 1 reason why some hardware that I have gets destroyed.




The same thing hapenned to me too a while ago so i did this









The above pictures are a re enactment.


----------



## dorsetknob (Sep 17, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> The pc is on a plank of wood with the hdd on the psu. When i picked it up the hdd slid off.


was the Plank of wood Thick


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Sep 17, 2017)

not as thick as me.......metal on metal is never a clever combo.

Shes gonna go mental when she gets home....the conservatory didnt look like this when she went out........



Edit
in this pic you can see
DFI Lanparty X58
ASUS ROG ii X 58
ASUS P6 Deluxe X 58


----------



## jboydgolfer (Sep 17, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Mainly by being stupid.



ive had that happen several times, i just removed the clip, and continued using the cable, it didnt cause a problem, unless there was a great deal of movement.

btw, it reminds me of the entrance to the cave of the "killer bunny" in MP's & the holy grail.....like something that eats PC's lives in the room in your pics


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Sep 17, 2017)

Oooooo errrr


----------



## silentbogo (Sep 17, 2017)

@CAPSLOCKSTUCK , did Ridley Scott hire you to do decorations for the new Alien movie?


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Sep 17, 2017)

Dunno...i havent heard back yet.


----------



## DR4G00N (Sep 17, 2017)

Snap, crackle, pop.


----------



## Sasqui (Sep 17, 2017)

DR4G00N said:


> Snap, crackle, pop.
> 
> 
> View attachment 92165 View attachment 92166 View attachment 92167



I find that last picture the most disturbing.  I think solder is supposed to be used sparingly ;P


----------



## DR4G00N (Sep 17, 2017)

Sasqui said:


> I find that last picture the most disturbing.  I think solder is supposed to be used sparingly ;P


It's not all solder, there's a piece of braided copper under the caps that was used to repair the 12V input power plane.

It works fine though, it was still working fine beforehand too.


----------



## Bones (Sep 17, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> It reminds me of the entrance to the cave of the "killer bunny" in MP's & the holy grail.....like something that eats PC's lives in the room in your pics



You haven't seen inside my benchshack..... Looks like trolls have taken up residence BUT it is used for storage too so....


----------



## Sasqui (Sep 17, 2017)

DR4G00N said:


> It's not all solder, there's a piece of braided copper under the caps that was used to repair the 12V input power plane.
> 
> It works fine though, it was still working fine beforehand too.







I'm guessing all three caps shouldn't been gobbed together.  Great that it works.


----------



## de.das.dude (Sep 18, 2017)

Sasqui said:


> View attachment 92175
> 
> I'm guessing all three caps shouldn't been gobbed together.  Great that it works.


Well caps are often done in paralllel to increase capacitance which seems to be the case here. If the other end's traces are connected together then no issue i suppose as it's in parallel


----------



## Bungz (Sep 19, 2017)

Cleaning a old socket A system, smokers


----------



## jboydgolfer (Sep 19, 2017)

Bungz said:


> smokers



i used to smoke indoors, it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep fans clean. they get that sticky nicotine coating ,the ndust becomes fused to the blades....but once kids, i no longer smoked indoors, which has its perks in other areas, PC being one of them.it sickens me to think thats inside my lungs


----------



## peche (Sep 19, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> i used to smoke indoors, it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep fans clean. they get that sticky nicotine coating ,the ndust becomes fused to the blades....but once kids, i no longer smoked indoors, which has its perks in other areas, PC being one of them.it sickens me to think thats inside my lungs


i wonder if vaping near computer could cause situations like these......


----------



## P4-630 (Sep 19, 2017)

peche said:


> i wonder if vaping near computer could cause situations like these......



Well your windows won't stay clean if you vape inside...
It's the VG that's getting on your windows, thats why I vape outside...

I have tried it...


----------



## jboydgolfer (Sep 19, 2017)

imo/ime its just best to avoid indoor combustibles/electronic vaporizers (or better yet, avoid them all together )


----------



## peche (Sep 19, 2017)

P4-630 said:


> Well your windows won't stay clean if you vape inside...
> It's the VG that's getting on your windows, thats why I vape outside...
> 
> I have tried it...


will discus this in other place... follow m3


----------



## Sasqui (Sep 19, 2017)

Bungz said:


> View attachment 92215
> 
> Cleaning a old socket A system, smokers



Judging by the date of the fan (2003), it hasn't been cleaned since then, lol


----------



## DR4G00N (Sep 22, 2017)




----------



## jboydgolfer (Sep 22, 2017)

Cheapo brand Capacitors?? 
srsly tho, that Biatch is Dirty AF


----------



## Bungz (Sep 22, 2017)

Genuine teapos, probably fine.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Sep 22, 2017)

Bungz said:


> Genuine teapos, probably fine.



You never wanna see the letters P.O.S inside your power supply 

 If a power supply can get that dirty and not break it has to be at least halfway decent all joking aside. Built like a tank too


----------



## Bungz (Sep 22, 2017)

Teapos aren't terrible.

Not the best but not awful.


----------



## DR4G00N (Sep 22, 2017)

It's a 16 year old IBM Hipro 150W which has probably never been cleaned. Most of the caps are in good shape but the 200V main input caps are bulging a bit. Still works okay from what I can tell though.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Sep 22, 2017)

DR4G00N said:


> It's a 16 year old IBM Hipro 150W which has probably never been cleaned. Most of the caps are in good shape but the 200V main input caps are bulging a bit. Still works okay from what I can tell though.



yeah, i can tell it was built like it was also intended to be used as a weapon for blunt force trauma.... thats "old school" quality & design there.

weight= quality


----------



## R-T-B (Sep 23, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> weight= quality



At least when it comes to smashing heads, yep.


----------



## Toothless (Oct 1, 2017)

I got one for you guys. Over a year of nastyness on my keyboard.











So I took the keys off and found the nasty.






Got to cleaning with alcohol wipes and a rag. The result:





Good as new. The little white dot under the spacebar is actually a chip in the metal.


----------



## biffzinker (Oct 1, 2017)

And here I thought my keyboard was dirty, and I haven't even had it a year.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 1, 2017)

How do you clean a mouse mat?


----------



## biffzinker (Oct 1, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> How do you clean a mouse mat?


Dawn dish soap and water works for me. Thanks for reminding me Caps, I need to clean my mouse pad again. 

Edit: You might want to give that mouse pad a good cleaning Caps. It's ready for a soak.


----------



## silentbogo (Oct 1, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> How do you clean a mouse mat?


Soak it in dish soap, rinse it, and then throw it into a washing machine with your next load of laundry. I do it once every 6 months for my "genuine" Razer Goliathus, and it's still like new.



Toothless said:


> Over a year of nastyness on my keyboard.


That reminds me: it's time to clean my keyboard. I spilled some coffee on it few weeks ago and I think there are some unknown life forms getting formed on it too...


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 1, 2017)

I might do my keyboard too.


----------



## biffzinker (Oct 1, 2017)

As of post #1242 you just cleaned that keyboard. How did the keyboard get so much dirt?
1242


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 1, 2017)

I smoke and do a lot of woodwork....everything i touch gets dirty.

Keyboard to my left



 

Woodwork to my right



 

Motorbike racing in the middle



 



I like Sundays


----------



## P4-630 (Oct 1, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> weight= quality



Well a while ago I have seen a PSU on the internet which had cement added in it.....


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 1, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> I might do my keyboard too.
> 
> 
> View attachment 92638


paint brush, water + little soap or tooth paste and towel or something will solve that


----------



## jboydgolfer (Oct 1, 2017)

INCEPTION!!!!!

whenever my Mouse pads get dirty. i use a Debit card to clean them ( if I recall correctly the dishwasher top rack works fine as well for mousepads).  For the keyboard I generally remove the keycaps and then just blast the sh!t out of it with the shop vac


----------



## Tomgang (Oct 1, 2017)

I dont know much about this image. Only that a friend of mine send it to me a couple years a go and that it whas a computer he worked on for a costumer in that pc store he worked at the time. Costumer complained it whas noisy, freezed at times and has gotten really slow and he shut take a look at it. i dont know what socket, cpu or much about this pc, only that is whas fucking nasty.

This whas what he saw after removing the side panel.


----------



## Vayra86 (Oct 1, 2017)

Tomgang said:


> I dont know much about this image. Only that a friend of mine send it to me a couple years a go and that it whas a computer he worked on for a costumer in that pc store he worked at the time. Costumer complained it whas noisy, freezed at times and has gotten really slow and he shut take a look at it. i dont know what socket, cpu or much about this pc, only that is whas fucking nasty.
> 
> This whas what he saw after removing the side panel.



Where's the PC?  Holy moly


----------



## jboydgolfer (Oct 1, 2017)

Tomgang said:


> panel.



 That's absolutely disgusting, impressive though


----------



## Tomgang (Oct 1, 2017)

Vayra86 said:


> Where's the PC?  Holy moly



What PC? I can only see a case full of dust 



jboydgolfer said:


> That's absolutely disgusting, impressive though



Indeed it is. That costumer shut never be alowed to own a pc again. That is pc abuse at its worst.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Oct 1, 2017)

Tomgang said:


> Indeed it is



 When I replied to that pic,  I was grocery shopping at the local Stop & Shop ,and I used my iPhones dictate function to post, so I spoke the words "that's absolutely disgusting"  I got the angriest look from some lady who was down the aisle from me ....I think she thought I was talking about her


----------



## Jetster (Oct 1, 2017)

*Here I'll just blow that out with an air compressor *


----------



## Tomgang (Oct 1, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> When I replied to that pic,  I was grocery shopping at the local Stop & Shop ,and I used my iPhones dictate function to post, so I spoke the words "that's absolutely disgusting"  I got the angriest look from some lady who was down the aisle from me ....I think she thought I was talking about her



haha lol. Well she where maybe absolutely disgusting or not, i cant tell since i dit not see her my self. But what i can say is, be careful what you think/ride out loudly 



Jetster said:


> *Here I'll just blow that out with an air compressor *



You would need more than a air compressor for that pc i think. You will need a steam cleaner at industrial class to clean this dirty fucker


----------



## jboydgolfer (Oct 1, 2017)

Jetster said:


> Here I'll just blow that out with an air compressor





Spoiler: Ill need my safety glasses for that dust level











or for the front of MY PC too  theres a 280mm RAD behind that bezel, and a few really nice fans that make almost NO sound....but a TON of suction. notice the "pro grade" PC stand....aka Speakers


----------



## Athlonite (Oct 1, 2017)

And here's me thinkin it must be about time for a spring clean of the Keyboard and PC interior Pffffffffff looks like I still have a ways to go to catch up to some of you's LOL maybe I'll make it a mid winter solstice thing instead


----------



## dorsetknob (Oct 1, 2017)

Tomgang said:


> i dont know what socket, cpu or much about this pc,



Its a Socket Cough cough barf/puke Asrock something with AGP probably P4 423 or 478 and it looks like it never been Cleaned in its life


----------



## Tomgang (Oct 1, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> Its a Socket Cough cough barf/puke Asrock something with AGP probably P4 423 or 478 and it looks like it never been Cleaned in its life



I have never herd of a cough barf socket before, but based on that picture it sound about right 

And why clean a pc when you can get it to look like this i posted. The most sexy pc inside look i have ever seen in my life...


----------



## Vayra86 (Oct 2, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> Spoiler: Ill need my safety glasses for that dust level
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That PC stand man. Use a thick plank or something  It has kept my bottom dust filters (much) cleaner for a couple of years now. With carpets like that, definitely worth


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 15, 2017)

just found it on local forums


----------



## Jetster (Oct 27, 2017)

Appears to be an issue with the power


----------



## Jetster (Nov 28, 2017)

Don't buy your power strips at the dollar store


----------



## R-T-B (Nov 29, 2017)

Jetster said:


> Don't buy your power strips at the dollar store



If that's an actual TRIPP-LITE, they are one of the most reputable names you can get.

My bet is don't run ONE MILLION MEGAWATTS through it, more like.


----------



## Jetster (Nov 29, 2017)

R-T-B said:


> If that's an actual TRIPP-LITE, they are one of the most reputable names you can get.
> 
> My bet is don't run ONE MILLION MEGAWATTS through it, more like.



The story I guess was they plugged a heater into it


----------



## R-T-B (Nov 29, 2017)

Jetster said:


> The story I guess was they plugged a heater into it



Still shouldn't have melted like that but could be a chinese imitation or defective product, who knows, lol.


----------



## Jetster (Nov 29, 2017)

R-T-B said:


> Still shouldn't have melted like that but could be a chinese imitation or defective product, who knows, lol.



It could if they had a long extension cord


----------



## R-T-B (Nov 29, 2017)

Jetster said:


> It could if they had a long extension cord



True.  Didn't think of that.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Dec 14, 2017)

like a terrible "loot crate" open it up, & Surprise!!


----------



## dorsetknob (Dec 14, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> like a terrible "loot crate" open it up, & Surprise!!


 Wrong Thread Should be in  *Science & Technology* thread

with the Byline Alien life Forms colony On planet Green


----------



## jboydgolfer (Dec 14, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> Alien life Forms colony On planet Green





Spoiler: when zoomed in it Does look like "growth"


----------



## silentbogo (Dec 14, 2017)

Well, you guys wait 'till Monday. I've got a new batch of PSUs for repair (about 150 of them). 
Pretty sure there will be some exciting stuff inside =)


----------



## Toothless (Dec 14, 2017)

Forgive me for I have sinned to my own desktop. She needs a good cleaning.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Dec 14, 2017)

Those 140mm phanteks fans move a lot of air Dont they?  They can get a bit noisy but theyre actually pretty decent for "included"fans

I see you're the guy who bought a sound card last year   You and the other guy are what's keeping the discrete soundcard industry afloat right now


----------



## silkstone (Dec 15, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Forgive me for I have sinned to my own desktop. She needs a good cleaning.



That actually looks pretty clean compared to mine. I have these orange Cougar fans that are now a permanent shade of grey as the dust is impossible to remove.


----------



## silentbogo (Dec 15, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Forgive me for I have sinned to my own desktop. She needs a good cleaning.


Holy crap. I get more dust in my home PC in a week (or my lab PC in a day)


----------



## Toothless (Dec 15, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> Holy crap. I get more dust in my home PC in a week (or my lab PC in a day)


This is like 6 months of neglect.


----------



## silentbogo (Dec 15, 2017)

Toothless said:


> This is like 6 months of neglect.


Did they lock you up in a vacuum-sealed lab at Area51, @Toothless ?


----------



## Toothless (Dec 15, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> Did they lock you up in a vacuum-sealed lab at Area51, @Toothless ?


Window is usually open and even with a kitty, my rig stays pretty clean. Must be the WA air here.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Dec 15, 2017)

Jetster said:


> Don't buy your power strips at the dollar store



Damn!  

How did that thing NOT catch on fire? Or maybe it did, judging by the way it looks...



Toothless said:


> Forgive me for I have sinned to my own desktop. She needs a good cleaning.



Heh, compared to others I've seen on here, that's pristine


----------



## Nuckles56 (Dec 15, 2017)

I should take a photo of my father's old dell which was used from 2005-2014, it was never cleaned and it was still super clean inside after all that time, my current case gets more dust in it within a couple of months than that thing did in its lifetime


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jan 24, 2018)

20 years of shite


----------



## Jetster (Jan 24, 2018)

That's disgusting. Dirty keyboards creep me out


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jan 24, 2018)

its gonna get worse i think


----------



## silkstone (Jan 24, 2018)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> its gonna get worse i think
> 
> View attachment 96318View attachment 96317



I think you have discovered a new life-form!


----------



## Tomgang (Jan 24, 2018)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> its gonna get worse i think
> 
> View attachment 96318View attachment 96317



Dirty keyboard is dirty. That keyboard is seriusly nasty (pukes all over the floor). How can people live with that, its litterly the way to bad healf.



silkstone said:


> I think you have discovered a new life-form!



No its not a new life form. Its the of spring of aliens...


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jan 24, 2018)

Cat hairs dog hairs tobacco and general crud





4g......not bad for 20 years if you break it down.


----------



## Tomgang (Jan 24, 2018)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Cat hairs dog hairs tobacco and general crud
> 
> View attachment 96323
> 
> ...



I dit not need to se that. I will never alow my keyboard to be this nasty.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jan 24, 2018)

I would be very surprised if anyone can beat 4  grams in one keyboard and i havent taken the back off yet....


----------



## infrared (Jan 24, 2018)

That is properly disgusting! *tries to hold back vomit!*

I think I'd have called in a hazmat team to dispose of it!


----------



## neatfeatguy (Jan 24, 2018)

You guys should see the computers out in the warehouse where I work - manufacturing aluminum, all the dust and crap in the air, these computers out there, I'm surprised they haven't kicked the bucket. The in-house tech guy never cleans them out. At least every 6 months one of the computer stops booting, I open it up and lookie! So much dust/dirt/aluminum shavings inside the fans can't spin or have outright just died. I blow out the case and fans and any fans that are dead, I let the IT guy know so he can replace them. I don't see why he doesn't clean these computers out once a month....he walks around the warehouse a couple times a month for various reasons......would save us some headaches.


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jan 24, 2018)

infrared said:


> That is properly disgusting! *tries to hold back vomit!*
> 
> I think I'd have called in a hazmat team to dispose of it!




Its a bit sticky from a drink that was spilled on it on my birthday but it doesnt smell. Probably do me another 20 years now.


----------



## jsfitz54 (Jan 24, 2018)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> I would be very surprised if anyone can beat 4  grams in one keyboard and i havent taken the back off yet....



I think there's a keyboard under there:


----------



## RejZoR (Jan 24, 2018)

Jetster said:


> The story I guess was they plugged a heater into it



Such adapters usually take around 3600W easily. Typical room heaters are 2000W. It had to be more of them or something...


----------



## natr0n (Jan 24, 2018)

Never Forget


----------



## BiggieShady (Jan 24, 2018)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> Cat hairs dog hairs tobacco and general crud


I expected at least traces of cannabis in there  ... you hippies used to be cool


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Jan 24, 2018)

BiggieShady said:


> I expected at least traces of cannabis in there




me too, im guessing  my wife had a poke around before me.


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jan 24, 2018)

the keyboard reaction made me laugh ....[joke] what a bunch of weakling .... being "on border of throwing up" for so little  [/joke]
cat/dog hair tobacco ... heck even bread crust, seriously ... this is nothing, not even a hint of mold or something else smelly ... (that would guarantee a throw up effect) although i reckon ... it would be

oh wait ---


yep that one is


natr0n said:


> Never Forget
> View attachment 96325


that one on the other hand .... is competition worthy, with that much of piss filled bottles ...  ... oh well at last you can still see "Emile 239" and "Carter 259" from Halo Reach: not enough to cover them  almost acceptable .... 

edit ... OH WHY! "Jorge 052" is barely visible ... (just behind Emile ...) or it's a lookalike pile of gunk? ... 

edit second .... "Catherine 320" is seemingly in a better shape ... (foot on the bottom left of the picture) damn he's missing "Jun 266" and "312" (no name aka Noble 6)


----------



## natr0n (Jan 24, 2018)

GreiverBlade said:


> the keyboard reaction made me laugh ....[joke] what a bunch of weakling .... being "on border of throwing up" for so little  [/joke]
> cat/dog hair tobacco ... heck even bread crust, seriously ... this is nothing, not even a hint of mold or something else smelly ... (that would guarantee a throw up effect) although i reckon ... it would be
> 
> oh wait ---
> ...




Till you mentioned it I never seen those halo figures before. I thought is was a pile of ashes.


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jan 24, 2018)

natr0n said:


> Till you mentioned it I never seen those halo figures before. I thought is was a pile of ashes.


well .... Jorge is .... 

edit ... and i thought the "never forget" was a wink to Noble team disappearance/end on Reach ... (and almost on that table ....  )


----------



## BiggieShady (Jan 24, 2018)

natr0n said:


> Never Forget
> View attachment 96325


This one can be decontaminated easily by burning down the entire building ...


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jan 24, 2018)

BiggieShady said:


> This one can be decontaminated easily by burning down the entire building ...


judging by the number of cigarettes butt .... that one is close to the "final solution" .... soon ... sooon(tm)


----------



## BiggieShady (Jan 24, 2018)

GreiverBlade said:


> judging by the number of cigarettes butt .... that one is close to the "final solution" .... soon ... sooon(tm)


I like how the usage of the mouse "cleaned" out that small desk area and made cute little "cuts" into the ash pile


----------



## Prince Valiant (Jan 24, 2018)

natr0n said:


> Never Forget
> View attachment 96325


I never noticed the 360 in that picture before now.


----------



## natr0n (Jan 24, 2018)

GreiverBlade said:


> well .... Jorge is ....
> 
> edit ... and i thought the "never forget" was a wink to Noble team disappearance/end on Reach ... (and almost on that table ....  )



"Never forget" was meant to be meme worthy/funny really lol.


----------



## _JP_ (Jan 24, 2018)

natr0n said:


> Never Forget
> View attachment 96325


Heineken, Powerade, red bull and newport cigs...his piss should power a dragster...


----------



## jboydgolfer (Jan 24, 2018)

_JP_ said:


> Heineken, Powerade, red bull and newport cigs...his piss should power a dragster...



smells like nitro rc engine fuel


----------



## verycharbroiled (Jan 25, 2018)

natr0n said:


> Never Forget
> View attachment 96325



im hoping the urine colored liquid in many of the bottles is not, well, urine..


----------



## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 25, 2018)

natr0n said:


> Never Forget
> View attachment 96325


What the actual fuck?


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Jan 27, 2018)

Jetster said:


> That's disgusting. Dirty keyboards creep me out



Ditto Jetster. Not so much my personal keyboard at home (which I clean every week or two; mouse too) because I'm the only one who uses it. It's the public keyboards that creep me out. Gives me chills just thinking about it


----------



## Atomic77 (Feb 10, 2018)

They say computers and electronics have more germs than a toilet.


----------



## Bungz (Feb 11, 2018)




----------



## rtwjunkie (Feb 11, 2018)

OMG! I literally slapped my forehead when I saw the label!  I mean, what the hell?!


----------



## droopyRO (Feb 11, 2018)

Wow! totaly forgot that nVidia made motherboards, i think those were skt 939, right ?

PS: that is not dust it is MUD!


----------



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Feb 11, 2018)

Bungz said:


> View attachment 97041View attachment 97042View attachment 97043View attachment 97044View attachment 97045View attachment 97046View attachment 97047




Phew

the few grams of shite in my keyboard suddenly pales in to insignificance.


----------



## Jetster (Feb 11, 2018)

Nice Intel find


----------



## BiggieShady (Feb 11, 2018)

rtwjunkie said:


> OMG! I literally slapped my forehead when I saw the label!  I mean, what the hell?!


I imagine it was "Mmmm ... so that's new computer smell everyone is talking about ... pft, shows how much they know, it clearly smells like burning plastic."


----------



## Tomgang (Feb 11, 2018)

Bungz said:


> View attachment 97041View attachment 97042View attachment 97043View attachment 97044View attachment 97045View attachment 97046View attachment 97047


----------



## Athlonite (Feb 11, 2018)

Burn that shit with fire quickly before it spreads the plague


----------



## _JP_ (Feb 12, 2018)

Oh man, if that thing still works, it's a keeper for a retro rig!! Those little Magic fans can take a endure a real hard life, a bit of cleaning, oil and they're ready to go again! Not so sure about the Akasa...
But damn, I think I made a shockwave when I facepalmed, seeing the "remove before use" label.


droopyRO said:


> Wow! totaly forgot that nVidia made motherboards, i think those were skt 939, right ?
> 
> PS: that is not dust it is MUD!


Actually, a Socket 775 EVGA nForce 680i 



Atomic77 said:


> They say computers and electronics have more germs than a toilet.


Don't get me started on paper money...


----------



## Bungz (Feb 12, 2018)

Its cleaned had a trace repaired and I have done what I can with the fans, all sleeve bearing and none of them have access behind the sticker to oil them, have just had to get what I can in under the fan.

Its quite happy to take the E7300 in it to 3.5Ghz though


----------



## droopyRO (Feb 12, 2018)

_JP_ said:


> Actually, a Socket 775 EVGA nForce 680i


Yes google it after i made that statement. Wish i had one of those with or without the mud


----------



## peche (Feb 12, 2018)

rtwjunkie said:


> OMG! I literally slapped my forehead when I saw the label!  I mean, what the hell?!


well, it just made my monday start with a smile, big smile cuz is amazing to see that, 





i guess thats a @Toothless facepalm !


----------



## Jetster (Mar 7, 2018)

This is what a hair dryer will do to a laptop


----------



## dorsetknob (Mar 7, 2018)

Jetster said:


> This is what a hair dryer will do to a laptop



question is  Does it still work ?


----------



## Jetster (Mar 7, 2018)

dorsetknob said:


> question is  Does it still work ?



Probably not, but I think its dry


----------



## rtwjunkie (Mar 7, 2018)

Jetster said:


> This is what a hair dryer will do to a laptop


Holy cr&p, that’s not a hair dryer, it’s a jet engine on afterburners!


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 7, 2018)

Jetster said:


>



Definitely a Dryer......you could have NEVER gotten hold like that Without a Hairdryer.


----------



## _JP_ (Mar 7, 2018)

Jetster said:


> This is what a hair dryer will do to a laptop


Oh man, yeah. Is it becoming common? Two weeks ago had the very same enlightened kind of client with a spanking new T570...well, new no more 



dorsetknob said:


> question is  Does it still work ?


It does. In my case, it just dried the stock TIM as well...


rtwjunkie said:


> Holy cr&p, that’s not a hair dryer, it’s a jet engine on afterburners!


Hairdryer on max heat can become very hot, enough to do that.


jboydgolfer said:


> Definitely a Dryer......you could have NEVER gotten hold like that Without a Hairdryer.


These new lenovo keyboards are made with a different, very thin plastic that can and will turn like that with a bit of heat, so a hairdryer can do that to it.


----------



## Bones (Mar 26, 2018)

A hairdryer can actually burn a PCB, did that while using one many years ago to desolder caps from a dead board. 

Yes - I said desolder and it did the job at least but the board was Nice-N-Brown in that area. If one can do that plastic in general doesn't stand a chance.


----------



## Ferrum Master (Mar 26, 2018)

Bones said:


> A hairdryer can actually burn a PCB



DAFUQ I just read... a hairdryer????? Did you mistake it for a heat gun? Imagine what it does to someones hair and skin... that's 200C


----------



## Nuckles56 (Mar 26, 2018)

I think I'll stick to a soldering iron for desoldering, I like my components still working and not roasted by a hot air gun hair drier


----------



## Bones (Mar 26, 2018)

Ferrum Master said:


> DAFUQ I just read... a hairdryer????? *Did you mistake it for a heat gun*? Imagine what it does to someones hair and skin... that's 200C



Nope - I knew exactly what I was doing  when I did it.
Nowadays I own proper equipment but back then I didn't and was a case of using whatever I could find for the job - Do note the donor board was already dead so no harm done anyway.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 26, 2018)

Just spent the last little bit going through this whole thread and *GOOD FRICKEN GRIEF*! I've seen some dirty PC's in the last 35 years but never as bad as some of the ones display over the lifetime of this thread! And the video card with the fungus growing in it? How the hell does that even happen?
Vomit inducing, but great fun!


----------



## Jetster (Mar 26, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Just spent the last little bit going through this whole thread and *GOOD FRICKEN GRIEF*! I've seen some dirty PC's in the last 35 years but never as bad as some of the ones display over the lifetime of this thread! And the video card with the fungus growing in it? How the hell does that even happen?
> Vomit inducing, but great fun!



Here in Oregon its very humid. Moss grows on the sidewalk, so you do find it inside a PC now and then, it can be a bitch


----------



## Ferrum Master (Mar 26, 2018)

Bones said:


> Nope - I knew exactly what I was doing  when I did it.
> Nowadays I own proper equipment but back then I didn't and was a case of using whatever I could find for the job - Do note the donor board was already dead so no harm done anyway.



Sweet Alabama hairdryers?


----------



## Bones (Mar 26, 2018)

I can only wish.......


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 26, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> And the video card with the fungus growing in it? How the hell does that even happen?



Or the pc with the mumified mouse carcass 

It certainly is pretty appalling what level of filth some electronics can reach. When you've got a keyboard and mouse , that looks more like a crime scene ,than a peripheral, your a messy person. Or an office desk with more DNA on it than on a morticians exam table.

Years ago  I had a contract at the University of Massachusetts, & I had work to do in one of the dormitory's during Summer break. I was working in a dorm room ,and the tenant had all their stuff there still, because they were coming back after summer break.  Their keyboard looked like it was a loaner from a sperm bank. the keys were almost fused,,  like someone Took a spoon and flung yogurt at it for a few minutes.


----------



## Bones (Mar 26, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> Or the pc with the mumified mouse carcass
> 
> It certainly is pretty appalling what level of filth some electronics can reach. When you've got a keyboard and mouse , that looks more like a crime scene ,than a peripheral, your a messy person. Or an office desk with more DNA on it than on a morticians exam table.
> 
> Years ago  I had a contract at the University of Massachusetts, & I had work to do in one of the dormitory's during Summer break. I was working in a dorm room ,and the tenant had all their stuff there still, because they were coming back after summer break.  Their keyboard looked like it was a loaner from a sperm bank. the keys were almost fused,,  like someone Took a spoon and flung yogurt at it for a few minutes.



This sounds like a job for Servpro........


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 26, 2018)

Bones said:


> This sounds like a job for Servpro........



More like a fire


----------



## Bones (Mar 26, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> More like a fire



Woudn't want to be around the fire..... Or the smoke...... And THAT smell either.......


----------



## manofthem (Mar 31, 2018)

I should have taken a better interest in my wife's pc


----------



## silkstone (Mar 31, 2018)

manofthem said:


> I should have taken a better interest in my wife's pc



It is good to see that the dust filters on that work. The inside looks pretty clean.
That's what my radiator looks like 2 weeks after cleaning it, only browner


----------



## manofthem (Mar 31, 2018)

silkstone said:


> It is good to see that the dust filters on that work. The inside looks pretty clean.
> That's what my radiator looks like 2 weeks after cleaning it, only browner



Yes indeed, some dust but not too bad at all.  Needless to say, I'll be paying more attention to it now, especially since that case now houses my cruncher.

But 2 weeks for you?  That seems pretty crazy!


----------



## silkstone (Mar 31, 2018)

manofthem said:


> Yes indeed, some dust but not too bad at all.  Needless to say, I'll be paying more attention to it now, especially since that case now houses my cruncher.
> 
> But 2 weeks for you?  That seems pretty crazy!



I keep the windows of my apartment open and live in a big dusty city. It doesn't help that there is a main road going past the rear of my apartment. I give it all a clean every few months and have learned to live with the dust. It's not quite as bad as your pic after 2 weeks, but there is a good caking of dust over it blocking most of the fins.


----------



## phill (Apr 18, 2018)

Having not long started in IT at the bottom on the service desk, it's been amazing to see the state of systems and data centers etc and just what passes for PC's in this neck of the woods!!  My word is it a whole new ball game!!

7 months in and I'm not looking back


----------



## Athlonite (Apr 19, 2018)

phill said:


> Having not long started in IT at the bottom on the service desk, it's been amazing to see the state of systems and data centers etc and just what passes for PC's in this neck of the woods!!  My word is it a whole new ball game!!
> 
> 7 months in and I'm not looking back




Welcome to the wonderful world of IT where you'll go from marveling at wonders to wanting to puke from the sight of shit boxes covered in god knows what


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 19, 2018)

silkstone said:


> It is good to see that the dust filters on that work. The inside looks pretty clean.


Agreed! That could be so much worse.


silkstone said:


> That's what my radiator looks like 2 weeks after cleaning it, only browner


Quit smoking man! You'll thank yourself and your technology with thank you too!


----------



## phill (Apr 19, 2018)

Athlonite said:


> Welcome to the wonderful world of IT where you'll go from marveling at wonders to wanting to puke from the sight of shit boxes covered in god knows what



Yeah this corporate world is a new beast altogether and a giggle on so many levels!!  I'm still amazed at how we buy tech and such..  amazing!! Not in a good way!! lol


----------



## silkstone (Apr 19, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Agreed! That could be so much worse.
> 
> Quit smoking man! You'll thank yourself and your technology with thank you too!



It's the city smog and pollution.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 19, 2018)

silkstone said:


> It's the city smog and pollution.


Oh, I do beg your pardon. That's what I get for making an assumption.


----------



## Toothless (May 31, 2018)

Taking apart an old 775 socket rig, thought the fan was a bit nasty until I popped it off the heatsink. 










I just tossed it.


----------



## phill (May 31, 2018)

Toothless said:


> Taking apart an old 775 socket rig, thought the fan was a bit nasty until I popped it off the heatsink.
> 
> I just tossed it.



What??  How come you never cleaned that up with some air and a paint brush!!


----------



## Athlonite (May 31, 2018)

Intel's stock carpet maker deluxe


----------



## Toothless (May 31, 2018)

phill said:


> What??  How come you never cleaned that up with some air and a paint brush!!


Roommate's old rig. I'd never let mine get this way.


----------



## Sasqui (May 31, 2018)

Toothless said:


> I just tossed it.



Hey, that's a perfectly functioning *self-replicating* dust filter!


----------



## jboydgolfer (May 31, 2018)

It looks like an indoor smokers PC


----------



## Toothless (May 31, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> It looks like an indoor smokers PC


From what I understand, a previous roommate of who had this desktop smoked indoors from the other room. The case is so bad that I'm just pulling and cleaning what I can and tossing the case itself.

EDIT: But wait, there's more!

Phone card.






Front panel






Actual spider web under the HDD






Motherboard


----------



## Sasqui (May 31, 2018)

Toothless said:


> But wait, there's more!



Nice!  I bet it would be worse if the fans hadn't clogged a few years ago... no? lol


----------



## Toothless (May 31, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> Nice!  I bet it would be worse if the fans hadn't clogged a few years ago... no? lol


The _one _fan?


----------



## biffzinker (May 31, 2018)

Toothless said:


> Phone card.


56K Modem?


----------



## jboydgolfer (May 31, 2018)

Toothless said:


> From what I understand, a previous roommate of who had this desktop smoked indoors from the other room. The case is so bad that I'm just pulling and cleaning what I can and tossing the case itself.



I used to smoke indoors when I was younger, I can recognize the look of dust mixed with tar from a mile away getting it off the fan blades and other porous, or semiporous plastic is a nightmare. You can get 90% of it off but that last 10% seems to never come off

Nice dial up adapter btw


----------



## Toothless (May 31, 2018)

biffzinker said:


> 56K Modem?





jboydgolfer said:


> Nice dial up adapter btw


Tossed that too.


----------



## Space Lynx (May 31, 2018)

Every time I see this thread pop up I get tempted to just have a quick glance. Makes me shiver inside my soul every time.


----------



## Norton (Jun 1, 2018)

Ok let's stay on topic everyone


----------



## Bones (Jun 1, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I used to smoke indoors when I was younger, I can recognize the look of dust mixed with tar from a mile away getting it off the fan blades and other porous, or semiporous plastic is a nightmare. *You can get 90% of it off but that last 10% seems to never come off*
> 
> Nice dial up adapter btw



Earlier in this thread I posted up about a cleaner I found that will get rid of it period - At least 99% of it and even cleaned out a GPU that was gummed up with it. I'll have to do a vid showing the stuff in action from start to finish so you guys can see it doing it's thing in real time. 

Biggest challenge will be finding something nice-n-nasty to use as an example with it.... But I think I know where something is that fills the bill for that.


----------



## purecain (Jun 1, 2018)

I should of taken pictures of some of the homes ive visited to repair filthy pc's... i'll never forget that urge to gip as you cross the thresh hold into the bad air inside some home... too posh to wash IS A THING! and then you get led to the smallest room in the house with no window, which has to be the computer room. still doesnt stop that little voice in the back of your head begging it not to be so. looking at these pics takes me back there lol...


----------



## Sasqui (Jun 1, 2018)

Norton said:


> Ok let's stay on topic everyone



Yes we need more grunge!


----------



## ruff0r (Jun 28, 2018)

Its a bug




Source 9gag


----------



## Mussels (Jun 28, 2018)

ruff0r said:


> Its a bug
> 
> 
> 
> ...



hey, found the source code for fallout 4!


----------



## robot zombie (Jul 13, 2018)

Every now and then I flip through this thread at work and it always makes me dust out my computer when I get home. Some of the dust you guys rack up is insane to me! I clean everything once a month and you can't really even see the dust until you look up close! Sure the meshes get icky but everything else pretty much stays clean on its own! And my place is pretty dusty! This computer sits in a 10x12 room with laminate floors and a ton of stuff packed in. I have to dust the room twice a week to keep it from getting crazy. But it never gets inside my computer...

I'll have to let it go a bit so you guys can see what vape dust looks like. I vape a lot in here and the fun thing about e-liquid is that never really dries. If you let a surface get dusty, the vapor actually condenses and gets pulled into the dust to form these dark brown, slimy, gooey globs of dust. You should see the crap that the ceiling fan starts flinging around the room when I don't dust it. E-liquid residue is a nightmare inside of a computer... ...or anywhere I guess. Doesn't seem to hurt anything, but it sure makes a sticky, gooey mess... ...it especially likes to get all up in the space between the fan housings and blades...


----------



## Jetster (Jul 13, 2018)

Still my favorite


----------



## jboydgolfer (Jul 13, 2018)

Jetster said:


> Still my favorite



I agree ,it's certainly everything that embodies this thread, unfortunately im all but certain that its staged to some degree ,because nobody is going to put their cigarettes out like that ,  i've seen it many times over the years ,but I'm not certain of its origin , I am certain of the fact that atleast the ashtray was dumped for the picture, and some of the clutter was likely added, but I wouldn't be surprised if at least a portion of it is truly genuine


----------



## Space Lynx (Jul 13, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I agree ,it's certainly everything that embodies this thread, unfortunately im all but certain that its staged to some degree ,because nobody is going to put their cigarettes out like that ,  i've seen it many times over the years ,but I'm not certain of its origin , I am certain of the fact that atleast the ashtray was dumped for the picture, and some of the clutter was likely added, but I wouldn't be surprised if at least a portion of it is truly genuine



it most likely is fake, as the keyboard is unusable, yet somehow they want you to believe they still are able to use it


----------



## Jetster (Jul 13, 2018)

Makes sense, people that drink Heineken can be pretty basic


----------



## Mussels (Jul 13, 2018)

From a facebook group im in:






Every answer has been about the same if someone found a turd in their lunchbox


Edit: ahah! i posted this in the wrong forum section and couldnt find where the hell it ended up!


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 27, 2018)

My friend said her netbook got slow and i told her just bring the netbook and let me check it then...




Yeah


----------



## Space Lynx (Jul 27, 2018)

My poor poor eyes...


----------



## natr0n (Aug 20, 2018)




----------



## Frick (Aug 20, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I agree ,it's certainly everything that embodies this thread, unfortunately im all but certain that its staged to some degree ,because nobody is going to put their cigarettes out like that ,  i've seen it many times over the years ,but I'm not certain of its origin , I am certain of the fact that atleast the ashtray was dumped for the picture, and some of the clutter was likely added, but I wouldn't be surprised if at least a portion of it is truly genuine



It is an old one, but I'm pretty sure it's genuine. Like my brother says: "there's people for everything". There are tons and tons of stories and images like this, and some of them are proven true. I've not seen something close to that, but some people really are ... worse than animals, somehow.

Google filthy homes.


----------



## Bones (Sep 6, 2018)

Said sometime time ago that I'd do a demo vid of how well the cleaner I used earlier worked.
Had to show it working in real time and finally got around to doing a video of just that. 
Cleanup - YouTube 

BTW the card and coolers I cleaned earlier are still doing just fine.


----------



## lZKoce (Sep 6, 2018)

Bones said:


> Said sometime time ago that I'd do a demo vid of how well the cleaner I used earlier worked.
> Had to show it working in real time and finally got around to doing a video of just that.
> Cleanup - YouTube
> 
> BTW the card and coolers I cleaned earlier are still doing just fine.



But it's water+ Clorox ? like not mineral oil ? Will the electronics fire up later on ?


----------



## Bones (Sep 6, 2018)

No, it's not at all like mineral oil. 
You MUST rinse the pieces immediately after dunking with water and do so thoroughly - THEN after that hit the piece(s) with WD40 or a similar light lube to help protect the components from the effects of corrosion. 
In the case of the fans I cleaned I essentially flooded them (Internally only, where the circuitry and motor bearings are) with WD40 and let them sit overnight. This morning I hit them again with it, let them sit a little longer for letting the excess WD40 come out, then tried them - Worked like new, even the blue LED's are bright again. 

If using WD40 it should be fine overall but after flooding them with it (To drive out moisture from the motors) you can also use a light lubricant such as 3-n-1 instead of WD40 _as a final lubricant _if you want.


----------



## Octopuss (Sep 6, 2018)

I thought the stuff was some nasty chemical and you were supposed to wear gloves since it dissolves all the shit in matter of seconds.
I also expected something elaborate, like putting the fans inside and turning them on (that would need distilled water I guess) for self-cleaning process


----------



## Athlonite (Sep 6, 2018)

My usual goto for nicotine and dust is Sugar soap and straight hot water rinse lube reuse


----------



## Bones (Sep 6, 2018)

Octopuss said:


> I thought the stuff was some nasty chemical and you were supposed to wear gloves since it dissolves all the shit in matter of seconds.
> I also expected something elaborate, like putting the fans inside and turning them on (that would need distilled water I guess) for self-cleaning process



Wearing gloves would be a smart move, I rinsed my hands right after the vid was done of course when I also rinsed out the fans. You want to do the rinsing ASAP regardless of if you have gloves or not since this cleaner will attack the copper in short order but as long as you get it rinsed off quickly it's fine.
The copper windings in these fans looks brand-new and since I rinsed them quickly followed by a soaking in WD40 they are OK. BTW this applies to anything you clean with this stuff, get it rinsed ASAP and it will be fine but be sure if there is any circuitry involved then use an oil/lube like WD40 to coat the parts to protect against corrosion. Also be sure to only apply it where these areas are, not the entire item itself.

If it's a PC component you're cleaning such as a GPU make sure the item is COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE APPYING POWER TO IT. This could mean letting it sit for about a week or so to ensure it's 100% dry throughout the card. I'd also remove it's cooler and do that separately from the GPU itself, following the steps I took for it's fan. Rinse it, flush it out with WD40 and then let it dry. After that I'd apply either WD40 or a light oil such as 3-n-1 (Preferred) to the fan's motor/bearings and test before remounting on the card.


----------



## Apocalypsee (Oct 1, 2018)

natr0n said:


> View attachment 105655


So dusty Lara Croft would actually raid that.


----------



## Liquid Cool (Oct 7, 2018)

Not exactly helpdesk...but I think I have the rest of the thread title covered.....

This was a recent purchase from ebay of an RX 480.  Advertised/sold as barely used in like new condition.

 

 

Originally, I wasn't going to post these photos because I'd imagine there are quite a few deals out there to be had in the used AMD Radeon RX 470/480, RX 570/580 market and I don't want to dissuade anyone from snapping one up on ebay.  I'd just be careful doing so.

For myself, I'm waiting for the AMD announcement.  If I don't like the pricing...I'll be right back on ebay and going at it for another round.  Until then, I found a Sapphire Nitro RX 460 Refurb on Newegg for 60 bucks to tide me over.  

The specific reason I'm needing a card is I planned to start Witcher III for gameplay over the winter, just like I was going to do last year...and I didn't have the pc or card to do it.  Now I have the pc...just need some type of card...and quite thankful to have a little extra cash to do so!

Vega 8 works quite well for most of my titles...with Witcher III...it does not.

Enjoy the pics....

Best,

Liquid Cool


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 7, 2018)

Liquid Cool said:


> Not exactly helpdesk...but I think I have the rest of the thread title covered.....
> 
> This was a recent purchase from ebay of an RX 480.  Advertised/sold as barely used in like new condition.
> 
> ...


what's that? looks like oil or something


----------



## Liquid Cool (Oct 7, 2018)

micropage7 said:


> what's that? looks like oil or something



It may resemble oil, but what ever this material is...it's very sticky!  I attempted to remove some of it with a swab...and it stuck!

I'm sure there are many posters that can be more specific in answering this question.  I'd like to know myself.  Was this material released under high heat from the cooling pads?  That was my first thought...actually...my first thought was.  Do samsung memory chips sweat...but I quickly discounted that....

I don't know for sure.

Best,

Liquid Cool


----------



## hat (Oct 7, 2018)

What is that above the memory chip in the second picture? Is that a bug? 

As for the "sticky stuff"... my best guess is that's coming from the thermal pads. They usually have some kind of adhesive on them. It wouldn't surprise me if some of it "ran off" when things heated up.


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 7, 2018)

hat said:


> What is that above the memory chip in the second picture? Is that a bug?
> 
> As for the "sticky stuff"... my best guess is that's coming from the thermal pads. They usually have some kind of adhesive on them. It wouldn't surprise me if some of it "ran off" when things heated up.


it's like from the pads, so between "bad" pads or the chip got pretty hot so "melting" the pads


----------



## Octopuss (Oct 7, 2018)

When the dust is so old it turns brown... you know you need to kill it with fire.


----------



## Liquid Cool (Oct 7, 2018)

Considering the stickiness of the material, I'd say both of you probably have good odds of being correct.  Afterall...you can read an impression of Samsung in a few of the pads.  I'd imagine we're dealing with a high heat situation.  

As a friend mentioned after seeing that first photo...I think this card spent some time toiling in the mines.  I liked that quote.  .



hat said:


> What is that above the memory chip in the second picture? Is that a bug?



You're definitely not the first to guess this....  FWIW, I concur.

Best,

Liquid Cool


----------



## hat (Oct 7, 2018)

Well, memory chips do get hot under load... whether or not that's enough to correctly guess if it was a miner or not, I can't say. Of course, mining does place a lot of load on the memory chips (at least mining ETH does, which is still a popular algorithm, even more so with AMD cards than nVidia), but so does gaming. So, it's _possible_ it really did see light use, sitting in a system idle most of its life in between gaming sessions, while the stress from running games was enough to cause that to happen to the thermal pads, but it's also not farfetched to say the seller lied about that and it was indeed a miner. Given the not so recent drop in profitability and sustained poor level of said profitability since, a lot of miners are/have quit and are offloading their equipment.


----------



## biffzinker (Oct 7, 2018)

Liquid Cool said:


> You're definitely not the first to guess this.... FWIW, I concur.


Looks like a fire ant.


----------



## hat (Oct 7, 2018)

biffzinker said:


> Looks like a fire ant.


Oddly enough, that... thing gives the ex-miner theory more credibility. You're more likely to find bugs in your computer if it's tucked away in places miners are likely to go, like a basement, garage or shed.


----------



## lZKoce (Oct 7, 2018)

Liquid Cool said:


> Until then, I found a Sapphire Nitro RX 460 Refurb on Newegg for 60 bucks to tide me over.



For 60$ it's still a baragain and a nice little Saturday one-hour project. Give it a nice tootbrush treatment and for the stickincess I don't think isopropyl alcohol/nail polish bla-bla of the sort will help. I'd say try it with paint dissovler?/stripper/remover? <- I am not sure how it's called in English. I am just a little worried if it is too strong for the purpose, but this thing saved me many times with sticker residue on my bike.


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 7, 2018)

Messy cables is not complete without rgb


----------



## Frick (Oct 12, 2018)

Got an Intellimouse Explorer 4.0 from a flea market, now I'm cleaning it thoroghly (duh). It's not super obviously gross, but ... yeah.


----------



## natr0n (Oct 21, 2018)




----------



## rtwjunkie (Oct 21, 2018)

Well that is disgusting


----------



## E-Bear (Oct 21, 2018)

What is more disgusting is to clean a computer and find pubic hairs in it.


----------



## biffzinker (Oct 22, 2018)

E-Bear said:


> What is more disgusting is to clean a computer and find pubic hairs in it.


TMI, sorry to hear that happened to you.


----------



## robot zombie (Oct 22, 2018)

E-Bear said:


> What is more disgusting is to clean a computer and find pubic hairs in it.


How does this happen.

Full stop intentional. It's a statement, not a question that needs an answer. Though it isn't the first time I've heard tell of this happening.


----------



## jaggerwild (Oct 22, 2018)

Vacum cleaner!


----------



## silentbogo (Oct 22, 2018)

Got one on my phone from earlier this summer. Saved this pic to show my customer why her PC is so loud and reboots all the time. PSU was even worse, but I forgot to snap a photo.


Spoiler


----------



## Vayra86 (Oct 22, 2018)

micropage7 said:


> View attachment 108190
> Messy cables is not complete without rgb



That 4:3 monitor really is the finishing touch



natr0n said:


>



Desert Storm?


----------



## Ferrum Master (Oct 22, 2018)

The sad part of this is actually the owner is also breathing stuff like that.


----------



## E-Bear (Oct 22, 2018)

robot zombie said:


> How does this happen.
> 
> Full stop intentional. It's a statement, not a question that needs an answer. Though it isn't the first time I've heard tell of this happening.



Compulsive masturbator I guess.


----------



## silentbogo (Oct 22, 2018)

E-Bear said:


> What is more disgusting is to clean a computer and find pubic hairs in it.



There's one thing that's even more disgusting: cleaning laptops with roaches, spiders and moldy food leftovers in the HS vent.

Once I had a client (a friend of a friend), who'd buy old shit for restoration and re-sale, and nag me to fix it if there is a hardware problem.
Once he brought over a couple of old Fujitsu laptops. As soon as I took off the bottom cover and saw dead roaches, I told him to take this shit and f#@K off. Haven't seen or heard from him since then.

Another "worse than pubes" situation is when you get a so-called "kitchen laptop", which is my totally not made-up term for laptops used either to shut up loud kids by playing cartoons during dinner/supper, or bought as a present for aunt or grandma for the sole purpose of watching recipes on Youtube. Basically once you add a long-term exposure to food and drinks into equation, it gets really bad.



robot zombie said:


> How does this happen.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Oct 22, 2018)

Here's a "refurb" and upgrade I did awhile back...

Before -





After-


----------



## Vayra86 (Oct 22, 2018)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> Here's a "refurb" and upgrade I did awhile back...
> 
> Before -
> View attachment 109161View attachment 109162
> ...



BLASPHEMY!


----------



## Ferrum Master (Oct 22, 2018)

silentbogo said:


> There's one thing that's even more disgusting: cleaning laptops with roaches, spiders and moldy food leftovers in the HS vent.
> 
> Once I had a client (a friend of a friend), who'd buy old shit for restoration and re-sale, and nag me to fix it if there is a hardware problem.
> Once he brought over a couple of old Fujitsu laptops. As soon as I took off the bottom cover and saw dead roaches, I told him to take this shit and f#@K off. Haven't seen or heard from him since then.
> ...



Have you found used up rubber in the case? Altho dried up already, but still it tops my horrid experience top.

I've repaired TVs years ago. Opening the rear case I saw a zerg colony crawling inside. Put back the cover as fast I could. Closed the service, went to get some poison to gas them out.

Put screws back and gave the TV cemetery back to the idiot owner.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 22, 2018)

E-Bear said:


> What is more disgusting is to clean a computer and find pubic hairs in it.


Ick.. Been there. Foul indeed.



Ferrum Master said:


> Have you found used up rubber in the case? Altho dried up already, but still it tops my horrid experience top.


Thankfully, never. Yeah that tops the weird-crapometer though.


----------



## silentbogo (Oct 22, 2018)

Ferrum Master said:


> Have you found used up rubber in the case?


Lol. Nothing like that (so far, and hopefully never). 

Right now I've switched up a bit. Instead of working directly with people I'm getting most of my stuff from "less experienced" service shops. It's a bit less cash per repair, but more of the productive time (hence more $$$). Plus, I don't have to waste my time and nerves on mundane tasks like dusting, cleaning, TIM replacements, reinstalling Windows, answering phone calls, talking to idiots, yelling at bad customers to pick up their stuff and gimme my money, explaining the difference between legit and pirated software etc.


----------



## Tomgang (Nov 2, 2018)

Bitwit dissapoints me. He is a pc guy and yet he lets he´s girlfriends pc to stay in a corner and not being cleaned for 3 years. The video says it all. Nasty dust comming out.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 3, 2018)

Tomgang said:


> Bitwit dissapoints me. He is a pc guy and yet he lets he´s girlfriends pc to stay in a corner and not being cleaned for 3 years. The video says it all. Nasty dust comming out.


That wasn't too bad actually, I've seen much worse in PC's that have only been sitting for a year.


----------



## silentbogo (Nov 3, 2018)

Tomgang said:


> Bitwit dissapoints me. He is a pc guy and yet he lets he´s girlfriends pc to stay in a corner and not being cleaned for 3 years. The video says it all. Nasty dust comming out.


That's actually pretty good, even if you add dust filters into equation. 

This is less than a year in my office building (I've probably posted these pics before, but for the sake of comparison I'll do it again). 
My previous office neighbors had some fancy CM case with dust filters and noise suppression padding, but the dirt and grime still got through.
Forgot to snap what was going on with the mesh and foam padding, cause that was a nightmare.


----------



## blobster21 (Nov 3, 2018)

The finishing blow 

The good thing is, the copper base is mint


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 3, 2018)

blobster21 said:


> The finishing blow
> 
> The good thing is, the copper base is mint


I find this on a regular basis. It's so simple to remove. How does this even happen?


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 3, 2018)

some of my previous machines, the lowest image is current machine


----------



## Mussels (Nov 3, 2018)

those are too clean for this thread


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 3, 2018)

Mussels said:


> those are too clean for this thread



Sorry, I think I missed the point of the thread and should have posted elsewhere. My english is bad.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 3, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> Sorry, I think I missed the point of the thread and should have posted elsewhere. My english is bad.


No worries. I think we can be forgiving.


----------



## Liquid Cool (Nov 3, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> I find this on a regular basis. It's so simple to remove. How does this even happen?



I was getting ready to chuckle...then I remembered that I did this once back in the lga 775 days.  It was an old XFX m-atx motherboard that T-Ski and I sold back and forth to each other.  I was wondering why I "all of a sudden" wasn't getting decent temps on my e8400.  I went to re-seat the cpu cooler...and there it was.

My cheeks went red and there was no one in the room.

Oops....

Best,

Liquid Cool

P.S.  Gorstak...You're from Croatia?  I had a nice little old Croatian woman cook me Sarma one time.  Her family recipe.  I'll never forget it....


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 3, 2018)

Liquid Cool said:


> I was getting ready to chuckle...then I remembered that I did this once back in the lga 775 days.  It was an old XFX m-atx motherboard that T-Ski and I sold back and forth to each other.  I was wondering why I "all of a sudden" wasn't getting decent temps on my e8400.  I went to re-seat the cpu cooler...and there it was.
> 
> My cheeks went red and there was no one in the room.


To be fair, we've all had a moment like that at least once..


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 3, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> I find this on a regular basis. It's so simple to remove. How does this even happen?




I've found those (years back) in pre-build PCs ,believe it or not.  I think I've only encountered it a couple times,  the amazing thing is ,the computers functioned for years ,or at least a year with the damn peel away plastic still on the heat sink 

The only thing worse than that, is I repaired a desktop that spent it's life horizontally under a monitor in an office , and the heat sink had no hardware attaching it to the motherboard, it was still stuck because the thermal paste had dried like cement, but that was it.  I wondered ,had it never had screws holding it in ?or had someone removed them and forgot to put them back?, and what are the chances the heat sink didn't slide? So many things could have gone wrong


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 3, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I've found those (years back) in pre-build PCs ,believe it or not.


Oh believe it! I find them too. Packard Bell and Emachines were infamous for it. Gateway's happened once in a while and even HP and Dell had them on the odd blue moon.


----------



## Liquid Cool (Nov 3, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> To be fair, we've all had a moment like that at least once..



Well...I must be special then...I can recount moments like this at least a half dozen times.  I wish I still had the pictures of the time I thought it might be a good idea to "blow out" the lines in one of my liquid cooling builds.  Absolutely shredded my dual bay reservoir.  All I heard was a pop...and then I remembered I had my compressor set to 150 psi.  Scared the livin' hell out of me....

I haven't seen too many emachines(which I never liked), Packard Bells, or Gateways in the last few years.  Mostly HP or Dell workstations of one kind or another.

Best,

Liquid Cool


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 3, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I wondered ,had it never had screws holding it in ?or had someone removed them and forgot to put them back?, and what are the chances the heat sink didn't slide? So many things could have gone wrong


Then there are the old Socket 360 and Socket A CPU days when heatsinks would get mounted backwards and would be off center and not fully in contact with the bare CPU die. And users wondered why they were over heating..


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 3, 2018)

Liquid Cool said:


> P.S.  Gorstak...You're from Croatia?  I had a nice little old Croatian woman cook me Sarma one time.  Her family recipe.  I'll never forget it....



That is what local women use to seduce men.


----------



## Tallencor (Nov 3, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> That is what local women use to seduce men.


Lol.


----------



## Splinterdog (Nov 8, 2018)

This botch up came in to my workshop last year and at first it was a bit of a head scratcher. Clearly the plastic bracket lug had snapped and the owner had tried with a screw and then decided that superglue would be more appropriate.
Fortunately I keep most of the AMD brackets from broken mobos and was able to replace it, but separating the heatsink from the bracket required some surgery.


If I can find the picture, I have another one where an owner had superglued an Intel 775 cooler to the top rear cooling fan outlet in the case, remembering to connect it to the motherboard.
The CPU was left to fend for itself...
Edit:


----------



## Frick (Nov 8, 2018)

Been buying Microsoft mice and well.





From left to right: Wheel Mouse Optical (X802382), IME 3.0 (X08-70387) and Intellimouse Optical (X800472). The last one is pristine, the right one is so-so, but..







(the white is there for comparision, my camera can't capture the almost organic green-brown, which is just miscoloration, but don't ask me how they managed to make it that colour)


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 8, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Then there are the old Socket 360 and Socket A CPU days when heatsinks would get mounted backwards and would be off center and not fully in contact with the bare CPU die. And users wondered why they were over heating..



Years ago my oldest nephew had an optiplex, or some really old Dell pre-built pc.  He had it laying horizontally, because the heat sink had no hardware attaching it to the motherboard, it was this precarious set up ,where he couldn't touch the case, cause if he did ,the heat sink would slide off in either direction

 I got him a brand new OptiPlex 7010 like a month later ,after discovering that was his PC.  he was as happy as a pig in shit


----------



## Splinterdog (Nov 8, 2018)

I still have an Intellimouse like the one on the far right. They're practically indestructible.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 9, 2018)

Splinterdog said:


> If I can find the picture, I have another one where an owner had superglued an Intel 775 cooler to the top rear cooling fan outlet in the case, remembering to connect it to the motherboard.
> The CPU was left to fend for itself...


How did it run? Did it run at all?


----------



## Frick (Nov 9, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> Years ago my oldest nephew had an optiplex, or some really old Dell pre-built pc.  He had it laying horizontally, because the heat sink had no hardware attaching it to the motherboard, it was this precarious set up ,where he couldn't touch the case, cause if he did ,the heat sink would slide off in either direction



That must have been an error on someones part.

Anyway, the one of the IME 3.0's side buttons' plastic fiddly bits (the stabilizing fiddly bits) had become quite brittle and broke off during cleaning. I was able to glie back on one of the fiddly bits, I can't imagine it holsing up well. At least I have spare parts.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 9, 2018)

Frick said:


> That must have been an error on someones part.


Oh of course. I just wondering if it was running that way and if so, how slow? Was it even posting?


----------



## Frick (Nov 9, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh of course. I just wondering if it was running that way and if so, how slow? Was it even posting?



If it was a socket 370 Celeron it like had a TDP of like 20-25W. If it was Netburst it probably was about 65W (which shows very well how incredibly hot and power hungry that arch was, even the 1.4Ghz Tualatin had like a ~30W TDP).


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 9, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh of course. I just wondering if it was running that way and if so, how slow? Was it even posting?



he did that "fix" himself, as a kid. it was a taller heatsink, just sitting on a cpu. i just found it funny, and it did run. but it would shutdown , likely due to TJMax


----------



## micropage7 (Nov 9, 2018)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> Here's a "refurb" and upgrade I did awhile back...
> 
> Before -
> View attachment 109161View attachment 109162
> ...


The white case looks pretty good
And something is nostalgia


----------



## Athlonite (Nov 10, 2018)

Frick said:


> Been buying Microsoft mice and well.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That discolouration is from Nicotine and sweat mine did the same thing the clear coating is highly porous and soaks up everything on your fingers


----------



## Frick (Nov 10, 2018)

Athlonite said:


> That discolouration is from Nicotine and sweat mine did the same thing the clear coating is highly porous and soaks up everything on your fingers



But all of the coating has it (not just where the fingers are), and had it been nicotine it would have smelled as such I assume? It mostly smells like old slightly moldy books.


----------



## micropage7 (Nov 10, 2018)

Athlonite said:


> That discolouration is from Nicotine and sweat mine did the same thing the clear coating is highly porous and soaks up everything on your fingers


yeah, thats why if i buy anything that 2nd hand i tear it up and clean it up


----------



## Athlonite (Nov 10, 2018)

Frick said:


> But all of the coating has it (not just where the fingers are), and had it been nicotine it would have smelled as such I assume? It mostly smells like old slightly moldy books.



trust me it's nicotine and sweat/skin oil and mine didn't smell like nicotine either just use some fine sand paper to get rid of it then re clear coat it


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 11, 2018)

Athlonite said:


> just use some fine sand paper to get rid of it then re clear coat it


Oh goodness no! Sandpaper will damage the surface. Take it apart and soak all the plastics in hot soapy water for 30minutes and then use an old toothbrush to clean off all the crud.


----------



## Athlonite (Nov 11, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh goodness no! Sandpaper will damage the surface. Take it apart and soak all the plastics in hot soapy water for 30minutes and then use an old toothbrush to clean off all the crud.



Not if you use very fine wet n dry sand paper it doesn't something around the 1600 grit mark is perfect as it's not just a build up of crud as you put it it's actually the clear coat that has become discoloured the colour underneath it is fine so sand gently to remove the clear coat and re-apply clear to get it back to what it should look like when new


----------



## Splinterdog (Nov 18, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> How did it run? Did it run at all?


Miraculously the CPU survived for weeks without a heat-sink, but the motherboard died, which I replaced and then smacked his wrist urging him not to try that trick again.
Here's one that came in a few weeks ago.
More pasta sir?


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 18, 2018)

Splinterdog said:


> Miraculously the CPU survived for weeks without a heat-sink, but the motherboard died, which I replaced and then smacked his wrist urging him not to try that trick again.
> Here's one that came in a few weeks ago.
> More pasta sir?
> View attachment 110881




I dont miss my support job , it got to the point where I stopped being surprised by the stupid things customers would do to their pc's. Ive found food inside of desktops, on more than one occasion


----------



## robot zombie (Nov 18, 2018)

Splinterdog said:


> Miraculously the CPU survived for weeks without a heat-sink, but the motherboard died, which I replaced and then smacked his wrist urging him not to try that trick again.
> Here's one that came in a few weeks ago.
> More pasta sir?
> View attachment 110881


On the bright side it looks like it's hardened so it should all come off in one piece?? Never knew you needed a scraper to remove thermal paste, though.

Off topic... I had a CPU fan die on an Athlon II rig a long ways back. It probably ran for an hour that way... ...just going by memory, I kept plots so I was able to see the point when the fan clearly crapped out... it was a long stretch just steadily rising. And then poof! Thermal shutdown. It peaked up in the high 80's and held there for at least 10 minutes. For those who remember owning those, that's a *smidge* too high for wayyy too long. I'm thinking the mobo actually triggered the shutdown. The CPU wanted to keep going. Or maybe it became unstable. This mobo had garbage protection on it. The heat should've set it off a good while before it did... ...or preferably it would've shut down the moment the fan died. But no. Even after this event, it was happy to boot right up and continue warming up the mini-griddle. I yanked the fan off and remounted the heat sink. I then carefully positioned a desk fan blowing directly into the side of the case. And that's how I ran it while waiting for a replacement. Temperatures were never better. But it never recovered. From then on the CPU became increasingly unstable, no matter how much I eased off the clocks. The motherboard went on to run for years to come - and in fact it still does to this day. The CPU killer never dies - it merely waits...


----------



## Splinterdog (Nov 18, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I dont miss my support job , it got to the point where I stopped being surprised by the stupid things customers would do to their pc's. Ive found food inside of desktops, on more than one occasion


I draw the line at cockroaches. A day I would rather forget.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 18, 2018)

Splinterdog said:


> Miraculously the CPU survived for weeks without a heat-sink


That should tell people how well thermal throttling works to save a CPU from meltdown. Does that CPU work within expected performance now that it's properly mounted or was there degradation?



Splinterdog said:


> I draw the line at cockroaches. A day I would rather forget.


So do I. I see roaches in a PC, I get out the gloves and sanitizing equipment and I make my clients watch as I clean. Always opens their eyes and grosses them out enough so that when/if they come back it's always much cleaner.


----------



## Splinterdog (Nov 19, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> That should tell people how well thermal throttling works to save a CPU from meltdown. Does that CPU work within expected performance now that it's properly mounted or was there degradation?
> *I couldn't tell you I'm afraid. I ran some temps and everything was normal and I haven't heard back from the customer, so I have to assume that everything is running fine.*
> 
> 
> So do I. I see roaches in a PC, I get our the gloves and sanitizing equipment and I make my clients watch as I clean. Always opens their eyes and grosses them out enough so that when/if they come back it's always much cleaner.



I threw the PC into the street. There were hundreds of the buggers!


----------



## Vayra86 (Nov 19, 2018)

Frick said:


> Been buying Microsoft mice and well.
> 
> View attachment 110172
> 
> ...



My baby girl of three months old has poop in that exact color (the yellowish gunk) right now.

So...

As for those earth tones, perhaps they were smokers?



Athlonite said:


> That discolouration is from Nicotine and sweat mine did the same thing the clear coating is highly porous and soaks up everything on your fingers



Ah. 



Splinterdog said:


> Miraculously the CPU survived for weeks without a heat-sink, but the motherboard died, which I replaced and then smacked his wrist urging him not to try that trick again.
> Here's one that came in a few weeks ago.
> More pasta sir?
> View attachment 110881



LOL. Maybe if you keep stacking it, at some point it'll keep the thing cool?  Worthy of experiment IMO


Nice to see this topic revived


----------



## E-Bear (Nov 19, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I dont miss my support job , it got to the point where I stopped being surprised by the stupid things customers would do to their pc's. Ive found food inside of desktops, on more than one occasion



Pubic hairs for me. How do I know? The man was not having short curly hairs.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 19, 2018)

Vayra86 said:


> As for those earth tones, perhaps they were smokers?


Very likely.


----------



## sepheronx (Nov 19, 2018)

E-Bear said:


> Pubic hairs for me. How do I know? The man was not having short curly hairs.




how does this happen?  Is the guy shoving his privates in the pc?  Or shaving it near his PC?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 19, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> how does this happen?  Is the guy shoving his privates in the pc?  Or shaving it near his PC?


Fans. Hair in general is very light and will get carried around a room/house very easily and then sucked into the PC by the fans.


----------



## hat (Nov 19, 2018)

I don't know how half this shit happens to be honest with you. How do you find food in a PC? I'd be willing to accept a PC full of pounds of caked on dust rather than food, bugs, or pubes.


----------



## Vayra86 (Nov 19, 2018)

hat said:


> I don't know how half this shit happens to be honest with you. How do you find food in a PC? I'd be willing to accept a PC full of pounds of caked on dust rather than food, bugs, or pubes.



It tends to start off as a dust issue: temps rise, people think 'shit, it needs more air' so they open the case up and I've even seen a desk fan stood blowing at an open case at times. And then, the weirdest stuff happens. You can refer to your average office keyboard for further details.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 19, 2018)

my current bucket


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 19, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> my current bucket


Oh man, do some cleaning! LOL!


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 19, 2018)

I will...the current level of dirtiness isn't high enough for me take up that task 

I also need to open the case and do some cable management, but somehow lost the willpower to do it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 19, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> I will...the current level of dirtiness isn't high enough for me take up that task
> 
> I also need to open the case and do some cable management, but somehow lost the willpower to do it.


I'm OCD about that kind of thing. Even a light level of dust drives me bonkers. Your setup would instantly put me into "clean the hell out of everything" mode.


----------



## Vayra86 (Nov 19, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> I will...the current level of dirtiness isn't high enough for me take up that task
> 
> I also need to open the case and do some cable management, but somehow lost the willpower to do it.



Be careful, there is a pic on some page far back, and your desk is like the early beginnings of it. When you find the pic youll know

Ah, wait, I got it
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...picture-clubhouse.145287/page-58#post-3870138


----------



## Tallencor (Nov 20, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> I'm OCD about that kind of thing. Even a light level of dust drives me bonkers. Your setup would instantly put me into "clean the hell out of everything" mode.


Exactly. Can't level benches or feel good about stability if there's any kind of hindrance.  Especially if it's as simple as a tidy. I'm locking down with my OCD on those pics as well. Shudder.


----------



## Gorstak (Nov 20, 2018)

Vayra86 said:


> Be careful, there is a pic on some page far back, and your desk is like the early beginnings of it. When you find the pic youll know
> 
> Ah, wait, I got it
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...picture-clubhouse.145287/page-58#post-3870138



This is something I would never allow to myself. Looks like a pig lives there. At least I throw empty bottles and cans into the trash and clean my ashtray when it gets filled. However, if I wanted everything to be tip top in my 200 yo building, I'd have to spend at least an hour cleaning every couple of days, which I did for the past 30 years or so...I'm almost 40 years old now, no more slappings behind my ear if I'm not tidy and kinda loosened up a bit about it. I'm almost proud to be a bit messy.

I've attached another image of my older setup. From 2010 I think.


----------



## Vayra86 (Nov 20, 2018)

Gorstak said:


> This is something I would never allow to myself. Looks like a pig lives there. At least I throw empty bottles and cans into the trash and clean my ashtray when it gets filled. However, if I wanted everything to be tip top in my 200 yo building, I'd have to spend at least an hour cleaning every couple of days, which I did for the past 30 years or so...I'm almost 40 years old now, no more slappings behind my ear if I'm not tidy and kinda loosened up a bit about it. I'm almost proud to be a bit messy.
> 
> I've attached another image of my older setup. From 2010 I think.



Good to hear, but you know it was all in good fun of course. I can't imagine anyone letting it go that far unless they were rotting away under that desk themselves 

And I can only agree, a bit of a mess can be very comfortable


----------



## Frick (Nov 23, 2018)

I go some use from the IME 3.0. I botched repairing my own mouse (decaying soldering skills) but the innards of the mouse I bought was good, so I just swapped them. While I did that more plastic broke off inside the bought one, despite me being super careful. Something with the plastics not right.

Anyway.




An old Qtek 9100 I found in my closet, aquired from god knows where. I miss the days when you could repair phones with screwdrivers, but OTOH modern phones don't look like that on the inside.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 23, 2018)

Frick said:


> An old Qtek 9100 I found in my closet, aquired from god knows where. I miss the days when you could repair phones with screwdrivers, but OTOH modern phones don't look like that on the inside.


I fix an old Nintendo DS lite that looked that bad. Imagine that picture above but with some kind of slimey goo inside as well. The owner was shocked. They were even more amazed when I handed it back to them cleaned up and fully functional.


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 6, 2018)

i bought 2ndhand bluetooth speaker and as usual after arrived i opened it and bunch of dust there
and luckily there's no nasty thing


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 24, 2018)

my friend asked me to check his hard disk and this is what i found
looks like after years just using and just don't care as long as it run


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 26, 2018)

micropage7 said:


> my friend asked me to check his hard disk and this is what i found
> looks like after years just using and just don't care as long as it run
> View attachment 113293


Horrifying..


----------



## Boatvan (Dec 26, 2018)

Man I wish I took pictures of this, but I used to work IT in a food processing facility. One of our remote sites was essentially a herb and spice mixing facility for the main site. You could literally smell the spices from the street. It's one thing to have dust and particulate in computer equipment, but a whole new beast when it is pungent spice dust clogging up every piece of equipment you have there. These poor fellows that worked there came out of the main floor caked in spices with no breathing or eye protection. Just hairnets lol. I also found a gallon milk jug full of "Natural Flavor" which consisted of a mystery copper colored liquid one time. I didn't ask why that what part was considered natural.

I also had a switch cabinet at the main facility called the "Slaw Mezzanine" IDF. Sounds fancy right? Actually, it was a cabinet up above the main factory floor inside the crawlspace above the drop ceiling. You had to climb up a two story ladder straight up above the very hard concrete floor to a platform.

Our WAP's were also fun to get to. Either wooden planks with no rails above the drop ceiling 2 stories up, or a scissor lift (that I sucked at driving due to getting NO TRAINING on it). We had cameras and AP's in the Blast Freezer too. It was only safe to be in there for like 10 mins at a time. So we drove the lift in for 10 minutes, terminating a cable 2 stories up in -30F temps, drive out and warm up, drive back in and mount the WAP lol. 

For our outdoor security cameras, instead of hiring/renting a bucket lift, our genius maintenance chained a scissor lift to a flatbed truck. I plain old refused to go up in that because it was such a clear OSHA violation. Bonus round for my boss dealing with a wasps nest in that McGuyver lift when he got up to the camera.

That place was terrible and unsafe to work at. I'm glad I work in a School District now lol.


----------



## E-Bear (Dec 26, 2018)

Boatvan said:


> Man I wish I took pictures of this, but I used to work IT in a food processing facility. One of our remote sites was essentially a herb and spice mixing facility for the main site. You could literally smell the spices from the street. It's one thing to have dust and particulate in computer equipment, but a whole new beast when it is pungent spice dust clogging up every piece of equipment you have there. These poor fellows that worked there came out of the main floor caked in spices with no breathing or eye protection. Just hairnets lol. I also found a gallon milk jug full of "Natural Flavor" which consisted of a mystery copper colored liquid one time. I didn't ask why that what part was considered natural.
> 
> I also had a switch cabinet at the main facility called the "Slaw Mezzanine" IDF. Sounds fancy right? Actually, it was a cabinet up above the main factory floor inside the crawlspace above the drop ceiling. You had to climb up a two story ladder straight up above the very hard concrete floor to a platform.
> 
> ...


What country is lacking work safety like that?


----------



## Komshija (Dec 26, 2018)

micropage7 said:


> my friend asked me to check his hard disk and this is what i found
> looks like after years just using and just don't care as long as it run
> View attachment 113293



I've seen worse. Besides, you can bet that >80% of users never cleaned or opened their laptop or PC. Some are willing to ask how to clean, upgrade or fix simple problems, but many don't even bother cleaning the dust, especially women. Wiping the exterior surfaces and screen doesn't count as cleaning.


----------



## Boatvan (Dec 26, 2018)

E-Bear said:


> What country is lacking work safety like that?


Lol it is Ohio, USA. That place was plain scary, I should have reported them when I found my current job, but I was afraid of burning bridges just in case.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 6, 2019)

Just bought 2ndhand logitech M170
The seller said the previous user was his wife and it works pretty good

Yeah it works pretty good but it looks nasty, i wash it and brush it several times before rechecking everything


----------



## Splinterdog (Jan 6, 2019)

Someone posted this in a PC enthusiasts group on Facebook, wondering if the PSU may be faulty.
It's difficult to know where to start, really.


----------



## stinger608 (Jan 6, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> Someone posted this in a PC enthusiasts group on Facebook, wondering if the PSU may be faulty.
> It's difficult to know where to start, really.
> 
> View attachment 114102




Holy crap, that's frigging nasty!!!!!


----------



## lZKoce (Jan 6, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> Someone posted this in a PC enthusiasts group on Facebook, wondering if the PSU may be faulty.
> It's difficult to know where to start, really.
> 
> View attachment 114102



Hold my beer and pass me the leaf blower, it's time for DA PURGE  The thumb-screws are a nice touch though.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 6, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> Someone posted this in a PC enthusiasts group on Facebook, wondering if the PSU may be faulty.
> It's difficult to know where to start, really.
> 
> View attachment 114102


How that hell does that even happen? This is literal PC neglect.


----------



## Vayra86 (Jan 6, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> Someone posted this in a PC enthusiasts group on Facebook, wondering if the PSU may be faulty.
> It's difficult to know where to start, really.
> 
> View attachment 114102



I guess we're witnessing the way it looks when dust and rust get babies. Damn


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 6, 2019)

Vayra86 said:


> I guess we're witnessing the way it looks when dust and rust get babies. Damn


LOLOLOLOL!! That's just wrong on so many levels.


----------



## Jetster (Jan 6, 2019)

My guess it was a busness that has huge refrigerators they work in. Like a meat packing plant. Things tend to rust that are not stainless


----------



## _JP_ (Jan 6, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> my friend asked me to check his hard disk and this is what i found
> looks like after years just using and just don't care as long as it run
> View attachment 113293


Not to brag, but I've seen way worse fron computers returning from trips to Africa...so many I forget to take pictures  But let's say that's the usual for a month.
Anyway, this caught me by surprise:




This is my old board, stored as it should, for a year....and thaaaat's mold. 
Which is curious since I used all 4 sata ports, only those have mold. I haven't inspected the cables...


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 9, 2019)

what about keyboard from 1900s  that hadn't been cleaned


----------



## E-Bear (Jan 9, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> what about keyboard from 1900s  that hadn't been cleaned
> View attachment 114255
> View attachment 114256


Strong cleaner and aoak in water but as I can see it does not worth it.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 14, 2019)

Another bites the dust


----------



## E-Bear (Jan 14, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> Another bites the dust
> View attachment 114528



Also that cpu connector that is really stretched out to the max.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 15, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> Another bites the dust


Oh goodness, that's groady..


E-Bear said:


> Also that cpu connector that is really stretched out to the max.


I noticed that too. It's probably alright.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 18, 2019)

I dunno what it is? Thermal paste, chalk or gypsum


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 18, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> I dunno what it is? Thermal paste, chalk or gypsum


Dried out thermal paste.


----------



## Ferrum Master (Jan 18, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> I dunno what it is? Thermal paste, chalk or gypsum



I know what it will be afterwards tho

The mummy returns - curse of Netburst.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 19, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Dried out thermal paste.


Haha... I expect any wrong answers


----------



## hat (Jan 19, 2019)

_JP_ said:


> Not to brag, but I've seen way worse fron computers returning from trips to Africa...so many I forget to take pictures  But let's say that's the usual for a month.
> Anyway, this caught me by surprise:
> 
> This is my old board, stored as it should, for a year....and thaaaat's mold.
> Which is curious since I used all 4 sata ports, only those have mold. I haven't inspected the cables...



...mold? How?


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 19, 2019)

hat said:


> ...mold? How?


Humidity plus mold spores?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 19, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> Haha... I expect any wrong answers


I've seen enough dried out TIM to know what we're looking at in that picture.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 23, 2019)

Another nasty keyboard
How come they could type on that


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 23, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> Another nasty keyboard
> How come they could type on that
> 
> View attachment 114951


Seen worse, but that is nasty and in desperate need of a solid cleaning!


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 24, 2019)

kinda looks like mine at the moment LOL it's getting a good cleaning this weekend


----------



## micropage7 (Feb 15, 2019)

Just look at the pic


----------



## Prince Valiant (Feb 15, 2019)

How do people abuse their phones that badly ?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 15, 2019)

Prince Valiant said:


> How do people abuse their phones that badly ?


Right?


----------



## phill (Feb 18, 2019)

It's a shame that rather than a like button, we don't have a sad button


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 19, 2019)

The following program contains disturbing pictures. If you have children, please remove them as far from the monitor as possible, and if you are faint-hearted - you shouldn't touch the following spoiler 



Spoiler



This tiny HP SFF was brought by a regular client of mine. He said it was in his friend's garage chugging away as a mini-server. 
"Just needs a little bit of cleaning and a new power brick" he said... 
...filthy lying fucker...



The whole thing is filled with dead roaches, spiders and bug shit. Somehow there was no dust there at all.
Left it in a trash bag for pickup. Had to wash my hands 10 times and I think I've cleaned my office better than ever before))) Even gave my work desk 2 scrubs with alcohol.


----------



## Splinterdog (Feb 19, 2019)

About four years ago, a customer phoned me to say his PC had stopped working, so I went to his house and found this:




My first question to him was, why?


----------



## Rahnak (Feb 19, 2019)

@Splinterdog A Miracle that it ever did. But kudos for the original cooler placement.


----------



## E-Bear (Feb 19, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> About four years ago, a customer phoned me to say his PC had stopped working, so I went to his house and found this:
> View attachment 116883
> 
> View attachment 116884
> ...


That cooler placement should be in Ghetto mods thread


----------



## Splinterdog (Feb 19, 2019)

Rahnak said:


> @Splinterdog A Miracle that it ever did. But kudos for the original cooler placement.


He'd actually managed to prize the cooler from the m/b and then superglued it to the rear vent holes, as can be seen in the pics.
I asked him how long it had been running like that and he said "It's been fine for months since my cooling modification..."
Long story short - the CPU survived but the mobo didn't. Actually, this is a part of my job that I really enjoy. You never know what you're going to find


----------



## hat (Feb 19, 2019)

silentbogo said:


> The following program contains disturbing pictures. If you have children, please remove them as far from the monitor as possible, and if you are faint-hearted - you shouldn't touch the following spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I have no words.


----------



## Bones (Feb 19, 2019)

silentbogo said:


> The following program contains disturbing pictures. If you have children, please remove them as far from the monitor as possible, and if you are faint-hearted - you shouldn't touch the following spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If he had told you the system had been acting buggy as of late, Well....... Now you know why.


----------



## phill (Feb 19, 2019)

hat said:


> I have no words.



I think we need a sad or crying 'like' button....

Where the heck was it to be having bugs in the PC??  I mean wow.....


----------



## hat (Feb 19, 2019)

He said garage... something to remember if I ever have a house with a garage. I will be painting it with Ortho.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 20, 2019)

silentbogo said:


> The following program contains disturbing pictures. If you have children, please remove them as far from the monitor as possible, and if you are faint-hearted - you shouldn't touch the following spoiler


You weren't kidding, that is messed up!


----------



## E-Bear (Feb 20, 2019)

hat said:


> He said garage... something to remember if I ever have a house with a garage. I will be painting it with Ortho.


Ortho? Is it insect repellent like Raid in Canada?


----------



## Ahhzz (Feb 20, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> About four years ago, a customer phoned me to say his PC had stopped working, so I went to his house and found this:
> View attachment 116883
> 
> View attachment 116884
> ...


I was looking for a dead mouse, a snake... rat droppings... and then I saw what I (and it) was missing


----------



## P4-630 (Feb 27, 2019)




----------



## Splinterdog (Feb 27, 2019)

P4-630 said:


> View attachment 117542


Did it survive?


----------



## DR4G00N (Feb 27, 2019)

P4-630 said:


> View attachment 117542


Who would stuff insulation into their pc?


----------



## Athlonite (Feb 28, 2019)

Er mer gurd it's a carpet factory


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 7, 2019)

P4-630 said:


> View attachment 117542


So they use pc as vacuum cleaner?

as usual, in some offices people just don't give a f** as long as their pc running
dead dvd rw, dust everywhere, sloppy installation


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 7, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> So they use pc as vacuum cleaner?
> 
> as usual, in some offices people just don't give a f** as long as their pc running
> dead dvd rw, dust everywhere, sloppy installation
> View attachment 118173


Oh, yuck! That has the potential to be a decent little PC.


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 7, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> Did it survive?



I swear I see it breathing



micropage7 said:


> So they use pc as vacuum cleaner?
> 
> as usual, in some offices people just don't give a f** as long as their pc running
> dead dvd rw, dust everywhere, sloppy installation
> View attachment 118173



That's OG cable management at it's best.  I'm guessing that red SATA cable got wrapped around a pencil 

Yah, gross!


----------



## phill (Mar 8, 2019)

Wonder if they where practising the streamers like you get at Christmas....


----------



## Komshija (Mar 12, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> as usual, in some offices people just don't give a f** as long as their pc running
> dead dvd rw, dust everywhere, sloppy installation


 I would say in most offices. According to my experiences, the smaller the company, the more they care about such "trivial" issues. Usually private micro companies will care much more than medium or big ones.


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 20, 2019)

Found from instgrm


----------



## biffzinker (Mar 20, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> Found from instgrm
> View attachment 119146


Interesting heatsink design. Anyone know the company brand?


----------



## Lorec (Mar 20, 2019)

My work PC before I cleaned it.
6+ years no maintenance.


----------



## jsfitz54 (Mar 20, 2019)

biffzinker said:


> Interesting heatsink design. Anyone know the company brand?



I believe that is a Zalman design.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA86J67W0134 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAD678B17865 

https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4231/zalman_cnps11x_extreme_cpu_cooler_review/index.html 

https://www.legitreviews.com/zalman-cnps11x-tower-cpu-cooler-review_1616


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 20, 2019)

jsfitz54 said:


> I believe that is a Zalman design.
> 
> https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA86J67W0134
> 
> ...


yep, looks like 
*ZALMAN CNPS7X*


----------



## P4-630 (Mar 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> What's with the anrdoezrs.net linking in the headers of those links? Not cool man..



It's automatically added to the newegg links, so W1zz can make a buck or two if people buy these products when they clicked the link from TPU.


----------



## Ahhzz (Mar 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> What's with the anrdoezrs.net linking in the headers of those links? Not cool man..


