Worth a little mention I think.

Noticed two of my fan heaters were running cherry red on parts of the
element, whihc is not normal for my ones. Obviously a bit scunged up, so
after adapting some screwdrivers and torx bits to get round the damnable
security screws I took each one apart for a good clean up.

Scunged up was an understatement. One had a nearly continuous but thin mat
of fluff across the back of the element block. 2 others were going that way
of which one had stopped working. The last, an ancient second hand one was
merely a little dusty.

Simple enough job, bar the security screws. Managed to fix the broken one -
it was the only one without a melting type thermal fuse - it had a set of
bimetallic contacts instead, which I think may have operated and then got
some ****e lodged in between the contacts.

Worth a check if you have a fan heater or two running somewhere and haven't
already thought to do so.

The 3 that were clagging up had air intakes on the base as well as the top
which seems to be a fundamentally bad idea. The dusty one was top intake
only, and made by Honeywell.

Honeywell seem to have the best internal engineering, though they were all
pretty solidly built bar the stupid design decision.



--
Tim Watts

This space intentionally left blank...

Tim W wrote:
Worth a little mention I think.

Noticed two of my fan heaters were running cherry red on parts of the
element, whihc is not normal for my ones. Obviously a bit scunged up, so
after adapting some screwdrivers and torx bits to get round the damnable
security screws I took each one apart for a good clean up.

Scunged up was an understatement. One had a nearly continuous but thin mat
of fluff across the back of the element block. 2 others were going that way
of which one had stopped working. The last, an ancient second hand one was
merely a little dusty.

Simple enough job, bar the security screws. Managed to fix the broken one -
it was the only one without a melting type thermal fuse - it had a set of
bimetallic contacts instead, which I think may have operated and then got
some ****e lodged in between the contacts.

Worth a check if you have a fan heater or two running somewhere and haven't
already thought to do so.

The 3 that were clagging up had air intakes on the base as well as the top
which seems to be a fundamentally bad idea. The dusty one was top intake
only, and made by Honeywell.

Honeywell seem to have the best internal engineering, though they were all
pretty solidly built bar the stupid design decision.




Good point Tim!

I fired one up the other day and it was a bit noisy. Usually I just blow
it through wit the airline but I had some spare time (A bonus of being
retired now - time to do jobs properly!). I gave it a clean up inside
and a few drops of oil on the fan bushes. I'd forgotten how quiet it
used to be. I immediately overhauled the second one too with similar
results.

Bob

In message , Bob Minchin
writes
Tim W wrote:
Worth a little mention I think.

Noticed two of my fan heaters were running cherry red on parts of the
element, whihc is not normal for my ones. Obviously a bit scunged up, so
after adapting some screwdrivers and torx bits to get round the damnable
security screws I took each one apart for a good clean up.

Scunged up was an understatement. One had a nearly continuous but thin mat
of fluff across the back of the element block. 2 others were going that way
of which one had stopped working. The last, an ancient second hand one was
merely a little dusty.

Simple enough job, bar the security screws. Managed to fix the broken one -
it was the only one without a melting type thermal fuse - it had a set of
bimetallic contacts instead, which I think may have operated and then got
some ****e lodged in between the contacts.

Worth a check if you have a fan heater or two running somewhere and haven't
already thought to do so.

The 3 that were clagging up had air intakes on the base as well as the top
which seems to be a fundamentally bad idea. The dusty one was top intake
only, and made by Honeywell.

Honeywell seem to have the best internal engineering, though they were all
pretty solidly built bar the stupid design decision.




Good point Tim!

I fired one up the other day and it was a bit noisy. Usually I just
blow it through wit the airline but I had some spare time (A bonus of
being retired now - time to do jobs properly!). I gave it a clean up
inside and a few drops of oil on the fan bushes. I'd forgotten how
quiet it used to be. I immediately overhauled the second one too with
similar results.

Now go and check you computer processor and PSU fans ...



