Cleaning the PC with air blower is a pretty common practice to get rid of dust from the chassis (casing), motherboard and different components. If the PC is not cleaned every 6 months, then thick dust layer accumulates on the Graphics Card, Processor fan, heatsink and so on.
This causes the temperature of your computer to rise up which forces the computer cooling fans to run at higher RPM thus making loud noise whirring/grinding noise, as if it’s about to launch a rocket engine into space.
Also Read: PC making Too Much Noise (FIX)
Most PC components can survive/tolerate up to 90°C but that’s the max limit. The safe temperature limit for Hard Drive, SSD, Processor (CPU) is 65-75°C. Higher than that could lower the lifespan of your PC’s hardware and potentially damage your PC’s components.
There are many tools/programs available to monitor the temperature of chips present as well as the Fan RPM speed. Such as, HwInfo, HwMonitor, Speccy, you can easily download them on the internet.
My Computer Won’t Turn on after Cleaning, How Do I Fix?
There could be many reasons why is your PC not powering on. I will make a quick list with most common problems to help you find the solution.
1. Check if RAM is Seated Properly
While moving the PC from one room to another during the cleaning marathon, the RAM gets de-seated often or dirt gets in the RAM slot. When you Power On the PC, fans start spinning but no POST or display at all.
Indication: PC powers on, but not booting, No Display
Solution: Remove the RAM clips by unclipping the top and bottom clips and pulling the stick out carefully. Then put it back on till you hear a click noise. Don’t apply too much pressure. Repeat the steps with other sticks. If problem persists, try switching the slots.
2. Check all the Cables and Connectors
Power Supply Unit (PSU) is responsible for delivering the power to the PC components. Sometimes you’re so much invested on fighting the dust on your PC that you forget reassembling the connectors to the components. Even pros make such mistakes at times.
Indication: PC won’t Power ON. No status LEDs, fans not spinning
Solution: Re-check all the connections from PSU to the motherboard and the GPU. Make sure the 20/24 Pin thick cable is connected to the motherboard, it’s on the right side of the RAM slot. Then check the PCI-Express 8pin power cables are connected properly to the Graphics card (GPU). Similarly, check the CPU power cable is also connected. Even if they seem connected, just give them a light push just to be sure. Also, make sure all the case cooling fans are connected properly.
3. Check the Power Sockets, Power Supply Button
Check if the power supply switch/button on the back of your PC chassis is turned on (1 means ON, 0 means OFF).
4. Is the Monitor Connected to the Graphics Card?
Make sure the your display monitor is connected to the graphics card DVI, HDMI, VGA or DisplayPort. Sometimes people plug their monitor to the onboard motherboard display ports which results in no display.
5. Error: No Boot Device Found
This means that your hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD, NVMe) is not detected by the motherboard’s BIOS. Check if the SATA power cables are connected properly. Or if you have M.2/mSATA NVMe drives, re-seat them properly.
There can dozen other reasons why your PC is not booting up or Powering ON. If you are still facing problems, drop a comment below I will try my best to help you out.