That's actually a referral deal with TPU. W1zz setup a deal with them for click-revenue, I believe   not the poster's fault


----------



## biffzinker (Mar 20, 2019)

Happens at PCPartPicker and every other site that needs to pay the bills.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 20, 2019)

P4-630 said:


> It's automatically added to the newegg links, so W1zz can make a buck or two if people buy these products when they clicked the link from TPU.





Ahhzz said:


> That's actually a referral deal with TPU. W1zz setup a deal with them for click-revenue, I believe   not the poster's fault


Ah, ok. Shutting up.. 
Sorry about that. You can understand how that might have looked slightly "iffy".


----------



## Ahhzz (Mar 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ah, ok. Shutting up..
> Sorry about that. You can understand how that might have looked slightly "iffy".


I said the same thing the first time I saw it.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 22, 2019)

"I just bought this laptop, and it's overheating... please help me!"


Spoiler



Then kick your stupid cat off the laptop!


----------



## biffzinker (Mar 22, 2019)

silentbogo said:


> "I just bought this laptop, and it's overheating... please help me!"
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Using the laptop as a vacuum cleaner? Seen it myself, try to tell people to elevate the intake fan so it's not sucking in everything.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 22, 2019)

biffzinker said:


> Using the laptop as a vacuum cleaner? Seen it myself, try to tell people to elevate the intake fan so it's not sucking in everything.


People rarely listen to any recommendations. No one wants to give up the comfort of laying on a sofa, using their cat as a laptop stand )))
They'd rather pay me a visit once every few months and pay a few bucks for cleaning and general maintenance, which I don't really mind.


----------



## phill (Mar 22, 2019)

Gotta love laptops..  The ones you can't even take apart are even better...  Wonder how you're meant to clean them??....


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2019)

phill said:


> Wonder how you're meant to clean them??....


Compressed air(from a tank not a can) and a vacuum.


----------



## Bones (Mar 22, 2019)

phill said:


> Gotta love laptops..  The ones you can't even take apart are even better...  *Wonder how you're meant to clean them??*....



You're not.
You toss and replace by intended design...... Or pay someone (Authorized dealer) to do it.


----------



## xtreemchaos (Mar 22, 2019)

this thread is a nightmare, maybe there zombie pcs , i clean my rig every six months if it needs it or not and the filters once a week i wouldnt be able to sleep at night if i didnt.


----------



## phill (Mar 22, 2019)

Bones said:


> You're not.
> You toss and replace by intended design...... Or pay someone (Authorized dealer) to do it.



We have surface pro's at work, can't get into them, can't do pretty much anything with them to be honest..   Yeah I'm not a fan... (pardon that poor pun....)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2019)

phill said:


> Yeah I'm not a fan... (pardon that poor pun....)


That wasn't poor at all. Actually that was a top-shelf pun.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 22, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Compressed air(from a tank not a can) and a vacuum.


Not for cat pubes.... Those are stuck forever.



phill said:


> We have surface pro's at work, can't get into them, can't do pretty much anything with them to be honest.. Yeah I'm not a fan... (pardon that poor pun....)


Gotta love those  iFixit repairability score of "1" across all generations (except Pro 4, which got 2)


----------



## phill (Mar 22, 2019)

silentbogo said:


> Not for cat pubes.... Those are stuck forever.
> 
> Gotta love those  iFixit repairability score of "1" across all generations (except Pro 4, which got 2)



I hate them with a passion, I just don't see the point in them, might as well use a phone or tablet..  Laptops I can kind of understand but even then they fall by the way side for me.  I don't look but if I could get something with a 17" screen, key pad and it being thin then I would consider it..  I only really use a laptop for web browsing and the odd film, I might put the WCG on it just to boost a bit of points, but meh...  I'll stick with my desktops..



lexluthermiester said:


> That wasn't poor at all. Actually that was a top-shelf pun.



I thought it was terrible lol


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 10, 2019)

silentbogo said:


> Not for cat pubes.... Those are stuck forever.


Somehow I missed this. LOL and eww! A more involved servicing will solve that problem though.


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 17, 2019)

This is why I don't like Molex/SATA adapators at all.


----------



## Lorec (Apr 17, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> This is why I don't like Molex/SATA adapators at all.


did it melt? lol how, please explain this mess.


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 17, 2019)

Lorec said:


> did it melt? lol how, please explain this mess.


The SATA parts ignited and melted, but miraculously the DVD still worked and so did the HDD the other lead was attached to.


----------



## Ahhzz (Apr 17, 2019)

Holy crud... never seen anything like that on a molex adapter....


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 17, 2019)

One of my customers' desks and he wonders why he has to call me out so often.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 17, 2019)

Ahhzz said:


> Holy crud... never seen anything like that on a molex adapter....


Neither have I, that's a new one. I mean, I've seen plenty of melted parts from various electrical problems, but never something like that on an optical drive. Bizarre!



Splinterdog said:


> One of my customers' desks and he wonders why he has to call me out so often.
> View attachment 121234


Yup, I have one of those too!


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 17, 2019)

I'm often tempted to comment, but I bite my lip and take the money instead.


----------



## hat (Apr 17, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I'm often tempted to comment, but I bite my lip and take the money instead.


You are most wise.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 17, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I'm often tempted to comment, but I bite my lip and take the money instead.





hat said:


> You are most wise.


Yes, yes!


----------



## micropage7 (May 18, 2019)

Thin layer of dust but everywhere


----------



## Octopuss (May 18, 2019)

WTF is that case?


----------



## Solaris17 (May 18, 2019)

Octopuss said:


> WTF is that case?



alienware iirc.


----------



## de.das.dude (May 18, 2019)

Octopuss said:


> WTF is that case?


looks like OEM parts as well.


----------



## dorsetknob (May 18, 2019)

You can see Alienware logo smack bang middle picture


----------



## R-T-B (May 18, 2019)

Ah Alienware...  Spend too much money, and leave it to get coated in dust for 10+ years...  good times.

The shameful thing in that pic, is he missed the 10+ years part.  Those cards look rather modern.  I'm almost tempted to liberate them but I am fat and cannot run from the police.


----------



## Bones (May 18, 2019)

R-T-B said:


> Ah Alienware...  Spend too much money, and leave it to get coated in dust for 10+ years...  good times.
> 
> The shameful thing in that pic, is he missed the 10+ years part.  Those cards look rather modern.  I'm almost tempted to liberate them but* I am fat and cannot run from the police*.


Just toss a doughnut in the bushes as you go......


----------



## R-T-B (May 18, 2019)

Bones said:


> Just toss a doughnut in the bushes as you go......



And waste a good donut?


----------



## Athlonite (May 19, 2019)

Solaris17 said:


> alienware iirc.




Alienware Area 51 R4 so probably not ten years old if those are GTX1080's in it


----------



## R00kie (May 20, 2019)

Athlonite said:


> Alienware Area 51 R4 so probably not ten years old if those are GTX1080's in it


probably older than 4, as 1080's have backplates, and angular coolers


----------



## Athlonite (May 20, 2019)

gdallsk said:


> probably older than 4, as 1080's have backplates, and angular coolers



maybe GTX970's then and looks more like the Area 51 than the X51 R4


----------



## s3thra (May 20, 2019)

I came across this beauty in my travels the other day. I dare not think of the horrors which lie within.


----------



## R00kie (May 20, 2019)

Athlonite said:


> maybe GTX970's then and looks more like the Area 51 than the X51 R4


there are 8 and 6 pins in the picture, whereas 970 's have 2 6-es 
I would think these are either 780's or 980 ti's


----------



## 64K (May 20, 2019)

gdallsk said:


> there are 8 and 6 pins in the picture, whereas 970 's have 2 6-es
> I would think these are either 780's or 980 ti's



My MSI GTX 970 Gaming had an 8 pin and a 6 pin.


----------



## garrick (May 20, 2019)

Should report all to the c.p. Computer Police


----------



## R00kie (May 20, 2019)

64K said:


> My MSI GTX 970 Gaming had an 8 pin and a 6 pin.


But its not reference now is it?


----------



## cdawall (May 20, 2019)

gdallsk said:


> probably older than 4, as 1080's have backplates, and angular coolers



Yea those are reference 980 or 980Ti's on an X99 board


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 14, 2019)

What about this one, found in internet


----------



## phill (Jun 14, 2019)

That's definitely what I call hardware abuse...  Not in the nice way of things either....


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 14, 2019)

Damn that poor CPU and socket look like they were burning


----------



## Prince Valiant (Jun 14, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> What about this one, found in internet
> View attachment 124936


Did they try to hammer the CPU into the socket?


----------



## biffzinker (Jun 14, 2019)

Athlonite said:


> Damn that poor CPU and socket look like they were burning


CPU fan failure plus a insulating coat of dust could be responsible? It looks as though where the die would of been located was toasty.



Prince Valiant said:


> Did they try to hammer the CPU into the socket?


The plastic retention frame was burned by whatever happened.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 14, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> What about this one, found in internet
> View attachment 124936


Holy crap! Those corroded pins laying on the socket... Messed up! I've only seen this once before...


biffzinker said:


> The plastic retention frame was burned by whatever happened.


...chemical corrosion. That plastic isn't melted by fire, it's dissolved. Otherwise there would be scorch marks all over the rest of the socket and board.


----------



## Grog6 (Jun 15, 2019)

No, I can speak from experience; that's what happens when the fan fails, and the CPU unsolders itself.

Eventually it sags enough that the pins short, and it dumps all that power everywhere, lol.


I saw this in a dataaq machine that stopped working when someone dropped a coffee cup on top of it (The cover was closed, open rackmount) while it was running.

Apparently, the solder was molten, and the impact shorted everything, and it exploded.

Fire shot out of the power supply; smoke, fire, it was really cool. 

The coffee cup was empty,and landed on a closed topcover, BTW.

Most of the pins were still in the socket; the HS, CPU, and most of the plastic socket mount were laying to the side.

Most of the caps blew.

The solder that holds those pins on it high temp solder; it melts at like 450C. 

THe CPU can still be working; I had data from 10 seconds before that, on the HD, and it saved a group every 30 seconds.


----------



## Bones (Jun 15, 2019)

At least we can all agree something went _really_ wrong.


----------



## Splinterdog (Jun 17, 2019)

This one continues to puzzle me and I've worked on two configurations like this in the last few years. I suppose if you had a power plug with an L bend it would work just fine.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 17, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> This one continues to puzzle me and I've worked on two configurations like this in the last few years. I suppose if you had a power plug with an L bend it would work just fine.
> View attachment 125205


I've never seen this kind of thing before. Bizarre!


----------



## silentbogo (Jun 17, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> This one continues to puzzle me and I've worked on two configurations like this in the last few years. I suppose if you had a power plug with an L bend it would work just fine.


Had a similar situation with some bizzare LogicPower SFF chassis. It had an AC extension routed through the case, and on the PSU side it had a very strange short L-plug(regular ones didn't fit by ~15mm or so). Made my own extension cable by cutting an AC cord and forming an L-shaped plug out of 2-component epoxy... Unfortunately I have no pics of this madness, but it was ugly AF. Did 2 more cases by hotwiring an AC cord to the inside of the PSU, cause I couldn't handle any more "arts and crafts".


----------



## Nuckles56 (Jun 17, 2019)

I'm assuming that it is intended that all the cables will be coming up through the floor, so this design makes a lot of sense


----------



## lZKoce (Jun 18, 2019)

Sooo, my two princesses got hold of the wireless keyboard (a Dell KM636) and they have roughed up its feathers. More like ravaged the thing. Damage report: pen, pencil, marker on the top. Down below sticky stuff around the keys and they return slowwwwly (some of them don't return at all). Deploying counter-actions: I'm thinking of getting out all keys and dipping them into water+bleach ( what @Bones did with fans in of his youtube videos). Any other ideas? (All suggested will be used in the weekend).


----------



## buzzi (Jun 18, 2019)

Isopropyl alcohol should do the job


----------



## Bones (Jun 19, 2019)

lZKoce said:


> Sooo, my two princesses got hold of the wireless keyboard (a Dell KM636) and they have roughed up its feathers. More like ravaged the thing. Damage report: pen, pencil, marker on the top. Down below sticky stuff around the keys and they return slowwwwly (some of them don't return at all). Deploying counter-actions: I'm thinking of getting out all keys and dipping them into water+bleach ( what @Bones did with fans in of his youtube videos). Any other ideas? (All suggested will be used in the weekend).
> 
> View attachment 125251View attachment 125252View attachment 125253View attachment 125254


That wasn't water/bleach, it was a Clorox brand cleaner with bleach in it. Too bad I coudn't show what it actually was due to Youtube rules or I would have but did say the name of it in the vid.
If you can find the same stuff or it's equivalent it should do the job. Just make sure once done you immediately rinse those thoroughly and allow to dry for at least a few days, would help to take a heatgun/hairdryer and get it warm to help with the drying process.
Use a 4 to1 mix (1 part cleaner to 4 parts water). If the mix needs to be you can mix it stronger but don't make it too strong, the cleaner will attack the copper if any is present and that's why it must be rinsed _immediately _after dunking.

I placed those fans in front of a fan overnight and hit those with WD40 to force any remaining moisture out, then lubed with 3N1 for the final step. After letting the fans sit upside down overnight to let any excess oil drain from the motors I simply wiped them down and tested.


----------



## Grog6 (Jun 19, 2019)

Those a re membrane keyboards; I wouldn't use solvent. It makes the flexi membrane into jello.

You need to disassemble them, and wash the membrane carefully.

Wash the keycaps and housing, then reassembly.

Personally, I'd say forkit, and get a new wireless keyboard; they're $20 or less.

I go thru those a lot.


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 3, 2019)

Via linustech instagram


----------



## biffzinker (Jul 3, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> View attachment 126088
> Via linustech instagram


Dang that's gruesome to look at. Poor processor didn't stand a chance.


----------



## phill (Jul 3, 2019)

Did they put 1.21 jigga watts through it or something??  Jesus.......


----------



## Grog6 (Jul 3, 2019)

I've got to say, I've never seen one go like that. 

The caps are burnt, the processor is burnt, the mobo is burnt; that looks like the power supply dumped 110 into it, with a 60A fuse, lol.

I've seen a 500V 100A power supply blow a board up, and it didn't look that bad; it just blew the copper off, lol.

You win!


----------



## Splinterdog (Jul 3, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> View attachment 126088
> Via linustech instagram


The horror!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 3, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> View attachment 126088
> Via linustech instagram


That's intense! Never seen scorching as bad as that before.


----------



## forman313 (Jul 5, 2019)

Reserator filled with tap water and no anode protection or maintenance might be considered a bad idea.  After 5 years, what can I say ..  green/yellow slimy gumk and putrid water.   Everybody with half a brain knows to use a corrosion inhibitor or at least get some antifreeze.

Before and after.  It might look like I did a bad job cleaning, but thats not it. These pictures proves that galvanic corrosion can result in more than just a little gunk in the cooling blocks...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 6, 2019)

forman313 said:


> Reserator filled with tap water and no anode protection or maintenance might be considered a bad idea.  After 5 years, what can I say ..  green/yellow slimy gumk and putrid water.   Everybody with half a brain knows to use a corrosion inhibitor or at least get some antifreeze.
> 
> Before and after.  It might look like I did a bad job cleaning, but thats not it. These pictures proves that galvanic corrosion can result in more than just a little gunk in the cooling blocks...


Oh, that's just groady!


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 6, 2019)

forman313 said:


> Reserator filled with tap water and no anode protection or maintenance might be considered a bad idea.  After 5 years, what can I say ..  green/yellow slimy gumk and putrid water.   Everybody with half a brain knows to use a corrosion inhibitor or at least get some antifreeze.
> 
> Before and after.  It might look like I did a bad job cleaning, but thats not it. These pictures proves that galvanic corrosion can result in more than just a little gunk in the cooling blocks...


looks bad, this is why i avoid liquid cooling no matter what


----------



## cdawall (Jul 8, 2019)

forman313 said:


> Reserator filled with tap water and no anode protection or maintenance might be considered a bad idea.  After 5 years, what can I say ..  green/yellow slimy gumk and putrid water.   Everybody with half a brain knows to use a corrosion inhibitor or at least get some antifreeze.
> 
> Before and after.  It might look like I did a bad job cleaning, but thats not it. These pictures proves that galvanic corrosion can result in more than just a little gunk in the cooling blocks...



Those were a terrible product with mixed metals anyway. It was doomed regardless


----------



## Dinnercore (Jul 16, 2019)

And now I can´t even try my bending skills but have to replace the whole socket... How do you manage to fold over a Pin under the other like that?? 

What worries me is that this is either M21 to M22 or AJ21 to AJ22 on LGA1155. That short might have fried something.


----------



## Ahhzz (Jul 16, 2019)

Dinnercore said:


> View attachment 126974
> 
> And now I can´t even try my bending skills but have to replace the whole socket... How do you manage to fold over a Pin under the other like that??
> 
> What worries me is that this is either M21 to M22 or AJ21 to AJ22 on LGA1155. That short might have fried something.


Oh, crap on me, mate... that's ugly.... Good luck....


----------



## Dinnercore (Jul 22, 2019)

Dinnercore said:


> View attachment 126974
> 
> And now I can´t even try my bending skills but have to replace the whole socket... How do you manage to fold over a Pin under the other like that??
> 
> What worries me is that this is either M21 to M22 or AJ21 to AJ22 on LGA1155. That short might have fried something.



Just a quick update on the poor abuse victim, I had the whole socket replaced by a local company (shoutout to the 'Reusing-Factory' if I´m allowed to do that) that offers this service and got a completly working board back! Thought this thread might profit from some happy endings too 



Ahhzz said:


> Oh, crap on me, mate... that's ugly.... Good luck....



Thank you for wishing me good luck, looks like it helped.






Saved a Z77X-UP7 from becoming scrap. Ever since I saw that buildzoid pcb breakdown of it I wanted to add one to my collection. Tried my luck and won this time


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 9, 2019)

I think this counts as a beardy thing and I distinctly remember stripping this down for a customer who in the end didn't even care if I'd done it or not.
Still, they say the customer is always right, which is not a view that I share with much enthusiasm.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 9, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I think this counts as a beardy thing and I distinctly remember stripping this down for a customer who in the end didn't even care if I'd done it or not.
> Still, they say the customer is always right, which is not a view that I share with much enthusiasm.
> View attachment 128830


Ah the case beard! Such a frequent sight in my shop, sadly. It's always funny when people bring in systems like that and are seeming clueless as to why it won't work anymore. Then they see things like the above pictured and go " oh ". Then we teach them the value of a quality vacuum and can of compressed air.


----------



## Dinnercore (Aug 9, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I think this counts as a beardy thing and I distinctly remember stripping this down for a customer who in the end didn't even care if I'd done it or not.
> Still, they say the customer is always right, which is not a view that I share with much enthusiasm.
> View attachment 128830



Oh that is such a clever idea to get free noise insulation! Why do you always have to be so negative 

My brother did something else to get rid of the noise, his fans just stopped spinning completly due to dried bearings that ran dead. But since his blue LED lights on the fans were still working he just assumed they were still ok. 
I got a small headache after seeing this, after all I build that system for him. I fixed it for him and was just happy that everything else survived 2 summer months without active case ventilation.


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 9, 2019)

I hate to say it, but I've seen worse even since I took that shot. And don't mention cockroaches, please...


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 10, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I think this counts as a beardy thing and I distinctly remember stripping this down for a customer who in the end didn't even care if I'd done it or not.
> Still, they say the customer is always right, which is not a view that I share with much enthusiasm.
> View attachment 128830




HAHA that things gotta be nearly sentient just give it a shave and haircut and put it to work


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 10, 2019)

Short back and sides, with something for the weekend, sir.


----------



## silkstone (Aug 10, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I hate to say it, but I've seen worse even since I took that shot. And don't mention cockroaches, please...



I wish I'd remembered about this thread when trying to clean my ant infested hardware. Piles and piles of dead ants falling out of my PSU was a pretty disgusting sight. I don't know what it is about ants here (they are only little ones), but they enjoy eating wiring.

I have lost more stuff to ants than any other factor. So far I've lost 2x PSU, 1x HDD, 2x extension cords and a router all to ant eating the internals/wiring.
The extension cables were pretty scary actually as they'd exposed bare copper wire to the outside! The hard drive was just weird. one day there was a neat little pile of silicon dist on the top of the HDD next to a hole with ants entering and leaving my drive.


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 10, 2019)

silkstone said:


> I wish I'd remembered about this thread when trying to clean my ant infested hardware. Piles and piles of dead ants falling out of my PSU was a pretty disgusting sight. I don't know what it is about ants here (they are only little ones), but they enjoy eating wiring.
> 
> I have lost more stuff to ants than any other factor. So far I've lost 2x PSU, 1x HDD, 2x extension cords and a router all to ant eating the internals/wiring.
> The extension cables were pretty scary actually as they'd exposed bare copper wire to the outside! The hard drive was just weird. one day there was a neat little pile of silicon dist on the top of the HDD next to a hole with ants entering and leaving my drive.



Perhaps they're not really ants but nanobots sent from area 51 to destroy the world  one PC at a time


----------



## biffzinker (Aug 10, 2019)

Wasps?








__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportgore/comments/cmqhbd


__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportgore/comments/coeeg5


----------



## Frick (Aug 11, 2019)

EDIT: A used MIE 3.0 btw.









And people wonder why I have a habit of taking apart and cleaning everything I own regurarly.


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 11, 2019)

Frick said:


> View attachment 128990
> 
> View attachment 128991
> 
> And people wonder why I have a habit of taking apart and cleaning everything I own regurarly.


That's why every time i buy something 2nd hand after test run i always open and clean it


----------



## silkstone (Aug 11, 2019)

Frick said:


> View attachment 128990
> 
> View attachment 128991
> 
> And people wonder why I have a habit of taking apart and cleaning everything I own regurarly.



Are those dead ants?


----------



## biffzinker (Aug 11, 2019)

Frick said:


> And people wonder why I have a habit of taking apart and cleaning everything I own regurarly.


That's nasty to look at.


----------



## Frick (Aug 12, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> That's why every time i buy something 2nd hand after test run i always open and clean it





biffzinker said:


> That's nasty to look at.



I forgot to mention that was a used mouse. My stuff never looks like that.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 12, 2019)

Frick said:


> I forgot to mention that was a used mouse. My stuff never looks like that.


We kinda figured that was the case...


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 13, 2019)

Frick said:


> I forgot to mention that was a ABused mouse. My stuff never looks like that.


 Fixed it for you


----------



## biffzinker (Aug 13, 2019)

Athlonite said:


> Fixed it for you


I think the more appropriate word for the caked in crud is neglected.



Dinnercore said:


> Why do you always have to be so negative


Was that a play on negative air pressure I missed the first time?


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 15, 2019)

new stuff but the user is lazy to clean it up


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 15, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> new stuff but the user is lazy to clean it up
> View attachment 129299


That one isn't that bad. Little bit of IPA on a cloth, a solid wipe down and it's good as new.


----------



## biffzinker (Aug 15, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That one isn't that bad. Little bit of IPA on a cloth, a solid wipe down and it's good as new.


I'd vacuum, wipe with IPA, and blow off any loose fibers/dust. Had a microfiber cloth that would shed although it was a free with the screen cleaner.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 15, 2019)

biffzinker said:


> I'd vacuum, wipe with IPA, and blow off any loose fibers/dust. Had a microfiber cloth that would shed although it was a free with the screen cleaner.


The problem with chiclet keyboards is that some vacuums will pull the key-caps off. That just makes a whole new problem. Vacuuming has to be done carefully with those types of KB's.


----------



## biffzinker (Aug 15, 2019)

Who wants a Enermax PSU with dust removal?


> REVOLUTION D.F. is a full modular power supply series with 80 PLUS® Gold certified efficiency. In addition, REVOLUTION D.F. comes with an exclusive D.F. switch design which offers users to activate the patented DFRTM (Dust Free Rotation) technology anytime they desire.











						Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W Power Supply Review
					

A full review of the Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W Power Supply. We put this PSU to the test in extreme scenerios, will it pull through and succeed?




					www.thefpsreview.com


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 2, 2019)

What about this cable?
Still working, but.......


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 2, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> What about this cable?
> Still working, but.......
> View attachment 130716


Toss that ruddy thing in the bin.


----------



## phill (Sep 2, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> What about this cable?
> Still working, but.......
> View attachment 130716



At least you can't say that it wasn't well used....


----------



## biffzinker (Sep 2, 2019)

phill said:


> At least you can't say that it wasn't well used....


and money's worth?









						Money's worth
					

Definition, Synonyms, Translations of Money's worth by The Free Dictionary




					www.thefreedictionary.com


----------



## phill (Sep 2, 2019)

I'd definitely agree with that as well


----------



## Splinterdog (Sep 17, 2019)

One of my customers had fitted a 220v fan to the case, attached a switch and then secured said switch to the rear vent using bare copper wire which crossed the terminals when closed. He was a little surprised when the machine started playing up.
Needless to say, I didn't connect the fan to the mains, but miraculously all he needed was a new motherboard.


This was the WiFi set up at a hotel we stayed at in Purmamarca, NW Argentina at the foothills of the Andes.
A touch of improv, one might say.


----------



## Octopuss (Sep 18, 2019)

The fuck is the first photo. How can Homo sapiens sapiens be so dumb?


----------



## Splinterdog (Sep 20, 2019)

This came in yesterday for repair and I was in two minds about touching it without protection, but I did clean the screen.
Makes you wonder about how people can mistreat their valuable items like this. It's not a bad laptop either - i3 and fairly nippy.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 20, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> This came in yesterday for repair and I was in two minds about touching it without protection, but I did clean the screen.
> Makes you wonder about how people can mistreat their valuable items like this. It's not a bad laptop either - i3 and fairly nippy.
> View attachment 132338View attachment 132339View attachment 132340


I would break out the rubber gloves and IPA. Otherwise wouldn't touch it..


----------



## Valantar (Sep 20, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> This came in yesterday for repair and I was in two minds about touching it without protection, but I did clean the screen.
> Makes you wonder about how people can mistreat their valuable items like this. It's not a bad laptop either - i3 and fairly nippy.
> View attachment 132338View attachment 132339View attachment 132340


I've seen far cleaner laptops than that rejected by technicians due to contamination. Suppose Norwegian health and safety rules might be a bit more strict than yours.



lexluthermiester said:


> I would break out the rubber gloves and IPA. Otherwise wouldn't touch it..


I would say both kinds of IPA. One to clean and sterilize the PC, the other to get drunk so as to avoid intense nausea when touching the laptop even after cleaning.


----------



## biffzinker (Sep 20, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> This came in yesterday for repair and I was in two minds about touching it without protection, but I did clean the screen.


That keyboard though


----------



## Grog6 (Sep 20, 2019)

Fire purifies all, lol.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 20, 2019)

Grog6 said:


> Fire purifies all, lol.


Yes, but then PC no worky.. That equals bad..


----------



## Splinterdog (Sep 21, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yes, but then PC no worky.. That equals bad..


It's so tempting to say "How could you treat your stuff like this?" or words to that effect, but you don't.
I was tempted to remove the keyboard and clean it up, but in the end I fixed the issues, upgraded it to Win 10 from 7 and asked her to rid me of it.
If someone doesn't care about the condition of their kit, it's their problem. Having said that, PCs are much easier to brush up, so I'll often do that and tell them so.


----------



## phill (Sep 21, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> This came in yesterday for repair and I was in two minds about touching it without protection, but I did clean the screen.
> Makes you wonder about how people can mistreat their valuable items like this. It's not a bad laptop either - i3 and fairly nippy.
> View attachment 132338View attachment 132339View attachment 132340



That does remind me of some of the users at work...  Man that's scary...


----------



## silentbogo (Sep 25, 2019)

Haven't posted here in a while. Had lots of filthy stuff at work, but only few things got captured.
First up, is a "totally not mining card" from a customer. He purchased it for suspiciously cheap from some random scumbag. The guy did a nice job cleaning the outside of the card, while totally forgot about the inside (warranty seal was already removed).
There were some burn marks on the PCB, excessive rust on both display connectors, some moisture-damaged components and lots of other stuff. Pics were taken after blowing all of the dust under HSF, so I could perform a closer inspection.


I've managed to fix the card itself, but it still has some issues with display output. Worked fine for 1 day, but now it gives no-display again (but still works) due to oxidation on DP and HDMI. 
DVI was permanently damaged after some dumbass tried to force DVI-I cable into DVI-D output. Maybe soon I will replace all three display outputs, but for now it's collecting dust again.

Second on the menu is a nice Intel box heatsink. Got a call from one of my regulars, saying that one of their devs has overheating issues.

Apparently they were planning to move out of the office, so there is some moving and cleaning going on almost every day. All of that shit is a carpet, not a spec of dust


----------



## Valantar (Sep 25, 2019)

silentbogo said:


> Haven't posted here in a while. Had lots of filthy stuff at work, but only few things got captured.
> First up, is a "totally not mining card" from a customer. He purchased it for suspiciously cheap from some random scumbag. The guy did a nice job cleaning the outside of the card, while totally forgot about the inside (warranty seal was already removed).
> There were some burn marks on the PCB, excessive rust on both display connectors, some moisture-damaged components and lots of other stuff. Pics were taken after blowing all of the dust under HSF, so I could perform a closer inspection.
> View attachment 132659View attachment 132660View attachment 132661
> ...


Maybe try soaking the ports in vinegar? That's what I have the best experience with for removing corrosion at least. Soak, scrub with a brush with suitably long and semi-stiff bristles, rinse, repeat if necessary.


----------



## silentbogo (Sep 25, 2019)

Nah, I looked under my chinese "toy" microscope, and it seems like rust ate away at some contact fingers on the inside. Definitely all of them need to be replaced. 
From the looks of it, the card spent at least a year or so in a damp basement, mining XMR or something like that. It's just an RX560 4G, which dude generously gave me afterwards, so I'm not in too much of a hurry. I already have spare parts and tons of donor cards with flawless ports, just a bit short on time to chop it all up and smash it back together on my rework station. 
Will be a perfect card for my office rig. Just enough to run Quake Champions, Bioshock trilogy, or some capcom slashers.


----------



## Splinterdog (Sep 25, 2019)

phill said:


> That does remind me of some of the users at work...  Man that's scary...


I'm pleased to say that she collected the offending article on Monday morning. At least she was pleased with the work I did and I hinted that perhaps she should look after it a little more.


----------



## Octopuss (Sep 26, 2019)

This thread defies humanity in every way imaginable. Pure essence of WTF.


----------



## phill (Sep 26, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I'm pleased to say that she collected the offending article on Monday morning. At least she was pleased with the work I did and I hinted that perhaps she should look after it a little more.



I'm glad to hear it, I hate hardware abuse on any level....


----------



## R-T-B (Sep 26, 2019)

I love abusing hardware but I typically do it a different way...

*cackles in excessive voltage*

Of course, I vent the heat with high rpm blower fans.  I'm not a savage.


----------



## Grog6 (Sep 26, 2019)

I'm guilty of hardware abuse, it seems; I didn't take any pix, but it was disgusting what that poor video card went thru.

I have a TV pc that I use to play 3d Blurays, and store a bunch of stuff on.

It's been shutting off every time I quit looking at it for about the last two weeks.

I finally took it apart yesterday, and pulled all the cards out; I have cats, so it gets cleaned pretty often, or it would probably catch on fire, lol.

Everything looked fine, but as I turned the video card over in my hand, I noticed a rattle.

Inside the XfX HD 6870 video card was the bell out of a cat toy. 
It apparently was getting stuck in the fan, and overheating the video card.


After a bit more examination, I noticed the fan was kinda rough, so I looked into what Its deal was, and it needed a new fan as the bearings were toast.

I have a bunch of used video cards around, but it takes at least a 6850 to do 3d bluray.
I have a 3d plasma TV, and some 3d blurays, so that's a must have feature.

So I have a 7970 sitting here, so I thought I'd use it instead, even tho the jacks are different, and I'd have to change cables.

The I hit the big roadblock; I have a raid card in the only PCI slot, to run 2x 10TB disk arrays; the 7970 is a triple wide card, and won't fit.


So, I dug thru the very buried junk box, and came up with a 10yo Zalman heat pipe cooler I never used, and rigged it onto the 6870, and put it all together and have it working great.
49C at full load.

I mounted the bell on the front with some wire, just for decoration.


----------



## Splinterdog (Oct 6, 2019)

It's hard to say for how long this gunk was building up, not to mention the fan, which still worked - just.


----------



## Valantar (Oct 6, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> It's hard to say for how long this gunk was building up, not to mention the fan, which still worked - just.
> View attachment 133505


Is that from a high humidity environment? That definitely isn't just plain dust, but it doesn't have the signature brown and crusty look of smoking close to the PC. I'm guessing dust with mold and other fungi.


----------



## Splinterdog (Oct 6, 2019)

Hard to say, although Buenos Aires can get very humid in the summer. I doubt the heatsink had ever been cleaned because most users don't give a second thought to such details.


----------



## micropage7 (Nov 9, 2019)

From zotac instagram


----------



## xtreemchaos (Nov 9, 2019)

that must be the rare kaby beach ED .


----------



## P4-630 (Nov 9, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> From zotac instagram
> 
> 
> View attachment 136000



I found that photo a while ago somewhere on the internet:








						The Filthy, Rotten, Nasty, Helpdesk-Nightmare picture clubhouse
					

Dried out thermal paste. Haha... I expect any wrong answers :D




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## Splinterdog (Nov 9, 2019)

Lloyd's Register must be a mucky place.


----------



## Grog6 (Nov 9, 2019)

BTW, Formula 409 will dissolve all that crap off fans/heatsinks; you just have to wash it all of with warm water, and let it dry.


----------



## Octopuss (Nov 9, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> From zotac instagram
> 
> 
> View attachment 136000


Fuck me or what.


----------



## Jetster (Nov 9, 2019)

Dead G502


----------



## Grog6 (Nov 9, 2019)

Octopuss said:


> Fuck me or what.




For some reason, that made me think of this:






Although, it would be all gray, and gross looking.


----------



## E-curbi (Nov 9, 2019)

I let dust accumulate on my external backup SSDs. *I'm both abusive and terrible. * I don't deserve to own this equipment.


----------



## natr0n (Nov 9, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> From zotac instagram
> 
> 
> View attachment 136000




That would make some fine kindling.


----------



## E-curbi (Nov 9, 2019)

Actually, these two external backup 2.5inch HDD/SSD enclosures (last post) are both electrostatically charged positive (+) and pull negatively charged (-) dust particles from the air much like your tv or computer monitor screen - so not really a case of neglecting hardware, lol.

I can vacuum and blow clean all desktop setup components and these two drives will be coated with thick dust within 48hours, geez.  Maybe it's improper internal grounding or the silicon protective skin emitting a strong positive ionic charge?

Believe some routers also behave the same way - what can ya do?


...pic below - all clean *and* *waiting for the next filthy rotten dusty layer to arrive. (pass the popcorn)*


----------



## YautjaLord (Nov 10, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> From zotac instagram
> 
> 
> View attachment 136000


Dafukizdissh1t?! 
 I'm on my Galaxy A16 2018, i am genuinely affraid of how it'll look on my LG 22EA53.  Looking forward to it.


----------



## Bungz (Nov 12, 2019)

As seen here


----------



## Splinterdog (Nov 14, 2019)

A NogaNet PSU trying to keep up with RDR2.


----------



## Valantar (Nov 14, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> A NogaNet PSU trying to keep up with RDR2.
> View attachment 136464


Nice! I guess pyrotechnics is where you go once RGB has lost its appeal?


----------



## lmille16 (Nov 14, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> A NogaNet PSU trying to keep up with RDR2.
> View attachment 136464



That's just a feature. Helps keep you warm on cold nights


----------



## Grog6 (Nov 14, 2019)

I bet that comes in handy to warm the CPU up to LN2 temperatures to get it to boot, on those long winter nights.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 14, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> A NogaNet PSU trying to keep up with RDR2.
> View attachment 136464


WOW! Actual flames caught on camera! Good timing. Is the system ok?


----------



## Splinterdog (Nov 14, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> WOW! Actual flames caught on camera! Good timing. Is the system ok?


I'm not sure. A friend of a friend sent it.
NogaNet is an Argentine brand not recommended by anyone who seriously values end-user product quality.
In a word - awful.


----------



## infrared (Nov 15, 2019)

Shamefully dusty bedroom pc lol. Just had to vacuum the radiators so it could breathe again!


----------



## phill (Nov 16, 2019)

That is a bit of a dusty rig!!  Bit of TLC and it'll be running sweet as a nut


----------



## micropage7 (Nov 16, 2019)

infrared said:


> Shamefully dusty bedroom pc lol. Just had to vacuum the radiators so it could breathe again!
> 
> View attachment 136613
> 
> ...


on the floor? always avoid put it on the floor since the dust accumulated on the floor


----------



## Nuckles56 (Nov 16, 2019)

Yikes, I thought my rig was bad sitting on the floor. Bad enough that I used some fine fabric to make dust filters, to avoid having to clean it any more often than I have to


----------



## biffzinker (Nov 16, 2019)

Nuckles56 said:


> I used some fine fabric to make dust filters


Panty hose as a improvise filter?


----------



## Nuckles56 (Nov 16, 2019)

biffzinker said:


> Panty hose as a improvise filter?


Nope, I used a similar fabric, like I used in the HTPC I built, the photos should be in the ghetto mod thread somewhere


----------



## dorsetknob (Nov 16, 2019)

biffzinker said:


> Panty hose as a improvise filter?


Only if previously worn by a sweaty lass


----------



## infrared (Nov 16, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> on the floor? always avoid put it on the floor since the dust accumulated on the floor


Nope, it's on a chest of draws 80cm high, I just haven't had the side panel off for a very long time 

filters would be a good idea! I built it for max airflow at the time and regret it slightly now lol, my new build has filters and I'm never going back!


----------



## Nuckles56 (Nov 16, 2019)

infrared said:


> Nope, it's on a chest of draws 80cm high, I just haven't had the side panel off for a very long time
> 
> there's no dust filters on this build, I made it for max airflow at the time and regret it slightly now lol, my new build has filters and I'm never going back!


https://gfycat.com/digitalinexperiencedabyssiniancat-shame  how could you not have filters, they're so useful


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 16, 2019)

biffzinker said:


> Panty hose as a improvise filter?


I've done that. Works really well actually. Dryer sheets work well too.


----------



## E-Bear (Nov 28, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> A NogaNet PSU trying to keep up with RDR2.
> View attachment 136464


Seen that one on 9gag.


----------



## Chomiq (Dec 1, 2019)

From Wendell's twitter:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1201006135291060225


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 1, 2019)

Chomiq said:


> From Wendell's twitter:
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1201006135291060225
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1201006135291060225


For those that don't have twitter, tekwendall's picture;



That is fixable. I've cleaned worse. Granted, not much worse. Vinegar, a toothbrush, some elbow grease, some time followed by metal polish. He mentioned the rads in the same post, and with an overnight vinegar treatment or two, they should be ok.


----------



## Kissamies (Dec 1, 2019)

Wonder how long those blocks have been gathering crap? Even after an year, I had some slime-like goo on my blocks.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 1, 2019)

Chloe Price said:


> Wonder how long those blocks have been gathering crap? Even after an year, I had some slime-like goo on my blocks.


That block looks like it belongs to a GTX1080(only a guess), so it might have been a few years.


----------



## sam_86314 (Dec 16, 2019)

Decided to finally clean the front intake filter on my media server...






My house may be dusty, but no other computer I own has gotten this bad. The inside wasn't too bad, so I guess the filter is doing its job.






That's better.


----------



## hat (Dec 16, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That block looks like it belongs to a GTX1080(only a guess), so it might have been a few years.


Makes me wonder what my H70 looks like on the inside. It's quite old now and the cooling capacity seems to have dipped significantly recently.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 16, 2019)

hat said:


> Makes me wonder what my H70 looks like on the inside. It's quite old now and the cooling capacity seems to have dipped significantly recently.


I'd open it up and clean it. Can't hurt. If you do, take pictures for us.


----------



## hat (Dec 16, 2019)

That might be pretty hard? It's not like a custom loop, these things weren't made to be opened up like that...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 16, 2019)

hat said:


> That might be pretty hard? It's not like a custom loop, these things weren't made to be opened up like that...


That's a fair point, but I'm sure it can be done. If you're thinking of replacing it, what do you have to lose really?


----------



## hat (Dec 16, 2019)

That's a big can of worms right there. I have a Cryorig cooler sitting in a box that I could use to replace it if I have to... but it's not going to cool as well as the H70 would (or _should_). I'd almost want to replace it with an H80, but then part of me would want to go big with the H150 or something... but then that requires a new case.


----------



## biffzinker (Dec 16, 2019)

hat said:


> It's quite old now and the cooling capacity seems to have dipped significantly recently.


The fluid level has likely dropped as a result of evaporation.


----------



## hat (Dec 16, 2019)

biffzinker said:


> The fluid level has likely dropped as a result of evaporation.


Quite possible as well... there's got to be a way to service this thing?


----------



## Ahhzz (Dec 16, 2019)

hat said:


> Quite possible as well... there's got to be a way to service this thing?


If you find out, let me know . I've had mine for a chunk of time as well, but then it seems to be cooling ok for me....


----------



## hat (Dec 16, 2019)

I've only been able to find limited information. I have no idea how one would drain and re-fill one of these loops. In a custom water setup, there would be a way to do this, but in a closed system? Perhaps if I could remove it from the rest of the system and run the pump with a paperclipped power supply and a molex-3 pin adapter and stick one of the tubes into a cup of distilled water and let it suck on that until it was full... or perhaps I could just pour distilled water in one of the tubes until it was full and re-attach it. No idea how I would undo and redo the tubes, though.

Assuming I figure that out, would it be safe to run some white vinegar through it for a day or so? That should help clear up some corrosion. Not connected to the PC of course, just running vinegar though it to clear it up.


----------



## Mussels (Dec 16, 2019)

i'd love to hear how that goes, as i've got a few older ones and i assume they'll go to crap one day


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 16, 2019)

hat said:


> I've only been able to find limited information. I have no idea how one would drain and re-fill one of these loops. In a custom water setup, there would be a way to do this, but in a closed system? Perhaps if I could remove it from the rest of the system and run the pump with a paperclipped power supply and a molex-3 pin adapter and stick one of the tubes into a cup of distilled water and let it suck on that until it was full... or perhaps I could just pour distilled water in one of the tubes until it was full and re-attach it. No idea how I would undo and redo the tubes, though.
> 
> Assuming I figure that out, would it be safe to run some white vinegar through it for a day or so? That should help clear up some corrosion. Not connected to the PC of course, just running vinegar though it to clear it up.


You'd likely need to buy replacement tubing. Disassembly shouldn't be difficult with the right tools.


