Over the past few weeks, I’ve had two client devices that had different issues but the same resolution.
The first computer was reporting voltage issues regularly on startup. Sometimes it would boot into Windows and other times it was getting halted at the BIOS screen. Initially I suspected the power supply, so I tested a different supply. The computer would not boot at all with the test supply connected but would boot occasionally with the original supply restored. Using hardware monitoring software I managed to check the power supply voltages – all looked good. I ran a power draw test at boot – the maximum wattage draw from the wall was 130 watts, well below the 850-watt rating of the power supply. I was starting to suspect the system board – a now out of date workstation board. If that was at fault, there was no way I was going to be able to find a replacement.
Another client contacted me to complain that the USB ports on his desktop were failing. The keyboard or mouse would stop working, so he’d shift them to a different port. This happened repeatedly over a few weeks, and he was starting to run out of working USB ports. So, what did these two have in common?
Both computers were located within workshops – one an engineering firm, the other a mechanic. Both computers were incredibly dusty inside and both workshops grind metal from time to time. I considered that both computers could be experiencing intermittent shorts due to metal dust on the components. A quick clean job with an air compressor (and two rather big dust clouds later) and both computers are now working fine.
Dusty environments are a problem for computers, especially desktops. Dust gets into cooling fans reducing their efficiency and creating the potential for overheating. In certain environments, such as workshops, metal dust in the air can cause intermittent shorts like the ones I was seeing.
Is your computer in a dusty environment? Contact us today and we’ll help you clean it out before it becomes an issue.
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