I would advise taking it to a computer repair store rather than opening it yourself, unless you've worked with laptops before -- they do tend to be a big mess inside, and both taking apart and putting back together tend to be a bit delicate. It's like working a jigsaw puzzle -- only if you do it wrong you break it and have to replace parts.
Further, if you're having cooling problems, and the fans are not heard much -- that may mean that Puppy simply isn't using the fans properly. You probably want to check that first! (Others here can help with that. I've never had that problem, and I don't know how to fix it.)
Am I having very old Laptop?
Toshiba Qosmio X505 Laptop Review (HD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46k2xju8b68
:::::::
Question: how to dust the X505-Q865
http://forums.toshiba.com/t5/Qosmio-Lap ... d-p/278989
::::::
How To Disassembe Toshiba Qosmio X500 / X505 Laptop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0i9fMB7kfE
"""""""""
Toshiba Satellite Disassembly to CLEAN CPU VENTS / FAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2AcFvd9qjc
My cousin had something similar.
Wondered why my computer shop wanted $90.00
to disassemble it.
It would have been an hour and a half on the speeded up video.
I told her >> pay up...not going to touch it.
Yours might be better...but be warned.
Vacuum it ...but not full power.
:::::::
Buy a cheap laptop cooling fan...like this.
http://www.my-batteries.net/coolingfan/ ... t-Fans.htm
Chris.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46k2xju8b68
:::::::
Question: how to dust the X505-Q865
http://forums.toshiba.com/t5/Qosmio-Lap ... d-p/278989
::::::
How To Disassembe Toshiba Qosmio X500 / X505 Laptop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0i9fMB7kfE
"""""""""
Toshiba Satellite Disassembly to CLEAN CPU VENTS / FAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2AcFvd9qjc
My cousin had something similar.
Wondered why my computer shop wanted $90.00
to disassemble it.
It would have been an hour and a half on the speeded up video.
I told her >> pay up...not going to touch it.
Yours might be better...but be warned.
Vacuum it ...but not full power.
:::::::
Buy a cheap laptop cooling fan...like this.
http://www.my-batteries.net/coolingfan/ ... t-Fans.htm
Chris.
Two little utilities to help keep an eye on CPU temp -mekalu2k4 wrote:Yes, I have the same doubt that fans or air vents might have the dust on them. ......... When I get an opportunity, may be on a long weekend, we will try to put some blower or suction on it to see if something could be done
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=74702
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=57480
I have an air compressor out in the garage. About every 6 mos. of regular use, I'll give a reverse-flow shot of compressed air to the vent outlets of the laptop(s), using a carefully placed toothpick between the fan blades to keep the fan from spinning up and hurting itself. A good bit of dust usually expells. The one danger being sending dust into the optical drive - so although they're pretty well sealed/enclosed, I'll finish up by opening the drive bay and giving it a gentle blast, too.
Desktop towers - just pull a side cover off and blast away.
Just don't let the cooling fans spin up too high.Good idea to ground the chassis while doing so, in order to bleed off any static charge that may build up from the substantial airflow over the electronics.
Works for me, anyways - keeping air flowing freely long enough to last until the proc itself might begin showing signs of needing a fresh coat of thermal paste (ea. 5+ yrs.).
Bob
Laptops rarely need the kind of cleaning that desktops do, in my experience. I live with a mother and a cat, and my house is so dusty and full of cat hair that if you walked in and looked around for a minute you'd instantly stop breathing /before/ your allergies even have a chance to kick in. (Mom has a dust allergy, but I think she's built up a significant tolerance.) That said, our laptops are so clean inside it's a wonder that they don't squeak. I mean, really.
While I'm here... a bit of bad advice needs to be addressed, in a dramatic way, because it's really really really bad advice. (Sorry, Chris -- I call it as I see it.)
DO NOT EVER use a household vacuum cleaner on a computer. You WILL kill it. FAST.
Why? Static electricity.
You know how when it's cold and dry outside and you scuff your feet on a carpet and touch a doorknob and all of a sudden ZAP! happens?
That's static electricity right there. Lightning is actually the same stuff, just more of it in one place.
That stuff does more than make you jump. It makes the little parts of a computer die, and it's brutally effective at that.
The kind of plastic that vacuum cleaner parts are made of, happens to be very very good at collecting and creating a TREMENDOUS static charge. You can be a few inches away with the hose and you will still fry everything that you wave it over, just like that *snaps fingers dramatically*
Those stupid little keyboard vacuums that don't do crap are the sole exception. They avoid electronically-murdering static buildup through a combination of using different plastics and not having any measurable suction.
You want to clean a computer? Get a can of "compressed air" (it's actually usually a chemical called tetrafluoroethane -- don't drink that crap, or breathe it straight from the can, it's bad for you if there's not a bit of distance between you and it). That stuff is commonly sold with names like "Dust Off". DO NOT GET THE 3M CRAP IF YOU CAN POSSIBLY AVOID IT (pro-tip: it's in a purple and white can with a purple top) because they put way too much bitterant in it (because us crazy Americans are so unhappy we need stuff in the can to keep us from doing stupid things for a brief moment of mild happiness) and you will be tasting that gunk for a full week. Trust me, I speak from experience, that stuff is NASTY.
Open the computer, through whatever means are required. Put the little straw in your can of compressed not-really-air. Hold the button down and wave it around in the general direction of anything gray and fluffy and pray that you don't have dust allergies like my mother does. Once you're done (or once the can indicates it's done, for the time being) put the laptop back together or whatnot, and carry on as normal.
You ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS UNLESS YOU DO NOT CARE IF IT WORKS AFTERWARDS blow your computer out. Then you get your vacuum cleaner 'fix' cleaning the room that you just sprayed computer-dust into. IF YOU VACUUM YOUR COMPUTER IT WILL DIE.
Also, get that lack of fan noise looked at. An overheating computer is very soon a dead computer. Air circulation is important! If your system is being quiet, chances are it's not a dust issue (by the time there's that much dust in there, it's already long dead from being clogged up) but rather an issue of the fans simply not doing their job. That's one of those weird issues where software problems cause hardware problems.
Start a thread in Beginner's Help if you want that looked at.
While I'm here... a bit of bad advice needs to be addressed, in a dramatic way, because it's really really really bad advice. (Sorry, Chris -- I call it as I see it.)
OMG HOLY CRAP HECK NO.cthisbear wrote:Vacuum it ...but not full power.
DO NOT EVER use a household vacuum cleaner on a computer. You WILL kill it. FAST.
Why? Static electricity.
You know how when it's cold and dry outside and you scuff your feet on a carpet and touch a doorknob and all of a sudden ZAP! happens?
That's static electricity right there. Lightning is actually the same stuff, just more of it in one place.
That stuff does more than make you jump. It makes the little parts of a computer die, and it's brutally effective at that.
The kind of plastic that vacuum cleaner parts are made of, happens to be very very good at collecting and creating a TREMENDOUS static charge. You can be a few inches away with the hose and you will still fry everything that you wave it over, just like that *snaps fingers dramatically*
Those stupid little keyboard vacuums that don't do crap are the sole exception. They avoid electronically-murdering static buildup through a combination of using different plastics and not having any measurable suction.
You want to clean a computer? Get a can of "compressed air" (it's actually usually a chemical called tetrafluoroethane -- don't drink that crap, or breathe it straight from the can, it's bad for you if there's not a bit of distance between you and it). That stuff is commonly sold with names like "Dust Off". DO NOT GET THE 3M CRAP IF YOU CAN POSSIBLY AVOID IT (pro-tip: it's in a purple and white can with a purple top) because they put way too much bitterant in it (because us crazy Americans are so unhappy we need stuff in the can to keep us from doing stupid things for a brief moment of mild happiness) and you will be tasting that gunk for a full week. Trust me, I speak from experience, that stuff is NASTY.
Open the computer, through whatever means are required. Put the little straw in your can of compressed not-really-air. Hold the button down and wave it around in the general direction of anything gray and fluffy and pray that you don't have dust allergies like my mother does. Once you're done (or once the can indicates it's done, for the time being) put the laptop back together or whatnot, and carry on as normal.
You ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS UNLESS YOU DO NOT CARE IF IT WORKS AFTERWARDS blow your computer out. Then you get your vacuum cleaner 'fix' cleaning the room that you just sprayed computer-dust into. IF YOU VACUUM YOUR COMPUTER IT WILL DIE.
Also, get that lack of fan noise looked at. An overheating computer is very soon a dead computer. Air circulation is important! If your system is being quiet, chances are it's not a dust issue (by the time there's that much dust in there, it's already long dead from being clogged up) but rather an issue of the fans simply not doing their job. That's one of those weird issues where software problems cause hardware problems.
Start a thread in Beginner's Help if you want that looked at.
" DO NOT EVER use a household vacuum cleaner on a computer.
You WILL kill it. FAST.
Why? Static electricity. "
::::::
Never had a problem.
Always tap my hands on the chassis.
And the vac.
In saying that I have seen some really rough things done,
with no results...and others who tried to be careful are poisonous
around computers.
They seem to vent static charge.
I guess I should be more careful.
Surely my Magnetic Personality shines through on this Forum.
But I think RSH is immune...or onto me.
Cheers....Chris.
You WILL kill it. FAST.
Why? Static electricity. "
::::::
Never had a problem.
Always tap my hands on the chassis.
And the vac.