----------



## hat (Dec 16, 2019)

From what I was able to gather, it looks like it uses 1/4" ID 3/8" OD tubing. Apparently, fittings for such tubing is very uncommon and hard to find... not that it matters anyway because whatever's currently on there may not be threaded to use such fittings, if at all, being a CLC. I was able to find, however, that one modder apparently just forced the aforementioned 1/4" ID 3/8" OD tubing onto the, erm, barbs, and left it at that... possibly "secured" it with zip ties? If I'm not mistaken, basic barbs and hose clamps used to be the standard before compression fittings.

I must admit, the idea of attempting this little project is growing on me. If all goes well, it beats falling back on a less powerful air cooler, or buying a new cooler and most likely a new case.


----------



## dorsetknob (Dec 16, 2019)

hat said:


> From what I was able to gather, it looks like it uses 1/4" ID 3/8" OD tubing. Apparently, fittings for such tubing is very uncommon and hard to find..





hat said:


> No idea how I would undo and redo the tubes, though.


hacksaw the sucker bro 

Copper Fuel lines for cars/light trucks are about the right size
A Auto Repair shop should have short lengths laying around of a car junk yard
just cut the CLC hose  then insert some copper fuel line after flushing and refilling unit
Secure finished item and make watertight with jubilee clips.

Test and your done


----------



## hat (Dec 16, 2019)

I'm not so sure about patching the hose like that. It would probably be better to get fresh new tubing if I can't figure a way to reuse the existing tubing.


----------



## Grog6 (Dec 16, 2019)

There's a fitting on the Radiator of my DeepCool Capitan 360 radiator; I figured on using it for access if I start to see chunks of crap in the clear tube in the center.
IDK if there's a fitting on the Corsair H100 or not. 
It's still working good at ~6 years old; god knows what the goo inside looks like.

You can clean it out with anything you want, as long as you get it all out before you seal it back up, lol.

I'm thinking mild chlorox, not vinegar, to remove biofilms. 

Circulating flowing water thru it for a while, draining, fill , and repeat a few times should remove all the residue.

Replacing the tubing is a good option, tho; I'd like to lengthen the tubing on mine by a foot at least.


----------



## hat (Dec 16, 2019)

Would Clorox do anything for corrosion though?


----------



## Grog6 (Dec 16, 2019)

It will corrode stuff if you leave it in there; bleach is the same active radical as hydrochloric acid, but more gentle. 

Bleach will remove the corrosion off of copper and aluminum, and it's a biocide.

You *Really* need to make sure you get it all out; but the same can be said for vinegar.

You could use bleach, then rinse with vinegar; that will neutralize everything.

Vinegar is used a lot in coffeemakers, because it's edible, and won't kill you; can't recommend Chlorox for anything drinkable, lol.

Formula 409 is great for cleaning bio-crap as well; Spraying the chassis fans with it and rinsing under hot water doesn't need scrubbing to get all the crap off the fins, and the bearings in fans are sealed if they're still good.

Any remaining acid or base will corrode everything badly; the corrosion inhibitors in the final coolant can deal with some small amount of residue, tho.

BTW; Never put *pure distilled water* in any clean cooling system; water is both an acid and a base, when it's pure. 
There was a horror story on a car blog I used to read, where some of the guys put pure distilled water in a new, clean, Cobra engine, and it blew the hose off in the trailer overnight, by eating aluminum, and making H2 gas. 
That takes a chemically clean aluminum surface, so we'll never see that, but I'll never forget it. 

I use distilled water and Water Wetter, which includes anticorrosives, in my racecar, except in the winter. 
Distilled water cools better than glycol, by a good 20%.

Cleaning the organic goo out of the skived fins on the waterblock is the important part; I've been thinking about it for a while.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 16, 2019)

hat said:


> From what I was able to gather, it looks like it uses 1/4" ID 3/8" OD tubing. Apparently, fittings for such tubing is very uncommon and hard to find... not that it matters anyway because whatever's currently on there may not be threaded to use such fittings, if at all, being a CLC. I was able to find, however, that one modder apparently just forced the aforementioned 1/4" ID 3/8" OD tubing onto the, erm, barbs, and left it at that... possibly "secured" it with zip ties? If I'm not mistaken, basic barbs and hose clamps used to be the standard before compression fittings.
> 
> I must admit, the idea of attempting this little project is growing on me. If all goes well, it beats falling back on a less powerful air cooler, or buying a new cooler and most likely a new case.


We're getting off topic, let's continue this in a new thread here;








						Potential rebuild of a closed loop water cooler
					

In another thread the idea has been posed of rebuilding a retail sealed water cooling loop. See the discussion as it started in the following thread; https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/the-filthy-rotten-nasty-helpdesk-nightmare-picture-clubhouse.145287/post-4171940   From what I was able...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## phill (Dec 17, 2019)

Hi guys    Bit of a background then some pics 

I had been chatting to a friend at work about possible upgrades for their PC, suggested a graphics card and said you might possibly need a new PSU.  They grabbed the card and then found that the current PSU was working ok for the moment with the 'new' card.
A few weeks had gone by and they'd said they'd noticed some noises from the PSU so I suggested the same PSU again and it got ordered in.  I said bring in the tower and I can get the PSU installed and your SSD setup as they'd ordered one of those as well..
Well I was somewhat in shock when they brought in the PSU..  I thought'd it wouldn't quite be like this....

Before....


                 

And here's some after pics....

          

I didn't think I had ever seen such a mess of a rig (and I thought mine was bad but) still, I hope a definite improvement 

The first few pictures, more so with the temp in the bios, I noticed that the CPU cooler had been slightly bent and both fans where stopping from spinning.  So glad I tested it before I took anything out of the case...  I think in the after pics, there's a definite improvement on the temps 
From what I think I'm correct in saying is that the 'screws' that hold the CPU cooler on to the motherboard they have been rounded off and I could not take off the CPU cooler to get some new paste on there so it's still running the same old stuff..  That said, with a near 15C drop in idle temp in the bios, I'm not really so worried.
The GPU was also tested as that was not long installed into the system, but with not voltage tweaking and such on the card running Heaven 4 for about 15 minutes, I couldn't see temps over 75C.  Not bad I didn't think for a stock RX 580 Strix.  It was all stock and automatic when it came to the fan profile.  I was having a slight mess about with undervolting the card but as I was at work, I didn't spend very long doing it sadly.

My first time with the board and CPU combo, Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H and a Intel i5 4690k.  I was able to get a CPU overclock sorted out by setting the vcore to fixed to about 1.15v.  I was able to push the CPU with this voltage up to 4.50Ghz which seemed to work perfectly as you can see from the snipped screen shot in CB 15   I didn't have long with the system, but it seemed to be perfectly stable through CB 15 and 20 and with temps not hitting 60C under load, I'm rather pleased   They had 16Gb of Crucial 1600Mhz DDR3, which was cas 11.  Nothing bad or over the top brilliant, but the capacity was there so that was the main thing as I think the PC before had about 4Gb or possibly 8Gb in..  

We installed Windows 10 on to a new SSD, CrucialBX 480 Gb, seems fairly decent and compared to the 1Tb Seagate SSHD, it's a load faster.

When I got it into work this morning, the person was amazed and very pleased with it   I hope there's a good enough difference and that it passes the TPU test


----------



## rtwjunkie (Dec 17, 2019)

@phill Awesome job cleaning that monster mess up!!!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2019)

That was nasty!


----------



## biffzinker (Dec 17, 2019)

I'm still not convinced that's the same computer. It's way to clean in the after photos.


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 17, 2019)

phill said:


> Hi guys  Bit of a background then some pics
> 
> I had been chatting to a friend at work about possible upgrades for their PC, suggested a graphics card and said you might possibly need a new PSU.  They grabbed the card and then found that the current PSU was working ok for the moment with the 'new' card.
> A few weeks had gone by and they'd said they'd noticed some noises from the PSU so I suggested the same PSU again and it got ordered in.  I said bring in the tower and I can get the PSU installed and your SSD setup as they'd ordered one of those as well..
> ...


looks like not dust but sand


----------



## Lorec (Dec 17, 2019)

Great job @phill 
I mean, do You really need to be an enthusiast to clean up Your PC?  
Its like we are janitors no less   most of times I helped someone with their PC problem was pretty much cleaning it.
we do take care of our rigs, while others just use them.


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 17, 2019)

Just bought used heatsink from local online shop, i know i will clean it, but after i opened the box

Tadaaaaaa... Relic heatsink from 1972


----------



## biffzinker (Dec 17, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> Just bought used heatsink from local online shop, i know i will clean it, but after i opened the box
> 
> Tadaaaaaa... Relic heatsink from 1972
> View attachment 139591


Did dust, and moist air do that?


----------



## Jetster (Dec 17, 2019)

Looks like oxidation, good luck


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2019)

Jetster said:


> Looks like oxidation, good luck


Should be easy to clean up though.


----------



## Chomiq (Dec 17, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> Just bought used heatsink from local online shop, i know i will clean it, but after i opened the box
> 
> Tadaaaaaa... Relic heatsink from 1972
> View attachment 139591


Visit uni and ask them to run it through an ultrasonic cleaner.

As for the previous photos, I hope the OP had Darude Sandstorm playing in the background while cleaning.


----------



## P4-630 (Dec 17, 2019)

Just saw this......:


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 17, 2019)

biffzinker said:


> Did dust, and moist air do that?


The dust is ok, but the lower left 
It looks the previous user keep it somewhere and the water drops on that creating nasty oxidation
For today i just wanna clean it first


----------



## Jetster (Dec 17, 2019)

P4-630 said:


> Just saw this......:
> 
> View attachment 139597


That's how I do it


----------



## phill (Dec 17, 2019)

rtwjunkie said:


> @phill Awesome job cleaning that monster mess up!!!





micropage7 said:


> looks like not dust but sand





Lorec said:


> Great job @phill
> I mean, do You really need to be an enthusiast to clean up Your PC?
> Its like we are janitors no less   most of times I helped someone with their PC problem was pretty much cleaning it.
> we do take care of our rigs, while others just use them.



Thanks for the nice comments guys..  I wasn't sure if anyone would notice the difference to be honest.... 
I do hate hardware abuse   But either way the person is very happy with the outcome and was surprised to say the least when I brought it in   It's surprising how people don't look at things as long as they work and yet us like car mechanics will probably take care of someone else hardware a little better than we might take care of our own... 

Thanks again for the mentions guys  I hope I do know what I'm doing at times 



biffzinker said:


> I'm still not convinced that's the same computer. It's way to clean in the after photos.


I had the exact same spares never used so I did a quick swap    
So sorry, I can't believe I missed your post


----------



## Lorec (Dec 17, 2019)

Chomiq said:


> Visit uni and ask them to run it through an ultrasonic cleaner.
> 
> As for the previous photos, I hope the OP had Darude Sandstorm playing in the background while cleaning.


Ultrasonic cleaner is a great device! I might be getting a consumer version ! 
Not only You can clean Your parts, You can age Your alcohol with it!  check out "the thought emporium" channel on YT.
Its magic.


----------



## Chomiq (Dec 17, 2019)

Lorec said:


> Ultrasonic cleaner is a great device! I might be getting a consumer version !
> Not only You can clean Your parts, You can age Your alcohol with it!  check out "the thought emporium" channel on YT.
> Its magic.


Just make sure you have a dedicated room to put it in, since the noise will drive you crazy.


----------



## Grog6 (Dec 17, 2019)

micropage7 said:


> Just bought used heatsink from local online shop, i know i will clean it, but after i opened the box
> 
> Tadaaaaaa... Relic heatsink from 1972
> View attachment 139591




Dang, that's got to be the worst one I've seen.

6 heatpipes, it's worth recovering.

Most methods of cleaning aluminum require scrubbing the surface; that's just not really possible on a heatsink fin.

The oxidation is a crappy heat conductor, so if you want to use it, you need to remove it...

My recommendation would be aluminum mag cleaner. 

It's mostly Phosphoric acid, with some HF thrown in for good measure; you will need to wear rubber gloves, and not get any of it on your skin.

Hit it, leave it 5 minutes, then rinse with hot water, as hot as you can. 
A pan of boiling water to dip it in will work, just be careful.
Remember the cpu pad will get really warm when you stick the fins in; I've seen people surprised they work both ways, lol.

You will have to hit it several times, most likely.

When it comes clean, rinse it in clean cold water for a while, turning it every way, then spray it down with WD40 or a similar silicone spray, and leave it on paper towels to dry.

The WD will keep it from reoxidizing.

If it won't come clean, look for pipe cleaners that have metal wires in them, sticking out like the cotton threads do.
Those will scrub it clean.  

I hate to tell you this, but that's what Cat Pee does to Aluminum.
It's the ammonia, it makes it corrode.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2019)

P4-630 said:


> Just saw this......:
> 
> View attachment 139597


That is a classic "The Verge" moment.


----------



## R-T-B (Dec 17, 2019)

phill said:


> Hi guys    Bit of a background then some pics
> 
> I had been chatting to a friend at work about possible upgrades for their PC, suggested a graphics card and said you might possibly need a new PSU.  They grabbed the card and then found that the current PSU was working ok for the moment with the 'new' card.
> A few weeks had gone by and they'd said they'd noticed some noises from the PSU so I suggested the same PSU again and it got ordered in.  I said bring in the tower and I can get the PSU installed and your SSD setup as they'd ordered one of those as well..
> ...



Damn, that's a case vaguely similar to mine...

mine if you left it in king tuts tomb for 10,000 years anyhow...

*shivvers*  Seriously, where does this guy live?  A dusty pyramid?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2019)

R-T-B said:


> Damn, that's a case vaguely similar to mine...
> 
> mine if you left it in king tuts tomb for 10,000 years anyhow...
> 
> *shivvers*  Seriously, where does this guy live?  A dusty pyramid?


To me it looks like there was some cigerrette tar mixed in.


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 17, 2019)

I wasn't sure if these belonged in the nostalgic area or here, but anyway, a friend dropped this off wanting me to sell it for her.
On first sight - it has a groovy window side panel - I thought it may be a P4 because of the 478 heatsink, but sadly, it's a Celeron.
Windows XP of course, but it still runs, in spite of the gunk.


----------



## Jetster (Dec 17, 2019)

Back when you tried to fill every bay with something


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I wasn't sure if these belonged in the nostalgic area or here, but anyway, a friend dropped this off wanting me to sell it for her.
> On first sight - it has a groovy window side panel - I thought it may be a P4 because of the 478 heatsink, but sadly, it's a Celeron.
> Windows XP of course, but it still runs, in spite of the gunk.
> View attachment 139637
> ...


Put it in both threads! It's got elements of both. It has some nasty and it's got some nostalgia! It's got potential too!



Jetster said:


> Back when you tried to fill every bay with something


And I nearly did!


----------



## phill (Dec 18, 2019)

R-T-B said:


> Damn, that's a case vaguely similar to mine...
> 
> mine if you left it in king tuts tomb for 10,000 years anyhow...
> 
> *shivvers*  Seriously, where does this guy live?  A dusty pyramid?





lexluthermiester said:


> To me it looks like there was some cigerrette tar mixed in.


I'm unsure where *she *lives but even she was very very impressed with how well it had been returned to what it was  delivered like  I was just glad I could make it better   Hardware abuse can be on many levels.......


----------



## Chomiq (Dec 18, 2019)

phill said:


> I'm unsure where *she *lives but even she was very very impressed with how well it had been returned to what it was  delivered like  I was just glad I could make it better   Hardware abuse can be on many levels.......


Her name... Lara Cruft


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 18, 2019)

Grog6 said:


> Dang, that's got to be the worst one I've seen.
> 
> 6 heatpipes, it's worth recovering.
> 
> ...


Yeah, now i'm trying to soak it in vinegar
Maybe i will leave it for 24 hours to see how far it goes


----------



## Grog6 (Dec 18, 2019)

I would inspect it every ~4-6 hours or so; if it strips the oxide all the way, it will start in on the aluminum metal.

Be careful, that looks like a nice heatsink.


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 18, 2019)

Grog6 said:


> I would inspect it every ~4-6 hours or so; if it strips the oxide all the way, it will start in on the aluminum metal.
> 
> Be careful, that looks like a nice heatsink.


I try mid solution for start, since I don't want ruin the heatsink


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 18, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Put it in both threads! It's got elements of both. It has some nasty and it's got some nostalgia! It's got potential too!
> 
> 
> And I nearly did!


Thanks @lexluthermiester 
You just reminded me that I've still got some P4s in a box somewhere, so I'm going to check compatibility right now.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 18, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> You just reminded me that I've still got some P4s in a box somewhere, so I'm going to check compatibility right now.


Heck yeah! See what you got and give it some upgrade love!


----------



## Grog6 (Dec 18, 2019)

I only have Big ones, lol.

Socket 423, iirc.

At least that mobo isn't rambus!


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 18, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Heck yeah! See what you got and give it some upgrade love!


Done! From a Celeron D to a Pentium 4.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 18, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> Done! From a Celeron D to a Pentium 4.
> View attachment 139806


Yup, that'll beat out any of the Celerons.


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 18, 2019)

I'll clean it up, get some games running and post it in the nostalgia thread.


----------



## potato580+ (Dec 23, 2019)

i never good with this cable management, how unsightly


----------



## hat (Dec 24, 2019)

So, in relation to the very old corsair h70 I mentioned a while back, I got started today. For comparison purposes and to still have a computer while working on the h70, I threw in the Cryorig M9 I had laying around. The M9 is a decent step up from the stock cooler, but it's not going to be _really_ good like a monster Noctua cooler, for instance. It reminds me of the widely recommended AC Freezer 7/64 from back in the day when I got into overclocking.

The titles of the images should be rather self explanatory. The main takeaway here is that the old h70 was only beating the M9 by a whole 6 degrees C in Prime95 (AVX). There will be more to follow when I make further progress. I managed to get some (at least roughly) 1/4" ID hose from one of the head techs at work, so I can use that to replace the tubing, at least.


----------



## hat (Dec 26, 2019)

So, remembering the USB case fan mod, I wired up a universal AC/DC adapter (never used the thing anyway) to a 1 to 2 fan adapter. At first I tried it with +12v only and it didn't work... seems the ground wire is also necessary, who knew? I got a spare 120mm case fan to spin. I patched up the wires with heat shrink tubing so they don't cross or anything (left them bare for the test with the fan) and plugged my h70 into the contraption. I can hear and feel the pump working. This was all done so I could run the pump outside of the case, like in the kitchen or the bathroom or something. Now I can cut the tubing off and cycle white vinegar through it for a while as originally planned. I'm not sure if I want to take the block itself apart... it might be better for cleaning than just cycling vinegar through it for a while, but, well... that might end badly...

Any ideas how long I should cycle vinegar through it? I'm hoping that the action of actually running vinegar through it with the pump will scrub away most of the corrosion and other bad stuff, if there is any. Also, should I use straight distilled water or should I use a water/antifreeze mixture or something?


----------



## basco (Dec 26, 2019)

how much % is your vinegar ?
i use this for cleaning and more with 25% :








						SURIG Essigessenz | Unser Klassiker mit echter Essig-Power
					

Unser Universaltalent für Küche & Haushalt. Egal ob Kochen, Einmachen oder Putzen: mit SURIG Essigessenz geht´s einfach wie nie.




					www.surig.de
				




i put small drop of antifreeze in it - its like little bit of oil for the pump


----------



## HUSKIE (Dec 26, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> Done! From a Celeron D to a Pentium 4.
> View attachment 139806



Oh made in the Philippines. Intel Philippines closed down 10 years ago. Gutted


----------



## Valantar (Dec 26, 2019)

hat said:


> So, remembering the USB case fan mod, I wired up a universal AC/DC adapter (never used the thing anyway) to a 1 to 2 fan adapter. At first I tried it with +12v only and it didn't work... seems the ground wire is also necessary, who knew? I got a spare 120mm case fan to spin. I patched up the wires with heat shrink tubing so they don't cross or anything (left them bare for the test with the fan) and plugged my h70 into the contraption. I can hear and feel the pump working. This was all done so I could run the pump outside of the case, like in the kitchen or the bathroom or something. Now I can cut the tubing off and cycle white vinegar through it for a while as originally planned. I'm not sure if I want to take the block itself apart... it might be better for cleaning than just cycling vinegar through it for a while, but, well... that might end badly...
> 
> Any ideas how long I should cycle vinegar through it? I'm hoping that the action of actually running vinegar through it with the pump will scrub away most of the corrosion and other bad stuff, if there is any. Also, should I use straight distilled water or should I use a water/antifreeze mixture or something?


Vinegar will dissolve corrosion and anything else sensitive to acids just by being there, but might not do anything about organic growth or other contamination. Also, you'll probably want to replace the vinegar multiple times to clear out gunk as it dissolves. If the fluid isn't clear, rinse and repeat. Then fill with distilled water, run for a bit, drain, and repeat until there's no vinegar smell left.  Put some biocide and corrosion inhibitor in there, like a coolant mix from EK or alphacool or someone, both to prevent organic growth and the inevitable corrosion that comes from mixing metals (most AIOs have copper cold plates and aluminium radiators). With not disassembling things there's always the risk of gunk not coming out due to being physically stuck, but I wouldn't worry about that unless it has serious clogging issues.

Oh, and about needing the ground wire, you can't make a circuit with just one wire coming from the power source  Ground in a DC circuit is effectively "power out" to the "power in" of the +nV line.


----------



## hat (Dec 27, 2019)

So, first image is that my freshly cleaned sink looked like after cutting the h70's lines and emptying the contents of the radiator... just by shaking it out. Second and third pics are the project currently in action, cycling distilled white vinegar.

It was a bitch getting the pump to pull the vinegar the first time. I actually already dumped it once because there was some chunks of stuff floating around. I sucked on the other end like a straw and it wasn't even flowing... the vinegar was kinda just moving around a little bit. It took some effort... Now, at least, if I shut the pump off and blow it out, it will pull the vinegar with little help. I'm guessing it should run like this for quite some time, at least 24 hours...? Is there anything else I should run through this?


----------



## Mussels (Dec 27, 2019)

nasty af, totally belongs here


----------



## hat (Dec 27, 2019)

Ah, one more question. The wall wart I wired that up to is 12v 500ma. I'm sure the pump usually runs on 12v, but I'm not sure if 500ma is the usual amperage for it. Should I try giving it more power?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 27, 2019)

hat said:


> Ah, one more question. The wall wart I wired that up to is 12v 500ma. I'm sure the pump usually runs on 12v, but I'm not sure if 500ma is the usual amperage for it. Should I try giving it more power?


That pump needs more than 500ma, that's for sure. My guess is 1.5a minimum.. possibly more.


----------



## hat (Dec 27, 2019)

I believe I have an 1000ma adapter I could bastardize if I have to. Alternatively, I have a float charger for car batteries that's 12v 1500ma that may work. Should I go through the trouble? The vinegar is indeed flowing, but if you guys think it could use more power I'll oblige.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 27, 2019)

hat said:


> I believe I have an 1000ma adapter I could bastardize if I have to. *Alternatively, I have a float charger for car batteries that's 12v 1500ma that may work.* Should I go through the trouble? The vinegar is indeed flowing, but if you guys think it could use more power I'll oblige.


I wouldn't go to that extreme. If it's flowing, let it flow and let the vinegar do it's job.


----------



## hat (Dec 27, 2019)

Seems fair. I thought maybe a stronger flow would help shake some crap loose, but the flowing vinegar should take care of it anyway...


----------



## silkstone (Dec 27, 2019)

hat said:


> So, first image is that my freshly cleaned sink looked like after cutting the h70's lines and emptying the contents of the radiator... just by shaking it out. Second and third pics are the project currently in action, cycling distilled white vinegar.
> 
> It was a bitch getting the pump to pull the vinegar the first time. I actually already dumped it once because there was some chunks of stuff floating around. I sucked on the other end like a straw and it wasn't even flowing... the vinegar was kinda just moving around a little bit. It took some effort... Now, at least, if I shut the pump off and blow it out, it will pull the vinegar with little help. I'm guessing it should run like this for quite some time, at least 24 hours...? Is there anything else I should run through this?



Wow, that is a lot of gunk. My aging CM Seidon has seen it's pump speed decreased by almost 1/2 and I think it could be due to the same reason. I got a replacement air cooler to put in that box, so I may cut mine open too.
How easy was it to secure the new lines and how tight are they? If i do manage to fix mine, I'd like to put it in a different rig and I wouldn't want it squirting fluid over all the internals.


----------



## Mussels (Dec 27, 2019)

This makes me want to move my CPU back to air...
(Which would let my 240mm rad go on the GPU for better perf there, too)


----------



## hat (Dec 27, 2019)

silkstone said:


> Wow, that is a lot of gunk. My aging CM Seidon has seen it's pump speed decreased by almost 1/2 and I think it could be due to the same reason. I got a replacement air cooler to put in that box, so I may cut mine open too.
> How easy was it to secure the new lines and how tight are they? If i do manage to fix mine, I'd like to put it in a different rig and I wouldn't want it squirting fluid over all the internals.



These are not standard water cooling lines. As I mentioned, I got this hose from a high up technician at work. It's roughly 1/4" ID, maybe a little smaller. In the case of the Corsair H70, that's what you want, 1/4" ID lines. Anyway, it was tough to get them on, probably because they're a touch smaller than 1/4". I used a torch (very low flame, as low as it could go without going out) to make the lines a little more malleable as I forced them over the barbs. I would hit the line with the torch first, push it over the barbs as far as I could, then hit the line again for a short time to push it over a little more. With some patience, I got the lines fully over the barbs. Not worried about it leaking... it's real tight.

The way I see it, this old Corsair h70 of mine was dead anyway without some TLC, so I had nothing to lose. If I'm successful in reviving it, I may see lower temps, and gain some experience with water cooling.



Mussels said:


> This makes me want to move my CPU back to air...
> (Which would let my 240mm rad go on the GPU for better perf there, too)



CLC units, like my h70, are closed loops, as the name implies. They are designed to be easy to install/use with no maintenance outside of the usual cleaning the computer of dust every so often... and they're also convenient to get into small spaces where a proper custom water loop wouldn't fit (at least, not easily). The obvious downside is you... can't do the maintenance that a water loop needs. You don't get to drain the loop and replace the coolant every so often. Well, obviously you can if you mutilate the thing like I have, but it's not made to be easy to do so. 

The second downside to CLC units, as far as issues with the loop goes, is you often get a copper block and an aluminum rad. This mixture of metals invites galvanic corrosion, which was likely a contributing factor to all the gunk I found in my h70. They add corrosion inhibitors to the coolant, but that only has a useful life of so long before it no longer works. 

In short, the no maintenance factor is a gift and a curse. Now I have to run vinegar through my poor old h70 for a while to hopefully give it a second lease on life.


----------



## silkstone (Dec 27, 2019)

hat said:


> These are not standard water cooling lines. As I mentioned, I got this hose from a high up technician at work. It's roughly 1/4" ID, maybe a little smaller. In the case of the Corsair H70, that's what you want, 1/4" ID lines. Anyway, it was tough to get them on, probably because they're a touch smaller than 1/4". I used a torch (very low flame, as low as it could go without going out) to make the lines a little more malleable as I forced them over the barbs. I would hit the line with the torch first, push it over the barbs as far as I could, then hit the line again for a short time to push it over a little more. With some patience, I got the lines fully over the barbs. Not worried about it leaking... it's real tight.
> 
> The way I see it, this old Corsair h70 of mine was dead anyway without some TLC, so I had nothing to lose. If I'm successful in reviving it, I may see lower temps, and gain some experience with water cooling.
> 
> ...



Hmm. Mine comes with a drain/fill cap, but without being able to actually unhook one of the lines, I'm not sure how I'd go about flushing the system.


----------



## hat (Dec 27, 2019)

If I were you I would open up that cap and let the system drain as much as it can that way, then fill it with vinegar (apple cider vinegar apparently is stronger than white vinegar) and let it cycle that for a while, changing it every so often. It would still probably be better to unhook the lines anyway...

I wish I'd thought of this sooner, but it would have been nice if I zip-tied a coffee filter or something to the line which the vinegar is flowing out from. That would help keep any chunks of crud contained rather than just dumping it in my, erm, reservoir only to potentially be picked up by the line the system is pulling from...

Well, I've reinstalled it. Sadly, temps right now are worse than they were before I took it apart, but still better than the Cryorig M9. There's a lot of air bubbles in the loop right now though that need to work themselves out. Additionally, the pump now makes a grindy sound. It's not very loud, but it's there. I noticed this while I had it running outside of the PC, actually. It didn't do it while I was running vinegar through it, but it does with straight distilled water. Also, even after cycling vinegar for about a whole day, I noticed some flaky stuff in the water after I put the lines back together, sealing the loop normally. I would imagine it came loose when I was shaking the rad a little bit, trying to encourage flow to the pump. It seems 24 hours wasn't quite enough time.

One more piece of info: the pump seems to be running faster. I never mentioned this data before, but before I opened it up, it seemed to want to run around 1300 RPM, about the same speed as my Noctua fan. Now it likes to hang around 1450. Maybe because the cooler is less gunky, or maybe it's because the straight distilled water is thinner than the original coolant. Maybe water is thinner than vinegar too... maybe that's why the pump is noisy now, and it wasn't with the original coolant, or the vinegar. /shrug

I'm also worried it could not be filled as much as it should be... but all I can really do is run the pump, disconnect the dummy line I had on there for cycling the vinegar and connect the usual line for cycling the coolant once it's sealed back up. Maybe I need a T valve or something in the line that I can open up while the pump is running, and close once it's full...

Anyway, here's an image of the system currently, featuring the new tubing:


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 30, 2019)

Just bought 8800gt from local online shop and as i expected, need cleaning
The thermal paste has dried long time ago and i use cajuput oil to melt it, no need expensive tools. Just cajuput oil and tissue


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 4, 2020)

Hahaaa... Got another one bites the dust?


----------



## arbiter (Jan 4, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hahaaa... Got another one bites the dust?


Yea this one reminds of computer got when was in tech school. So MUCH dust clogged up the psu, the capacitors MELTED and fused together with each other.

Another instance did something to fix a friends computer even the most minor of cpu task's would send the cpu fan in to "jet engine mode". Pulled the fan headsink and it was caked with dust and even Burn marks where it was touching the heatsink.


----------



## silkstone (Jan 4, 2020)

Tempered glass side panel literally exploded in my hands. Scared the shit out of me.


----------



## Tomgang (Jan 4, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hahaaa... Got another one bites the dust?
> View attachment 141212


 OMG. That poor thing. Hope you clean it up good and give it more love than the previous owner sure as hell dit not give it.
Man that is nasty. All that dust


----------



## Valantar (Jan 4, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hahaaa... Got another one bites the dust?
> View attachment 141212


Hmm, IDE drives but PCIe also - about 2005-2007? That's long enough to build up a solid layer of dust, yeah


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 4, 2020)

Valantar said:


> Hmm, IDE drives but PCIe also - about 2005-2007? That's long enough to build up a solid layer of dust, yeah


That motherboard is before PCIe existed.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 4, 2020)

Yup i see 
AGP ( looks to be AGP 2 )
PCI


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 4, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hahaaa... Got another one bites the dust?
> View attachment 141212


Good grief! That is horrible!


----------



## Valantar (Jan 4, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> That motherboard is before PCIe existed.


Apparently I didn't look closely enough and didn't spot that it was AGP


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 4, 2020)

Valantar said:


> Hmm, IDE drives but PCIe also - about 2005-2007? That's long enough to build up a solid layer of dust, yeah


Like in here many offices still run old hardwares, as long it works there's no need to check it then you will find cloud of dust inside


----------



## Mussels (Jan 5, 2020)

what caused the TG to break? damaged previously, heat etc?


----------



## silkstone (Jan 5, 2020)

Mussels said:


> what caused the TG to break? damaged previously, heat etc?



I honestly am unsure. The glass is held in by rubber gaskets so it can't be over tightened. I'd just removed it and was holding it in my hands, I was about to place it down when it suddenly exploded in my hands.
I suspect it was due to my tile floor. On previous occasions, I'd placed it on the tile floor (carfully), and I suspect repeated, light taps, against the floor may have created micro fractures.
If dealing with tempered glass again, I'd definitely only place it down on a towel or some other cushioning.
The shop was understanding, I've seen on their facebook page that they'd had multiple tempered glass desks randomly explode, but there is no warranty for the glass. They made me up a regular glass replacement that I will collect today.
I think I'd rather acrylic, but regular glass should be fine so long as I am careful around it. My case is elevated off the side of the desk as well so there shouldn't be too much risk of future impacts, but I may move it further out of the way just as a precaution.


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 5, 2020)

I had a glass table top computer desk once. Any guesses what happened to the tempered glass? The CRT monitor, and printer didn't handle the sudden drop so well.


----------



## hat (Jan 5, 2020)

Imagine being a rage gamer with a glass desk... o_0


----------



## R-T-B (Jan 5, 2020)

It happens.  Ask my old LG monitor about what happened to it's face...  glad it wasn't glass:









						R-T-B
					






					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 5, 2020)

R-T-B said:


> glad it wasn't glass:


But there was glass involved, otherwise it wouldn't of broke.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 5, 2020)

Actually this is normal for old hardware, just thin layer of dust but need to get cleaned
Just need paint brush, warm water and some soap for the heatsink and it will be pretty good to go


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 5, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Actually this is normal for old hardware, just thin layer of dust but need to get cleaned
> Just need paint brush, warm water and some soap for the heatsink and it will be pretty good to go
> 
> View attachment 141341


What? Your not going to give it a deep clean like @Robert B does?


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 5, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> What? Your not going to give it a deep clean like @Robert B does?


Hahaa not like that, Just removing the dirt, some dust and repaste it. But im lazy taking some pics. since i have a plan to run it but for now it back to the box


----------



## R-T-B (Jan 6, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> But there was glass involved, otherwise it wouldn't of broke.



More like plastic film on most tft panels.


----------



## Valantar (Jan 6, 2020)

R-T-B said:


> More like plastic film on most tft panels.


But a glass substrate, as with nearly all LCDs. That's why they form such interesting patterns when they break.


----------



## E-Bear (Jan 6, 2020)

phill said:


> Hi guys    Bit of a background then some pics
> 
> I had been chatting to a friend at work about possible upgrades for their PC, suggested a graphics card and said you might possibly need a new PSU.  They grabbed the card and then found that the current PSU was working ok for the moment with the 'new' card.
> A few weeks had gone by and they'd said they'd noticed some noises from the PSU so I suggested the same PSU again and it got ordered in.  I said bring in the tower and I can get the PSU installed and your SSD setup as they'd ordered one of those as well..
> ...


When i get customers who bring me this stuff but refuses to expense for the compressed air cans I just use the garden hose or the bath tub .   Make it dry with a fan at full speed for 24 to 36 hours andf there it is .



Jetster said:


> Back when you tried to fill every bay with something



Reminds me of an old porn movier with lot of hairs and filthy gunk.


----------



## R-T-B (Jan 6, 2020)

Valantar said:


> But a glass substrate, as with nearly all LCDs. That's why they form such interesting patterns when they break.



I suppose that makes sense.  Must be incredibly thin though given the behavior.


----------



## Valantar (Jan 6, 2020)

R-T-B said:


> I suppose that makes sense.  Must be incredibly thin though given the behavior.


Yeah, given that it's only there for the liquid crystals to... adhere to? Sit on? Something, I guess they would want it as thin as possible. (Glass substrates (or rather not using them) were also the first major hurdle to flexible displays IIRC.)


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 8, 2020)

Hard to understand how come someone typing using that keyboard from monday to friday


----------



## E-Bear (Jan 8, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hard to understand how come someone typing using that keyboard from monday to friday
> View attachment 141641


It's like my old car...it won't scratch the paint if it's covered in layers of dirt and dust.


----------



## lZKoce (Jan 8, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hard to understand how come someone typing using that keyboard from monday to friday



Doesn't look that bad to me


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 9, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hard to understand how come someone typing using that keyboard from monday to friday
> View attachment 141641


I've seen much, *much *worse!


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 9, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hard to understand how come someone typing using that keyboard from monday to friday
> View attachment 141641


 That aint nuffin actually that quite clean compared to some I've seen


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 9, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hard to understand how come someone typing using that keyboard from monday to friday
> View attachment 141641


That's mild dust build up. You should see the keyboards where I work, they'll leave you.  

I always wipe, and sanitize before I touch one.


----------



## Chomiq (Jan 10, 2020)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1215341064401252352
RIP


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 10, 2020)

Chomiq said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1215341064401252352
> RIP


I wonder how many times that has happened since the move back to solder?


----------



## phill (Jan 10, 2020)

Chomiq said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1215341064401252352
> RIP


Ouch...  Did they use the wrong glue?? ....


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 11, 2020)

phill said:


> Ouch...  Did they use the wrong glue?? ....


That's exactly what I was thinking.


----------



## HUSKIE (Jan 11, 2020)

Limited edition


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 11, 2020)

phill said:


> Ouch...  Did they use the wrong glue?? ....


Someone in a Twitter reply suggested applying heat to soften the Indium solder before removing the heatspreader.


----------



## phill (Jan 11, 2020)

What are people or Intel doing??  Are they trying to break stuff so they have to re-buy it??  I suppose that's one way of bulking up your sales figures......


----------



## Valantar (Jan 11, 2020)

phill said:


> What are people or Intel doing??  Are they trying to break stuff so they have to re-buy it??  I suppose that's one way of bulking up your sales figures......


If you're delidding a soldered CPU you're either
a) well aware of the risks and entirely willing to re-buy if you mess up,
b) ill informed and working on the assumption that nothing has changed in Intel CPUs since the 8000-series, or
c) a complete nitwit who doesn't understand that solder joints are quite strong and who shouldn't be delidding in the first place.

I'd say either way this is purely PEBKAC. Intel is definitely not at fault - they have a long history of being at fault for various things, but going back to soldered IHSes on high-end CPUs is one of their better moves in recent history.


----------



## phill (Jan 11, 2020)

Valantar said:


> If you're delidding a soldered CPU you're either
> a) well aware of the risks and entirely willing to re-buy if you mess up,
> b) ill informed and working on the assumption that nothing has changed in Intel CPUs since the 8000-series, or
> b) a complete nitwit who doesn't understand that solder joints are quite strong and who shouldn't be delidding in the first place.
> ...


Maybe he was an option C.....


----------



## Jetster (Jan 17, 2020)

My back up to my server

Edit: Figures, now it wont boot. Well it was shutitng down for no reason before I cleaned it.


----------



## Valantar (Jan 17, 2020)

Jetster said:


> My back up to my server
> 
> Edit: Figures, now it wont boot. Well it was shutitng down for no reason before I cleaned it.


Does that dust pattern on the side of the drive say "Synology"?


----------



## Jetster (Jan 17, 2020)

Valantar said:


> Does that dust pattern on the side of the drive say "Synology"?


Yes,   Kinda cool ... 2 and a half years old. Its toast. Good thing its a back up
My back up power just went too, already replaced the batteries so It's fixed

EDIT again:  Ok well its alive again. Weird


----------



## phill (Jan 17, 2020)

Valantar said:


> Does that dust pattern on the side of the drive say "Synology"?


That's just pretty!!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 17, 2020)

Jetster said:


> Yes, Kinda cool ... 2 and a half years old. Its toast. Good thing its a back up
> My back up power just went too, already replaced the batteries so It's fixed


That's a lot of what looks like "pet dander".


Jetster said:


> EDIT again: Ok well its alive again. Weird


That's good.


----------



## Jetster (Jan 17, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a lot of what looks like "pet dander".


The cats like laying around the hardware. Its warm


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 17, 2020)

Jetster said:


> The cats like laying around the hardware. Its warm


Kinda figured. I clean out the hardware in my home every month or couple of months for that very reason.


----------



## Chomiq (Jan 20, 2020)

Jetster said:


> The cats like laying around the hardware. Its warm


The only hardware my dog likes to lay next to is the fridge, it's cold and it has food in it


----------



## silentbogo (Feb 4, 2020)

BUMP!
I've been busy lately, haven't posted anything here in awhile...
Here's some post-NY cringe-repairs:
1) "I've been cleaning my laptop and the fan isn't spinning anymore... I think I've damaged a wire or sumptin'..."

2) Got a laptop from our new head-economist. She wanted to pass it onto her younger daughter for homework, but it had few "issues". Come to find out the issue was cat pee, and excessive uncleaned flux from previous re-cap job. USB and eSATA ports were corroded to the point of being unusable, LEDs and TP buttons didn't work cause resistors got peed on... etc.etc.etc.


3) Chromebook Pixel 2013. The owner tried to convince me that he bought it brand new (which would've been even more idiotic than buying it used for $400-500) and it was never-ever repaired...
Laptop was dead (it was actually Google's fault, not that mess on the flip side), but that poor-poor charger: in addition to being totally f#$%ed up, it's also missing an ID resistor, which I have no idea what it was or could be)...


----------



## Grog6 (Mar 19, 2020)

I got this for free:





It's an IBM  Model 55, a 286 based IBM PC.

I cant build a config/boot disk for it, as none of my running PC's have a drive that small, and a 1.44 Disk won't work, lol.

It's one of those with the system configuration on the Hard Disk.  
That was a great idea, lol.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 19, 2020)

Ah, this thread always delivers the laughs. Good lord. To the folks here who have to clean out these monstrosities, I salute you


----------



## Athlonite (Mar 20, 2020)

@Grog6 what in tarnations was that being used for in this day and age


----------



## Frick (Mar 20, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> Hard to understand how come someone typing using that keyboard from monday to friday
> View attachment 141641



I was at MS tech support for a few months and basically hopped between desks. One day I came to a guys desk and the entire keyboard felt weird and the buttons sort of stuck to the bottoms. I turned it upside down and tons and tones of white stuff came out. I asked for a new keyboard, and mouse. I have no idea what the white stuff was, but the keyboard was full of it.


----------



## R-T-B (Mar 20, 2020)

Frick said:


> I was at MS tech support for a few months and basically hopped between desks. One day I came to a guys desk and the entire keyboard felt weird and the buttons sort of stuck to the bottoms. I turned it upside down and tons and tones of white stuff came out. I asked for a new keyboard, and mouse. I have no idea what the white stuff was, but the keyboard was full of it.



Depends?  Was it at MS headquarters?  Then it was probably cocaine.

Anywhere else I bet hair dander.


----------



## m4gicfour (Mar 20, 2020)

R-T-B said:


> Depends?  Was it at MS headquarters?  Then it was probably cocaine.
> 
> Anywhere else I bet hair dander.


OH shit, somebody got into Ballmer's private stash? 

Better hope they didn't get caught


----------



## Frick (Mar 20, 2020)

R-T-B said:


> Was it at MS headquarters?



Callcenter, located by the frozen coast wastes in northern Sweden. So yeah, hair stuff. Some keys almost made "schlopp" noises.


----------



## Grog6 (Mar 20, 2020)

Athlonite said:


> @Grog6 what in tarnations was that being used for in this day and age



It had an Ortec Multichannel Analyzer in it that had been taking data since the early 90's.
It's so old, I can't get a manual for it.
It was taking data on O18 water coming out of a Cyclotron. 

I also got a model M keyboard, and a Green monochrome monitor too, lol.

It was so dirty that it created a large cloud when I blew it out with my compressor. (outside, of course)


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 20, 2020)

Grog6 said:


> I also got a model M keyboard, and a Green monochrome monitor too, lol.


Always wanted to get one of those. Back in high school days I used to go an hang out with my friends in college computer lab. We used to run Quake tournaments every Saturday, and as the youngest out of bunch I was confined to a ghetto-rigged, but quite decent, AMD K6 PC with a beat-up spare monochrome(green) monitor.


----------



## Grog6 (Mar 20, 2020)

I finally threw away my old NEC 600x800 flat screen trinitron; that monitor had the best picture, but it was huge for the 15" screen size, and not very gameable. 

I bought it surplus in 1994, and used it until I got a 21" G550 in 03 or so.

I now have LCD monitors on my desk, but the second computer has the two G550's on it; they pretty much fill the desk, lol.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 20, 2020)

R-T-B said:


> Depends?  Was it at MS headquarters?  Then it was probably cocaine.
> 
> Anywhere else I bet* hair dander.*



If that's the case, then somebody needs dandruff shampoo BADLY.  Walking snowglobe, anyone?


----------



## R-T-B (Mar 21, 2020)

Gmr_Chick said:


> If that's the case, then somebody needs dandruff shampoo BADLY.  Walking snowglobe, anyone?



As someone who suffers from bad hair dander issues due to genetics, it's just bad hygiene to leave it in the keyboard.  I may make the snow on occasion, but I clean my keyboard weekly, and you'll never find any in it.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 21, 2020)

^ That's why I fell in love with mechanical keyboards after getting my Corsair K68. I'd never had one before I'd bought it, and the difference was night and day. For some reason I found it to be amazing that you could actually pop the keys off and really get all the crumbs and other gunk underneath, lol. I clean my board about every two weeks or so (dusting, cleaning the keys in a mild soap bath, etc.)


----------



## Mussels (Mar 21, 2020)

cleaned mine out this morning, found a moth living in the space bar

*shrug* seen weirder


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 21, 2020)

Mussels said:


> cleaned mine out this morning, found a moth living in the space bar
> 
> *shrug* seen weirder


Lol. The first thing that popped up in that crazy brain of mine is the episode of Tom and Jerry "Solid serenade"


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 21, 2020)

R-T-B said:


> Anywhere else I bet hair dander.


Eww.. but still funny!



Mussels said:


> cleaned mine out this morning, found a moth living in the space bar
> 
> *shrug* seen weirder


I found a spider in my KB once. Big one too! Not sure how it got in there either.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 22, 2020)

^ Terrified of spiders. I hope you squashed it?


----------



## E-Bear (Mar 22, 2020)

Gmr_Chick said:


> ^ Terrified of spiders. I hope you squashed it?


As we say in my place "Small insects don't eat cows"


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2020)

Gmr_Chick said:


> ^ Terrified of spiders. I hope you squashed it?


It was dead and dried out. Had been there for a while.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 23, 2020)

^ Oh good, lol. Just hope it didn't leave any "surprises" elsewhere. 

I think I just creeped myself out


----------



## biffzinker (Mar 23, 2020)

Gmr_Chick said:


> Just hope it didn't leave any "surprises" elsewhere.


My car's fuel door flap on the inside had one at the end of fall. Small white, and fuzzy spot.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 23, 2020)

Oh jeez!  Reminds of this story I read sometime ago about the little f^%kers and car exhausts. They be acting like they pay rent LOL


----------



## hat (Mar 23, 2020)

Car exhausts? Nothing should really be able to survive in there for very long...


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 23, 2020)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...attracted-gasoline-weaving-havoc-exhaust.html


----------



## hat (Mar 23, 2020)

Seems... unlikely. Car exhaust gets hot... really hot, like hundreds of degrees, possibly more than a thousand. Probably less in the tailpipe, but I would still expect it to be hot enough to burn any debris... nevermind the force of the air moving though it.


----------



## E-Bear (Mar 23, 2020)

Nothing seafoam can't solve I guess.  Never used the product but with all smoke it makes I'm sure anything in the exhaust pipe won't stay long.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 24, 2020)

Here's one of my late quarantine-induced unusual repairs.
It's filthy not because of the condition of the device, but filthy due to being a total rip-off.
One of my buddies arrived a few days ago. His  off-brand heated grips gave out after an accidental tear in wiring. The replacement costs around $70-80 in Ukraine. Basically, grips have some wound nichrome wire, and the controller dies at the first sign of short-circuit if something happens to the wiring, or you get moisture inside.
At first I thought the whole thing was sealed with hot snot or epoxy, but come to find out - this crap is just a foam pad with polyethylene layer that's present just to make it look moisture-tight. In reality - it leaks shit all over on its own. Internal schematic is laughably simple, cause it's basically a 555 generator with adjustable duty cycle. When I just started with electronics, that was one of the first circuits I've made: speed controller for my friend's tattoo machine (took around 10-15 minutes, including slicing up a plastic enclosure).


Took all of 10 minutes to fix the controller, and another 10-15 to re-attach wiring in one of his grips, but we've managed to fix it just in time for the FIRST REAL F#$%G SNOW this year.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 24, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> but we've managed to fix it just in time for the FIRST REAL F#$%G SNOW this year.


Really? We had 3 feet of snow in our front yard for most of this winter and you're just now getting snow?


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 24, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Really? We had 3 feet of snow in our front yard for most of this winter and you're just now getting snow?


Yep. This is the first real snow in my area in 2020. This is the weirdest winter in my life. We had a "technically" first snow in of October 2019, when it was still +14C outside, then we had a wet slush on Dec. 23rd, when I was coming back drunk AF from a corporate retreat (turned to ice the next day and then disappeared), and after 3 months this is pretty much the first real one (all gone by now as well).


----------



## Valantar (Mar 24, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Really? We had 3 feet of snow in our front yard for most of this winter and you're just now getting snow?





silentbogo said:


> Yep. This is the first real snow in my area in 2020. This is the weirdest winter in my life. We had a "technically" first snow in of October 2019, when it was still +14C outside, then we had a wet slush on Dec. 23rd, when I was coming back drunk AF from a corporate retreat (turned to ice the next day and then disappeared), and after 3 months this is pretty much the first real one (all gone by now as well).


Pretty much the same in Norway - we didn't have any real snowfall where I live until well into January (January 1st was more than 15 degrees C warmer than the historical median temperature for January in my region!), in a region that typically has the first snow in late October or early November with steady temperatures below freezing from December onwards. Those January snowfalls were also abnormally heavy, yet melted away in a few days thanks to temperatures swinging back up. It wasn't until late February that we had the first proper cold spell with a short period of -10 to -15 degrees and a decent amount of snow that actually stayed. Warmest winter on record by quite a bit. Think that applies to most of Western+Central Europe.


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 24, 2020)

From instagram
Poor pc


----------



## Valantar (Mar 24, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> From instagram
> Poor pc
> View attachment 149098


That looks like the classic nicotine-tar-dust cocktail. Yummy. Also rather impressive how it's stuck to _everything_ including the PCIe slot covers. Massive positive pressure and no dust filters?


----------



## Prince Valiant (Mar 24, 2020)

E-Bear said:


> As we say in my place "Small insects don't eat cows"


There are a few spiders with venom that's dangerous to humans. I live in the range of the brown recluse. I kill spiders on sight because I don't want to risk being bitten or having an infestation occur.



micropage7 said:


> From instagram
> Poor pc
> View attachment 149098


"It was working fine then it stopped booting." I'm lazy about cleaning my computers but I never let them get half as bad as that.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 24, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> From instagram
> Poor pc
> View attachment 149098


I've seen worse, but still, DAMN!



Valantar said:


> That looks like the classic nicotine-tar-dust cocktail. Yummy.


That's what I was thinking.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 24, 2020)

Valantar said:


> That looks like the classic nicotine-tar-dust cocktail.


Or garage.


----------



## E-Bear (Mar 24, 2020)

Prince Valiant said:


> There are a few spiders with venom that's dangerous to humans. I live in the range of the brown recluse. I kill spiders on sight because I don't want to risk being bitten or having an infestation occur.
> 
> 
> "It was working fine then it stopped booting." I'm lazy about cleaning my computers but I never let them get half as bad as that.



"Range of brown recluse." Sounds like a polite name for a shit hole.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 24, 2020)

E-Bear said:


> "Range of brown recluse." Sounds like a polite name for a shit hole.


That's more or less what happens to the area of the bite. The flesh dies and begins to decompose inside the skin. Very nasty.


----------



## E-Bear (Mar 24, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's more or less what happens to the area of the bite. The flesh dies and begins to decompose inside the skin. Very nasty.


Man I live in Quebec so where is brown recluse living ? If its a type of spider


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 24, 2020)

E-Bear said:


> Man I live in Quebec so where is brown recluse living ? If its a type of spider


It is, and it's too cold where you are. Those spiders live in warmer regions.


----------



## Valantar (Mar 24, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> Or garage.


If so a very oily/smoky/dirty garage. That dust isn't just brown, it's also clearly very sticky and lumps together unevenly, which in my experience is a tell-tale sign of a smoker's PC.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 24, 2020)

Valantar said:


> If so a very oily/smoky/dirty garage. That dust isn't just brown, it's also clearly very sticky and lumps together unevenly, which in my experience is a tell-tale sign of a smoker's PC.


This. I've seen more than enough PC's from smokers to know that look of clumping dust, ash and tar. Nasty stuff that. Takes deep cleaning to get it all off.


----------



## Valantar (Mar 24, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> This. I've seen more than enough PC's from smokers to know that look of clumping dust, ash and tar. Nasty stuff that. Take deep cleaning to get it all off.


Yeah, that stuff is utterly disgusting. I have a particular morbid fascination for when it starts to ... crystallize or whatever it can be called, going hard and brittle why somehow still being sticky and fluffy. I bet a chemist or materials scientist would have some fun looking into what is going on with that stuff.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 24, 2020)

Jesus, that PC was just NASTY. I can almost smell it from here...


----------



## E-Bear (Mar 26, 2020)

Valantar said:


> If so a very oily/smoky/dirty garage. That dust isn't just brown, it's also clearly very sticky and lumps together unevenly, which in my experience is a tell-tale sign of a smoker's PC.


....or they just fix Dodge trucks


----------



## Grog6 (Mar 28, 2020)

Formula 409 works great on that stuff; spray it wet, leave it for a few, OUTSIDE, then spray it off with a hose.

Repeat until clean.

Than blow it off with a compressor, until dry, and leave in the sun for a couple of hours.

I do that before I touch one, unless it's something special.

I yanked the Ortec card out of the IBM PC before I sprayed it; that's a damn nice card, even if ISA.
I know the guy that designed it, and the PCA1,2, and 3. 
All from the 80's; if you're not in the nuclear business, you've never heard of those.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 28, 2020)

Grog6 said:


> Formula 409 works great on that stuff; spray it wet, leave it for a few, OUTSIDE, then spray it off with a hose.


This is true. The 409 method works well.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 28, 2020)

Just curious, so a question for those here who are in the PC repair business -- what was THE most disgusting, filthy, rotten, how-the-hell-is-it-still-working clean/repair job you've EVER done? Like, which one truly took the cake in all the time you've been in the profession?


----------



## Regeneration (Mar 28, 2020)

Gmr_Chick said:


> Just curious, so a question for those here who are in the PC repair business -- what was THE most disgusting, filthy, rotten, how-the-hell-is-it-still-working clean/repair job you've EVER done? Like, which one truly took the cake in all the time you've been in the profession?



I don't work with individuals… but do help family and friends time-to-time.

One time a close friend asked for my help fixing her PC. That friend is living in a small apartment with 2 dogs and 2 cats.

There was basically everything you can think of, inside the case: dirt, concrete, pets’ hair, female hair, even spiders.

I used a hair dryer to clean it up… there was a cloud of dust around me.

Motherboard, RAM sticks, everything was covered by white concrete.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 28, 2020)

Gmr_Chick said:


> Just curious, so a question for those here who are in the PC repair business -- what was THE most disgusting, filthy, rotten, how-the-hell-is-it-still-working clean/repair job you've EVER done? Like, which one truly took the cake in all the time you've been in the profession?



2 cats and 15 years of chain smoking (the PC was on XP, it was old)

the tar was thick and sticky, nothing would clean it off. every single fan had seized... they thought the PC was fine because 'all the bad noises stopped on their own'


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Mar 28, 2020)

Regeneration said:


> I don't work with individuals… but do help family and friends time-to-time.
> 
> One time a close friend asked for my help fixing her PC. That friend is living in a small apartment with 2 dogs and 2 cats.
> 
> ...



How the hell did concrete get in there?   

Eek, spiders!  



Mussels said:


> 2 cats and 15 years of chain smoking (the PC was on XP, it was old)
> 
> the tar was thick and sticky, nothing would clean it off. every single fan had seized...* they thought the PC was fine because 'all the bad noises stopped on their own'*



LMAO! Gee, I wonder why the bad noises stopped on their own?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 28, 2020)

Gmr_Chick said:


> Just curious, so a question for those here who are in the PC repair business -- what was THE most disgusting, filthy, rotten, how-the-hell-is-it-still-working clean/repair job you've EVER done? Like, which one truly took the cake in all the time you've been in the profession?


This thread is full of examples of the types of nasties I and many others have crossed paths with. It should satisfy your inquiry.


----------



## Regeneration (Mar 28, 2020)

Gmr_Chick said:


> How the hell did concrete get in there?
> Eek, spiders!
> 
> LMAO! Gee, I wonder why the bad noises stopped on their own?



Apparently, the neighbors upstairs were building another room.

It is a regular PC case without a side window or front grill.

Cleaning that PC felt like the car wash scene in Pulp Fiction.

1st layer = Spiders and web

2nd layer = Lots, and lots of hair

3rd layer = White concrete

"Did you find out what's wrong with my PC???"
"Yes, there was a zoo and a construction site inside"


----------



## silentbogo (Apr 6, 2020)

Quarantine is in full intensity, but the nasty work hasn't stopped...
This is my collection from this week. Nothing dirty, no dead bugs, but the content may not be appropriate for the faint-heated PC enthusiasts   

1) Got a laptop from a friend of mine. I can describe him with one word, and that word is definitely "stupid".
Him: "My neighbor's laptop is broken... one speaker gave out. I tried to take a look and now both speakers are not working and mic has no sound..."
Here's what the broken speaker sounds like








And the second one along with mic did not work cause he mixed up sockets that were clearly marked SPK_R and MIC.

2) A little consequence of quarantine. Came in mail last week from a co-worker. One of our engineers from my second work decided to get a humidifier to soften his in-home isolation. He put it on the desk right next to his Thinkpad and decided to add some sea salt to create at least an illusion of a vacation. The result is visible after just one week (that's after IPA bath)


Lappy stopped booting. I forgot to snap the insides of his laptop, which looked like a fairy tale crystal forest. 
Lots of precious IPA, lots of scrubbing, and now it's back in service. Also got a nice RAM/SSD upgrade at the end.

3) Got an X99 board (another mail-in) which suddenly "stopped working". 
Me: "did you do anything out of ordinary with your PC, or did you take out the board at any point"
Customer: "No"
Me: "Was it used, or did you buy it new"
Customer: "New"

To my surprise a chipset heatsink fell off right away after undoing all 4 screws... That was a bad sign... 
After further investigation I found out that for some reason he tried to change TIM on this chipset after NVME drive started to act up. NVME slot was damaged on its own, but worst of all was this:


4) One of my friends is a local ISP. He is experiencing an overload on his network, which is mostly bottlenecked by his servers and switches. 
We've maxed out his main server, and decided to add another SFP switch. He found his spare Dell PowerConnect 6024F, which from his words had one non-working PSU and a jammed fan. 
He said he dropped it once off the rack. Just once. 
Here's the fan:

Frame is bent and jammed one of the wires, sometimes it gets stuck inside too and starts screaming for help )))
PSU issue was pretty similar, so I managed to fix it in approximately 30min. Didn't bother to straighten SFP ports, cause from his words "they work just fine as is"


----------



## silentbogo (Apr 24, 2020)

Ok, you lazy couch potatoes. Got a few more for you.

1) Received a completely totalled laptop for repair. One of the major complaints is that "WiFi is bad, dunno why". I was surprised to see only one antenna on a 2x2 adapter, but further disassembly revealed wur the internetz gone.


2) Older lady asked to fix her cheap HP laptop. It was in a repair shop once with a broken USB port and sporradic black screens, and from her words "we broke USB, but they couldn't fix it. They said laptop occasionally won't start cause of BIOS". It worked, if you can call it that, for about 4 months until going dead-dead.
Looking a bit closer revealed that they did indeed smear a shitton of flux near flash IC, but it was never de-soldered. Instead of simply replacing one broken port they cut pins that were supposedly shorting +5VUSB to ground.... Supposedly, cause they were all WRONG[!!!] pins   
It would've made more sense to just disconnect the daughterboard, but that's what you get when you have rat droppings for brains. BTW, a replacement board costs $2.00

3) That's the weirdest order as of late. Got a relatively expensive professional trimmer from a local barber girl. It has a 3.6V charger(3xLiFePo 14500 cells), but was accidentally plugged into 230VAC from her other trimmer. It wasn't her fault, cause manufacturer of the exploded device used the exact same socket as typically used for 2-pin AC. 
What's weird, is that there are no fuses or dedicated charger circuitry. There's only one P-channel mosfet that turns charging on and off, but due to a fatal flaw in design it's actually always on. While these weirdos skimped on important stuff, they spared no expense on Atmel microcontroller just to control LEDs and turn motor on and off through a ridiculously overcomplicated chain of mosfets and transistors. 

The device was beyond saving, since MCU was fried as well, but I applied some creative thinking to convert it into a "dumb" trimmer with few cuts and a couple of jumpers, but now with polyfuses instead of inappropriate array of shunts, and proper protection.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 24, 2020)

Messy, but not unfixable!


----------



## Mussels (Apr 25, 2020)

Gave my dad my old 4770k system a few years ago, it came back for maintenance - CPU fan was loud


----------



## biffzinker (Apr 25, 2020)

Mussels said:


> Gave my dad my old 4770k system a few years ago, it came back for maintenance - CPU fan was loud


I've seen worse for the radiator? It's _not_ the end of world?


----------



## Mussels (Apr 25, 2020)

yeah, but thats AFTER he used compressed air and a vac

yes i've seen worse as well, but not on 4.5Ghz OC'd systems


----------



## Chrispy_ (Apr 25, 2020)

Mussels said:


> Gave my dad my old 4770k system a few years ago, it came back for maintenance - CPU fan was loud


Aha - I see the problem; The 240mm radiator shrank in the washing machine, and now it has less surface area than a 92mm tower cooler!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 26, 2020)

Mussels said:


> Gave my dad my old 4770k system a few years ago, it came back for maintenance - CPU fan was loud


Might be time to take the opportunity to teach him about canned air and/or a vacuum!


----------



## micropage7 (May 27, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> Quarantine is in full intensity, but the nasty work hasn't stopped...
> This is my collection from this week. Nothing dirty, no dead bugs, but the content may not be appropriate for the faint-heated PC enthusiasts
> 
> 1) Got a laptop from a friend of mine. I can describe him with one word, and that word is definitely "stupid".
> ...


that's why i don't believe if they say i don't do anything or the stuff works pretty good then suddenly off


----------



## Frick (May 27, 2020)

Mussels said:


> 2 cats and 15 years of chain smoking (the PC was on XP, it was old)
> 
> the tar was thick and sticky, nothing would clean it off. every single fan had seized... they thought the PC was fine because 'all the bad noises stopped on their own'



Done that but with addes beer and cat piss inside the case.

@silentbogo is our best poster btw.


----------



## silentbogo (May 27, 2020)

Frick said:


> @silentbogo is our best poster btw.


I have an advantage of living in a country where every idiot with a $2 soldering iron thinks he is an electronics repair technician   
About 99% of the weird or infuriating stuff I get in a workshop is usually a "re-repair" or fixing mistakes of others...
Yet, somehow this month was too soft on adventures: mostly spotless laptops and PCs with real non-human-induced issues. 
The only thing that got close to "nasty" was a Keysight FSR1 scanner with an exploded fuse, but I forgot to took some pics of melted goo and plastic shrapnel...

Right now I'm a little busy recuperating from recent office break-in and re-prioritizing some work before quarantine ends, but I'm sure we'll get some more disgusting stuff soon.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 27, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> Right now I'm a little busy recuperating from recent office break-in


Hope it wasn't too serious.


----------



## silentbogo (May 28, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Hope it wasn't too serious.


Just my ProBook and a beat-up old tablet. Nothing too critical. All of the customers devices were left intact, so at least I didn't have to cover any damages (few 8th/9th gen gaming laptops, which would definitely put me in a deep financial hole).

The only downside is that I have no working PC at the office ATM, which gave me an incentive to finish a bad-ass ghetto-server (extensive log is coming soon). It's based around HP Z620 board, but stuck inside my all-time favorite Lenovo S20 chassis (e.g. lots of tweaking and customization was required).
Just a little preview snapped two days ago:



Specs ATM, more parts on the way: E5-2660/HP Z620/ 16GB DDR3 RDIMM/GTX 1060 6GB/4TB HDD.


----------



## Mussels (May 28, 2020)

Forgot to post, friends PC had issues - looked like it had eaten his dog

Front and bottom intakes clogged solid


----------



## phill (May 28, 2020)

Mussels said:


> Forgot to post, friends PC had issues - looked like it had eaten his dog
> 
> Front and bottom intakes clogged solidView attachment 156970


Did his dog spend time in the case??!!


----------



## Decryptor009 (May 28, 2020)




----------



## phill (May 28, 2020)

I had to zoom into that to see what the heck it was!!


----------



## C1ff0 (May 28, 2020)

Hi all, yesterday, after a request to move a collegue into another room at work, while moving the old MacPro 2008 i've heard a faint clink-clink from inside the case. 

With a bit of suspicion, i've opened the case and found out what was doing the sound. 
The south-bridge heatsink, had decided to launch itself across the case. The retaining sismem it's the old one, with the bracket doing the work of a spring anchoring itself to the motherboard.
One of the metal support desoldered himself... i don't even want to know how.... 

i had luck that the bastard didn't decide to land on a power-choke 




Here are the photos of the motherboard outside the case.




Here the detailed photo. Notice the empty J4C1





I've managed to resolder the fugitive at his place, and repaired the old Mac.


----------



## Mussels (May 29, 2020)

Oh god... my case was just as bad. On desk, away from carpet... just... ate a small animal?

Honestly cant explain the dust buildup in such a short time


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 29, 2020)

Mussels said:


> Oh god... my case was just as bad. On desk, away from carpet... just... ate a small animal?
> 
> Honestly cant explain the dust buildup in such a short timeView attachment 157058


I keep a HEPA type vacuum in my computer room for times like that. I do my PC's every two months.



C1ff0 said:


> Hi all, yesterday, after a request to move a collegue into another room at work, while moving the old MacPro 2008 i've heard a faint clink-clink from inside the case.
> 
> With a bit of suspicion, i've opened the case and found out what was doing the sound.
> The south-bridge heatsink, had decided to launch itself across the case. The retaining sismem it's the old one, with the bracket doing the work of a spring anchoring itself to the motherboard.
> ...


That looks like it wasn't soldered in to begin with. No wonder it popped off.


----------



## Chrispy_ (May 29, 2020)

Typical Apple. Using brittle lead-free solder as a cheap solution instead of a mechanical spring-clip like everyone else who makes things properly.

That there is built-in obsolescence. I've probably spent too many hundreds of hours repairing and resoldering Apple motherboards to avoid cynicism at this point.


----------



## Athlonite (May 29, 2020)

@Mussels that looks alot like the bottom of my RV02 case even though it sits on my desk right next to me it manages to suck up every bit of lint, dust & cat fur for miles


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 29, 2020)

Athlonite said:


> @Mussels that looks alot like the bottom of my RV02 case even though it sits on my desk right next to me it manages to suck up every bit of lint, dust & cat fur for miles


It's amazing what floats around in the air, isn't it?


----------



## Chrispy_ (May 29, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> It's amazing what floats around in the air, isn't it?


I've found that having a Roomba (well, a Botvac, actually) doing daily cleans has a huge impact on how much dust is in my apartment.

Not only do my filters not seem to collect dust so much, but I don't have to dust my surfaces as much. A light dusting once a month now, compared to it being quite bad after a fortnight beforehand.

Sadly I still have to vacuum the corners and tight spots, the robot vacuums only do 80% of the job.


----------



## E-curbi (May 31, 2020)

Awe Gawd! 

That's no way to care for Hardware Labs multiport rads (in satin white) and BlackNoise Industrial fans.

How Embarrassing!


----------



## Athlonite (May 31, 2020)

Looks like they are in a setting that has alot of free floating crap in the air though the fans and the grill behind it look to be fairly crap free


----------



## E-curbi (May 31, 2020)

Athlonite said:


> Looks like they are in a setting that has alot of free floating crap in the air though the fans and the grill behind it look to be fairly crap free



Yep, the water loop not in use - fans not spinning - just sitting in the corner collecting crap. Using a BlueAir air purifier in the office - but it doesn't do corners. lol

You know that corner desk in your office way back against the wall that you cannot reach because the L-shape desk is in the way - where all the dust settles?  

Dimastech test bench did not arrive today, so I'm working on a silly bathroom towel. Awe Gawd. 

It's only the secondary work PC parts, not the primary, still ho hum. 

Hope the underside of the board doesn't overheat...


----------



## freeagent (May 31, 2020)

Ill have to dig around, but I'm pretty sure I have a few pix from the very early 00's from when I used to smoke like a chimney and had my pc near the carpet, with a dog, and a couple of cats and a butt load of fans. The dander and nicotine made an almost silky fleshy grease type substance. It was pretty gross lol.. it would fill your finger print. I quit smoking ciggys about 8 years ago shortly after my first son was born. Parts of my computer are about 9 or 10 years old now and it still looks newish.. Datavac helps, but mostly not smoking


----------



## phill (Jun 12, 2020)

E-curbi said:


> Yep, the water loop not in use - fans not spinning - just sitting in the corner collecting crap. Using a BlueAir air purifier in the office - but it doesn't do corners. lol
> 
> You know that corner desk in your office way back against the wall that you cannot reach because the L-shape desk is in the way - where all the dust settles?
> 
> ...


Grab some cheapy plastic stand off's mate    Best thing ever!!


----------



## Splinterdog (Jun 13, 2020)

I've seen some nasties come my way, but this one takes the biscuit!


----------



## Valantar (Jun 13, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> I've seen some nasties come my way, but this one takes the biscuit!
> View attachment 158851


...care to explain what that lump in the lower right is? Did a medium-sized rodent crawl in there, die, and mummify?


----------



## hat (Jun 13, 2020)

That PCI-E slot is particularly interesting. Some of it is still blue...


----------



## Lorec (Jun 13, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> I've seen some nasties come my way, but this one takes the biscuit!
> View attachment 158851


Thats how I see PCs on the desert allright! Some stuff to decipher with a tricorder when You land on an unknown world in the delta quadrant!


----------



## phill (Jun 13, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> I've seen some nasties come my way, but this one takes the biscuit!
> View attachment 158851


Let me guess, it was brought in because it was crashing every so often and the owner didn't know why??....... 

Man that is terrible!


----------



## biffzinker (Jun 13, 2020)

phill said:


> Let me guess, it was brought in because it was crashing every so often and the owner didn't know why??.......


Before or after the DRAM sticks were taken out?


----------



## phill (Jun 13, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> Before or after the DRAM sticks were taken out?


Maybe they are in the bottom of the case somewhere under the dust?? To be honest I'd not even noticed the lack of RAM there fully!  What can I say??  It's been a bloody long day!!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 13, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> I've seen some nasties come my way, but this one takes the biscuit!


Been there! Pentium 4 hell!


Valantar said:


> ...care to explain what that lump in the lower right is? Did a medium-sized rodent crawl in there, die, and mummify?


The species is called "bunnius dustus maximus"... Extreme caution should always be taken when handling such creatures as they emit clouds of toxic nastiness upon contact!! Beware, there will be no mercy from the ruddy dust bunny of doom!!


----------



## hat (Jun 14, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> The species is called "bunnius dustus maximus"... Extreme caution should always be taken when handling such creatures as they emit clouds of toxic nastiness upon contact!! Beware, there will be no mercy from the ruddy dust bunny of doom!!



The only way to safely eradicate them is to take the computer outside during a particularly nasty thunderstorm and catch a tornado with the computer. Now, I do realize there's nothing safe about tornadoes, but this "bunnius dustus maximus" could prove to be even more dangerous, and the tornado is the only force powerful enough to remove them.


----------



## Decryptor009 (Jun 14, 2020)

Until you fine mutation in your loaf of bread...


----------



## Grog6 (Jun 14, 2020)

I spray stuff like that down with 409, let it soak for a couple of minutes, and wash it off with a hose.  Outside!
Repeat until clean, then use an air hose to dry all the components; you don't want water+residue to dry under the chips.
If you blow it all out while it's liquid, it's all gone.

If it was working before, it will work after.

I would not put that in a dishwasher, unless it's only for electronics.


----------



## Caring1 (Jun 14, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> Before or after the DRAM sticks were taken out?


Filthy Ram slots point to it being set up for the pic.
A vacuum cleaner on reverse could blow that dust in so it appears to be a build up.


----------



## Splinterdog (Jun 20, 2020)

It always fills me with trepidation when a customer brings me their PC to sell for them and then tells me that they haven't opened the case since they bought it ten years previously.
In cases like that, it's best to be prepared. Live cockroaches spilling out are not unheard of.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 20, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> Live cockroaches spilling out are not unheard of.


Never had that happen to me... Very messed up thought. Oh would I break out the IPA, ammonia, Lysol and other such chemicals to kill, KILL, *KILL*!!!


----------



## Splinterdog (Jun 21, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Never had that happen to me... Very messed up thought. Oh would I break out the IPA, ammonia, Lysol and other such chemicals to kill, KILL, *KILL*!!!


I'd grab the nearest HEV suit as well.


----------



## Toothless (Jun 24, 2020)

Shame on me


----------



## Splinterdog (Jun 28, 2020)

It gets worse...


----------



## phill (Jun 28, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> It gets worse...
> View attachment 160490


Just what the.....  happened?


----------



## Valantar (Jun 28, 2020)

Someone tripped near the computer while carrying a bowl of soup? At least it's still running!


----------



## Vayra86 (Jul 2, 2020)

phill said:


> Just what the.....  happened?



More like what didn't happen 

Note the cigarette butt, and bowl of soup being empty


----------



## Valantar (Jul 2, 2020)

I'm just picturing the intake fans in that PC misting everything inside with a fine layer of... soup. Yum.


----------



## Chrispy_ (Jul 2, 2020)

Vayra86 said:


> More like what didn't happen
> 
> Note the cigarette butt, and bowl of soup being empty


Cigarette butt soup, my _favourite!_


----------



## P4-630 (Jul 10, 2020)

Laptop running hot? I wonder why.....




(not my pic)


----------



## Chrispy_ (Jul 11, 2020)

P4-630 said:


> Laptop running hot? I wonder why.....
> 
> View attachment 161817
> (not my pic)


I had a laptop returned to me after just three weeks of someone using it during COVID lockdown that looked like that. HOW DO THEIR LUNGS LOOK?!


----------



## Nuckles56 (Jul 11, 2020)

Chrispy_ said:


> I had a laptop returned to me after just three weeks of someone using it during COVID lockdown that looked like that. HOW DO THEIR LUNGS LOOK?!


I can imagine that would happen in a humid environment with plenty of dust


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 10, 2020)

This is an actual customer PC desk for whom I've solved numerous issues, but cleanliness was not a subject I considered to be within my remit.
And believe or not, it's not the worst I've seen.


----------



## silkstone (Aug 10, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> This is an actual customer PC desk for whom I've solved numerous issues, but cleanliness was not a subject I considered to be within my remit.
> And believe or not, it's not the worst I've seen.
> View attachment 165161



God. Moisturizer and tissue paper on the same desk, next to the PC, along with a very white 'worn' keyboard. I wouldn't touch that thing!


----------



## Chrispy_ (Aug 10, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> This is an actual customer PC desk for whom I've solved numerous issues, but cleanliness was not a subject I considered to be within my remit.
> And believe or not, it's not the worst I've seen.


Looks like a garage or workshop covered in sawdust and other work dust. I hate dealing with machines like that but at least when they've come from a workshop you know the dust is building materials and not bacteria-rich dead skin and finger gunk.


----------



## biffzinker (Aug 19, 2020)

I was browsing the sub reddit for “Dusty Computers” came across this post.


__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/dustypcs/comments/i3fy9j


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 19, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> I was browsing the sub reddit for “Dusty Computers” came across this post.
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/dustypcs/comments/i3fy9j


I've seen something like this a few times, running, functioning, in use PC's. And the spiders were alive! That was a hell of a day!


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 20, 2020)

I still get these monstrosities in from time to time and I'm glad case design has now moved on a tad.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 20, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> I still get these monstrosities in from time to time and I'm glad case design has now moved on a tad.
> View attachment 166176


That thing and ones like it were hideous...


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 20, 2020)

Horrendous, hideous, horrible...can't think of any more malodorous descriptions. I hope the designers are paying a penance somewhere.


----------



## stinger608 (Aug 21, 2020)

LOLOL, that frigging case is even to hideous to be in the nostalgic thread.


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 21, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> I still get these monstrosities in from time to time and I'm glad case design has now moved on a tad.
> View attachment 166176


at that time the design is pretty good, if we have glass and RGB everywhere what they gonna say in different era?


----------



## Chrispy_ (Aug 21, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> at that time the design is pretty good, if we have glass and RGB everywhere what they gonna say in different era?


We'll be looking back at the industry an laughing too hard to care.

_"ROFL, do you remember back when Intel was making 200W CPUs on Skylake+++++ and Ampere launched as 400W cards that needed a 12-pin power connector? Yeah that was when the case market reached peak stupid and all the ventilation holes were blocked with solid glass and all the fans were garbage but at least they had sparkly lights for eleven-old kids to have wet dreams to.... Man, those were the days! Anyway, I need to take my COVID-24 pills and revaccinate for bubonic plague and typhoid before I head back to cryo. It's been a rough week with CyberTrump's confederacy taking out all of the 4G and 3G towers too. I'm hoping to get dial-up installed next week, can't beat a good old analogue land-line these days!"_


----------



## silkstone (Aug 21, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> I still get these monstrosities in from time to time and I'm glad case design has now moved on a tad.
> View attachment 166176



I'm quite sure that I had that case back in the 90's. I clearly remember the oval power and reset buttons.

On a side note, I got into 'modding' early. Back when there were NO black cases, I took my beige monstrosity, painted it black and added blue LEDs. I didn't cut any of the metal, but I did also add fans in the drive bays to help with overclocking.
The big thing in the modding scene back then was using old car radiators (scrap ones from small cars like the mini), aquarium water pumps and copper blocks to cool your overclocked PC. I really wanted to do something like that, but I had neither the skills nor the money to.

I find it mildly entertaining that things 'cool' in the modding scene back in the 90's, are mainstream now. In addition to real custom water cooling, there was cutting case windows along with adding light strips and LEDs to everything. It's one of the reasons I never really cared about the whole RGB and glass side panel thing; it all just looked so 90's.
I did recently make an exception with my new case and have a bit of RGB (set to static orange).


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 28, 2020)

Jay showed a system in this video that fit in this thread perfectly;








@17:25 You'll see what I'm taking about..


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 29, 2020)

An oldie but a goldie!
That lamp, ffs...


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 29, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> An oldie but a goldie!
> That lamp, ffs...
> View attachment 166965


looks like in warehouse


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 30, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> An oldie but a goldie!
> That lamp, ffs...
> View attachment 166965


Good Grief!! That person has a problem!


----------



## biffzinker (Aug 30, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That person has a problem!


Hoarding trash or just lazy? Definitely preferred Old Milwaukee.


----------



## silkstone (Aug 30, 2020)

Came across this on my FB feed the other day.


----------



## biffzinker (Aug 30, 2020)

silkstone said:


> Came across this on my FB feed the other day.
> 
> View attachment 167058


That’s a waterfall made of dust on the front.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 30, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> That’s a waterfall made of dust on the front.


It does really look that way! Funny as hell!



silkstone said:


> Came across this on my FB feed the other day.
> 
> View attachment 167058


Those cases are pretty solid and are MATX compliant. Clean it, gut it and give it new life with a modern MATX mobo, CPU, RAM, GPU, PSU, drives. No point in using that mobo as it has no AGP so making a classic retro PC out of it would be a wasted effort. Even a Core2Quad would make for a solid upgrade for WinXP build.


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 30, 2020)

silkstone said:


> Came across this on my FB feed the other day.
> 
> View attachment 167058


why many HP has it 




i can't breathe


----------



## Chrispy_ (Aug 30, 2020)

See that green plastic shroud on the CPU cooler? I really miss those.

I mean, it all works kind of okay these days - hot air gets dumped straight back into the case and we work around that problem by having gargantuan cases with loads of fans and enough airflow but in the good bad old days the air that passed over a heatsink was treated as undesirable and chaperoned out of the case instantly by a shroud. If we could get a PCIe / ATX standard that included shrouds then we wouldn't need quite such ridiculously huge cases for components that otherwise fit in a laptop and none of this RTX3090 power draw would really cause any case thermal issues because most of the 350W would be ejected directly out of the case without heating up any other components.

IMO, running a 3090 with an air-cooled CPU is going to be interesting


----------



## JustAnEngineer (Aug 30, 2020)

I'd try to water-cool the 350+ watts from the 3090 with the radiator exhausting out the top of the case.  That's noisier than a closed top and potentially lets stuff drop in the top of the case, but at least it won't bake the rest of your components.  Consider that an Easy-Bake oven uses only a 100-watt lamp as its heat source.

The photos in this thread are a good reminder of why we should set up our case ventilation for positive pressure with filters on the inlet air.


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 30, 2020)

silkstone said:


> Came across this on my FB feed the other day.
> 
> View attachment 167058


You could have that looking as good as new, provided you cleaned it outside and wore a mask. I've done loads of similar clean up jobs and then sold them on.


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 19, 2020)

one of my friend ask me to replace his keyboard laptop and i know as usual i'm gonna find something like this   
and i replaced the keyboard, ignoring the dust and handed it back to him


----------



## Valantar (Sep 19, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> View attachment 169167
> View attachment 169168
> one of my friend ask me to replace his laptop keyboard and i know as usual i'm gonna find something like this
> and i replaced the keyboard, ignoring the dust and handed it back to him


You need to start spreading the gospel of compressed gas dust removal to your heathen friends. Preach!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 19, 2020)

Valantar said:


> You need to start spreading the gospel of compressed gas dust removal to your heathen friends. Preach!


That and the proper use of a vacuum with a thin nozzle attachment.


----------



## xtreemchaos (Oct 12, 2020)

had a family member give me his old sound kit so ive clamed the old amp from my livingroom for my obsyroom now thought id take the top off and give it a clean good job i did its been about 18 years in service.
the amp.



the nighmare inside.



all better.



this is from the days when we connect everything with wires . we not see the likes of them again just like gas TVs


----------



## kayjay010101 (Oct 12, 2020)

xtreemchaos said:


> ...


If that has been in service for 18 years, then that came out the literal same year that the HDMI port was invented, and it has it. Must have been expensive as hell at the time, as it's bleeding-edge.
Actually, looking at the back, it says copyright 2003. So it's only 17 years, pal 

Still, really cool and good job cleaning that, it really needed a good de-dusting.


----------



## xtreemchaos (Oct 12, 2020)

if i can remember it was around the £600 mark, 17, 18, im not scoring point buddy without looking for the docs its all guess work   .


----------



## Valantar (Oct 12, 2020)

kayjay010101 said:


> If that has been in service for 18 years, then that came out the literal same year that the HDMI port was invented, and it has it. Must have been expensive as hell at the time, as it's bleeding-edge.
> Actually, looking at the back, it says copyright 2003. So it's only 17 years, pal
> 
> Still, really cool and good job cleaning that, it really needed a good de-dusting.


Going by v1 of its service manual, dated in 2006, it's "only" 14 years at the most. Dates on the back only tell us when Dolby copyrighted those names, not when the unit was made/sold.


----------



## xtreemchaos (Oct 12, 2020)

i wish i never posted it, everything turns in to a battle on here look at my wording on my post you will see the word "about" . this thread is about muck in stuff. you guys have far too much time on your hands do something useful like be nice it dont hurt nit picking is for children now i havnt been one for a very longtime and have forgot how to do it   .


----------



## Valantar (Oct 12, 2020)

xtreemchaos said:


> i wish i never posted it, everything turns in to a battle on here look at my wording on my post you will see the word "about" . this thread is about muck in stuff. you guys have far too much time on your hands do something useful like be nice it dont hurt nit picking is for children now i havnt been one for a very longtime and have forgot how to do it   .


Hey, don't be so serious - unnecessary nitpicking is always good fun!


----------



## xtreemchaos (Oct 12, 2020)

me and serious shall never be the twain, im all for fun notice the smiley on the end.


----------



## Octopuss (Oct 12, 2020)

xtreemchaos said:


> had a family member give me his old sound kit so ive clamed the old amp from my livingroom for my obsyroom now thought id take the top off and give it a clean good job i did its been about 18 years in service.
> the amp.
> View attachment 171566
> the nighmare inside.
> ...


But can you overclock it now?


----------



## xtreemchaos (Oct 12, 2020)

funny thing is id noticed that when using the remote to turn the vol up the knob had stopped turning but since cleaning it now works again .


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 12, 2020)

xtreemchaos said:


> i wish i never posted it, everything turns in to a battle on here look at my wording on my post you will see the word "about" . this thread is about muck in stuff. you guys have far too much time on your hands do something useful like be nice it dont hurt nit picking is for children now i havnt been one for a very longtime and have forgot how to do it   .


It's just some users. Put them on your ignore list and carry on. You'll be good. I enjoyed your pictures and the job you did cleaning that receiver up. That one had a ton of dust in it, but I've seen worse.


----------



## biffzinker (Oct 12, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> I enjoyed your pictures and the job you did cleaning that receiver up. That one had a ton of dust in it, but I've seen worse.


Me too, I enjoyed looking at the clean up effort in the after photo. Looks as good as brand new. @xtreemchaos


----------



## Caring1 (Oct 12, 2020)

Chrispy_ said:


> View attachment 167076
> 
> See that green plastic shroud on the CPU cooler? I really miss those.
> 
> I mean, it all works kind of okay these days - hot air gets dumped straight back into the case and we work around that problem by having gargantuan cases with loads of fans and enough airflow but in the good bad old days the air that passed over a heatsink was treated as undesirable and chaperoned out of the case instantly by a shroud.


