-=PCTechTalk=- Re: CD ROM Drive

Sandi,
    Sorry my answer took so long to get on this one.  I don't like the idea 
of blowing compressed air into a drive for two primary reasons.

1.    Commercial compressed air canisters contain a propellant.  Propellant 
is in liquid form until it is ejected out of the can.  Liquid is not good 
for electronics, even if the liquid is non-conductive.  Although this liquid 
evaporates almost immediately, it can also leave a thin residue behind.  As 
a result, I prefer to reserve compressed air for stuff like blowing the gunk 
out from under the keyboard's keys and for blowing the furballs out from 
heatsinks and exterior fans.  For the more delicate electronic stuff, I have 
an adapter hooked up to a real compressor in my garage that doesn't 
introduce moisture into the air.

2.    Most of the advice surrounding cleaning is seriously faulty.  I'm sure 
that many people have been using cans of compressed air for years without 
incident, but most of them already understood much of what most the folks 
giving the advice forget to say.  Specifically, NEVER use compressed air on 
a device that is attached to power.  If it's attached to something that's 
attached to something that's attached to something that's connected to the 
wall, it's attached to power.  Shutting down the computer is NOT enough. 
Either unplug the system from the wall (or power strip, or turn off the 
circuit breaker) or remove the specific device from the system before using 
compressed air on it.  Also, some devices use capacitors that retain their 
charge long after they've been unplugged.  Taking the time to learn which 
ones (like CRT monitors and mainboards) can go a long way towards keeping 
you and your electronics safe.

Peace,
GMan
http://reddit.com
"The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask!"

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sandi Beach" <sandib2@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 3:56 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: CD ROM Drive


> You are right.  I may do that. Still I would like to hear what G and 
> others
> have to say on the subject.  I guess I am in no big hurry after waiting 6
> weeks or more to get these CD's.
> Sandi 


---------------------------------------------------------------
Please remember to trim your replies (including this sentence and everything 
below it) and adjust the subject line as necessary.

To unsubscribe or change your email settings:
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/pctechtalk

To access our Archives:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTechTalk/messages/
http://www.freelists.org/archives/pctechtalk/

To contact only the PCTT Mod Squad, write to:
pctechtalk-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
---------------------------------------------------------------

Other related posts: