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[HELP!!] Win XP reboots sometimes *after* startup [Any Ideas?]

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4wd:
Years ago I worked soldering/stuffing board for a local manufacturer. It amazed me to no end that the completed boards were run through what amounted to a small car-wash. The liquid (mostly water) didn't hurt the board in the slightest. It's only an issue if the board is wet and energized at the same time (It's a potential problem...).

Years later I had to completely disassemble a server, and scrub it down with baking soda, water, and a tooth brush. to get the surprisingly corrosive insecticide out of it after the bug guy sprayed it to death.

Sun dried and reassembled it booted and ran just fine for another 3 years.
-Stoic Joker (July 12, 2011, 05:40 PM)
--- End quote ---

I've also put small circuit boards through a cycle in the dishwasher with no ill effects, I don't recommend doing this for all boards - some board components aren't sealed against liquid - but it worked OK after being dried off.

WRT, the compressed air, (not trying to pick a fight SJ, just a different perspective :) ), I still use a vacuum cleaner mainly because I prefer to pull dust away from pins rather than push dust toward them.  Side benefit: it's cheaper  :Thmbsup:

But I suspect it's more a case of six of one, half-dozen of the other.

With the fan argument, I consider it's more the point of turning the fan into a wind generator than causing it damage - putting a fingertip just inside the fan frame will stop them turning without having to exert pressure on the hub/blades themselves.  If you don't want to do that, unplug the fan from the motherboard before blasting it with an airflow, (either compressed or vacuum).

EDIT: And now what I really meant to say :-\

My netbook has just started doing the same thing, ie. reboot after hibernate or at machine start.

However, it's only when the 3G dongle is plugged in - so it seems to be a driver/software conflict in my case.

Stoic Joker:
WRT, the compressed air, (not trying to pick a fight SJ, just a different perspective :) ), I still use a vacuum cleaner mainly because I prefer to pull dust away from pins rather than push dust toward them.  Side benefit: it's cheaper-4wd (July 13, 2011, 04:11 AM)
--- End quote ---

A vacuum cleaner can be a viable option if you're really carefull, and don't use a brush attachment. All of our printer techs have/carry/use mini-vacs for printer service/cleaning (much electronics in them these days...). As you said it's cheaper, and you don't get toner blown all over the client's office (tends to make them cranky).

At home I use my air compressor quite frequently (cheaper...), but I know how to keep the pressure down to a safe level from years of being a mechanic.

nudone:
(I don't think this has been mentioned yet.)

I tried compressed air, vacuum and brushes (and I think a brush did once kill something inside the machine via static).

Having read about why all of the above are bad in some way I tried to find something similar to compressed air but without the cost.

I now use a mini leaf-blower (or whatever you want to call it). It's like a large hair dryer, nowhere near the size of a proper leaf-blower, but is a lot more powerful than a hair dryer and maybe more powerful than a small compressed air can.

Of course, it blows dust everywhere - so I just take the filthy machines outside and don't have to worry about the dirt blasting out and landing on something in the house.

Can't remember the price but it was only like £10.00 on ebay or something.

p.s. you don't get any moisture condensing with it either.

tomos:
^ Well, I had the compressed air can in one hand and the hoover in the other to try and catch some of the dust clouds.
@ 11 euro a can (CCM "Spray Duster") I can see why you'd be looking for alternatives

tomos:
Back on-topic:

After my computer spring-clean, I had one clean start, then one faulty (reboot shortly after desktop showed).
But this morning I couldnt boot properly at all - it just kept rebooting.

I tried reseating the memory - no difference.

Then I dug out the acronis boot disc -
First I tried to do an image of C partition - I got the message "MFT Bitmap corrupted on one of the partitions".  I presume they meant the source partition (C) but not fully clear from message. (I have yet to google that.)

So did a restore from before problems began and had a successfull booting experience - phew...

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