Worlds Dirtiest PC

[Terabyte2007]

Well, maybe not, but the worst I have ever seen! Recieved several more old PC's for retirement and was preparing them for waste when I cracked this guy open and saw this! I was not only shocked, but did not want to even move this box after seeing this. Obviously, maintenance was not a priority here! It was over an inch thick in some areas and the power supply was completely packed as well.

Hope you enjoy the pics and hopefully your machine is not as bad as this!

[Terabyte2007]

A colleague of mine found a dead rat in one once. PCs belonging to people who smoke are usually far worse too.

 I would be curious to see how a rat got inside a PC, aren't they rather big?

[Stonent]

When I worked at a small computer store we had a guy who bred ferrets bring his computers in for work. You want to talk about smell......

[nihilism]

I've seen worse.

Also, not so much computers, but the two worst environments some of the electronic equipment that i have serviced has lived in are fast food restaurants and public swimming pools.

In fast food a lot of the stuff is in and around the kitchen. The grease and fat tends to make it's way inside and helps glue any dust together.

In a swimming pool environment, the corrosive chlorine vapors first destroy switches and pots then pcbs, within months sometimes.

[retrolefty]

A colleague of mine found a dead rat in one once. PCs belonging to people who smoke are usually far worse too.

 I would be curious to see how a rat got inside a PC, aren't they rather big?

 Only after they grow up. 

[mamalala]

Well, maybe not, but the worst I have ever seen! Recieved several more old PC's for retirement ...

When was that? 10 or 20 years ago? That thing still has an ISA bus. That's not just old, that's ancient :-D

Greetings,

Chris

[fluxcapacitor]

This is from theregister.co.uk :     Dirty, dirty PCs: The X-rated picture guide

  Horror beyond human imagination

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/13/ventblockers/

[Tinkerer]

My brother and I both got the same laptops at the same time for college. Mine still works completely and his died. As it turns out, the poor thing had both vents caked with dust; airflow was cut by at least 50-75%. It likely just overheated to death. I regularly blow my computer out.

[tszaboo]

Not even close. I've seen pictures about a PC used in a sawmill. That one won.

[SirNick]

A colleague of mine found a dead rat in one once. PCs belonging to people who smoke are usually far worse too.

Are you sure it wasn't just a mouse?  badum-tish!   

[Tinkerer]

A colleague of mine found a dead rat in one once. PCs belonging to people who smoke are usually far worse too.

Are you sure it wasn't just a mouse?  badum-tish!   

Saying mouse would have led to confusion of did he mean rodent or an actual mouse was shoved inside one.

[Lightages]

I once fixed a computer in a woman's house, and she was a double chain smoker. She had at least two going at any time. The walls were yellow brown with the smoke, and when I opened her computer I could not believe it was still working at all. It looked like it had been filled, not just some layers, totally filled with brown cotton candy.

When I got home, I left my clothes outside, went directly to the shower, and then went back and washed my clothes outside with the garden hose before I would bring them in the house. Yes, the smell was that strong.

[FrankenPC]

A colleague of mine found a dead rat in one once. PCs belonging to people who smoke are usually far worse too.

I worked as a clone PC tech back in the early 90's and found a dead mouse in a customer's PC.  We couldn't figure out how it got in there either.

You're right, smokers PC's are the worst.  Terrible smell.

[GreyWoolfe]

PCs belonging to people who smoke are usually far worse too.

I agree on the smoker smell.  I hated working on those computers.  I am not a smoker myself.  You have to love the way the crap is the cig smoke binds all the dust together into a gooey mess.

I also did warranty desktop laser printer repair for Burger King and dot matrix printer repair for Rinker cement with my last job.  Laser printers full of grease and dot matrix printers full of cement dust.  I would be just itching for a shower after either place.

The dirtiest computer I ever working on came from a Dentist's office.  Go figure.

[Terabyte2007]

I once fixed a computer in a woman's house, and she was a double chain smoker. She had at least two going at any time. The walls were yellow brown with the smoke, and when I opened her computer I could not believe it was still working at all. It looked like it had been filled, not just some layers, totally filled with brown cotton candy.

When I got home, I left my clothes outside, went directly to the shower, and then went back and washed my clothes outside with the garden hose before I would bring them in the house. Yes, the smell was that strong.

lol 

[andrew_c]

We pulled this PC from one of our customers a few years ago, it was sat in an inch of water.. still working! We put it out of it's misery.

[Stonent]

I once fixed a computer in a woman's house, and she was a double chain smoker. She had at least two going at any time. The walls were yellow brown with the smoke, and when I opened her computer I could not believe it was still working at all. It looked like it had been filled, not just some layers, totally filled with brown cotton candy.

When I got home, I left my clothes outside, went directly to the shower, and then went back and washed my clothes outside with the garden hose before I would bring them in the house. Yes, the smell was that strong.

I worked on a laptop like that at one employer, it was covered in a tan coating.  I used some IPA wipes to clean it up and my fingers got stained from the tobacco and I started to get a fairly strong nicotine buzz.

[calexanian]

We used to call Mac LC computers the air cleaners. They sucked up every bit of dust in the room! When you would open one up it would just look like somebody filled it with the contents of a full vacuum bag!

[electronics man]

Why don't the put dust filters on the fans in PCs?

[steve30]

Why don't the put dust filters on the fans in PCs?

That's a very good question. I rarely see computers with dust filters. My PC has a filter on one of the inlet fans, but it only filters a small fraction of the dust.

[ciccio]

Why don't the put dust filters on the fans in PCs?

Doing this will lead to too many service calls: the filter will clog, no more air intake, overheating = computer will stop or even fail = warranty repair..
The solution: fanless computers.
A little OT : years ago I serviced a big audio power amplifier, that was overheating: the heatsink tunnel was closed by a wasp nest.
Best regards

[electronics man]

Why don't the put dust filters on the fans in PCs?

Doing this will lead to too many service calls: the filter will clog, no more air intake, overheating = computer will stop or even fail = warranty repair..
The solution: fanless computers.
A little OT : years ago I serviced a big audio power amplifier, that was overheating: the heatsink tunnel was closed by a wasp nest.
Best regards

yeah but they would be easy to clean, much easier than opening up the computer and spending ages with the air duster spraying away years of dust

[SeanB]

That is why I have a air gun outside, to use to get the dust out quickly and without it being spread all over the office. Otherwise i use the cylinder vacuum and suck most of it away with the crevice tool.

[Tinkerer]

Why don't the put dust filters on the fans in PCs?

Doing this will lead to too many service calls: the filter will clog, no more air intake, overheating = computer will stop or even fail = warranty repair..
The solution: fanless computers.
A little OT : years ago I serviced a big audio power amplifier, that was overheating: the heatsink tunnel was closed by a wasp nest.
Best regards

Well there is liquid cooling. But that isnt a standard because it costs more.

[ciccio]

yeah but they would be easy to clean, much easier than opening up the computer and spending ages with the air duster spraying away years of dust

Yes, but the standard PC user does not know how to clean a filter.
He/she does not even know that there are fans there.
He/she will call the tech service and says: my computer failed, it's still in warranty, please come asap...
Talk to some tech support people: there are lots of lesson to be learnt.