• View
• Track

Dust Monster

Your laptop is running more slowly than it used to. You probably need more memory, right? Or maybe even a new laptop?

Maybe not. My laptop was becoming increasingly slow (and hot). Updates were causing my laptop's fan to go crazy and scream like a giraffe. (I use Gentoo, so the updates involve lots of source compilation, a resource-intensive task.) I thought it was on its last legs.

But, a couple weeks ago, I noticed that my laptop slowed down as it heated up. This was a stunning revelation. I never thought the two were connected.

That epiphany didn't change much. I stopped resting my laptop on pillows; that was it ... until my laptop overheated twice, most recently just a few minutes after beginning updates. I checked out one of the vents and noticed it was covered with dust.

I scraped out the dust, but that was just step one. Tonight, I disassembled the entire laptop. I found a huge (enormous, gargantuan, etc.) piece of dust stuck in the processor's heatsink. I removed it and as much other dust as I could find.

I ran some updates and my system was heroically quiet. Not only that, but it seemed like the updates completed in record time. The laptop is still quiet right now, and the fan has been shutting off completely thanks to this new-found lack of dust.

In conclusion, before you go out and upgrade your laptop, you might want to take it apart and check things out. Just removing some dust might dramatically increase your system's performance, bringing back emotions about your laptop you haven't had for months or years. It might seem risky, but with any luck there are instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble your laptop. For instance, here is the service manual for the Dell e1505.