In saying that I have seen some really rough things done,
with no results...and others who tried to be careful are poisonous
around computers.
They seem to vent static charge.
I guess I should be more careful.
Surely my Magnetic Personality shines through on this Forum.
But I think RSH is immune...or onto me.
Cheers....Chris.
Laptop Cleaning
Hi mekalu2k4
Sorry about not recognising the type of machine. It is far more powerful than anything I have ever had. In your situation, I agree with you - if its working, don't mend it. Just bear it in mind because with continual use it will eventually become clogged up to the point that it will overheat and become noisy even when running Puppy.
The good news is that the system is designed to shut down before serious damage is done. In some bioses you can select the cut out temperature and the fan response to them - that may be something you should check. Don't know the bios settings in your machine.
I am fortunate in that I am adept at taking things apart and repairing them and so the task of cleaning and repairing laptops is not particularly daunting. The first time it is done is a steep learning experience to discover how ribbon connectors work and how to split the plastic case apart, etc. The videos suggested by others are very good and show how is done and how much fluff gets picked up. It is surprising how well laptops can work with lots of fluff.
Glad you have a working solution.
peterw
Sorry about not recognising the type of machine. It is far more powerful than anything I have ever had. In your situation, I agree with you - if its working, don't mend it. Just bear it in mind because with continual use it will eventually become clogged up to the point that it will overheat and become noisy even when running Puppy.
The good news is that the system is designed to shut down before serious damage is done. In some bioses you can select the cut out temperature and the fan response to them - that may be something you should check. Don't know the bios settings in your machine.
I am fortunate in that I am adept at taking things apart and repairing them and so the task of cleaning and repairing laptops is not particularly daunting. The first time it is done is a steep learning experience to discover how ribbon connectors work and how to split the plastic case apart, etc. The videos suggested by others are very good and show how is done and how much fluff gets picked up. It is surprising how well laptops can work with lots of fluff.
Glad you have a working solution.
peterw
Thanks for the support. The fact is we rent one room upstairs to a university student, we provide her internet. She in final year of medicine. and needs internet. So, we really cant switch off the machine. We don't do anything that upsets her.
Our home is generally clean (becoz, i do mopping daily), but dust might gather, can't rule out. Every morning I clean, wipe the laptop screen and keyboard; I did this over last 3 years.
Almost a week now, since puppy installed. this is designed as we want. screen blanks after 3 or 4 min of idleness, comes back on when keyboard is touched. Kids like the screen, look n feel.[/i]
Our home is generally clean (becoz, i do mopping daily), but dust might gather, can't rule out. Every morning I clean, wipe the laptop screen and keyboard; I did this over last 3 years.
Almost a week now, since puppy installed. this is designed as we want. screen blanks after 3 or 4 min of idleness, comes back on when keyboard is touched. Kids like the screen, look n feel.[/i]
The machine you have sounds like a good one to keep for as long as you possibly can...mekalu2k4 wrote: I was bit upset when my laptop was struggling to work with Win 7. It is only 3 years I am using. My point is - when we buy laptop, we check several parameters (like processor, ram, hdd, weight, cost etc) very carefully and then take decisions after long thought process. Then suddenly after few months, some winX update is going to put that machine down? Probably MS and other manufacturers want us to keep buying new machines all the time?
Most of the machines that are available nowadays have what is called a "UEFI" bios that restricts the operating system during the boot process. Any system that runs Windows 8 has this special "locked down" boot code, and it can make the machine less attractive to users that are wanting to avoid Windows or try other alternatives.
Your machine sounds quite compatible with the puppy that you are trying, so that is good news. There are other 'puppies' available as well, but it is a question of trial and error to see if they will be more or less compatible with your hardware. Hopefully you will be able to keep it running with puppy for a long time...
Hi GreenGeek,
Thanks for your compliments. Yes, apparently my machine is a perfect match for this Puppy version - slacko 5.7
Re other flavors, I do not want to experiment much. There is no single aspect that failed us in the process of using this slacko pupp. Indeed, I am reading the forums, came across other versions, especially desktop environments, but they are not working? I tried a couple, when I saw they are not working properly, I decided to stop changing the desktop environ. For now, this machine goes like this.
I have a few visitors, mostly neighbors who wanted to check out what I did. They all are impressed. But I will post abt that in a separate message.
Thanks for your compliments. Yes, apparently my machine is a perfect match for this Puppy version - slacko 5.7
Re other flavors, I do not want to experiment much. There is no single aspect that failed us in the process of using this slacko pupp. Indeed, I am reading the forums, came across other versions, especially desktop environments, but they are not working? I tried a couple, when I saw they are not working properly, I decided to stop changing the desktop environ. For now, this machine goes like this.
I have a few visitors, mostly neighbors who wanted to check out what I did. They all are impressed. But I will post abt that in a separate message.