How to clean PC (Windows 10 mostly)

When PCs fail or crash, there are many potential causes, they all can be divided into two groups: Hardware and Software. Let’s talk about it and how to maintain your computer in sound shape. 

Most software bugs can be fixed with antimalware software, PC optimizers, or Windows built-in system diagnostics tools. So in the first part I will explain how to use system and third-party programs to clean up your PC from unnecessary and outdated files.

Problems with hardware are more noticeable, as it is expressed by the inaccessibility of the broken component or by visible disturbances in the usual mode of operation of the PC. If you will clean your PC unit regularly it will keep you from incurring unplanned repair costs. In the second part I will tell you how to open and clean a system unit from dust on your own.

We've got the video version of this review: watch it or skip to read.

Part 1 – disk space

I want to note right away that the tips in this section will be given mainly for Windows 10 users, since: a) Windows is the most popular operating system, and b) the tenth version is now at the peak of popularity.

Significant contribution to the development of Windows 10 was made by user experience studies and collected data. The list of recently opened files, cached browser page files, temporary folders of program installers - all this, helped make Windows easy to use. Also, application error logs, font cache, system state backups, etc.

When the OS is active, all these journals are actively recording your activity and updating their contents. And, if you use your system for a long time, it will have tons of different accumulated data that takes up free space on your hard drive. In some situations, such files can even slow down system performance. In the most modern computers, this will take up to a few seconds, which will be invisible for most if they don’t use special measuring software. 

1. PC cleaning with system utilities

Let's start with a utility to remove unnecessary files on drive C. To run it, open Start, type "Disk Cleanup" in the search box and launch the selected application. Start from reading the section descriptions, which are available by clicking on their titles.

Then select sections which you want to clear. It is safe to delete them all, but if your PC is unstable, then it makes sense to leave the Diagnostic data. It can help the technicians in the service centre faster detect problems with technical nature.

On the second tab, there are only 2 buttons. The first leads to a list of programs (but we will return to it later), and the second allows you to delete everything except the most recent restore point.

Disk cleanup utility is also available in old versions, like Windows 7, Windows 8 and even Windows XP. But only in Windows 10 is another one utility called - Memory Control. With this tool, you can effectively manage the free space on your system drive.

To open this, type "Storage" in the Start menu search bar and select "Storage settings". If you are running this utility for the first time, then you will need to wait for the end of memory allocation calculations.

After that, you will see a table of space usage divided on the categories of files that take up the most free space. Select the Temp Files category by clicking on it. As in the previous utility, for each group of files there is an additional description of the content. The utility treats the contents of the “Downloads” and “Recycle Bin” folders as temporary files, so it’s better to check their contents manually before clearing them.

Next, open the list of installed programs. Check the list for unused and large programs. To simplify the search, you sort the list by size or installation date. To delete a program, click on it and select "Delete". Don’t forget that some programs may initiate their own uninstallers, where you will need to confirm the uninstallation again.

1. Cleaning with third-party utilities

PC cleaning utilities are called PC cleaners. It was a separate class of programs, but now most of them are available as part of PC optimizers. These programs, in addition to cleaning, can be used for system settings and in some cases for antimalware protection. 

There are many solutions available on the Internet in this area and you can use any of them, be it System Mechanic, Auslogics Boost Speed, AVG TuneUp or something else. But don’t forget to check the reviews and the vendor to avoid unstable or scam programs.

The use of any PC optimizer begins from the scan and at the end of it the program will provide a report about the detected files and registry entries that can be deleted. Unlike system utilities, there is a more flexible system for selecting files and each of them can view the location. Those may be privacy traces, recently opened files, junk files, cookies, cache, broken icons, registry entries.

Then you press the Fix button and wait for the end of cleaning. Empty folders should be deleted because they are not used, but take up space in the file hierarchy. Many programs, in particular antiviruses, will waste time on checking empty and unnecessary directories. To delete selected files, press Delete on the top panel and confirm the selection.

A disadvantage of third-party utilities is the risk of accidentally deleting important files. 

Part 2 – Hardware

There are a few ways of cooling PC system units but the most popular are fan-based cooling systems. They remove warm air from the unit, by drawing in colder air from the environment and cooling the radiators. Depending on the model, video cards and processors can reach temperatures up to 100 degrees. Therefore, even if it is warm in your room processors will be effectively cooled, if the fans work correctly.

This is very important, because high temperatures reduce the life of the processors, and may lead to their deterioration. Naturally, the only solution after this would be buying a new processor or video card to replace the broken one.

Another major issue is the accumulation of dust and wool if you have pets on the air vent and inside the system unit. Therefore, depending on the rate of “contamination” of your case, it is necessary to regularly clean it from dust. 

Also, about once a year or two, it is necessary to replace the thermal paste and maintain the cooler bearings. These are quite complex operations related to PC maintenance, so I’ll skip it this time. 