Actually they routed air from outside to the top down cooler on the CPU, then the heated air had to find it's own way out of the case. 
Edit: unless yours had a rear fan to draw the air out and the cooler was passive.


----------



## Chrispy_ (Oct 13, 2020)

Caring1 said:


> Actually they routed air from outside to the top down cooler on the CPU, then the heated air had to find it's own way out of the case.
> Edit: unless yours had a rear fan to draw the air out and the cooler was passive.


I'm thinking of the hundreds of Dell Precisions we had - the CPU heatsinks were passive and the shroud sealed the rear exhaust fan (definitely an exhaust) so that the only escape route for case air was via the CPU heatsink or the PSU vents.

They also had partial shrouds for the RAM slots and motherboard VRMs


----------



## xtreemchaos (Oct 13, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> I enjoyed your pictures and the job you did cleaning that receiver up.


thanks.


biffzinker said:


> I enjoyed looking at the clean up effort in the after photo. Looks as good as brand new


thanks ive plugged it all in and its running good ive now got the one its replaced in the obsyroom, its newer but only by a few years dare i take the top off it?.


----------



## Splinterdog (Oct 16, 2020)

A slimline that came in today where a hazmat (HEV) suit would have come in handy. I ended up stripping it down completely and replacing the PSU fan as a full replacement is impossible to find.


----------



## biffzinker (Oct 25, 2020)

Seen this on r/gaming.




__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/jhd9ty


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 25, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> Seen this on r/gaming.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh, just repost the image. Make sure you give proper credit;

Courtesy of ChainedGod01( https://www.reddit.com/user/ChainedGod01/ );


Those things don't cool very well(at all) clogged up like that.


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 25, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh, just repost the image. Make sure you give proper credit;
> 
> Courtesy of ChainedGod01( https://www.reddit.com/user/ChainedGod01/ );
> View attachment 173230
> ...


at least you know the fan spins pretty well to bring some air to rad


----------



## Nuckles56 (Oct 25, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh, just repost the image. Make sure you give proper credit;
> 
> Courtesy of ChainedGod01( https://www.reddit.com/user/ChainedGod01/ );
> View attachment 173230
> ...


The owner clearly has never heard of a: cleaning their PC or house or b: dust filters
I'm amazed that the AIO's fans managed to build up the dust so well


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 25, 2020)

Nuckles56 said:


> The owner clearly has never heard of a: cleaning their PC or house or b: dust filters
> I'm amazed that the AIO's fans managed to build up the dust so well


The thing is, dust is very small and can work it's way into tiny spaces. But a fan is huge in comparison and the motor that drives it is immensely powerful when we compare the scales of the physics involved.


----------



## Caring1 (Oct 26, 2020)

Nuckles56 said:


> The owner clearly has never heard of a: cleaning their PC or house or b: dust filters
> I'm amazed that the AIO's fans managed to build up the dust so well


It might be obvious to most members here, but I'd say the average computer user doesn't use monitoring software for temperatures and even bother what is inside the case as long as it works.
Much like a number of motorists drive a car but have no clue as to how it works or anything more than where the fuel goes in.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 26, 2020)

Caring1 said:


> It might be obvious to most members here, but I'd say the average computer user doesn't use monitoring software for temperatures and even bother what is inside the case as long as it works.
> Much like a number of motorists drive a car but have no clue as to how it works or anything more than where the fuel goes in.


As a general rule, anyone using liquid cooling is going to be above the average, but as we can see, there are exceptions to that rule...


----------



## Chomiq (Oct 26, 2020)

I think GN Steve explained it the best - enthusiast pc is pretty much an air purifier. It sucks in all the dust and outputs clean air.


----------



## Valantar (Oct 26, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> As a general rule, anyone using liquid cooling is going to be above the average, but as we can see, there are exceptions to that rule...


AIOs are pretty mainstream these days though.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 26, 2020)

Chomiq said:


> I think GN Steve explained it the best - enthusiast pc is pretty much an air purifier. It sucks in all the dust and outputs clean air.


That's funny as help, somewhat true as well.


----------



## Mussels (Oct 27, 2020)

Chomiq said:


> I think GN Steve explained it the best - enthusiast pc is pretty much an air purifier. It sucks in all the dust and outputs clean air.



totally is. i have an air purifier that broke down, so i slapped a pillow case over a square room fan and used that to deal with my allergies while i waited for a new one to arrive - could probably do that to a PC as well, think of all the colour options!


----------



## micropage7 (Nov 17, 2020)

Duhh..


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 17, 2020)

micropage7 said:


> View attachment 176026
> Duhh..


Yup, standard smokers nastiness...


----------



## seth1911 (Nov 19, 2020)

Chrispy_ said:


> I had a laptop returned to me after just three weeks of someone using it during COVID lockdown that looked like that. HOW DO THEIR LUNGS LOOK?!


If it will be used in the bed etc. its going on very fast


----------



## silentbogo (Nov 19, 2020)

I was just  digging through some old work photos, and found this pearl.

One of my retarded colleagues, whom I've probably mentioned in this thread already, brought a GPU for "diagnostics". Occasionally he buys random garbage, and always brings it to me in hopes that I won't tell him to "f#$k off with this trash", and maybe even take a look at it. This is one of those cases. He said, seller told him it was working, and then for some reason stopped.  "Dude is cool, he's a friend of a friend", he added as an afterthought, probably hoping that it'll make me more enthusiastic about this repair....   
I found that reason:

Yes, half of the RAM is just glued onto the PCB with some epoxy. Some idiot probably killed his perfectly working RX570 by attempting a VRAM "reball", which local "experts" after watching 2-3 youtube videos think it's a cure for any VGA-related problem, along with baking GPUs to a crisp in his mom's oven.
RIP, poor RX570.


----------



## phill (Nov 20, 2020)

Hardware abuse is no laughing matter....    Poor card....


----------



## Jetster (Nov 20, 2020)




----------



## silentbogo (Nov 20, 2020)

phill said:


> Hardware abuse is no laughing matter....  Poor card....





Jetster said:


>


You, guys, haven't seen abuse yet. Simply tortured hardware is kinda daily thing for me. The worst part is when people knowingly pass it onto a repair workshop, thinking that "Idunnowhathappened" will make the problem go away. Had a laptop which was previously in my lab for boring LCD replacement, again not my direct order but through another colleague. Then, few months later I get the same laptop, only now it won't turn on at all, and customer acts like it's our fault somehow, without saying it directly. The story is the same - "idunno, it just crapped its pants one day and stopped working", "you are the specialist - you figure it out". After disassembly I found this:

1) Lots of liquid damage
2) Big-ass carpet furball after only 3-4 months of active use
The outside of the laptop was spunk-free, which wasn't the case the first time around, so I know that everything was done knowingly and on purpose.
So, I called back my friend that passed this order onto me, and he called back that stupid arrogant bitch and... oh-big-surprise-omgface...   
After being head-on confronted about the issue, she remembered that: "Oh yeah... maybe that big flood in our office that destroyed pretty much every piece of electronics had something to do with it..."


----------



## phill (Nov 24, 2020)

We must be people that do Voodoo as we seem to fix anything that comes through the door....


----------



## silentbogo (Nov 24, 2020)

I should probably change last position in my resume from "engineer" to "lvl.69 necromancer".


----------



## biffzinker (Dec 13, 2020)

This video of a dirty iPhone, with gunk packed into the speaker/microphone was yuck.


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 13, 2020)

Jetster said:


>


damn, some need to be saved: the cases, oh many cases


----------



## Athlonite (Dec 13, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> This video of a dirty iPhone, with gunk packed into the speaker/microphone was yuck.



eww that stuff gettin dug outta the charge port looks like a mix of earwax and pubes and th gross crap in the speaker hole


----------



## micropage7 (Dec 14, 2020)

actually i dunno if someone has posted before


----------



## xtreemchaos (Dec 14, 2020)

wow that rig above must get the dirt of the day award   . back in the day it was called soundproofing .


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 27, 2020)

Watching this happen must have been torture.


----------



## xtreemchaos (Dec 27, 2020)

thats a new type of modding   what the hell happened ? that gives me the willys.


----------



## Caring1 (Dec 27, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> Watching this happen must have been torture.
> View attachment 181211


Looks like someone took the C4 sleep state literally.


----------



## phill (Dec 27, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> Watching this happen must have been torture.
> View attachment 181211


Cheap PSU??


----------



## Night (Dec 27, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> Watching this happen must have been torture.
> View attachment 181211



Custom loop leak caused a fire? Painfull indeed. Damn, I think I need to get rid of my H100i that's 7 years old.


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 27, 2020)

Night said:


> Custom loop leak caused a fire? Painfull indeed. Damn, I think I need to get rid of my H100i that's 7 years old.


So is mine!


----------



## Valantar (Dec 27, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> Watching this happen must have been torture.
> View attachment 181211


How is that even possible? Doesn't pretty much everything inside of a PC have a bunch of flame retardants in the plastics, PCBs, etc?


----------



## Jetster (Dec 27, 2020)

This reminds me, I need to check the new motherboard for that protective plastic film


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 28, 2020)

Valantar said:


> How is that even possible?


Easy, many of the plastics used in PC's are flammable. Get one started, they chain react..


Valantar said:


> Doesn't pretty much everything inside of a PC have a bunch of flame retardants in the plastics, PCBs, etc?


That might be true for some plastics but not most. Flame-retardants tend to have conductive/capacitive properties which make them unsuitable for electronics use.


----------



## phill (Jan 2, 2021)

I'm not sure how you wish to class this one, but oh my.....









						ASUS X99-DELUXE, Socket 3, Intel (X99-A/USB 3.1) Motherboard for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ASUS X99-DELUXE, Socket 3, Intel (X99-A/USB 3.1) Motherboard at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!



					www.ebay.co.uk
				








I just have no words........


----------



## bobbybluz (Jan 2, 2021)

I have a X99 Deluxe. That thing looks like it was attacked with a butane torch.


----------



## Jetster (Jan 2, 2021)

phill said:


> I'm not sure how you wish to class this one, but oh my.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks like maybe some conductive paste got on the socket? That is crazy
even if you manage to change the socket I don't think it's gonna work. That plastic melted everywhere


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 2, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Looks like maybe some conductive paste got on the socket? That is crazy


Maybe liquid metal?


----------



## bobbybluz (Jan 2, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Maybe liquid metal?


Maybe a small amount of thermite that was later ignited. That's some serious burnage.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 2, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> Watching this happen must have been torture.
> View attachment 181211


oh now i have another reason to buy fire extinguisher


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Jan 3, 2021)

phill said:


> I'm not sure how you wish to class this one, but oh my.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Holy hell. What the actual fuck? That's insane! 

Btw, the seller mentions he tried to "reball" the socket...What does "reball" mean? Whatever it is, it clearly didn't work lol


----------



## Jetster (Jan 3, 2021)

Gmr_Chick said:


> Holy hell. What the actual fuck? That's insane!
> 
> Btw, the seller mentions he tried to "reball" the socket...What does "reball" mean? Whatever it is, it clearly didn't work lol


I didn't notice that. That's probably how it got burnt. A re ball is a special jig to solder a socket on. The jig is expensive so he probably tried to do it by hand. 
The solder comes in little balls


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 3, 2021)

Gmr_Chick said:


> What does "reball" mean?


Remove socket/chip, clean up the solder pads with something like solder wick, apply solder balls with a ball mask, and resolder the component with hot air oven/heat gun.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Jan 3, 2021)

biffzinker said:


> Remove socket/chip, clean up the solder pads with something like solder wick, apply solder balls with a ball mask, and resolder the component with hot air oven/heat gun.



Yeah, ok...that...sounds WAY out of my league


----------



## Mussels (Jan 3, 2021)

reball is just fancy soldering, that he fucked up


----------



## ArdWar (Jan 3, 2021)

Gmr_Chick said:


> What does "reball" mean?


Reball means desoldering the socket or chip (or any BGA parts really), cleaning the pads, putting new solder ball on the pads, and resolder the parts.

It's quite tedious operation if done manually. Bridged pads are uncommon. Considering modern CPU VDD can supply thousands Amperes of current, wouldn't be surprising if the plasma resulted from a short circuit able to do such damages.


----------



## freeagent (Jan 3, 2021)

ArdWar said:


> Considering modern CPU VDD can supply thousands Amperes of current, wouldn't be surprising if the plasma resulted from a short circuit able to do such damages.


RIP to the board.. but you know that would have been awesome to see!


----------



## FireFox (Jan 4, 2021)

This is after one month and the PC isn't running 24/7





_Unacceptable_


----------



## phill (Jan 4, 2021)

Knoxx29 said:


> This is after one month and the PC isn't running 24/7
> 
> View attachment 182365
> _Unacceptable_


Lots of big fans come with lots of responsibilities I guess.....??


----------



## FireFox (Jan 4, 2021)

phill said:


> Lots of big fans come with lots of responsibilities I guess.....??


Just try to imagine if the case didn't have dust filters


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 4, 2021)

Knoxx29 said:


> This is after one month and the PC isn't running 24/7
> 
> View attachment 182365
> _Unacceptable_


You should have gotten a white or silver case. Dust build up doesn't show as well against those colours.


----------



## FireFox (Jan 4, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> You should have gotten a white or silver case. Dust build up doesn't show as well against those colours.


Dust filters are hidden behind the Tempered Glass ( is it the right definition Smoked tempered Glass? ) which makes it impossible to see the dust.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 4, 2021)

Most "Dust" in Household environments is Shed skin (shows your little one is growing ....)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 4, 2021)

dorsetknob said:


> Most "Dust" in Household environments is Shed skin (shows your little one is growing ....)


True!


----------



## Valantar (Jan 4, 2021)

dorsetknob said:


> Most "Dust" in Household environments is Shed skin (shows your little one is growing ....)





lexluthermiester said:


> True!


That's a myth. Unless you spend a lot of time naked rubbing your skin while moving around the house, the vast majority of that is left in your clothes or gets flushed down the drain when showering. Some, sure, but fibers from clothes and carpeting, pollen, soot, sand, asphalt/road dust and other dust and dirt from outside make up much more of household dust than human skin. Nature is incredibly dusty (except when it has just rained), so any time a door or window is opened a lot of dust enters on the air. And of course it enters through ventilation, on your clothes, etc.


----------



## Frick (Jan 4, 2021)

Yes, these are in your homes, grazing on your old skin.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Jan 5, 2021)

Knoxx29 said:


> This is after one month and the PC isn't running 24/7
> 
> View attachment 182365
> _Unacceptable_





Knoxx29 said:


> Just try to imagine if the case didn't have dust filters





Valantar said:


> That's a myth. Unless you spend a lot of time naked rubbing your skin while moving around the house, the vast majority of that is left in your clothes or gets flushed down the drain when showering. Some, sure, but fibers from clothes and carpeting, pollen, soot, sand,* asphalt/road dust and other dust and dirt from outside make up much more of household dust than human skin.* Nature is incredibly dusty (except when it has just rained), so *any time a door or window is opened a lot of dust enters on the air.* And of course it enters through ventilation, on your clothes, etc.



I lived in Silicon Valley for much of my life, but had to relocate to the Central Valley (Modesto) 2 years ago due to my dad passing away. And in the two years I've lived here, I can say it's far more dusty than San Jose ever was, and that's mostly due to the sheer amount of agriculture around here - lots of crop fields, open space, and while the dust is especially bad during the summer months, it's pretty much a constant all year round. I went from having to clean my rig's dust filters every month to having to clean them every week to week and a half!


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 5, 2021)

Gmr_Chick said:


> I lived in Silicon Valley for much of my life, but had to relocate to the Central Valley (Modesto) 2 years ago



Did you get to meet Susan (Gianormica) 

Jokes aside roughly 99.9% of the dust in my house is from crappy ole Pinex ceiling tiles


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 5, 2021)

Valantar said:


> That's a myth.


What the heck was that? Literally no content there. I would debate this with you, but that is not the topic of this thread.


----------



## Valantar (Jan 5, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> What the heck was that? Literally no content there. I would debate this with you, but that is not the topic of this thread.


I know it's OT, but hopefully a couple of posts won't bother people too much. Here's a couple of better sources - that link was literally the first result when I searched for it on duckduckgo, can't say I looked too hard at it. You have people claiming to debunk the debunking of this myth, but their methods are _very_ flawed, essentially assuming that because humans shed a lot of skin and shed skin fitting the definition of dust a majority of dust must be skin. I shouldn't have to point out the flaws in that logic. The Woot article seems to misread its source article (if this is the one) as the abstract details sources of arsenic in household dust, not household dust itself, but nonetheless the article contains pretty clear indications that human skin is a relatively small proportion of household dust (the graphs detailing indoor and outdoor suspended matter, for example, and the focus on tracked-in dirt). I don't doubt that shed skin is a significant proportion of household dust, but "most", even read as >50%? Not a chance. Of course this will vary wildly based on a ton of factors, from how many people live there, their hygiene and habits, the rate at which clothes and bedsheets are cleaned, outside air and ground pollution, etc., etc. Still, the only environment where I would expect human skin to be the clear majority of indoor dust would be one with near zero dirt/dust outside, like remote arctic/antarctic research bases. And even there clothes fibres are likely to be more common than dead skin - if the Nerdist article is to be believed, two people shed 7 pounds of skin in 10 years, or ~160g of skin cells a year per person. I can guarantee you that your clothes shed a lot more fibres than that each year (though like with skin cells, a lot of that goes down the drain, but given its much higher exposure to open air than your skin, a lot more is likely to come loose by itself).


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 5, 2021)

Valantar said:


> I know it's OT, but hopefully a couple of posts won't bother people too much. Here's a couple of better sources - that link was literally the first result when I searched for it on duckduckgo, can't say I looked too hard at it. You have people claiming to debunk the debunking of this myth, but their methods are _very_ flawed, essentially assuming that because humans shed a lot of skin and shed skin fitting the definition of dust a majority of dust must be skin. I shouldn't have to point out the flaws in that logic. The Woot article seems to misread its source article (if this is the one) as the abstract details sources of arsenic in household dust, not household dust itself, but nonetheless the article contains pretty clear indications that human skin is a relatively small proportion of household dust (the graphs detailing indoor and outdoor suspended matter, for example, and the focus on tracked-in dirt). I don't doubt that shed skin is a significant proportion of household dust, but "most", even read as >50%? Not a chance. Of course this will vary wildly based on a ton of factors, from how many people live there, their hygiene and habits, the rate at which clothes and bedsheets are cleaned, outside air and ground pollution, etc., etc. Still, the only environment where I would expect human skin to be the clear majority of indoor dust would be one with near zero dirt/dust outside, like remote arctic/antarctic research bases. And even there clothes fibres are likely to be more common than dead skin - if the Nerdist article is to be believed, two people shed 7 pounds of skin in 10 years, or ~160g of skin cells a year per person. I can guarantee you that your clothes shed a lot more fibres than that each year (though like with skin cells, a lot of that goes down the drain, but given its much higher exposure to open air than your skin, a lot more is likely to come loose by itself).


Those are interesting points of view. While there is likely some merit to the points on offer in those examples, not everyone agrees on the subject, myself included. There are also studies that have shown that much of the particulate matter found in air filtration systems is dead human skin. It's not the exclusive content, but dead skin is a good percentage of the total mass. The percentage of such varies from region to region, as one might expect, it can not be denied that a significant percentage is dead skin.


----------



## Lorec (Jan 9, 2021)

Knoxx29 said:


> This is after one month and the PC isn't running 24/7
> 
> View attachment 182365
> _Unacceptable_


I hope Im not out of place to tell You that You forgot to peel film off of Your case   

Im living near a decently busy road on 6th floor and get like this around 2-3 weeks in, between feb - may it gets worse because of pollens that are flooding the city!


----------



## Valantar (Jan 9, 2021)

Lorec said:


> I hope Im not out of place to tell You that You forgot to peel film off of Your case
> 
> Im living near a decently busy road on 6th floor and get like this around 2-3 weeks in, between feb - may it gets worse because of pollens that are flooding the city!


I could never understand people who leave the plastic wrapping on their stuff. I mean, if you have a nice, good looking thing, why leave it wrapped in an easily worn, easily damaged, static-ridden, dust-attracting plastic wrap? It always looks better removed, and if it is partially removed and then put back... ugh.


----------



## Jetster (Jan 9, 2021)

I jsut bought a 10 year old Fender strat that the guy left the plastic protection on. I was like cool


----------



## Valantar (Jan 9, 2021)

Jetster said:


> I jsut bought a 10 year old Fender strat that the guy left the plastic protection on. I was like cool


Good for you, I guess, getting to experience what must have been a very nicely preserved guitar, but for him ... owning it for 10 years and never actually experiencing it as it was meant? That's really weird to me. Especially given just how tactile something like a guitar is.


----------



## Frick (Jan 9, 2021)

Valantar said:


> Good for you, I guess, getting to experience what must have been a very nicely preserved guitar, but for him ... owning it for 10 years and never actually experiencing it as it was meant? That's really weird to me. Especially given just how tactile something like a guitar is.



I assumed he meant the plastic was still on the pickguard, or whatever it's called. I don't think I've ever seen a guitar with plastic protection elsewhere.


----------



## FireFox (Jan 9, 2021)

Lorec said:


> I hope Im not out of place to tell You that You forgot to peel film off of Your case





Valantar said:


> I could never understand people who leave the plastic wrapping on their stuff


There's a good reason why i didn't remove it, to protect the Glass from my 2 year old Daughter's Hands/finger prints 
It's just temporary till i get a new Desk


----------



## Toothless (Jan 9, 2021)

Knoxx29 said:


> There's a good reason why i didn't remove it, to protect the Glass from my 2 year old Daughter's Hands/finger prints
> It's just temporary till i get a new Desk


As soon as you take that plastic off there will be smears of unknown things and chocolate. You'll be huffing windex for days.


----------



## Valantar (Jan 9, 2021)

Toothless said:


> As soon as you take that plastic off there will be smears of unknown things and chocolate. You'll be huffing windex for days.


A damp microfiber cloth will take care of anything that gets on the glass with far less hassle than windex, and likely look better too


----------



## Toothless (Jan 9, 2021)

Valantar said:


> A damp microfiber cloth will take care of anything that gets on the glass with far less hassle than windex, and likely look better too


I prefer the feeling of loosing brain cells.


----------



## xtreemchaos (Jan 9, 2021)

dos cable management matter if you carnt see it, ive just had the back of my p5 to reroute some argb cables and i carnt think of a word to discribe the mess but ive no need to take the back off for a while. in other words would you guys ignor it.


----------



## FireFox (Jan 9, 2021)

That is what my Daughter does



This belongs to her and i use it to clean the panel ( Payback )


----------



## Jetster (Jan 10, 2021)

Valantar said:


> Good for you, I guess, getting to experience what must have been a very nicely preserved guitar, but for him ... owning it for 10 years and never actually experiencing it as it was meant? That's really weird to me. Especially given just how tactile something like a guitar is.


He said he bought it to learn and never did. It just sat. He said the only damage is a few scratches on the pick guard. I said you mean the protective film. peeled it of as soon as I got home

As far as kids and finger prints, I remember the days of pulling a peanut butter sandwich out of the VCR


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 10, 2021)

Knoxx29 said:


> That is what my Daughter does


For a two year leaving fingerprints that looks pretty easy to deal with.


----------



## FireFox (Jan 10, 2021)

biffzinker said:


> For a two year leaving fingerprints that looks pretty easy to deal with.


Indeed it's easy, i sent her on holiday


----------



## Splinterdog (Jan 10, 2021)

The many uses of superglue.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Jan 10, 2021)

I don't know if that pic should be in this thread, or the "ghetto mods" one, LMAO


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 11, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> The many uses of superglue.
> View attachment 183441


That's not SuperGlue, it's epoxy.



Gmr_Chick said:


> I don't know if that pic should be in this thread, or the "ghetto mods" one, LMAO


It qualifies. Check out the hairy dust bunnies pushing out under the fan... There is a matte of that crap in the fan..


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 23, 2021)

Just bought 2nd wireless keyboard for low price, when it arrived i feel something that not right and i found something behind the buttons something like snake skin or dandruff? Damn

I cleaned it then use hand sanitizer to spray the keyboard


----------



## cst1992 (Jan 23, 2021)

Nice keyboard!


----------



## Jetster (Jan 23, 2021)

Keyboards are disgusting. I buy new then put them in the closet after they get dirty. I have a few


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 23, 2021)

micropage7 said:


> Just bought 2nd wireless keyboard for low price, when it arrived i feel something that not right and i found something behind the buttons something like snake skin or dandruff? Damn
> 
> I cleaned it then use hand sanitizer to spray the keyboard
> 
> ...


Disassembling to remove the PCB, then stick the keyboard in the automatic dishwasher for a normal or short wash cycle with detergent might help clear out more crud. Hand washing too could work except let it soak in the soapy water.


----------



## Valantar (Jan 23, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Keyboards are disgusting. I buy new then put them in the closet after they get dirty. I have a few


... sounds like an eminently economical and environmentally friendly approach. You could at least give them away to someone willing to clean and use them?


----------



## Robert B (Jan 23, 2021)

A sad GF3 Ti 200 cooler and an Abit NF7-S I got back from my cousins. Needless to say I put on the mask, goggles and took out from storage the BFG aka the air compressor.


----------



## cst1992 (Jan 23, 2021)

Robert B said:


> A sad GF3 Ti 200 cooler and an Abit NF7-S I got back from my cousins. Needless to say I put on the mask, goggles and took out from storage the BFG aka the air compressor.


That's like dirty squared.


----------



## Valantar (Jan 23, 2021)

Robert B said:


> A sad GF3 Ti 200 cooler and an Abit NF7-S I got back from my cousins. Needless to say I put on the mask, goggles and took out from storage the BFG aka the air compressor.


Oh dear. Are they smokers? Or do they live next to a major thoroughfare? That almost looks like road dust, with the fine-grained, kinda-tarry black gunk.


----------



## Robert B (Jan 23, 2021)

The PC stood in a shop about 1.5 m from the ground and I think that one of the lateral covers wasn't used for some time. None in the family smokes. Thank GOD!!!

The GF3 came from the flea market. I didn't detect any smoke scent. Who knows where and how it was used? That card also had some major rust issues but believe it or not it still works fine.


----------



## cst1992 (Jan 23, 2021)

What happens when you clean every filter your case has but one? This:









That poor front panel is literally choking!
For comparison, this is in Feb 2016 when that panel was brand new(above photos taken in Dec 2019):






Gmr_Chick said:


> Yeah, ok...that...sounds WAY out of my league


Linus Tech Tips has a video on YT where he tries to solder back on some pins of an AMD CPU. Honestly, it looks as if it's out of his league too 
Just google "LTT fixed dead cpu"


----------



## Mussels (Jan 24, 2021)

cst1992 said:


> Linus Tech Tips has a video on YT where he tries to solder back on some pins of an AMD CPU. Honestly, it looks as if it's out of his league too
> Just google "LTT fixed dead cpu"


 
Yeah i copied LTTs method and lost more pins

Then i followed random reddit advice and revived the CPU in seconds, using the wires from a SATA port - LTT does things *wrong* so it looks really hard, and people buy new products instead

(if he made it look easy and succeeded, he could be sued for encouraging people to damage X brands property)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 24, 2021)

biffzinker said:


> Disassembling to remove the PCB, then stick the keyboard in the automatic dishwasher for a normal or short wash cycle with detergent might help clear out more crud. Hand washing too could work except let it soak in the soapy water.


This, yes!


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 24, 2021)

cst1992 said:


> What happens when you clean every filter your case has but one? This:
> View attachment 185280View attachment 185281View attachment 185282View attachment 185283
> That poor front panel is literally choking!
> For comparison, this is in Feb 2016 when that panel was brand new(above photos taken in Dec 2019):
> ...


you should use lower fan speed, lower fan speed will less drag the dust into the filter 
but with that proof, it means your filter works pretty good


----------



## Valantar (Jan 24, 2021)

Mussels said:


> (if he made it look easy and succeeded, he could be sued for encouraging people to damage X brands property)


Lolwut? I know the US could change its name to the land of the frivolous lawsuits, but that is beyond ridiculous. A simple "don't try this at home" would protect them from anything like that. But more crucially, how could a repair guide be construed as encouraging people to damage something? Doesn't the concept of repair imply that it only applies is the thing is already damaged?


----------



## freeagent (Jan 24, 2021)

I have a Dyson and a DataVac.. there is no need for this kind of filth.. you filthy animals 

I used to smoke like a chimney, with my computer a half inch from the carpet, with a big dog, and some cats and man.. the dander and nicotine would fill the ridges of your fingerprint and stain your skin until you used soap and water.. It was gross. If you got enough on you it almost felt like a lubricant. Plus with the windows open in the summer on a corner lot, there was some extra dust.

My basement will get a sweep tomorrow.


----------



## cst1992 (Jan 24, 2021)

Mussels said:


> using the wires from a SATA port


Now I am curious.


----------



## Mussels (Jan 24, 2021)

Valantar said:


> Lolwut? I know the US could change its name to the land of the frivolous lawsuits, but that is beyond ridiculous. A simple "don't try this at home" would protect them from anything like that. But more crucially, how could a repair guide be construed as encouraging people to damage something? Doesn't the concept of repair imply that it only applies is the thing is already damaged?


Think of his intel delidding video where he did the worst possible job at it, and was like 'duhh didnt work'

if he did it well, made it look easy all the idiotic followers would copy, kill chips and either claim it on warranty (pissing intel off) or blame him, pissing his income off.


----------



## cst1992 (Jan 24, 2021)

I'd say there's something wrong with a person if they refer to LTT for delidding instead of der8auer.


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 24, 2021)

cst1992 said:


> Now I am curious.


It's a matter of improvising for the missing pin.


----------



## Valantar (Jan 24, 2021)

Mussels said:


> Think of his intel delidding video where he did the worst possible job at it, and was like 'duhh didnt work'
> 
> if he did it well, made it look easy all the idiotic followers would copy, kill chips and either claim it on warranty (pissing intel off) or blame him, pissing his income off.


The warranty claims would be rejected (clear physical damage), and blaming him ... so what? The proportion of users willing to try this even if it looked easy wouldn't be big enough to make a dent in their veiwership. LTT is typically also pretty clear on their "don't try this at home/do at your own risk" warnings - not that that is enough to stop an idiot with an idea, but it's not their fault that people are stupid.

As for this being grounds for any type of lawsuit, which was what you said initially, any such lawsuit would be laughed out of court, and any lawyer dumb enough to present it might face repercussions for wasting the courts' time. I doubt any competent lawyer would actually take on the case (though we all know there are plenty of troll lawyers out there).


----------



## Mussels (Jan 24, 2021)

cst1992 said:


> Now I am curious.


typo there, it was a wire from a SATA *CABLE* - i even made a thread when i did it

Summary: SATA wires are the right dimensions, you just cut it out to the length of the pin, drop it in mobo slot and you have repaired your AM4 CPU

i've done it for 3 pins total, and its worked every time (systems would not post without the pin, so verified fix not a placebo)


edit: i feel its the sponsors pushing, and i went off on a tangent about warranty forgetting the final point: Do you think intel would keep sending linus things, if he didnt say their products were good as is, and didn't need fancy modding? You can see their stance on issues change by the week, but its always in favour of who is sending them the most goodies


----------



## cst1992 (Jan 25, 2021)

Personally, I don't like LTT much. Too flashy, too "uber"(the guy plays with RTX 3090s and RX6900XTs as if the average Joe could afford them), doesn't give that air of "professionalism" that reviewers like W1zzard or der8auer have - it's like the guy is a 35-year-old child. Also, too much sponsorship.
OTOH I kinda feel sorry for him. He's in too deep - even if he's frustrated with it he can't stop now. It's all about what his 12.5M subscribers want to watch next.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 25, 2021)

cst1992 said:


> Personally, I don't like LTT much. Too flashy, too "uber"(the guy plays with RTX 3090s and RX6900XTs as if the average Joe could afford them), doesn't give that air of "professionalism" that reviewers like W1zzard or der8auer have - it's like the guy is a 35-year-old child. Also, too much sponsorship.
> OTOH I kinda feel sorry for him. He's in too deep - even if he's frustrated with it he can't stop now. It's all about what his 12.5M subscribers want to watch next.


i used to watch LTT videos when he unboxing something, actually i prefer like that before he shouts alot and kinda annoying


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 25, 2021)

Let's return to the topic and end the LTT bashing. Like him or not, he's a tech force to be reckoned with. Let it go.


----------



## bobbybluz (Jan 26, 2021)

*sigh* I still miss the old Tech TV The Screen Savers and Call for Help cable TV shows from 20+ years ago. I still have a few on VHS tapes even though my last VHS player needs a rebuild now and won't play them.


----------



## Splinterdog (Feb 2, 2021)

Today's challenge!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 2, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> Today's challenge!
> View attachment 186659


Bloody hell! Good luck, eh?


----------



## Tom Sunday (Feb 2, 2021)

What clearly shines through and based on the depicted (apparently much older) filthy hardware, whoever these people are, I hope that they remain thin on the ground anywhere. For any PC system in getting this clogged and dirty I can only imagine in what state of cleanliness their households are. Of course on the other side of the coin, people like this are welcomed by Dell and HP alike, as such condtions of neglect, pride and basic care promote and feed the new purchases of propiatary and out-of-the-box systems. Enough said!


----------



## Valantar (Feb 2, 2021)

Tom Sunday said:


> What clearly shines through and based on the depicted (apparently much older) filthy hardware, whoever these people are, I hope that they remain thin on the ground anywhere. For any PC system in getting this clogged and dirty I can only imagine in what state of cleanliness their households are. Of course on the other side of the coin, people like this are welcomed by Dell and HP alike, as such condtions of neglect, pride and basic care promote and feed the new purchases of propiatary and out-of-the-box systems. Enough said!


Most people don't even know that a PC case can be opened safely, let alone understand that cleaning the internals is needed, so frankly they can't really be blamed. The inside of an old PC is also a poor indication of the general cleanliness of its surroundings - dust is unavoidable, and will accumulate in anything with forced airflow, so given enough time (and of course dependent on placement - floors are much more dusty than shelves or desks, for example) any PC will be caked in dust. We dust and vacuum our entire apartment weekly with small in-between touch-ups when needed, my PC sits on my desk in a corner with no foot traffic past it and not close to any windows that are opened frequently enough for dust ingress to be a factor there, but I still need to clean its dust filters every 2-3 months. If it didn't have filters and I didn't know to clean it, I can only imagine what the insides would look like after 3-5 years.


----------



## Tomgang (Feb 2, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> Today's challenge!
> View attachment 186659


Holy hell, how dit that happen?

Good luck and i hope you have a lot of patience for all these pins.


----------



## Splinterdog (Feb 2, 2021)

Sometimes it beggars belief the condition in which customers hand over their laptops for repair. Screens are usually splattered, keyboards are filthy with who knows what, power bricks are abused and they generally carry them around in plastic supermarket bags. I have to bite my tongue and not tell them how abused their machines are.
They get zero sympathy from me, but they do get charged accordingly.


----------



## cst1992 (Feb 2, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> Today's challenge!
> View attachment 186659


Please tell me you DIDN'T use that thing as a wire brush...



Tom Sunday said:


> What clearly shines through and based on the depicted (apparently much older) filthy hardware, whoever these people are, I hope that they remain thin on the ground anywhere. For any PC system in getting this clogged and dirty I can only imagine in what state of cleanliness their households are. Of course on the other side of the coin, people like this are welcomed by Dell and HP alike, as such condtions of neglect, pride and basic care promote and feed the new purchases of propiatary and out-of-the-box systems. Enough said!


That's a big generalization you're making.
My house is fairly clean, but my PC gets dirty easily - for the simple reason that it's 6 feet from an open doorway.


----------



## micropage7 (Feb 4, 2021)

What about growing some fungus on the headset


----------



## JustAnEngineer (Feb 4, 2021)

It's a good thing that Sennheiser still sells replacement pads for models that they quit making over 3 decades ago.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 4, 2021)

micropage7 said:


> What about growing some fungus on the headset
> View attachment 186909


That's not fungus, the plastic coating on the ear cushions have begun to rub off and the cloth fibers are showing through. I have a set that look just like that.


----------



## cst1992 (Feb 4, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's not fungus, the plastic coating on the ear cushions have begun to rub off and the cloth fibers are showing through. I have a set that look just like that.


No, that's not it.
I have the same exact kind of coating on my old sports shoes.
If it were the inner foam showing through, it'd be white. Mold, on the other hand, is yellowish green like what's shown here.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 4, 2021)

cst1992 said:


> If it were the inner foam showing through, it'd be white.


Not if it's been sitting on your head soaking up skin oils. It's not mold.


cst1992 said:


> Mold, on the other hand, is yellowish green like what's shown here.


Yup, that's what it looks like soaking up skin oils.


----------



## Splinterdog (Feb 5, 2021)

This came in for repair today so i think I'll have to mask/ glove up.
Sempron 145 with 2GB running Windows 10 as well


----------



## stinger608 (Feb 5, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> Sempron 145 with 2GB running Windows 10 as well



Man, that sucker has to run stupid slow!!!!!! 

LOL, I've seen worse.


----------



## micropage7 (Feb 12, 2021)

just bought 2nd dlink 612 and as usual i want to see behind the cover   



actually not too bad, just normal dust, but still need cleaning first



Splinterdog said:


> This came in for repair today so i think I'll have to mask/ glove up.
> Sempron 145 with 2GB running Windows 10 as well
> View attachment 187207



you have medieval style keys


----------



## micropage7 (Mar 11, 2021)

Just bought 2nd router, the sticker date was 2015, so basically dust that accumulated for around 5 years

not too bad after around 5 years. I've seen worse



Actually i'm not a fan of mediatek based router


----------



## Frick (Mar 12, 2021)

A digital piano (a crappy one) filled with chocolate milk. It worked, but was disgusting. We'll see if I manage to put it together again.


----------



## Jetster (Mar 12, 2021)

Frick said:


> A digital piano (a crappy one) filled with chocolate milk. It worked, but was disgusting. We'll see if I manage to put it together again.
> 
> 
> View attachment 192081
> ...



This reminds me of a great keyboard restore video. The famous
Yamaha CS-80 *an Iconic 7*0s and 80s synthesizer​


----------



## _JP_ (Mar 12, 2021)

Frick said:


> It worked, but was disgusting.


Wouldn't you say its notes were sweeter?   

_**runs away**_


----------



## Frick (Mar 12, 2021)

Jetster said:


> This reminds me of a great keyboard restore video. The famous
> Yamaha CS-80 *an Iconic 7*0s and 80s synthesizer​



I wish. It's a lowly Yamaha PSR 275.


----------



## biffzinker (Mar 23, 2021)

How about this?


----------



## Nuckles56 (Mar 23, 2021)

biffzinker said:


> How about this?
> View attachment 193590


I'm going to subject that to gamma irradiation to 50 kilo-gray then soak it in bleach to be sure that I might not die touching the damn thing.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 23, 2021)

biffzinker said:


> How about this?
> View attachment 193590


Good grief! Never seen THAT before. Very nasty!


----------



## Mussels (Mar 23, 2021)

Oh i forgot to post when i got my "one month old" second hand razer huntsman TE


----------



## _JP_ (Mar 24, 2021)

biffzinker said:


> How about this?
> View attachment 193590


That would be from a liquid yougurt, me thinks. Nice mold culture there...could do great penicillin   


Mussels said:


> Oh i forgot to post when i got my "one month old" second hand razer huntsman TE


Somebody had a cat.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 24, 2021)

dog actually, i met the woofer when collecting

F knows how it got into the keyboard, but keyboard has new keycaps and is lovely


----------



## Frick (Mar 24, 2021)

Mussels said:


> dog actually, i met the woofer when collecting
> 
> F knows how it got into the keyboard, but keyboard has new keycaps and is lovely



It's hair. It gets everywhere.


----------



## _JP_ (Mar 24, 2021)

I can second that, having one myself, he has the uncanny mystical ability of having Proximity AoE Hair spawn (w/DoT). So wherever he is, hair will just exist anywhere you look.
Has he just passed by? It's on your clothes, just one or two hopefully, but it's there.
That impposible-to-reach nook of your house, behind the furniture? Yep, theres a bunch of them there.
Did he play in the rug? Better not be allergic then. You're dead.
Did you just take a coffee? It's in it.
Oh, he wasn't around here recently and this place was vaccumed? Doesn't matter, look closely at that random spot on the floor.

EDIT: Just assumed it's cat hair as it is relatively short, but yeah, some doggos can have just as short hair, and sometimes the undercoat doesn't grow that big either.


----------



## Jetster (Mar 24, 2021)

What hair? Don't know what you are talking about


----------



## DemonicRyzen666 (Mar 24, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> This came in for repair today so i think I'll have to mask/ glove up.
> Sempron 145 with 2GB running Windows 10 as well


I have installed windows 10 with a Sempron Le 1150 and a single 2Gb DDR2 ram stick, on an old Sata HDD.
Ironically I actually put a Sempron 145 in it, because it was slow with the Sempron LE 1150. Plus it has crossfire HD 3470. ( just because I can)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 24, 2021)

Mussels said:


> Oh i forgot to post when i got my "one month old" second hand razer huntsman TE


That's more than one month's worth of crap! Eww.


----------



## QuietBob (Mar 24, 2021)

DemonicRyzen666 said:


> I have installed windows 10 with a Sempron Le 1150 and a single 2Gb DDR2 ram stick, on an old Sata HDD.
> Ironically I actually put a Sempron 145 in it, because it was slow with the Sempron LE 1150. Plus it has crossfire HD 3470. ( just because I can)


The point is that it worked! I did a similar build using Windows 7 minimum hardware specification as a guideline


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 27, 2021)

I think I've got the saddest motherboard ever... 
What makes it so sad, is the fact that it's fixable, but will require wa-a-a-y too much time and labor. 
I think someone tried to make it have an unconsensual sex with a GPU, then got ripped out of the chassis and had its CMOS battery holder ripped out along with some nearby components.
It looks fine from upfar, but it is hurting on the inside....   


This is where RGB LEDs used to be

These are probably PWM lines for CPU VRM, slashed all the way through the first PCB layer


And you know what that is...

And some random damage to caps and slots


I've already replaced the CMOS battery holder, added few jumpers to damaged tracks and removed the remaining (or the remains, to be more specific) of what used to be LEDs.
All I have left is to make a new SPI flash for it (the old one was removed for some reason by previous "totally professional workshop"), get a test CPU and power it on.


