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How do i open my 9100 to clean it?

post #1 of 18
1/6/05 at 1:01am
Thread Starter 
^^^ditto
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post #2 of 18
1/6/05 at 1:05am
Have a look at the service manual here....http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm
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post #3 of 18
1/6/05 at 1:32am
You really shouldn't need to open it to clean it. I blow out my fans with compressed air and have done so for almost a year, when I had some warranty repair work done and the system was opened it looked brand new so some compressed air on the fans and on the heatsinks should be enough....
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post #4 of 18
1/6/05 at 1:51am
yep, just use compressed air cans to blow dust off of the heatsink fins and maybe even remove the user accessible fans to clean them as well... other than that your system should be fine unless you eat chips or something that makes crumbs on your keyboard
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post #5 of 18
1/6/05 at 6:16pm
I used a can of 'Canned Air' and that works magic. Blows all the crud out of the Keyboard and fans without having to take too much apart.

I also have a pretty detailed guide in my Signature if you dont like the dell service manual.
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post #6 of 18
1/6/05 at 7:18pm
do you guys take the 2 accessible fans out to clean or just remove the covers and blow air from the top?

i'd like to dust my fans too, but don't really want to do much dissassembling, so can you be more specific about how you're delivering the air? can you blow air into the intakes on the bottom and have the fans throw the dust out the back vents?
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post #7 of 18
1/6/05 at 8:43pm
I actually do it both ways. You could remove the fans and clean them but anything else and you probably have OCD and too much time on your hands......
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post #8 of 18
1/7/05 at 3:14am
Yes, if you blow it through the bottom it will blow out the back. Looks like your trying to start a cold desiel engine.

I've hear people say not to 'over rev' the fans when blowing air into them but stopping them with a toothpick. I don't know if this is true or not, but I try not to spin them too fast (save the bearings).
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post #9 of 18
1/7/05 at 11:14am
I was cleaning a real steel roller bearing with compressed air and got it spinning....I thought that was really cool and revved it right up. It exploded into pieces in my hand. I garrentee you will butch things with compressed if you're not careful.

wilson23
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post #10 of 18
1/7/05 at 5:11pm
If you use the compressed air correctly there is no need to worry about any damage to your fans. Remember short bursts...
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post #11 of 18
1/7/05 at 5:16pm
Definitely remember that compressed air out of the can is COLD! These cans are not fine tuned! Sometimes the burst of air will include frigid condensation, and if you're shooting air up close to the unit, this condensation covers the area being cleaned. Please beware!
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post #12 of 18
1/9/05 at 12:16am
I take the two fans out and clean them and the heat sinks. Actually I only really take one fan out, the other one with the 3rd screw is kinda a PITA so I just blow compressed air at it after I get the screen off.
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post #13 of 18
1/9/05 at 1:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aero737
I've hear people say not to 'over rev' the fans when blowing air into them but stopping them with a toothpick. I don't know if this is true or not, but I try not to spin them too fast (save the bearings).
Yeah, it's a good idea not to shoot air directly in there without a "stop" of some sort and just whir the fan as the the blades may spin too quickly. Spinning them too quickly could lessen the working life of the fans and burn out the motor.
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post #14 of 18
3/30/05 at 1:58pm
So exactly what are the general steps to using compressed air to clean off the fans? Do you just shoot the air into the air-intake fans on the bottom? And if we want the fans to be moving slowly, does that mean the computer should still be on and idling?
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post #15 of 18
3/30/05 at 2:13pm
the 2 back fans can be taken out by unscrewing them from the bottom. once you have them out hold the fan blades with your finger to keep it from spinning. and no you never want to do this while the computer is running, sometimes condensation etc will come out of the can and if the computer is running you're screwed.
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post #16 of 18
3/30/05 at 2:35pm
Ah ok, I see. And are there other fans further inside that can't be removed manually? thanks.
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post #17 of 18
3/31/05 at 2:20am
there is one more inside that you have to remove the palmrest/keyboard to get to
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post #18 of 18
4/10/05 at 8:19pm
Where is the heatsink on the XPS?
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