So, for quality scrubbing from dust, you need to prepare. To start, a few tips:

1. Don't do this if your PC is under warranty. Unauthorised opening the PC case and damaging the warranty seals will cancel your warranty service. Instead, contact the technical support of your store or hardware vendor and find out what operating temperatures are acceptable for your PC and what software can be used to monitor it.
2. Don’t initiate cleaning and maintenance of the PC if you have scheduled important tasks with the computer on the next day. This advice applies especially to those who are going to clean the PC for the first time.
3. You'd have to prepare additional equipment before starting the cleaning. These are 1 Isopropyl Alcohol spray, 1 micro cloth, 5-10 Q-tips, 1 compressed air balloon and 1 medical gloves.

To start working with the system unit, it must be de-energized. It is best to start by physically disconnecting it from the electrical network. After that, take photos of all the wires that are connected to it, to remember what connectors they use. Then you can start the cleaning process.

1. Pull out all the wires that are connected to the system unit. Be careful, because some of them have additional wire retainers in the connector. For example, the rectangular blue VGA plug has two screws on the sides that must be unscrewed, while the network cable cannot be removed unless the latch on it is pressed.

2. Next, you need to remove the side cover of the system unit. To do this, find screws on the back panel at the left edge at the top and bottom of the block and unscrew them. In most cases, this can be done by hand, or you can use a screwdriver. Then slide the left cover with your hands in the direction from the front to the rear panel. 

3. The location of the hardware inside your system unit depends on its shape and your motherboard model. For the next step, you must have knowledge about components inside the system unit.

At the top left you will see a square block with a fan pointing down - this is the power supply. There will be one large board for the entire width of the opposite wall - this is the motherboard. Approximately in the centre of the motherboard there will be another block with a fan - this is a cooling system with і a processor under it.

Also on the left side may be several boards, which connectors are on the back panel of the system unit. These are various peripherals, but you are primarily interested in a board with another fan - this will be a video card. All of these fans are our main goal of cleaning from dust.

4. For further work, you must wear medical gloves. This will help avoid unintentional contamination of PC parts by dirty hands. Then, inspect all equipment and assess the amount of accumulated dust. If it is a little bit, then it will be enough to blow out the fans and the main masses of dust with compressed air. If there is a lot of it then you will have to do a full cleaning.

5. In any case, you will need a balloon of compressed air. Its purpose is rather primitive, it simply “blows off” the dust. Many people instead use vacuum cleaners for the house or their portable models for cars and others. This is a bad idea, as there is a small but still real possibility of an electrostatic discharge that can “fry” some sensitive microcircuit.

Use a balloon, spraying air in small portions into places where dust accumulates. At the same time, the balloon must be kept level, without tilting, so that condensation does not form inside it. If it doesn't work out, use a micro cloth to clean it.

6. Next, you will need to remove the video card, processor cooling, RAM boards and power supply to clean them with compressed air too. Let's start with the RAM boards. Take a picture of their position. Then, to remove them, release the latches at the edges and gently pull them up one at a time.

Next is the video card. Most often, it is screwed to the case or to the motherboard. Unscrew it and also carefully pull it out of the motherboard. If you have several video cards, then repeat the process for each of them, after photographing their location and connection.

Now the fan that cools the processor. There are quite a few mounting options, and in some cases, improper dismantling can damage the processor itself. Therefore, before removing the CPU cooling fan, make sure that its mountings are independent of other components. This may be a latch or several screws which must be unscrewed. Then take a picture of the place where the fan connects to the motherboard and unplug it.

The most difficult to dismantle is the power supply, as it has many connections to various parts of the equipment. And all of them must be carefully photographed and disconnected. After that, unscrew the power supplies screws and dismantle it.

Then, everything is very simple, clean all the removed parts from dust using compressed air. If the dust does not blow off, you can try to wipe it off manually with a simple paint brush. For particularly heavy soiling, especially in the case of fan blades, you can use Q-tips soaked in Isopropyl alcohol.

This is a high-strength alcohol which quickly evaporates and is safe for microcircuits. When you clean fans with compressed air, block them with your finger or Q-tips, otherwise they will start spinning at a dangerous speed for them.

The last step is the motherboard cleaning. The algorithm is the same - we blow off the dust with compressed air, with special attention to the equipment connection points. In case of heavy soiling, clean manually with a brush and Q-tips.

Next, you will be in the process of reassembling the PC. Use the photos taken in the previous steps to correctly connect back equipment. Then replace the housing cover and fix it. Next connect all previously removed wires to the rear panel of the unit.

Start your PC to make sure you did everything right. Then find sticky notes and write down on it the date when you made the cleanup. After a month, check how your PC looks inside and calculate the approximate period of regular dusting.

As a rule, it is enough to do this once every 3-6 months, but if you have pets with fur, it would be better to do this more often. Also note that it makes no sense to maintain absolute sterility inside the system unit and clean it every week or every day. The potential harm by worn out cable and equipment attachment systems will be greater than by small amounts of dust inside.