--
geoff

geoff
wibbled on Monday 28 December 2009 17:13


Now go and check you computer processor and PSU fans ...


Way ahead of you there geoff. Did that 2 weeks ago. But a very valid point.
It's amazing how much ****e lodges in the heatsink fins and PSU - and whilst
most modern computers will safeguard the CPU, I really don't like the
potential fire risk of the PSU cooking itself...

The amount of air-in-a-can I get through keeping 4 comps clear 3-4 times a
year almost makes it worth getting a compressor.


--
Tim Watts

This space intentionally left blank...

In article , geoff wrote:
In message , Bob Minchin

Now go and check you computer processor and PSU fans ...

Presented for your amusement:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/13/ventblockers/

Enjoy

Gordon

Tim W brought next idea :
The amount of air-in-a-can I get through keeping 4 comps clear 3-4 times a
year almost makes it worth getting a compressor.

I keep mine up from the floor, where it sucks less dust in. I take it
out to the garage maybe once a year and give the inside a good clean
out using the compressor, but you need to be careful with both cooling
fans and fan heater fans (particularly) not to let the compressed air
spin them too fast.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

The same applies for older convector heaters with open wire elements.
Essentially they operate at "black heat", but with age get cherry red
hot spots until finally shedding sparks which can ignite a carpet.
Modern convectors tend to use an aluminium encased element with the
rest basically a heatsink (probably PTC but I'm not sure) so much less
risky.

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Tim W brought next idea :
The amount of air-in-a-can I get through keeping 4 comps clear 3-4
times a
year almost makes it worth getting a compressor.

I keep mine up from the floor, where it sucks less dust in. I take it
out to the garage maybe once a year and give the inside a good clean out
using the compressor, but you need to be careful with both cooling fans
and fan heater fans (particularly) not to let the compressed air spin
them too fast.


No disrespect to Harry, but generally speaking, you should not clean a
computer with a domestic airline, as the airline will most likely
contain water vapour and may contain oil and grit - none of which are
good for the innards of a computer.

If you have a clean, dry, oil-free, pressure-restricted air line, fairy
nuff.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Tim W saying
something like:

The amount of air-in-a-can I get through keeping 4 comps clear 3-4 times a
year almost makes it worth getting a compressor.

pats compressor
Worth its weight in gold, mate.

Tim W wrote:
Worth a little mention I think.

Noticed two of my fan heaters were running cherry red on parts of the
element, whihc is not normal for my ones. Obviously a bit scunged up, so
after adapting some screwdrivers and torx bits to get round the damnable
security screws I took each one apart for a good clean up.

Scunged up was an understatement. One had a nearly continuous but thin mat
of fluff across the back of the element block. 2 others were going that way
of which one had stopped working. The last, an ancient second hand one was
merely a little dusty.

Simple enough job, bar the security screws. Managed to fix the broken one -
it was the only one without a melting type thermal fuse - it had a set of
bimetallic contacts instead, which I think may have operated and then got
some ****e lodged in between the contacts.

Worth a check if you have a fan heater or two running somewhere and haven't
already thought to do so.

The 3 that were clagging up had air intakes on the base as well as the top
which seems to be a fundamentally bad idea. The dusty one was top intake
only, and made by Honeywell.

Honeywell seem to have the best internal engineering, though they were all
pretty solidly built bar the stupid design decision.

The high pressure air hose at the local garage will get rid of most of
the fluff!

R

Roger Dewhurst
wibbled on Monday 28 December 2009 21:53


The high pressure air hose at the local garage will get rid of most of
the fluff!


Now that's thinking

Reminds me of the days we used to dowse our engines in Jizer, then nip down
local garage to pressure wash them and the bay shiny clean.


--
Tim Watts

This space intentionally left blank...

Roger Dewhurst wrote:


The high pressure air hose at the local garage will get rid of most of
the fluff!

