Sender: |
|
Date: |
Sun, 18 Oct 1998 09:55:16 -0700 |
Reply-To: |
|
Subject: |
|
MIME-Version: |
1.0 |
Content-Transfer-Encoding: |
7bit |
Content-Type: |
text/plain; charset=us-ascii |
Organization: |
Frankly Handy |
From: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
It's odd that this subject should come up at this point in time.
I was going to address a potential hazard to the list from a
actual incident that happened with me.
I'm not sure how long the problem existed but here it is.
I noticed that my computer case was getting very hot and I
attributed it the the fact that is was summer and the heat from
outside was also affecting the computer which was creating it's
own heat. I removed the cover to allow more cooling and that
seemed to relieve the heating problem.
There were times that the system acted very strange, I use
Norton Utilities to clean up the drives and there were times that
my back up drive seemed to take forever. Even when I was going
for a file. ( I use my D drive as a backup and holding bin for
files and programs not used on a regular basis)
I'm sure there are some of you who have experienced the same
problem so I will cut to the chase.
When I built my computer, I mounted the second drive above the
power supply. Yes I know........Not a very wise choice. I realize
that now.
The other day my system was acting rather strangely. Slow boot
up,
slow accessing and the back up drive took forever whenever I had
to access it.
I felt the drive and it was very warm. Didn't think to much about
it because I put my clip board right above it and concluded that
I was stopping the air flow until some other things began to
happen and that's when I became suspicious and started to
investigate. The other drive was warm but not hot..........In
fact it was rather cool to the touch. Much cooler that the other
one.
As I found out, the power supply fan quit. It did create much
more heat than expected. In fact, it was rather hot.
Well as you can imagine, A sick feeling came over me. I was
concerned about my hard drive being ruined, the power supply
putting an extra strain on things and the list goes on.
In one respect I am fortunate, on the other I've learned another
check feature. Make sure the fan is working.......Like some cpu
fans that quite......Good by cpu.
The point? It is possible to have a fire start in a computer.
Most people don't think about preventative maintenance and they
figure all is well until something happens. Lint.....A computer
killer as well as heat. A cloths dryer is another hazard area.
The duct gets clogged, the inner framing gets lint and the same
potential fire hazard is there.
Yes I pulled a rookie by putting the drive above the power
supply. At the time, it seemed like the best place to put it.
<smile> I know better now.
As for the lint on the inside of the computer, I remove my case
on a regular basis to clean it there by preventing a possible
disaster. As for the cooling fan, I feel the back of the case to
make sure there is air flow.
t would be nice to have a system that would show an indicator
light on the front of the case like a drive light. In this case,
it would alert a person to the fact the cpu and or power supply
fan had quit.
Until that time comes, I will continue to do what I can to keep
my family safe. I do turn my system off after every usage......To
me, that's safe.
Sincerely
Frank Suszka
[log in to unmask]
http://www.handtech.com/com_asp/public/catalog/tcweb.asp?c_web_id=netTek
-----
PCBUILD mailing list - http://nospin.com
Bob Wright:[log in to unmask] - Drew Dunn:[log in to unmask]
|
|
|