----------



## Valantar (Mar 27, 2021)

silentbogo said:


> I think I've got the saddest motherboard ever...
> What makes it so sad, is the fact that it's fixable, but will require wa-a-a-y too much time and labor.
> I think someone tried to make it have an unconsensual sex with a GPU, then got ripped out of the chassis and had its CMOS battery holder ripped out along with some nearby components.
> It looks fine from upfar, but it is hurting on the inside....
> ...


Good job bringing this back to life and saving it from the e-waste scrap heap! I can't fathom just how that kind of damage would happen, but ... people. Ugh.


----------



## Frick (Mar 27, 2021)

Valantar said:


> Good job bringing this back to life and saving it from the e-waste scrap heap! I can't fathom just how that kind of damage would happen, but ... people. Ugh.



Alcohol. I gave away an old computer to a guy (a guy a friend helped), he got drunk one night and ripped out the GPU, and the AGP slot was ripped out with it. The CD drive was smashed to bits as well, and the entire case was bent.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 3, 2021)

this has to be a record of some kind....*i ORDERED this case* for my daughter on 1/29/21, it obviously didnt arrive for a few days, & it was a further few days before i switched her PC over to it.
Being conservative, lets say, 2/10/21 , I opened her PC up on 3/31 to upgrade her build, & i found this, after 5 weeks or so of use......



Spoiler: Worlds best air filter or worlds dirtiest room? 



*Yes those are bird feathers in there*...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 3, 2021)

jboydgolfer said:


> i found this, after 5 weeks or so of use......


That would be bird dander in with those feathers... Kinda gross.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 3, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That would be bird dander in with those feathers... Kinda gross.


i cant say what it is other than "dust". the bird isnt close enough to that PC for it to be anything specifically related ot a bird. she saves some of his feather on her desk, when they fall out, thats why the feathers are in there.

its an exceptionally fine mesh, i have dust filters on my fractal case, & my phanteks & cooler master cases, but none of them are THAT good at filtering dust. id bet water wouldnt run through there without some help 

~edit~ now that i think about it more, it might be pollen, she has a window right over her desk & since its spring, she has it open all the time, & we live on the side of a mountain in a rural area. 
my car looks like the Pillsbury dough boy farted over it every morning.


----------



## freeagent (Apr 3, 2021)

silentbogo said:


> I think I've got the saddest motherboard ever...
> What makes it so sad, is the fact that it's fixable, but will require wa-a-a-y too much time and labor.
> I think someone tried to make it have an unconsensual sex with a GPU, then got ripped out of the chassis and had its CMOS battery holder ripped out along with some nearby components.
> It looks fine from upfar, but it is hurting on the inside....
> ...


Doesn't look so TUF now 

Could be a rainy day project, or half hour here an hour there kinda thing.

Edit:

Maybe not.


----------



## RealKGB (Apr 3, 2021)

I just cleaned everything out, but otherwise I would have had some NASTY stuff for you.
26-year-old fan from an AT/X PSU (ATX form factor, AT power connectors) had some weird gunk on it, some 11-year-old Molex fans that had never been cleaned, and the inside of a Thermalfake SpinQ that had been running 23/7 since 2009.
I opened it outside just in case and enough dust came out that I could pick it up without it disappearing.


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 19, 2021)

Talking of molex...


----------



## oldwalltree (Apr 19, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> Talking of molex...
> View attachment 197406


Molex to Sata?...


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 19, 2021)

oldwalltree said:


> Molex to Sata?...


Exactly and that's not the first time.


----------



## Deleted member 205776 (Apr 19, 2021)

biffzinker said:


> How about this?
> View attachment 193590


Couple hundred undiscovered diseases in that.


----------



## freeagent (Apr 20, 2021)

Vanny said:


> Couple hundred undiscovered diseases in that.


And seven known!


----------



## Mussels (Apr 20, 2021)

found on facebook


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 20, 2021)

Mussels said:


> found on facebook


Poor little critter.


----------



## Mussels (Apr 23, 2021)

So, my ex wife (who belongs in this thread) didnt want to pay me $50 to build her a PC, and got a prebuilt
It had a dead AIO, had to get sent back at her cost, finally returned today

Karma go smashy smashy in shipping


----------



## bobbybluz (Apr 23, 2021)

Mussels said:


> So, my ex wife (who belongs in this thread) didnt want to pay me $50 to build her a PC, and got a prebuilt
> It had a dead AIO, had to get sent back at her cost, finally returned today
> 
> Karma go smashy smashy in shippingView attachment 197783View attachment 197784


That's not gonna buff out...


----------



## Frick (Apr 23, 2021)

Mussels said:


> So, my ex wife (who belongs in this thread) didnt want to pay me $50 to build her a PC, and got a prebuilt
> It had a dead AIO, had to get sent back at her cost, finally returned today
> 
> Karma go smashy smashy in shippingView attachment 197783



So recycling hasn't been invented in australia?


----------



## Mussels (Apr 23, 2021)

Frick said:


> So recycling hasn't been invented in australia?


oh yes it exists


she wouldnt use it tho


----------



## Peter1986C (Apr 23, 2021)

Don't the local authorities/waste companies do some time-to-time sampling of the bins, and fine those addresses that do not give enough f***s?


----------



## s3thra (Apr 23, 2021)

Peter1986C said:


> Don't the local authorities/waste companies do some time-to-time sampling of the bins, and fine those addresses that do not give enough f***s?


Depends on which Council area you live in - the legislation varies. Generally everyone gets on board though as it is difficult otherwise. For example, in my area the "general waste" bin is really small, and the "recycling bin" is really big, so it's easier to just get with the program and recycle. And yes, if lazy people start putting general crap in the big recycling bins they will get stung for doing so.

Anyway, way off-topic for this thread lol.


----------



## Mussels (Apr 23, 2021)

weeeelllll.... she's a nightmare so kinda relevant to the thread title

i'm enjoying the karma of her PC arriving smashed up


----------



## Octopuss (Apr 23, 2021)

This thread needs a vomit emoji added to available reactions.
@W1zzard


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 23, 2021)

Mussels said:


> So, my ex wife (who belongs in this thread) didnt want to pay me $50 to build her a PC, and got a prebuilt
> It had a dead AIO, had to get sent back at her cost, finally returned today
> 
> Karma go smashy smashy in shippingView attachment 197783View attachment 197784


Whether she deserves it or not, that sucks..


----------



## MentalAcetylide (May 1, 2021)

Mussels said:


> So, my ex wife (who belongs in this thread) didnt want to pay me $50 to build her a PC, and got a prebuilt
> It had a dead AIO, had to get sent back at her cost, finally returned today
> 
> Karma go smashy smashy in shippingView attachment 197783View attachment 197784


Thus the main reason why I will never ever buy a custom PC online. I know some companies refuse to install & ship hard-line watercooling & heavy noctua cpu air coolers in systems due to how frequently package mishandling lead to water leaks & busted motherboards. 
Makes me wonder if they do this with packages labeled "HANDLE WITH CARE", wtf would they do if it said, "HANDLE WITH AGGRESSIVE VIOLENCE" or "BUST ME UP FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT"


----------



## Athlonite (May 1, 2021)

MentalAcetylide said:


> wtf would they do if it said, "HANDLE WITH AGGRESSIVE VIOLENCE" or "BUST ME UP FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT"


It would most likely arrive in perfect condition


----------



## Morbius2021 (May 1, 2021)

Well, I have a short story, unfortunately no pictures but it was quite a sight, and it wasn't a computer as such, but an old school TAPE based answering machine, old couple brought it in, said the tape sounded "funny".  Upon a short inspection of the unit, it was was VERY apparent what the issue was.  The entire system was COVERED in a crystalline YELLOW DUST.  If the visual didn't tell the story the smell sure did.

I asked the old couple if they had a cat?, why yes, how did you know?  I don't think your cat likes your answering machine much...

The elderly gentleman began to grumble and curse about the cat, then I asked me if I could "fix" it.  "meaning of course the answering machine"

I told them that in this particular case that it was un-repairable, nobody wanted to clean what appeared to be YEARS of cat urine out of and inside of a 10 year old answering machine.

Time for a new one.

.


----------



## MentalAcetylide (May 1, 2021)

Athlonite said:


> It would most likely arrive in perfect condition


Yeah it might actually work, at least until we invent AI packaging that is capable of reciprocating any kind of rough handling back on the handler with a hard kick or three to their general crotch area, etc. Of course, we could just use the AI to replace those same dipshits, too. 



Morbius2021 said:


> Well, I have a short story, unfortunately no pictures but it was quite a sight, and it wasn't a computer as such, but an old school TAPE based answering machine, old couple brought it in, said the tape sounded "funny".  Upon a short inspection of the unit, it was was VERY apparent what the issue was.  The entire system was COVERED in a crystalline YELLOW DUST.  If the visual didn't tell the story the smell sure did.
> 
> I asked the old couple if they had a cat?, why yes, how did you know?  I don't think your cat likes your answering machine much...
> 
> ...


Cats have 9 lives, tape based answering machines do not. In this case, I would replace both.


----------



## pantherx12 (May 3, 2021)

So got my old fx 8120 rig off a friend. This was in his 9800gt.


----------



## Valantar (May 3, 2021)

pantherx12 said:


> So got my old fx 8120 rig off a friend. This was in his 9800gt.
> View attachment 198974


Looks fine to me - at least 2/3 of it isn't even clogged!


----------



## pantherx12 (May 3, 2021)

Valantar said:


> Looks fine to me - at least 2/3 of it isn't even clogged!


Quite a lot of it moved when I rotated the fans out the way heh


----------



## Hemmingstamp (May 3, 2021)

pantherx12 said:


> Quite a lot of it moved when I rotated the fans out the way heh


With the fur in that GPU i suggest having a word in your friends ear about GPU hygeine


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 3, 2021)

Hemmingstamp said:


> With the fur in that GPU i suggest having a word in your friends ear about GPU hygeine


This!


----------



## micropage7 (May 4, 2021)

A laptop after around a year


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 4, 2021)

micropage7 said:


> A laptop after around a year
> View attachment 199252


Oh man, smokers gunk... Nasty!


----------



## sam_86314 (May 10, 2021)

Pretty tame compared to some of the stuff on here, but I thought I'd share it.

Decided to pull the heatsink off of my old Toshiba Satellite P55W out of curiosity, and was greeted by this...






Holy crap, Toshiba! Who do you have pasting your laptop CPUs? The Verge?






Needless to say, I cleaned that mess up and replaced it with a more reasonable amount of Arctic MX-5.

And yes, that is an HP wireless NIC in a Toshiba laptop. I traded NICs between my EliteBook and this when I switched to that laptop.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 10, 2021)

sam_86314 said:


> The Verge?


ROFLMBO! Right?


----------



## fma67 (May 10, 2021)

As exist "Animal protection" associations, I think we should create a "Computers protection" one )


----------



## Caring1 (May 23, 2021)

I got this old AM3 system for free today with an FX 8320, GTX 970, 16GB 1333 ram, Crucial MX300 SSD, 1TB W.D. HD and Cooler Master 600W PSU in working condition but filthy and the case is trash.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 23, 2021)

Caring1 said:


> I got this old AM3 system for free today with an FX 8320, GTX 970, 16GB 1333 ram, Crucial MX300 SSD, 1TB W.D. HD and Cooler Master 600W PSU in working condition but filthy and the case is trash.
> 
> View attachment 201362


Don't clean that in your home. Take it outside to do the bulk of the cleaning... Trust me, you'll thank yourself later...


----------



## R-T-B (May 25, 2021)

fma67 said:


> As exist "Animal protection" associations, I think we should create a "Computers protection" one )


You'll never take me alive, coppa!


----------



## silentbogo (May 28, 2021)

Dust Bunnies?... Furry Ferrets?...
No! Woolly Mammoths!


Spoiler


----------



## P4-630 (Jul 17, 2021)




----------



## micropage7 (Jul 17, 2021)

P4-630 said:


> View attachment 208490
> 
> View attachment 208491
> 
> View attachment 208492


just wait, why the front fans not melt? the fire from the back first?


----------



## Athlonite (Jul 17, 2021)

micropage7 said:


> just wait, why the front fans not melt? the fire from the back first?


that was my first thought too my second thought was I bet they had a gigabyte PSU in their and it went poof


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Jul 18, 2021)

Amazing that he was able to bring that card back to life!


----------



## phill (Jul 18, 2021)

P4-630 said:


> View attachment 208490
> 
> View attachment 208491
> 
> View attachment 208492


I'm sure it'll polish out.....


----------



## plastiscɧ (Jul 18, 2021)

_Well the German art of computing!

WHY_ German??

On the left upper corner is a Bottle of Mineralwater with the Brand *GEROLSTEINER!*





*Gordons Gin* on the right and *Maximum Strength Pepcid AC* Heartburn Relief Tablets with Famotidine provide rapid prevention and relief of heartburn associated with acid indigestion and acid stomach placed in the middle.

poor guy - he doesn't even have time to eat the *potatoes wrapped* in aluminum foil (if that is what you are looking)...


----------



## Chrispy_ (Jul 18, 2021)

plastiscɧ said:


> *Gordons Gin* on the right and *Maximum Strength Pepcid AC* Heartburn Relief Tablets with Famotidine provide rapid prevention and relief of heartburn associated with acid indigestion and acid stomach placed in the middle.


I like how his diet is coffee/alcohol/cigarettes and he's going for heartburn tablets.
"I wanna f*** myself up, but I wanna do it *comfort*."
Classy stuff!


----------



## plastiscɧ (Jul 18, 2021)

well.. u got it.


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 1, 2021)

yeah, some people don't deserve any laptop in their life



it's not like that (i know what you meant)    
some time it's pretty ironic where a person that you know nearly 24/7 stay online but don't give a damn at all at their stuff


----------



## xrobwx71 (Aug 1, 2021)

P4-630 said:


> View attachment 208490
> 
> View attachment 208491
> 
> View attachment 208492


That's one way to get rid of the dust.


----------



## lZKoce (Aug 28, 2021)

I was given an old lappy "to make it faster"...you know...the usual routine. Reeked on cigarettes' smoke as soon as I got it in my hands. When I saw the back I already knew I got a winner for this thread.  Without further ado, FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE CHARCOAL OF DUST!





Never did a PackardBell before. Gotta say a sturdy machine, if this was Toshiba, it would've died a long time ago


----------



## FireFox (Aug 28, 2021)

lZKoce said:


> Reeked on cigarettes' smoke


Disgusting


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 28, 2021)

lZKoce said:


> I was given an old lappy "to make it faster"...you know...the usual routine. Reeked on cigarettes' smoke as soon as I got it in my hands. When I saw the back I already knew I got a winner for this thread.  Without further ado, FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE CHARCOAL OF DUST!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh yeah, the smokers nasty! I recommend a GooGone(if you can get it) soak, followed by 99% IPA finishing clean.


----------



## Mussels (Aug 28, 2021)

Forget the ring of fire, we got the RING. OF. NICOTIIIIIIINE!


----------



## plastiscɧ (Aug 28, 2021)




----------



## FireFox (Aug 28, 2021)

Unfortunately i smoke, but never not even once inside my house, car or in front of my Daughter.
When there are too many people around me smoking it bothers me.


----------



## Nuckles56 (Aug 28, 2021)

lZKoce said:


> I was given an old lappy "to make it faster"...you know...the usual routine. Reeked on cigarettes' smoke as soon as I got it in my hands. When I saw the back I already knew I got a winner for this thread.  Without further ado, FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE CHARCOAL OF DUST!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Toshiba's laptops could be pretty hit and miss, I've had two myself. One was total dog of a machine that I couldn't wait to get rid of in the end, but the other one was solid despite the abuse it copped and I've had it now for 9 years and it's every bit as fast as the HP Envy X360 that replaced it in the end


----------



## Valantar (Aug 28, 2021)

At times I wonder if people blow smoke directly into their laptops to try and hide the smell (like people do into their stove hoods). Though if anything stuff like that just illustrates how disgusting smoke is. I hope you were well compensated for handling that disgusting crap. I was particularly impressed with the smoke trails from the side ports - a great illustration of what happens when you don't align the intake vents with the fan.


----------



## Athlonite (Aug 28, 2021)

Mussels said:


> Forget the ring of fire, we got the RING. OF. NICOTIIIIIIINE!


Kinda reminds me of when I was a car valet and used to clean fresh imports from japan we used to spray on the cleaner walk away for 10 and then go back and start mopping up the filth


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 29, 2021)

plastiscɧ said:


> basically they're doing experiments like:
> 
> View attachment 214489
> 
> ...


Not to diss on you, because these were funny, but this a TECH nasty thread, not a general nasty thread... Just throwing it out there.. No offense of course..


----------



## 95Viper (Aug 31, 2021)

Stay on topic.
Stop the thread crapping, trolling, and off topic posting.


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 1, 2021)

and as usual lab pc stuff


----------



## phill (Sep 6, 2021)

A little while ago, I had to have a look at my Mum's PC she'd bought my sisters two girls and for everyone...  It. Did. Not. Look. Pretty.



I have cleaned it up again and installed some newer hardware in there but since the end product is clean and sadly I never took many pics of this mess I can't really post much more in here   That said, this little build is over in my Project Log should everyone like to see the progress and end result   Give me 5 though, as I've only just put in the few lines of a new post!!


----------



## plastiscɧ (Sep 6, 2021)

phill said:


> A little while ago, I had to have a look at my Mum's PC she'd bought my sisters two girls and for everyone...  It. Did. Not. Look. Pretty.
> 
> View attachment 215674
> 
> I have cleaned it up again and installed some newer hardware in there but since the end product is clean and sadly I never took many pics of this mess I can't really post much more in here   That said, this little build is over in my Project Log should everyone like to see the progress and end result  Give me 5 though, as I've only just put in the few lines of a new post!!


lovely..


----------



## RealKGB (Sep 6, 2021)

I sadly don't have pictures of this but I saw a Dell Inspiron something tower on the side of the road. The thumb screws still worked, so I opened it up.

There was a dead frog in the exhaust fan.


----------



## plastiscɧ (Sep 6, 2021)

sure it was a frog? can be a toad as well....


----------



## phill (Sep 6, 2021)

plastiscɧ said:


> lovely..


I am glad I had an electric blower to clean it out with, I think I might have gone through a few cans of air duster to clean it out...  It wasn't good....


----------



## plastiscɧ (Sep 6, 2021)

i remember the times i had an alienware notebook. had to clean the inside- vents and other things with an electric toothbrush..




phill said:


> I am glad I had an electric blower to clean it out with, I think I might have gone through a few cans of air duster to clean it out...  It wasn't good....


----------



## R-T-B (Sep 6, 2021)

plastiscɧ said:


> View attachment 215693
> 
> sure it was a frog? can be a toad as well....


Good job, you are going to frog/toad hell.


----------



## RealKGB (Sep 6, 2021)

plastiscɧ said:


> View attachment 215693
> 
> sure it was a frog? can be a toad as well....


I'm not sure. I didn't examine the frog/toad - all I did with the Inspiron was take out the frog with some sticks and then leave it. I don't mind dirtiness in old computers, but I don't feel like making the office smell like dead frog.


----------



## Bungz (Sep 7, 2021)

Covering in another location, mouse felt rough so started chipping away at it.....

Some people


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 7, 2021)

Bungz said:


> View attachment 215882View attachment 215881
> 
> Covering in another location, mouse felt rough so started chipping away at it.....
> 
> Some people


yea, soft touch, rubber layer or whatever they say. it is good for some years before glueing and melt on your hand and leave sticky feel everywhere


----------



## Bungz (Sep 7, 2021)

Not soft touch, its a boggo plastic mouse. And it is fairly new!

I can only put it down to hand sanitizer and scummy hands.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 7, 2021)

Bungz said:


> I can only put it down to hand sanitizer and scummy hands.


And a failure to clean the thing. I wipe down my mice and keyboards once a week whether they look like they need it or not... Basic hygiene..


----------



## Anoniem (Oct 3, 2021)

Well, not a picture but a video 

Some time ago a customer which we all know well came to us to get his PC checked since it was acting up. Now we all knew the customer was a smoker (Zilver zwaar FTW) and we regularly cleaned his PC. But what we had to troubleshoot that day shocked all of us hahaha.

So I get to work, PC doesn't POST, okay.
Booting with one DIMM? Nope.
Booting with everything disconnected? Nope
Different PSU? Nope.
Breadboard on wood and 1 DIMM? Nope.
Breadboard on wood and different RAM slot? Nope.

So after a bit of testing I was losing my patience a bit and remembered that I had another Z270 board that I owned in my own lab. So I grabbed that and got to work. Now it STILL wouldn't boot and dead CPU's are quite rare compared to other components. So knowing the user was a smoker I decided to check the CPU under my microscope in my own time. So a few hours later I entered my lab and I shit you not, I could SMELL the CPU   The contact pads on the bottom of the CPU were completely covered with nice, thin film of nicotine residue thus not making proper contact at all! Cleaned the thing, booted in my board and all was fine.

Please people, don't smoke next to your PC hahaha.

Here's a video of what I found: https://streamable.com/4552s5


----------



## Athlonite (Oct 3, 2021)

@Anoniem he didn't just smoke next to his PC he chain smoked next to it


----------



## Mussels (Oct 3, 2021)

Oh god, i couldnt see it at first until the cotton bud started changing colour...


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 3, 2021)

Disgusting, I don't smoke, and any smokers have to go out in the yard if they want to.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 4, 2021)

Tigger said:


> Disgusting, I don't smoke, and any smokers have to go out in the yard if they want to.


I don't allow smoking on my property. Visitors who do have to go out on the sidewalk. They are not allowed to light up anywhere on the property.


----------



## Anoniem (Oct 4, 2021)

I smoked for years, but never indoors and never anywhere remotely close to my PC or other hardware  If somebody wants to smoke, fine, do it outside. I rarely smoke these days, maybe four or five times a year when I'm drunk.

And another effort so the thread doesn't get derailed; CAT. PISS. Get that little kitty litter trained ASAP  And yup, I got it fixed.


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 17, 2021)

yeah it's nasty
my friend's laptop, i usually clean it up but the last Asus that i worked it just died on my hand, i didn't do something weird, just replacing the keyboard and it just died WTF
since that i'll leave it as it is, just replacing the HDD with ssd and i told her that it has some dust inside and i don't want to open it more


----------



## xtreemchaos (Oct 17, 2021)

i smoke constantly, its the only vice "lie" i have but do have a dedicated smoking room i like Cuban cigars laced with green stuff on the advice of my doctor  . i do have another vice and thats coffee i drink it constantly and hot choc too. i know smoking is bad but it feels so good and when i kick the bucket i want to be ill otherwise it will be so disapointing. .


----------



## FireFox (Oct 17, 2021)

xtreemchaos said:


> i like Cuban cigars


That's because you haven't tried those from my country


----------



## Anoniem (Oct 17, 2021)

micropage7 said:


> yeah it's nasty
> my friend's laptop, i usually clean it up but the last Asus that i worked it just died on my hand, i didn't do something weird, just replacing the keyboard and it just died WTF
> since that i'll leave it as it is, just replacing the HDD with ssd and i told her that it has some dust inside and i don't want to open it more
> View attachment 221166
> View attachment 221167


That's one dusty boy! And yeah, I've had more issues with Asus laptops than I'd like. Especially spare parts are a pain in the arse to get, most of the time it's just eBay and hoping that somebody is offering. Like HP, Lenovo, Dynabook and Acer are just a phone call away from delivering spare parts, why does Asus have to do stuff so awkwardly?!


----------



## Jetster (Oct 30, 2021)

Ran across this photo looking at pictures of expensive mistakes


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 30, 2021)

Anoniem said:


> That's one dusty boy! And yeah, I've had more issues with Asus laptops than I'd like. Especially spare parts are a pain in the arse to get, most of the time it's just eBay and hoping that somebody is offering. Like HP, Lenovo, Dynabook and Acer are just a phone call away from delivering spare parts, why does Asus have to do stuff so awkwardly?!


yep, some of my friends have Asus and guess what all of them has picky wifi connection, this is why i don't recommend that brand especially for low end tier


----------



## 1freedude (Oct 31, 2021)

Spoiler (puke and barf) tag in effect.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!


Spoiler: Not a PC



Notice the blockage in the suction tube....that went all the way up that corrugated 







tube






Below is the cat being extracted from the brush area intake


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 31, 2021)

1freedude said:


> Spoiler (puke and barf) tag in effect.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Not a PC
> ...


That is 100% wacky! Hope you were wearing gloves!


----------



## cst1992 (Oct 31, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Ran across this photo looking at pictures of expensive mistakes
> 
> View attachment 222972


Where's the truck?


----------



## Athlonite (Nov 1, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Ran across this photo looking at pictures of expensive mistakes
> 
> View attachment 222972


I bet that's not what they meant when they said go destroy the data on that server


----------



## Jetster (Nov 1, 2021)

Athlonite said:


> I bet that's not what they meant when they said go destroy the data on that server


So do you replace all the drives, or just the ones that fell out or tested bad?


----------



## Ahhzz (Nov 1, 2021)

Jetster said:


> So do you replace all the drives, or just the ones that fell out or tested bad?


For me, considering those look like HDDs, not SDDs, those platters could have shattered, and if they didn't, there's still a high chance they're scratched from head impact. I'd be replacing them all...


----------



## cst1992 (Nov 1, 2021)

Athlonite said:


> I bet that's not what they meant when they said go destroy the data on that server


Even worse when you consider that what actually happened is the rack just tipped and fell. But it honestly looks like it was hit by a truck.
What a waste.

If I'm seeing it right there are 165 drive bays on that server rack. If you put $45 2TB HDDs in them all, you still have to spend ~$7,500 on the HDDs alone. Double that if they're all SSDs(but then if they are, there's a much lower chance that you have to replace all of them).

Much higher than that is the cost of the data itself. If there are no backups of this on any other locations/racks, some of the data(potentially worth millions) is now lost.


----------



## Athlonite (Nov 1, 2021)

Jetster said:


> So do you replace all the drives, or just the ones that fell out or tested bad?


I'd melt the lot down and sell it for scrap


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 1, 2021)

Athlonite said:


> I'd melt the lot down and sell it for scrap


I'd test every component for viability and recycle what is damaged or doesn't work. The rack was obviously not in operation went it was knocked over and most parts have a g-shock load rating. A non-operation fall like that would not have exceeded such a rating. As bad as that picture looks, most of the drives/parts in that rack likely work fine.


----------



## Caring1 (Nov 2, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> As bad as that picture looks, most of the drive/parts in that rack likely work fine.


And will end up on eBay as low hour, used drives.


----------



## cst1992 (Nov 2, 2021)

Caring1 said:


> And will end up on eBay as low hour, used drives.


Well, what are you waiting for? Place a bid before they're all gone!!!


----------



## micropage7 (Nov 3, 2021)

From Zotac IG



It's good to know that your filter works well


----------



## plastiscɧ (Nov 8, 2021)

My good ol' Alienware MX15


----------



## Anoniem (Nov 8, 2021)

plastiscɧ said:


> View attachment 224323
> 
> My good ol' Alienware MX15


I don't know why but I'm fascinated by that electric toothbrush. Why is it there?


----------



## plastiscɧ (Nov 8, 2021)

Anoniem said:


> I don't know why but I'm fascinated by that electric toothbrush. Why is it there?


The answer mate is written here in Post #2215
the pic i found today..


----------



## seth1911 (Nov 21, 2021)

micropage7 said:


> From Zotac IG
> View attachment 223553
> It's good to know that your filter works well


I forgot to take a picture before i cleaned my case after 6 Months (im smoking) it looks nearly the same .
But they work very well, they keep the most of the dust outside of ther case..


----------



## seth1911 (Dec 17, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I don't allow smoking on my property. Visitors who do have to go out on the sidewalk. They are not allowed to light up anywhere on the property.


Yeah im similar i told everyone whos visit me he can go out of my flat to smoke, in my flat its only allowed to smoke cigarillos and cigars


----------



## Mussels (Dec 28, 2021)

"PC is slower than it used to be"



".... yes"


----------



## Caring1 (Dec 28, 2021)

Cats?


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 28, 2021)

This just came through the door and as per @Mussels post, it's apparently running 'very slow'. Yuk, I'll need an HEV suit for this one.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 28, 2021)

Mussels said:


> "PC is slower than it used to be"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That just hurts to look at... Poor PC...



Splinterdog said:


> This just came through the door and as per @Mussels post, it's apparently running 'very slow'. Yuk, I'll need an HEV suit for this one.
> View attachment 230455 View attachment 230456


This too!


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 28, 2021)

Not much better underneath.


----------



## plastiscɧ (Dec 28, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> Not much better underneath.
> View attachment 230463


how? i ask myself just how??
 






they must live like Asmongold....


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 28, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> Not much better underneath.
> View attachment 230463


That's a solid system. Show it some love make it shine!


----------



## Splinterdog (Dec 28, 2021)

Most of my customers don't open the PC case to clean inside. It just doesn't occur to them, so it's work for me which I don't mind of course $$$$$
A bit tidier now and a noticeable drop in temp


----------



## Mussels (Dec 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a solid system. Show it some love make it shine!


My dustball was a 3770k with 16GB DDR3 2400 C11 and an RX580


Its shining as fast as she can, capn!


----------



## Athlonite (Dec 29, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> This just came through the door and as per @Mussels post, it's apparently running 'very slow'. Yuk, I'll need an HEV suit for this one.
> View attachment 230455 View attachment 230456


We'd like to welcome you to the Intel Carpet Manufacturer building... Please wear a mask and gloves at all times thank you


----------



## Jetster (Jan 8, 2022)

You know how they say a bad PSU can take out your whole system


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 8, 2022)

Jetster said:


> You know how they say a bad PSU can take out your whole system


Good heavens! That's some scary stuff!


----------



## Frick (Jan 14, 2022)

Not exactly PC hardware... (also blurry pics)
















It's supposed to still work, but I feel it needs a pretty deep clean before I try it. Big, complicated battery charger. 24V 100A in total. It's been used as a battery charger in a trailer full of measuring equipment and a diesel generator (with a leaky exhaust) so lots of smoke and soot. There are two identical PSUs actually, 24V in parallel.

The idea is to use it as a power supply for a 800W motor, for grinding stones.

Oh. The second (well the one in the back anyway) PSU:








This is the other PSU:




We'll see how it works out.

It's a thermistor btw.


----------



## Octopuss (Jan 14, 2022)

No spiders were harmed during the exorcising of the equipment.


----------



## xrobwx71 (Jan 14, 2022)

catnipkiller said:


> smoking+pc=fail


Smoking+Lungs=fail


----------



## seth1911 (Jan 14, 2022)

Most Consumer are stupid as hell, they even dont know about anthing about PC.
They only use them but know nothing about them.

A Friend of me working on the Electronic Waste Center,
People bring them PCs with an I7 9700 and say the pc is dead, hell no only the Sys SSD / HDD was at the end.

He think his own, and sell the 9700 on marketplaces for 150€, and get 140€ net win.
While the stupid consumer buy anoter PC for 1K Euro.


----------



## stinger608 (Jan 14, 2022)

It really isn't a person being "stupid" @seth1911 as much as it is the person is ignorant. They just have never dealt with the inner workings or understanding computers.

Much like people that doesn't know how to put together an automotive engine together, or how to build a wall in a house. They are not "stupid" as much as being ignorant of how to do

something.

I'm not stupid because I can't do heart surgery, however I'm sure as hell ignorant on how it's done.


----------



## plastiscɧ (Jan 14, 2022)

stinger608 said:


> I'm not stupid because I can't do heart surgery, however I'm sure as hell ignorant on how it's done.


human bodies are looking disgusting from inside....  do not be sad you are no doctor...


----------



## Splinterdog (Jan 14, 2022)

stinger608 said:


> It really isn't a person being "stupid" @seth1911 as much as it is the person is ignorant. They just have never dealt with the inner workings or understanding computers.
> 
> Much like people that doesn't know how to put together an automotive engine together, or how to build a wall in a house. They are not "stupid" as much as being ignorant of how to do
> 
> ...


@seth1911 may have used the word 'stupid' because I'm hazarding a guess that English isn't his native language and this happens a lot where I live.
And I agree, most of my customers NEVER open up their PC cases for a number of reasons, the main one being that they think they'll break something. That's where we come in...


----------



## Peter1986C (Jan 14, 2022)

If somebody does not go to a person like you though, but instead goes straight to the recycle centre, I start to wonder though whether they are a bit more than "ignorant".


----------



## stinger608 (Jan 14, 2022)

Peter1986C said:


> If somebody does not go to a person like you though, but instead goes straight to the recycle centre, I start to wonder though whether they are a bit more than "ignorant".



Well, you do have a point there for sure.


----------



## Splinterdog (Jan 14, 2022)

When I see a filthy, rotten, nasty, I assume the role of International Rescue. It's unavoidable.


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 15, 2022)

Splinterdog said:


> When I see a filthy, rotten, nasty, I assume the role of International Rescue. It's unavoidable.


5........4..........3........ 2.......1........ Splinterdog is GO


----------



## pregep (Jan 16, 2022)

Few pics from my own/personal collection of "Idiots using computers" 

MASSIVE WARNING: not recommended for those with weak heart!


----------



## Frick (Jan 16, 2022)

Splinterdog said:


> @seth1911 may have used the word 'stupid' because I'm hazarding a guess that English isn't his native language and this happens a lot where I live.



I see plenty of americans and other english speaking people claiming people who don't know the inner workings of computers are being stupid.


----------



## Octopuss (Jan 16, 2022)

pregep said:


> Few pics from my own/personal collection of "Idiots using computers"
> 
> MASSIVE WARNING: not recommended for those with weak heart!


fuck me or what


----------



## Mussels (Jan 16, 2022)

Frick said:


> I see plenty of americans and other english speaking people claiming people who don't know the inner workings of computers are being stupid.


Personally, i think people SHOULD know the basics of this stuff

My 7 year old knows the difference between wifi and internet, that microwaves work by vibrating water, and that you need to blow dust out of computers once a year (at least)
We just cleaned the dust out of his nintendo switch, so that he doesnt show up in threads like this himself 


$5 to whoever rolls that up and smokes it


----------



## Athlonite (Jan 17, 2022)

I'm a smoker and I'd have to say 5 bucks is not enough to get me to smoke whatever that crap is


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (Jan 17, 2022)

pregep said:


> Few pics from my own/personal collection of "Idiots using computers"
> 
> MASSIVE WARNING: not recommended for those with weak heart!



 This one might be the worst I've ever seen:


----------



## Frick (Jan 17, 2022)

Mussels said:


> Personally, i think people SHOULD know the basics of this stuff
> 
> My 7 year old knows the difference between wifi and internet, that microwaves work by vibrating water, and that you need to blow dust out of computers once a year (at least)
> We just cleaned the dust out of his nintendo switch, so that he doesnt show up in threads like this himself



He's still an idiot for not knowing how to repair gearboxes.


----------



## silentbogo (Jan 17, 2022)

Frick said:


> I see plenty of americans and other english speaking people claiming people who don't know the inner workings of computers are being stupid.


Regardless of broken language I kinda see a point of where @seth1911 was going. There is a big difference between ignorance and willful ignorance(aka stupidity), and the latter is more prominent when living standards improve. Ukraine isn't exactly a model of QoL improvements, but it's still here and it's definitely noticeable. Back in a day people treated their computers like cars, so they knew exactly what its worth, and they tried to get the most mileage out of their devices. If they didn't know what to do - they'd bug all of their friends with more knowledge, or take it to a nearest workshop. Today people have a lot more disposable income (yes, even with political situation and covid in picture it's still 100 times better than wild 90s). Additionally electronics became cheaper, and there are tings like partial payments (basically a 0% interest credit). So, today if something breaks - people usually treat it as an excuse to buy new shiny things.
This brings us to an age where most of our local electronic workshops survive by functioning as thrift shops (buying and refurbishing broken stuff, selling it back into the wild), or by servicing SMB sector. 
What's funny is that one of my recent customers lives in the same block as me, and works across the street from my office. After fixing 2 of his laptops, 2 phones and a wireless mouse he was genuinely surprised that "there are still workshops like that" in my town, even though we take almost the exact same route from work to home and he should pass at least 3 much bigger workshops on the way home.


----------



## Splinterdog (Jan 17, 2022)

There are Argentines on this forum (I'm a Brit living in Arg) who will agree with me, I'm sure, that repairing stuff is normal practice here due to the dire economic situation.
The hall of horrors shown by @pregep is all too familiar to me in nearly 15 years of fixing PCs here. What's surprising is that most of them still end up functioning after a clean up.
I've even had the same machines come back like boomerangs, that I had originally rescued from the grave, but they just won't die.


----------



## Frick (Jan 17, 2022)

silentbogo said:


> Regardless of broken language I kinda see a point of where @seth1911 was going. There is a big difference between ignorance and willful ignorance(aka stupidity), and the latter is more prominent when living standards improve. Ukraine isn't exactly a model of QoL improvements, but it's still here and it's definitely noticeable. Back in a day people treated their computers like cars, so they knew exactly what its worth, and they tried to get the most mileage out of their devices. If they didn't know what to do - they'd bug all of their friends with more knowledge, or take it to a nearest workshop. Today people have a lot more disposable income (yes, even with political situation and covid in picture it's still 100 times better than wild 90s). Additionally electronics became cheaper, and there are tings like partial payments (basically a 0% interest credit). So, today if something breaks - people usually treat it as an excuse to buy new shiny things.
> This brings us to an age where most of our local electronic workshops survive by functioning as thrift shops (buying and refurbishing broken stuff, selling it back into the wild), or by servicing SMB sector.
> What's funny is that one of my recent customers lives in the same block as me, and works across the street from my office. After fixing 2 of his laptops, 2 phones and a wireless mouse he was genuinely surprised that "there are still workshops like that" in my town, even though we take almost the exact same route from work to home and he should pass at least 3 much bigger workshops on the way home.



Fully agree that people should take better care and repair more stuff, but that doesn't mean it's stupidity to not do it or not knowing how to do it. Some people are stupid, but most people are just being people.


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 17, 2022)

80-watt Hamster said:


> This one might be the worst I've ever seen:
> 
> View attachment 232738


the great thing is the pc suck all the dust from your room to make it more clean, kinda vacuum cleaner look a like


----------



## silentbogo (Jan 17, 2022)

Frick said:


> Fully agree that people should take better care and repair more stuff, but that doesn't mean it's stupidity to not do it or not knowing how to do it.


That's not what I mean. There are lots of people that do want their stuff fixed, but a comfortable life made them lazy and stupid. Just like that customer I mentioned.
They will remember all the pizza places in their block, or the way to any supermarket in the 20km radius, but they won't notice a smartphone service center right in their apartment building. 
People forgot how to look for information, especially local information or physical(IRL) information. People forgot to differentiate between useful and useless info. People forgot to look at signs, cause smartphone became the sole source of precious info etc. etc. etc. It's not just about electronics repair, it's basically life in general. People cling to what seems familiar or more comfortable, and intentionally ignore everything else.
I wanted to tell a few more funny stories on this topic, but now that I think of it - it's actually quite depressing, so I won't   

Enough sad stuff for one day. Here's a tad of fun from last week. The owner brought it in to check the fan, cause it was "rattling every once in awhile".
Apparently he didn't even know that he had an ODD or how to open it, but his 5 y.o. kid figured it out in a matter of seconds


----------



## Octopuss (Jan 17, 2022)

I used to do basic bitch IT support in a company that had two clients, one of them being a chain of mobile phone stores in those large shopping centres etc.
We always packed air compressor in the car when going to do any kind of service in those places, and always unintentionally tried to "gas chamber" any people near the entrances in the underground garages  I mean just imagine a PC like the one in the photo below, typically in worse conditions, and that times say five. The shit that blew out of the cases caused a short dust storm of sorts.

Some of the shit was VILE, and this was not the worst by FAR:




The computers typically sat in cabinets like this:




The entire place was typically a mess in every way imaginable.
Not sure how the fucking tech even worked with shit like this:








P.S. I have no idea who originally installed these places, could had been a company before us. I only worked there for 11 months (and ended up bullied by most of the (few) colleagues to the point of breaking down for a few further years)


----------



## Mussels (Jan 18, 2022)

I feel that it's fair to learn basic maintenance on anything you rely on.
Dusting a computer and topping up oil and coolant in a car, oiling and tightening a bike chain.

Not the in depth stuff, but the sheer basics - which would let you SPOT a problem and ask for help, prior to ending up owning the images in this thread...


----------



## micropage7 (Jan 25, 2022)

just bought 2nd hand TL-WA901ND and guess what i got an access point with sticky layer, looks like the previous user place it in the kitchen






then i just cross my fingers drop isopropyl alcohol and brush it several times



after cleaned it, i just recheck it, i hope i don't kill it in the process




then it works pretty good, for something that kinda old school it performs pretty good
and i just add wire heatsink


----------



## Mussels (Jan 26, 2022)

Those are the most ghetto heatsinks i have ever seen


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 8, 2022)

A splash of colour for your mouse and keyboard, sir?


----------



## robot zombie (Apr 8, 2022)

Mussels said:


> I feel that it's fair to learn basic maintenance on anything you rely on.
> Dusting a computer and topping up oil and coolant in a car, oiling and tightening a bike chain.
> 
> Not the in depth stuff, but the sheer basics - which would let you SPOT a problem and ask for help, prior to ending up owning the images in this thread...


I think a lot of people don't have any curiosity for machines. Me, I see a weird box on the wall as a kid, I wanna know what's inside and what it does. Most people find it unusual that I can describe how many things around us work on at least some real mechanical level. To me, it's simple stuff...  to them, it's mystical. I swear there is a whole world of machines that lives somewhere in their heads as a place they just don't go. I think a lot of this is culture. My generation came into a world full of disposable stuff... the value people see in fixing or caring for things is less. The rest... is for the experts.

It's a shame. The practical skills involved in caring for and repairing things don't just extend the material life of things - it's the mind expansion. It makes you more curious, more confident, and quite literally more capable. It's lessons in the art of dealing with the rocks and hard places. Its new forms of problem solving in your life arsenal. Also, money in your pocket from time to time... or daily, if you want it to be.

I think you have to start kinda young on the mindset of fixing things though. Like I said, its cultural. I grew up examining and fixing things. Often for neccesity as much as curiosity. Like my dad. I grew up with kids who didn't and as adults, some of them are scared to change a lightbulb if you have to remove anything to get to it.

People have different mental strengths too. Not everyone is mechanically inclined. But I do think many people could do more for themselves if ever the idea of fixing something became ordinary in their minds. For them its not every day they stop and fix or service something, which I think makes it more of an endeavor than it has to be in actuality. And then either it doesn't happen and you get neglect, or terrible mistakes are made not picking up on obvious things. And you can look stuff up, but nobody can help you but you if things go wrong. And I believe most people CAN help themselves more than they think... but it becomes a question of if they want to try and what they stand to lose. There's an attitude that all people who think like we do have, and I think its easy to take that for granted with normal people these days lol

EDIT: Never go rogue with no autocorrect on a smart phone.


