Properties of Dust in Tower
by nobahn from LinuxQuestions.org on (#4Q09T)
Please allow me to first provide some background info.....
I wanted a computer and I knew that I wanted it to have maximum flexibility for upgrading. Because I had heard that computer manufacturers tend to use lower-quality parts, I wanted to build one a" but I know next to nothing about computers. I knew a guy who said he knew how to build one, so I paid him and some weeks later he assembled it in front of me; he said that my request for Linux Mint was an unusual one. Flash forward maybe six months later* and the linux OS hangs on boot up. I have the guy come over and among other things he uses pressurized air to blow dust off the fans. Much to his surprise, the machine then boots up. Great!
So some weeks later the same thing happens again; so I go to a Best Buy** and buy canned air.*** Carefully keeping the can as vertical as possible, I blow off the fans and heat sink. Then the computer boots up as if nothing had happened.
So here's my question:
Does anyone know why dust on the fans and heat sink would cause an (in this case Linux Mint) OS to hang on boot up?
*I'm lousy with remembering dates and the like.
**I was NOT expecting this: So I go to the (security?) guy at the store entrance and ask if Best Buy sells canned air; he points me to the back. I go back and I'm looking for an employee for further directions when this guy comes walking to me with a two-pack package of compressed air. I've gotta admit that I was quite impressed! Another thing that surprised me: Best Buy sells large kitchen appliances! (By then, I realize that I must be one of the most clueless customers in the store.....)
***Best Buy does not sell canned air to persons <18 years old; apparently sniffing canned air for a high is a thing.....
I wanted a computer and I knew that I wanted it to have maximum flexibility for upgrading. Because I had heard that computer manufacturers tend to use lower-quality parts, I wanted to build one a" but I know next to nothing about computers. I knew a guy who said he knew how to build one, so I paid him and some weeks later he assembled it in front of me; he said that my request for Linux Mint was an unusual one. Flash forward maybe six months later* and the linux OS hangs on boot up. I have the guy come over and among other things he uses pressurized air to blow dust off the fans. Much to his surprise, the machine then boots up. Great!
So some weeks later the same thing happens again; so I go to a Best Buy** and buy canned air.*** Carefully keeping the can as vertical as possible, I blow off the fans and heat sink. Then the computer boots up as if nothing had happened.
So here's my question:
Does anyone know why dust on the fans and heat sink would cause an (in this case Linux Mint) OS to hang on boot up?
*I'm lousy with remembering dates and the like.
**I was NOT expecting this: So I go to the (security?) guy at the store entrance and ask if Best Buy sells canned air; he points me to the back. I go back and I'm looking for an employee for further directions when this guy comes walking to me with a two-pack package of compressed air. I've gotta admit that I was quite impressed! Another thing that surprised me: Best Buy sells large kitchen appliances! (By then, I realize that I must be one of the most clueless customers in the store.....)
***Best Buy does not sell canned air to persons <18 years old; apparently sniffing canned air for a high is a thing.....