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 9, 2022)

robot zombie said:


> I think a lot of people don't have any curiosity for machines. Me, I see a weird box on the wall as a kid, I wanna know what's inside and what it does. Most people find it unusual that I can describe how many things around us work on at least some real mechanical level. To me, it's simple stuff...  to them, it's mystical. I swear there is a whole world of machines that lives somewhere in their heads as a place they just don't go. I think a lot of this is culture. My generation came into a world full of disposable stuff... the value people see in fixing or caring for things is less. The rest... is for the experts.
> 
> It's a shame. The practical skills involved in caring for and repairing things don't just extend the material life of things - it's the mind expansion. It makes you more curious, more confident, and quite literally more capable. It's lessons in the art of dealing with the rocks and hard places. Its new forms of problem solving in your life arsenal. Also, money in your pocket from time to time... or daily, if you want it to be.
> 
> ...


Well said, sir.
Times have changed and we now live in a disposable society in more ways than we would like to admit. Indeed, my home country, England, is a society bent on disposing that which can be re-used and paradoxically I now live in Argentina where fixing that which is broken, multiple times if necessary, is part of the make-up forced upon by simple economics. If it's broke fix it and keep fixing it.
Besides, it also keeps me in a living, so it works both ways and nothing is ever wasted.


----------



## robot zombie (Apr 9, 2022)

Splinterdog said:


> Well said, sir.
> Times have changed and we now live in a disposable society in more ways than we would like to admit. Indeed, my home country, England, is a society bent on disposing that which can be re-used and paradoxically I now live in Argentina where fixing that which is broken, multiple times if necessary, is part of the make-up forced upon by simple economics. If it's broke fix it and keep fixing it.
> Besides, it also keeps me in a living, so it works both ways and nothing is ever wasted.


Well that's a helluva dynamic shift my friend! I can certainly appreciate that the way people operate there is largely just need - supply and demand. But I think there's something noble about refitting, rebuilding, and creative repurposing of parts and materials. In this world, it's a mark of poor economic standing and needs not being met. But I like to think that in a better-adjusted society, we all would be operating with that mindset far more often and it could be a joyful and productive thing - something that gives the world of humans more life and interesting things in it, while improving our standing with the "local ecology," and literally giving everyday people more power in the world and in their lives. It gives ordinary people an inherent buffer from the influence of the elite. A society of people capable of fixing and understanding the products they buy is protected from certain forms of deception, exploitation, and waste. I think it would make us better, both as beings and as peoples, and together we would be propping up a better platform for healthier patterns in growth and innovation across different industries. One that's not so hasty, impatient, and even imprudently-impudent. One that is simultaneously more cautious and more inquiring.

It kills me to discuss these things with my western friends and associates, as they look at me like "Cool, but who cares? What are you gonna do?" whenever I happen to see a fair moment to bring up a big e-waste related issue. They don't understand or care about the hows or whys of disposable tech, or how we are slowly getting screwed-down tight. Maybe they just don't wanna see where it comes back around to them. But really, every ordinary person on the planet, along with the planet itself are being robbed blind by the ways of modern industry and its insistence on cycling products at increasing rates, in order to continually increase profit margins. Where you live in Argentina is just the other side of that coin AFAIC, if you zoom out far enough. Your average person is not conceiving of the logistics involved in making their everyday lives happen. To them, it's just there. And that is a HUGE problem when you consider that it takes HUGE forces for it to just be "there" for them. It's an incredibly compromising place to be in, as a consumer. It's ruining us and making us increasingly less able to exert influence as consumers. Meanwhile, other people in the world suffer greatly for that to happen, and you yourself aren't even happy! You're doomed! But there are things you can do in your life, and in how you order you mind, that allow you to take back some control, so that our habits aren't so in congruence with the crusher that we are comfortably riding a conveyor to, at present.

I try to inspire that desire to take control in people around me. Just a few years ago I was building and servicing PCs around town and the types of clients I preferred to take were those I felt would want to learn to be better keepers of their devices, and thus be better stewards for the planet and our society, while improving their lives in their small way. It didn't matter what they knew, but what they could come to know. In my mind, they weren't just paying me to conceive/fix/upgrade their machines. We were tuning them - this is supposed to be above what you can get from an experience bought off of the shelf - focused and detailed. That's why you pay me. It was collaborative. Don't just dump your shit on me, lets work it out and get some real performance and longevity out of this thing! You lose out if you pay me to just get it going again, or do this crazy high-end build you barely understand. Lets talk about what's going on, find some questions that are interesting to you and explore the relevant knowledge, and then I want YOU to voice some opinions and make your own decisions. Most people I worked with then, don't need me anymore. People say never build freelance like I've done because you get irresponsible users depending on you for tech support. But that's why you gotta teach them how to prop themselves up! Make it something they not only *can* do, but *want* to. Inspire better users to have better clients. It's worth more to some of them than the fixes alone. Make them realize how easy it can be to do one cool thing for themselves, and they may in time find themselves wanting more of that experience. I don't know if you even *can* put a price on that.

Get that spark of 'getting in there' and taking on repair and maintenance challenges going steadily. It empowers people. I used to see that working in a hardware store just as much, if not more - I saw many people go from being uncomfortable with a screwdriver to confidently executing more advanced repairs and upgrades to things around their homes, by just conveying the right attitude about it and being right there with the information as they approached new challenges. I loved to see it. In a small way, it's clawing back at the disparity and enabling more fulfillment in people's daily lives. And not just because it's saving money.


----------



## Splinterdog (Apr 10, 2022)

robot zombie said:


> Well that's a helluva dynamic shift my friend! I can certainly appreciate that the way people operate there is largely just need - supply and demand. But I think there's something noble about refitting, rebuilding, and creative repurposing of parts and materials. In this world, it's a mark of poor economic standing and needs not being met. But I like to think that in a better-adjusted society, we all would be operating with that mindset far more often and it could be a joyful and productive thing - something that gives the world of humans more life and interesting things in it, while improving our standing with the "local ecology," and literally giving everyday people more power in the world and in their lives. It gives ordinary people an inherent buffer from the influence of the elite. A society of people capable of fixing and understanding the products they buy is protected from certain forms of deception, exploitation, and waste. I think it would make us better, both as beings and as peoples, and together we would be propping up a better platform for healthier patterns in growth and innovation across different industries. One that's not so hasty, impatient, and even imprudently-impudent. One that is simultaneously more cautious and more inquiring.
> 
> It kills me to discuss these things with my western friends and associates, as they look at me like "Cool, but who cares? What are you gonna do?" whenever I happen to see a fair moment to bring up a big e-waste related issue. They don't understand or care about the hows or whys of disposable tech, or how we are slowly getting screwed-down tight. Maybe they just don't wanna see where it comes back around to them. But really, every ordinary person on the planet, along with the planet itself are being robbed blind by the ways of modern industry and its insistence on cycling products at increasing rates, in order to continually increase profit margins. Where you live in Argentina is just the other side of that coin AFAIC, if you zoom out far enough. Your average person is not conceiving of the logistics involved in making their everyday lives happen. To them, it's just there. And that is a HUGE problem when you consider that it takes HUGE forces for it to just be "there" for them. It's an incredibly compromising place to be in, as a consumer. It's ruining us and making us increasingly less able to exert influence as consumers. Meanwhile, other people in the world suffer greatly for that to happen, and you yourself aren't even happy! You're doomed! But there are things you can do in your life, and in how you order you mind, that allow you to take back some control, so that our habits aren't so in congruence with the crusher that we are comfortably riding a conveyor to, at present.
> 
> ...


I admire the aspirations you put forward, but as I have mentioned in other posts, most of my clients have zero interest in maintaining their devices and regard such activity as a black art. They don't possess the mindset, inclination or desire to get their hands dirty.
It's similar to motorcycle maintenance which I've taught myself up to the point where I can carry out most of my servicing, short of actually changing the engine. Perhaps if I were more generous I would open a computer club and show interested parties how to get hands on, but that would be counter-productive to my business.
When I was in medical sales many years ago, a surgeon invited me to join him as he carried out a total hip replacement on an 80 year old woman, so that I could better understand the procedure and how our product would improve the woman's quality of life. To say the least, it was a messy experience and fortunately I didn't pass out, but once was enough and I declined to attend any further operations. It simply wasn't my bag, so to speak.
I get what you say about consumerism because we are like sheep, but it's up to the individual to see this. I'm altruistic up to a point, but not when it impedes upon my livelihood.


----------



## micropage7 (Apr 27, 2022)

honestly i really forgot where i put the earphone, maybe about a year or like that and when i found it the foam melted and i spent more minutes to clean it and remove any glue residue from that


----------



## ThaiTaffy (Apr 27, 2022)

Since I was a really small kid I've had this thing about opening up everything and seeing how it works, my grandfather started me on this path by teaching me how to rebuild engines not long after I learnt to walk. 
Don't get me wrong I've broken far more things than I've ever fixed but now  the saying "if it's not broke don't fix it" seems to be embedded into alot of people and preventative maintenance or modding seems to be quite a rare undertaking in every field. The majority of us here on the forums would most likely open up a second hand PSU and check caps or re-paste a SOC on anything we've bought we know that's been used. hell I do it on brand-new electronics, Screw ceramic plaster a good quality TiM and a few drops of glue on the corners of the heatsink works far better. Not sure where I'm going with this but just wanted to point out that myself a self confessed idiot still has a timer set to put my industrial vacuum into reverse and blow out my electronics every month.


----------



## Jetster (May 28, 2022)

So filthy I had to do something






A little better


----------



## trparky (May 28, 2022)

That's your idea of filthy? I consider that to be quite clean.


----------



## Jetster (May 28, 2022)

trparky said:


> That's your idea of filthy? I consider that to be quite clean.


Look at the back of the monitor. You can't really see it but hair, coffee, spiderwebs all over, plus my Romba was getting caught in the wires


----------



## trparky (May 28, 2022)

Jetster said:


> Look at the back of the monitor. You can't really see it but hair, coffee, spiderwebs all over, plus my Romba was getting caught in the wires


I was just looking at the cables. Yeah, I can see that now. As for the wires being visible, you can take care of that by moving the desk closer to the wall. If you can't see a rat's nest of wires, then it's no problem.


----------



## Jetster (May 28, 2022)

trparky said:


> I was just looking at the cables. Yeah, I can see that now. As for the wires being visible, you can take care of that by moving the desk closer to the wall. If you can't see a rat's nest of wires, then it's no problem.


It's just away from the way to clean it. Normally it's like 4 inches from the wall

Like I said the main reason was the Romba. I don't mind seeing wires, but I would wake up in the morning and my Romba would be fighting my PC lol. It would even shut down my server somehow


----------



## micropage7 (May 28, 2022)

this is TL-_WA830RE _actually not too bad for something that last for years, just dust


----------



## Chrispy_ (May 28, 2022)

micropage7 said:


> View attachment 249134
> this is TL-_WA830RE _actually not too bad for something that last for years, just dust


All the TP-Link hardware of that generation had yellowing plastics for me. Ugly AF but the hardware inside kept on trucking...


----------



## trparky (May 28, 2022)

Chrispy_ said:


> yellowing plastics


I've seen that in other products too, I often wondered why.


----------



## micropage7 (May 28, 2022)

Chrispy_ said:


> All the TP-Link hardware of that generation had yellowing plastics for me. Ugly AF but the hardware inside kept on trucking...


not only tp-link the other too, that's why i hate any white color especially for electric stuff, but the trend is the trend where most release anything in white plastic


----------



## P4-630 (May 28, 2022)

trparky said:


> I've seen that in other products too, I often wondered why.


Put it in the sun and invite heavy smokers everyday...


----------



## trparky (May 28, 2022)

P4-630 said:


> Put it in the sun and invite heavy smokers everyday...


I've seen that happen even with stuff that never was in that kind of environment.


----------



## micropage7 (May 28, 2022)

trparky said:


> I've seen that in other products too, I often wondered why.


https://www.polymersolutions.com/blog/what-makes-plastic-turn-yellow/


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 28, 2022)

trparky said:


> That's your idea of filthy? I consider that to be quite clean.


Not me, that was nasty! I would never let my stuff get that unclean.


----------



## 80251 (May 28, 2022)

P4-630 said:


> Put it in the sun and invite heavy smokers everyday...


Is it only tobacco smoke (or even chaw) that causes problems? Do herbal smokes also cause problems with leaving tar residues on electronics?


----------



## AsRock (May 28, 2022)

trparky said:


> That's your idea of filthy? I consider that to be quite clean.



Oddly not what court my eye 1st, what did was the idea here.


----------



## 80251 (May 28, 2022)

@AsRock
That's hilarious, I'll bet those power cables get mighty warm under load.


----------



## Jetster (May 28, 2022)

80251 said:


> @AsRock
> That's hilarious, I'll bet those power cables get mighty warm under load.


Not at all
APC Performance surge arrest and a Cyberpower UPS
​


----------



## AsRock (May 28, 2022)

80251 said:


> @AsRock
> That's hilarious, I'll bet those power cables get mighty warm under load.



I am on about the breeze block shelving ( in a good way  )


----------



## Gmr_Chick (May 28, 2022)

Jetster said:


> So filthy I had to do something
> 
> View attachment 249130
> 
> ...


Am I the only one who thinks the case in the 3rd pic (corner right) is more nasty than the cables and spider-web monitor?


----------



## Jetster (May 29, 2022)

Gmr_Chick said:


> Am I the only one who thinks the case in the 3rd pic (corner right) is more nasty than the cables and spider-web monitor?


That's my server, it's next. I gave it an initial vacuum, but those mesh cases suck to clean


----------



## 80251 (May 29, 2022)

Jetster said:


> Not at all
> APC Performance surge arrest and a Cyberpower UPS
> ​


You have two power cables powering 8 different things. Do you have everything running at once?


----------



## Jetster (May 29, 2022)

80251 said:


> You have two power cables powering 8 different things. Do you have everything running at once?


It's not even close to being an issue


----------



## 80251 (May 29, 2022)

Jetster said:


> It's not even close to being an issue


What's your line voltage like on that circuit when you're drawing maximum power?


----------



## Mussels (May 29, 2022)

Jetster said:


> So filthy I had to do something
> 
> View attachment 249130
> 
> ...


Reusable nylon cable ties off amazon will be your new best friend



Jetster said:


> That's my server, it's next. I gave it an initial *vacuum*, but those mesh cases *suck* to clean


Ehe. ehehehehehee.


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 6, 2022)

actually not too bad for router that from 2015 era






just dust, nothing weird. it looks the previous user after not using it he just put that somewhere where the dust took over it


----------



## Robert B (Jun 6, 2022)

This Gigabyte GA-P55-UD6 was dirtier than a 25 year old socket 3 motherboard that I find at the scrappers.  Good thing that the dust didn't make contact with water as it would've been a lot more challenging to clean. 

I still have to sort the damaged SATA ports but otherwise this high end UD6 has all the bells and whistles to become collectible in about 20 years time. 

After 5 min of some light brushing and a session with my trusty air compressor it came out quite nice. It will require some more elbow grease but only after testing and repairs.


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 6, 2022)

Ah Another fine example of the Intel carpet making factory


----------



## Splinterdog (Jun 22, 2022)

This Athlon 64 x2 4800 came in today and it's still alive, so I thought I'd breath some new life into it after dusting off the HEV suit 
I don't think it had been opened up for over a decade at least. Horrible.


----------



## Jetster (Jun 22, 2022)

Splinterdog said:


> This Athlon 64 x2 4800 came in today and it's still alive, so I thought I'd breath some new life into it after dusting off the HEV suit
> I don't think it had been opened up for over a decade at least. Horrible.
> View attachment 252016View attachment 252017


That's a Soyo case. Remember those well


----------



## 80251 (Jun 22, 2022)

No one talks about the fact dust is a natural sound deadener -- the more dust the better!


----------



## Jetster (Jun 23, 2022)

80251 said:


> No one talks about the fact dust is a natural sound deadener -- the more dust the better!


It's also a fire hazard


----------



## Athlonite (Jun 23, 2022)

Jetster said:


> It's also a fire hazard


but on the other hand there's nothing more silent than a burnt out PC though


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 23, 2022)

Jetster said:


> That's a Soyo case. Remember those well


soyo and soltek is one of my fav beside DFI
yeah that's old school memories


----------



## Valantar (Jul 6, 2022)

Thought I'd post a different type of tech gore here than what's usual:



http://imgur.com/QpyNxSG


Sound on.
For reference: LGA 1155 pinout.
What you're seeing there is a CPU with VCC (aka. VCore) and VCCAXG shorted to ground.


----------



## 80251 (Jul 6, 2022)

What kind of voltage does that multimeter put out in ohmmeter mode? If it's anywhere around 5V is a CPU able to take that kind of voltage?


----------



## Valantar (Jul 6, 2022)

80251 said:


> What kind of voltage does that multimeter put out in ohmmeter mode? If it's anywhere around 5V is a CPU able to take that kind of voltage?


The CPU was dead long before I started probing it, so no worries there. The PC was refusing to boot (not even the faintest sign of life on the motherboard), and I initially thought it had a shorted VRM as they all measured as continuous with ground. Imagine my surprise when the shorts disappeared when I removed the CPU! That led me to probing its pads, confirming it was dead.

From a bit of searching, the continuity test voltage of multimeters seems to vary a lot - a few Fluke models run in the 7-9V range, while many others are between 0.4-0.6V. And some are in between. The current limits on the output from the meter should be sufficient to avoid damage outside of the most extreme cases, but I guess it's a good idea to not run continuity testing on the pads of a known good CPU unless you know your meter outputs low voltage.

Edit: my meter's manual says it's open circuit voltage for continuity testing is 2.3-2.5V. High, but definitely not high enough to burn out anything in a CPU at near-zero current, or cause a short, especially considering that the componentry inside a working cpu would cut that voltage noticeably if it wasn't already shorted.


----------



## Frick (Jul 6, 2022)

Someone's been to gubbdagis.


----------



## Valantar (Jul 6, 2022)

Frick said:


> Someone's been to gubbdagis.


Home away from home!


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 23, 2022)

the first step every buy 2nd hand stuff is open it, check it and clean it


----------



## AsRock (Jul 23, 2022)

micropage7 said:


> the first step every buy 2nd hand stuff is open it, check it and clean it
> View attachment 255652



Battery's last for ages in them, lil small but dam they used to sell about $17.


----------



## witkazy (Aug 5, 2022)

Poor little bugger...


----------



## Edwired (Aug 5, 2022)

Valantar said:


> Thought I'd post a different type of tech gore here than what's usual:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That ohm reading isn't exactly voltage reading


----------



## Valantar (Aug 5, 2022)

witkazy said:


> View attachment 257065
> Poor little bugger...


Wow, took me quite a while to see what that was. Poor thing :/



Edwired said:


> That ohm reading isn't exactly voltage reading


Did you have the sound off? It's a continuity test, with the black probe on ground. And it's beeping consistently when touching Vcore. I.e. there's a short between Vcore and ground on the CPU, which also read as a short between Vcore and ground on the motherboard when installed. The numbers shown by a continuity test aren't ohms, but measured voltage drop AFAIK.


----------



## Edwired (Aug 5, 2022)

It not reading voltage drop you can see it in the multimeter screen it in ohm reading. If the V symbol was shown it would show voltage drop

As well the probes you mentioned is in the wrong way as for the diode mode you suppose to place the red probe on ground and black on the on the source in question as you have it in a way shows constant short in a wrong direction


----------



## Valantar (Aug 5, 2022)

Edwired said:


> It not reading voltage drop you can see it in the multimeter screen it in ohm reading. If the V symbol was shown it would show voltage drop
> 
> As well the probes you mentioned is in the wrong way as for the diode mode you suppose to place the red probe on ground and black on the on the source in question as you have it in a way shows constant short in a wrong direction


The only on-screen symbols are the diode symbol (for diode/continuity testing) and the speaker symbol for the audible beeps it makes when doing said tests - there's no ohm sybol anywhere near the screen. The red probe is connected to the header that does diode/continuity, resistance and current testing, but that's simply because voltage testing (which is not the same as voltage drop testing) requires different circuitry, it doesn't preclude the continuity test from checking for voltage drop. And that is what it does, as you can put the meter in that mode across any diode (including an LED) and it will tell you the voltage drop across that diode, not its internal resistance.


----------



## Edwired (Aug 5, 2022)

Valantar said:


> The only on-screen symbols are the diode symbol (for diode/continuity testing) and the speaker symbol for the audible beeps it makes when doing said tests - there's no ohm sybol anywhere near the screen. The red probe is connected to the header that does diode/continuity, resistance and current testing, but that's simply because voltage testing (which is not the same as voltage drop testing) requires different circuitry, it doesn't preclude the continuity test from checking for voltage drop. And that is what it does, as you can put the meter in that mode across any diode (including an LED) and it will tell you the voltage drop across that diode, not its internal resistance.


Are you testing a motherboard socket while it powered on? Or testing the cpu for short as it isnt going to give a reading due to low resistance that the multimeter can't read below a certain value range?


----------



## Valantar (Aug 6, 2022)

Edwired said:


> Are you testing a motherboard socket while it powered on? Or testing the cpu for short as it isnt going to give a reading due to low resistance that the multimeter can't read below a certain value range?


CPUs are quite low resistance, but not low enough to read as a dead short in continuity mode (a GPU would though). And no, I'm obviously not doing continuity testing on a powered-on motherboard - how would that even work? Testing was done as the system was dead, with zero signs of life.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 6, 2022)

witkazy said:


> View attachment 257065
> Poor little bugger...


That is crazy!


----------



## Edwired (Aug 6, 2022)

Unless he swiping all the grounds at the same time that is not the way to test it


----------



## Valantar (Aug 6, 2022)

Edwired said:


> Unless he swiping all the grounds at the same time that is not the way to test it


What? I have the black probe on a ground pad. All ground pads are commoned together across the package, so it makes no difference which one of them is being measured against - they all connect to the same ground plane. You do absolutely not move around your ground probe when testing for continuity - you find a ground point and use that as your reference. Finding another and testing against that afterwards is obviously a good idea - which i also did. Then again, all the VSS (ground) pins also being continuous to ground kind of removes the usefulness of that.

I linked the pinout of the socket in that post (mirror it to get the layout for the bottom of the cpu), which will show you which rails are being measured. What the video shows is that the meter beeps on every single pad in each bottom column, despite two out of three columns in that area being VCC (Vcore). Every third column is VSS (ground). Yet they are all continuous with ground.


----------



## Edwired (Aug 6, 2022)

Valantar said:


> What? I have the black probe on a ground pad. All ground pads are commoned together across the package, so it makes no difference which one of them is being measured against - they all connect to the same ground plane. You do absolutely not move around your ground probe when testing for continuity - you find a ground point and use that as your reference. Finding another and testing against that afterwards is obviously a good idea - which i also did. Then again, all the VSS (ground) pins also being continuous to ground kind of removes the usefulness of that.
> 
> I linked the pinout of the socket in that post (mirror it to get the layout for the bottom of the cpu), which will show you which rails are being measured. What the video shows is that the meter beeps on every single pad in each bottom column, despite two out of three columns in that area being VCC (Vcore). Every third column is VSS (ground). Yet they are all continuous with ground.


What are you trying to prove in a concept of what you just said?


----------



## Valantar (Aug 6, 2022)

Edwired said:


> What are you trying to prove in a concept of what you just said?


What? I honestly do not have a clue what you're asking. I'm simply explaining the very basic methodology behind checking for shorts to ground with a multimeter.


----------



## Edwired (Aug 6, 2022)

To be honest it isn't exactly clear the way you said it and shown the video. You should have two exact cpu side by side comparing the possible dead CPU to the working cpu. But you didn't do that so pointless


----------



## Ferrum Master (Aug 6, 2022)

Well he has a point. It was a pretty pointless stuff... 

It just amuses me that you have time for that. Not the technical side of it, that doesn't matter here at all...

But the frog... @R-T-B was it your relative?


----------



## Valantar (Aug 6, 2022)

Edwired said:


> To be honest it isn't exactly clear the way you said it and shown the video. You should have two exact cpu side by side comparing the possible dead CPU to the working cpu. But you didn't do that so pointless


I mean, what are you expecting, that I order a second CPU for an old beater system just to post a 5-second demonstration video on a forum? Seriously? I think you're coming into this with ... well, maybe the wrong expectations? My video: "hey, look, this CPU has a dead short between Vcore and ground (and here's some light explanation of how I arrived at that conclusion)". You: "but what is your methodology, where is your comparison, where is the 5000-word whitepaper detailing this research?" Come on, man. It was a lighthearted post in a lighthearted thread for tech gore. In my book, a CPU shorting Vcore to ground is indeed tech gore - it's dead. Do we need more than that?


----------



## Ferrum Master (Aug 6, 2022)

Valantar said:


> I mean, what are you expecting, that I order a second CPU for an old beater system just to post a 5-second demonstration video on a forum? Seriously? I think you're coming into this with ... well, maybe the wrong expectations? My video: "hey, look, this CPU has a dead short between Vcore and ground (and here's some light explanation of how I arrived at that conclusion)". You: "but what is your methodology, where is your comparison, where is the 5000-word whitepaper detailing this research?" Come on, man. It was a lighthearted post in a lighthearted thread for tech gore. In my book, a CPU shorting Vcore to ground is indeed tech gore - it's dead. Do we need more than that?



Calm down... Don't feed the troll, I would have only showed a measurement between the central capacitor section, so no questions would be asked. But we both know it wouldn't be the case...


----------



## Edwired (Aug 6, 2022)

Ferrum Master said:


> Calm down... Don't feed the troll, I would have only showed a measurement between the central capacitor section, so no questions would be asked. But we both know it wouldn't be the case...


I quite agree with Ferrum Master


----------



## robot zombie (Aug 6, 2022)

Nah, I get what Val's saying. It's kinda pedantic. Dude tried to post a quick short about a short, just showing the continuity from different pads to ground in a quick way. The level of non-seriousness was obvious - it was already known to be dead. This is a thread about busted/neglected gear and such. It just isn't that big of a deal, you know?

Just because it's common doesn't make it less annoying. I'd be annoyed, too. Sometimes it's nice when people can be people and try to understand what people are communicating and how they are framing a conversation. That's just life. When people don't do that, other people are gonna point it out. Nobody likes being sandbagged by pedantic remarks that aren't relevant to what's actually being expressed, least of all in light conversation.


----------



## R-T-B (Aug 6, 2022)

Ferrum Master said:


> But the frog... @R-T-B was it your relative?


We are all one family.  Still, he went out in a good way...  working on his PC.  I can only hope to be so lucky.


----------



## 95Viper (Aug 6, 2022)

Keep on topic and stop the trolling BS.


----------



## micropage7 (Aug 17, 2022)

it runs with the dust


----------



## 80251 (Aug 18, 2022)

@micropage7
What is the PCIe card with the three LED's and pushbutton leads attached? Some sort of Broadcom NIC?


----------



## Jetster (Sep 1, 2022)




----------



## 80251 (Sep 1, 2022)

That cabling nightmare is nothing in comparison to the tree trunk sized cabling trunk they had for the IBM system/390 we had at my work when I first started out in IT. The cabling trunk was the size of a large elm tree and went from the data center straight into the building's interstitial. How they ever found problematic cables I'll never know, but I think they would just pull new ones if there was ever any trouble downstream (i.e. with cluster controllers).


----------



## R-T-B (Sep 1, 2022)

Jetster said:


> View attachment 260202


It's forbidden to post pictures of my bedroom without asking first.  Reported.


----------



## micropage7 (Sep 3, 2022)

sitting in the dust, i think it already dead but it still alive, but with heavy smudge on the lens




why some don't want to clean those keys






80251 said:


> @micropage7
> What is the PCIe card with the three LED's and pushbutton leads attached? Some sort of Broadcom NIC?


Its linksys WRT54G


----------



## Mussels (Sep 5, 2022)

Oh does my bathroom exhaust fans count?

Rental, this was AFTER they'd been "professionally cleaned"

They used an air compressor and WD40, so the dust built right back up and turned into sticky sludge

This is after I'd used my own air compressor to blow out what i could, immediately after removing the cover to see what was left





And they mounted it sideways, so it was 'exhausting' straight into insulation floof - it literally WASN'T exhausting






I had to use a ladder and remove it myself (dangerous as all fuck, i've got issues with my back and legs so i'm wobblier than hospital food jelly)







My son was having asthma issues, realised its when the fan was turned off, dust was coming back down - and once it came down WET, I investigated and fixed it all myself


----------



## R-T-B (Sep 5, 2022)

Mussels said:


> Oh does my bathroom exhaust fans count?
> 
> Rental, this was AFTER they'd been "professionally cleaned"
> 
> ...


That is genuinely horrible.  Glad you fixed it proper.


----------



## Athlonite (Sep 5, 2022)

Mussels said:


> Oh does my bathroom exhaust fans count?
> 
> Rental, this was AFTER they'd been "professionally cleaned"
> 
> ...


Eww that's nasty as fuck glad that you fixed it and the jello legs didn't get you into trouble


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Sep 8, 2022)

As a professional* in the HVAC industry, that gives me physical pain to look at. 




*as close to professional as I will ever be


----------



## Arco (Sep 8, 2022)

Oh yeah, I'm so glad I found this. I will send over some images in a few hours.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 8, 2022)

Arco said:


> Oh yeah, I'm so glad I found this. I will send over some images in a few hours.


Feel free!


----------



## Mussels (Sep 11, 2022)

Arco said:


> Oh yeah, I'm so glad I found this. I will send over some images in a few hours.


You forgot


----------



## Athlonite (Sep 11, 2022)

Arco said:


> Oh yeah, I'm so glad I found this. I will send over some images in a few hours.








still waiting on those images


----------



## Kissamies (Sep 11, 2022)

Damn. I cleaned my main system yesterday, "only" six months' dust, but still a visible difference after cleaning, just forgot to take before and after pictures. I'll do the same on my X58 HTPC rig in a day or two


----------



## Athlonite (Sep 11, 2022)

Lenne said:


> Damn. I cleaned my main system yesterday, "only" six months' dust, but still a visible difference after cleaning, just forgot to take before and after pictures. I'll do the same on my X58 HTPC rig in a day or two


No pics 
This thread requires pics or it didn't happen LOL


----------



## Kissamies (Sep 11, 2022)

Athlonite said:


> No pics
> This thread requires pics or it didn't happen LOL


I'll deliver something when I get into my 2nd rig.


----------



## Arco (Sep 11, 2022)

Athlonite said:


> still waiting on those images


Sadly, I have to report that my old ASUS laptop is nowhere to be seen.


----------



## Athlonite (Sep 11, 2022)

Arco said:


> Sadly, I have to report that my old ASUS laptop is nowhere to be seen.


----------



## Jetster (Oct 13, 2022)

*Not my picture but must be some sort of record *


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 13, 2022)

Jetster said:


> *Not my picture but must be some sort of record *
> 
> 
> View attachment 265374


Now THAT is some Grade-A, choice bit of messed up right there..


----------



## maxfly (Oct 13, 2022)

Jetster said:


> *Not my picture but must be some sort of record *
> 
> 
> View attachment 265374


No no noooooo don't TOUCH IT man!

His hands fell off. I know it.


----------



## R-T-B (Oct 13, 2022)

maxfly said:


> No no noooooo don't TOUCH IT man!
> 
> His hands fell off. I know it.


It's like chernobyl in there.  Man's probably doomed.


----------



## Sasqui (Oct 13, 2022)

Jetster said:


> *Not my picture but must be some sort of record *
> 
> 
> View attachment 265374


I thought I was looking at the PC "Barn Finds" thread. Wow.


----------



## Splinterdog (Oct 13, 2022)




----------



## Gmr_Chick (Oct 13, 2022)

Jetster said:


> *Not my picture but must be some sort of record *
> 
> 
> View attachment 265374


I...I honestly don't know if I'm looking a computer or an archeological site


----------



## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Oct 13, 2022)

R-T-B said:


> It's like chernobyl in there.  Man's probably doomed.


----------



## trparky (Oct 13, 2022)

Ahh yes, Morbo the News Monster. Always good for a laugh.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 13, 2022)

trparky said:


> Ahh yes, Morbo the News Monster. Always good for a laugh.


Right? Fururama was such an under-rated, under-appreciated show.


----------



## trparky (Oct 13, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Right? Fururama was such an under-rated, under-appreciated show.


Yes, yes it was. Still is one of my favorite shows.


----------



## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Oct 13, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Right? Fururama was such an under-rated, under-appreciated show.


Good thing it's coming back


----------



## trparky (Oct 13, 2022)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> Good thing it's coming back


Wait. What?! You're kidding me! Don't get my hopes up like that man!


----------



## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Oct 14, 2022)

trparky said:


> Wait. What?! You're kidding me! Don't get my hopes up like that man!











						‘Futurama’ Revived at Hulu
					

Original creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen will return alongside voice stars Billy West and Katey Sagal, among others.




					www.hollywoodreporter.com
				




Announced earlier this year


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 14, 2022)

While that's cool, we've gotten off topic.. Let's rope ourselves in, we don't want to annoy the mods.


----------



## 80251 (Oct 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Right? Fururama was such an under-rated, under-appreciated show.


Under-appreciated? I believe Futurama was brought back after being cancelled.


----------



## xrobwx71 (Oct 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Now THAT is some Grade-A, choice bit of messed up right there..


I mean, WTF.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 14, 2022)

xrobwx71 said:


> I mean, WTF.


What I want to know is how a system even gets that bad, and does it still work?


----------



## Tomgang (Oct 14, 2022)

Jetster said:


> *Not my picture but must be some sort of record *
> 
> 
> View attachment 265374


That´s nothing. You should see my pc then...


----------



## 1freedude (Oct 15, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> What I want to know is how a system even gets that bad, and does it still work?


Smoking, dust, open windows, no hygiene, maybe pets.

Back before this thread was started, my cousin had a PC.  It was an old Dell P4 machine he bought brand new.  At the time, I was OCing my C2Q Q6600 and he wanted to do some overclocking, too.  We opened his case, to see the cooling setup.....and found almost that level of filth.  I was dumbfounded.  I immediately installed Speedfan to see temps and fan speeds.  A bit warm,  but for stock Dell, no prob.  I then ran some SuperPi and took note.

Then the gloves came on.  We douched that fucker til it shined.  And ran all of the tests again.

There was zero improvement in any number.  Not one degree cooler, or any faster due to better flow.  I still can't believe it.

Edit for remembered item:  I also put a watt meter on the system, before and after, and again, no change.


----------



## xrobwx71 (Oct 15, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> What I want to know is how a system even gets that bad, and does it still work?


What I want to know is what environmental factors contributed. What do these people's lungs look like? Our lungs are a hell of a better filter than a whole PC.


----------



## onemanhitsquad (Oct 15, 2022)

that is insulation for supreme overclocking , how come you guys don't know that?


----------



## freeagent (Oct 15, 2022)

onemanhitsquad said:


> , how come you guys don't know that


I know that much nicotine and dander will repel condensation 

Back in the day when I used to smoke and drink beside the computer, while it sat on the carpet sucking in smoke, dander, and pet hair 

Abit NF7-S, AXP-M2500, OCZ DDR 400 2-3-3-6, Saphire 9600XT

And of course, the Jet7+


----------



## The red spirit (Oct 15, 2022)

freeagent said:


> I know that much nicotine and dander will repel condensation
> 
> Back in the day when I used to smoke and drink beside the computer, while it sat on the carpet sucking in smoke, dander, and pet hair
> 
> ...


The definition of air blow, but not air flow.


----------



## freeagent (Oct 15, 2022)

The red spirit said:


> The definition of air blow, but not air flow.


Yeah it was summer before AC. Hot enough to fold a 5/8” candle in half.

Edit:

Back when I was new and experimenting, summer 2003 or 4


----------



## Mussels (Oct 18, 2022)

Friends PC had issues.
Friends PC ate the whole dog.

The compacted hair springloaded the front panel so it shot off onto the floor


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 18, 2022)

Mussels said:


> Friends PC had issues.
> Friends PC ate the whole dog.
> 
> The compacted hair springloaded the front panel so it shot off onto the floor
> ...


the air filter made it so it filters out even finer particles?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 18, 2022)

Mussels said:


> Friends PC had issues.
> Friends PC ate the whole dog.
> 
> The compacted hair springloaded the front panel so it shot off onto the floor
> ...


You have taught them how to use a hoover properly at this point, right?


----------



## onemanhitsquad (Oct 19, 2022)

I was wondering where my Himalayan cat ran off to...stupid cat


----------



## Mussels (Oct 19, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> You have taught them how to use a hoover properly at this point, right?


I believe he thinks the PC *is* the vacuum


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 19, 2022)

Mussels said:


> I believe he thinks the PC *is* the vacuum


From the look of that mess? Clearly!


----------



## Valantar (Oct 19, 2022)

Mussels said:


> I believe he thinks the PC *is* the vacuum


I mean, he's not wrong. Not the most practical vacuum though!


Seems to me he should take a trip to Ikea and pick up one of their Förnuftig air purifiers though. Cheap and effective.


----------



## Mussels (Oct 20, 2022)

Valantar said:


> I mean, he's not wrong. Not the most practical vacuum though!
> 
> 
> Seems to me he should take a trip to Ikea and pick up one of their Förnuftig air purifiers though. Cheap and effective.


I gave him an old monitor stand to raise the PC slightly off the floor, it might help delay the issue


----------



## maxfly (Oct 20, 2022)

My niece has a collie...there was a dusty puppy growing in her her case the last time I got an emergency, mah puter is shuttin off call. Yuck.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 20, 2022)

Mussels said:


> I gave him an old monitor stand to raise the PC slightly off the floor, it might help delay the issue


I'd give him a pair of milk-crates zip-tied together. They make great PC floor stands!


----------



## ChaoticAtmosphere (Oct 23, 2022)

Jetster said:


> *Not my picture but must be some sort of record *
> 
> 
> View attachment 265374



Is there bees in there??? How does that system even stilll work? Right out of an episode of hoarders!


----------



## Frick (Oct 23, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> I'd give him a pair of milk-crates zip-tied together. They make great PC floor stands!



Cinder blocks man. Spider-milk don't come in bottles.


----------



## nomdeplume (Oct 23, 2022)

Mussels said:


> I gave him an old monitor stand to raise the PC slightly off the floor, it might help delay the issue



Sounds like a good time to visit the local craft store to assemble PC version of the collar of shame.  Easily static charged plastic guard around the base might actually fix a lot of their issue.


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 29, 2022)

just bought 2nd mose for fairly low price and like what i said actually i hate more with holes since if the user is dirty, the mouse will attach more dirt


----------



## Upgrayedd (Nov 3, 2022)

It's been a few years lol


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 3, 2022)

Upgrayedd said:


> It's been a few years lol


That needed some clean up for sure, but we've seen much worse. If you haven't, take a browse through this thread, there are some purely nasty, messy examples for certain.


----------



## Fangio1951 (Nov 3, 2022)

Upgrayedd said:


> It's been a few years lol


hey Upgrayedd,

That's disgraceful - shame on u 4 such pc neglect......


----------



## Upgrayedd (Nov 3, 2022)

Fangio1951 said:


> hey Upgrayedd,
> 
> That's disgraceful - shame on u 4 such pc neglect......


How is it neglect?  Not using it would be neglect.  There's a ton of laughs and good times covered by dust there. She never throttled but I did notice my cpu running a little warmer than in the past. 


lexluthermiester said:


> That needed some clean up for sure, but we've seen much worse. If you haven't, take a browse through this thread, there are some purely nasty, messy examples for certain.


I cleaned the bottom intake before I started taking pictures lol


----------



## hat (Nov 3, 2022)

Upgrayedd said:


> How is it neglect?  Not using it would be neglect.  There's a ton of laughs and good times covered by dust there. She never throttled but I did notice my cpu running a little warmer than in the past.
> 
> I cleaned the bottom intake before I started taking pictures lol


Some users apparently live in clean rooms and don't ever allow a spec of dust to enter their computers... I'm not sure how much of it is joking or not...


----------



## freeagent (Nov 3, 2022)

Here is my sons computer, it’s in an R4. I haven’t looked inside for a few months.. should be interesting

I will open it up tomorrow


----------



## Upgrayedd (Nov 3, 2022)

hat said:


> Some users apparently live in clean rooms and don't ever allow a spec of dust to enter their computers... I'm not sure how much of it is joking or not...


Oh I know it's a joke. I mean it's been a good 5 or 6 years since I've done it so I know it was true lol
Was just defending my old girl. She's high flow.



freeagent said:


> Here is my sons computer, it’s in an R4. I haven’t looked inside for a few months.. should be interesting
> 
> I will open it up tomorrow


Same case I just cleaned but yours is white. Well maybe off white now?  Haha


----------



## freeagent (Nov 3, 2022)

Upgrayedd said:


> Same case I just cleaned but yours is white. Well maybe off white now? Haha


I see it every day so to me it looks like it always has 

It's still a nice case, just huuuge.

But I bought it brand new in 2012, Shes held a few systems 

The sound dampening came in handy for my 120x38s, but not really at the same time


----------



## Chomiq (Nov 4, 2022)

hat said:


> Some users apparently live in clean rooms and don't ever allow a spec of dust to enter their computers... I'm not sure how much of it is joking or not...


Or all of that dust is simply coating the ceiling vent


----------



## maxx2575 (Dec 3, 2022)

friend of mine cleaned out his pc and found some cobwebs. not the worst thing but I think the fact that it's an HP omen obelisk with a 1060 3gb that he paid over £1000 should make up for that.


----------



## Hattu (Dec 3, 2022)

I didn't know (or remembered) there was a thread like this. 

LOL.

I've been disassembling (for recycling) old pc's, servers and other electrical stuff for a 'bout 6 months now. Plenty of dust, dogs, cats, spiders (alive) and what not. Too bad I didn't took pictures.

For now on, I will. LOL. Stay tuned.



Hattu said:


> I didn't know (or remembered) there was a thread like this.
> 
> LOL.
> 
> ...



It really stings my poor and empty heart and bank account, when a (at least) 2 CPU server ends up on my working table. It's probably been crushed (by forklift), mutilated, left in the rain for months and abused in so many ways. Totally broken or crushed...

Usually no HDDs or RAM in them, but anything else is still usually in there. I almost cry every time. 

So dust or domestic animals are not the first things in my mind, when i open up a perfectly fine piece of electronics... I'm techie junkie at my hearth...


----------



## mechtech (Dec 8, 2022)

hat said:


> Some users apparently live in clean rooms and don't ever allow a spec of dust to enter their computers... I'm not sure how much of it is joking or not...


I have a 16"x25"x5" MERV 12 filter in my furnace and it's on 24-7 on continuous recirc.  I blew out my PC this summer, first time ever in 5.5 years.  For the amount of dust that was it in, it was barely worth the effort.  I should have re-pasted when it was out and open..............


----------