By inserting it deep into your dermis.

Steve Firth wrote:
Roger Dewhurst wrote:

The high pressure air hose at the local garage will get rid of most of
the fluff!

By inserting it deep into your dermis.

Rubbish. Just keep the air flow directed away from you. I cleaned up a
heater this way only a few months ago.

R

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:53:16 +1300, Roger Dewhurst wrote:

The high pressure air hose at the local garage will get rid of
most of
the fluff!

By inserting it deep into your dermis.

Rubbish. Just keep the air flow directed away from you. I cleaned up a
heater this way only a few months ago.

Still put up into the air which you are breathing... I use a vacuum
and 1/2" paintbrush to brush the dust to the nozzle.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Roger Dewhurst wrote:

Rubbish.

Up yours ****wit.

Tim W wrote:
geoff
wibbled on Monday 28 December 2009 17:13


Now go and check you computer processor and PSU fans ...


Way ahead of you there geoff. Did that 2 weeks ago. But a very valid
point. It's amazing how much ****e lodges in the heatsink fins and
PSU - and whilst most modern computers will safeguard the CPU, I
really don't like the potential fire risk of the PSU cooking itself...

The amount of air-in-a-can I get through keeping 4 comps clear 3-4
times a year almost makes it worth getting a compressor.

Its well worth getting a compressor Tim. I got one 6 or 7 years ago, a
'kit' jobby from SF for about £70. Used loads, nailer is invaluable, blow
gun great for all sorts of jobs; sawdust, moisture, blows up inflatable's,
adaptor for car tyres, bike tyres etc.

You would be amazed at how often you use one - once you have one.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:16:11 +0000, Dave Osborne wrote:
No disrespect to Harry, but generally speaking, you should not clean a
computer with a domestic airline, as the airline will most likely
contain water vapour and may contain oil and grit - none of which are
good for the innards of a computer.

Potentially. Ditto with vacuums which (depending on setup) might have
static issues; if using a vacuum then someone else's comment about using a
brush to brush dirt toward the nozzle is a good one.

I normally wash PCBs. Warm soapy water followed by 'flushing' with
distilled water. Leave to dry somewhere warm for several days afterwards.
Remove any fans first, because motor housings make for great water
traps... the long drying time makes this unsuitable for some
situations, but it works a treat...

On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:25:44 +0000
Tim W wrote:

Worth a little mention I think.


Well, thanks for this and the resulting thread.

I have a 3Kw fan heater that I am currently using while the CH zone to
my renovation-end-of-the-house is valved off. The fan needed to be left
for a few minutes to get up to speed before the heat was applied,
otherwise the fan didn't have the 'guts' to stop the element glowing.

10 mins with vac and brush, 2 drops of oil, good as new!

R.

TheOldFellow
wibbled on Tuesday 29 December 2009 15:22

On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:25:44 +0000
Tim W wrote:

Worth a little mention I think.


Well, thanks for this and the resulting thread.

To be honest, it's not always that obvious. I just happened to be down low
one evening and glanced in the grill. Couldn't see it standing up.

I was a little dismayed that when I picked one up and put it down with a
bump, a spark flew out the front - a bit of fluff detached and lit whilst
passing the element then blew out the front. That's the way to start a
fire(!).

Can't for the life of me think why the designers would think it a good idea
to put an intake on the base - it's either going to suck crap in, or get
blocked when people place it on a shaggy rug (which some people will do).

I have a 3Kw fan heater that I am currently using while the CH zone to
my renovation-end-of-the-house is valved off. The fan needed to be left
for a few minutes to get up to speed before the heat was applied,
otherwise the fan didn't have the 'guts' to stop the element glowing.

10 mins with vac and brush, 2 drops of oil, good as new!

I take it you didn't need to dremel various tools to get the security screw
out then ;-

Jolly good - didn't expect a little thing to attract so much interest (and
flaming)

--
Tim Watts

This space intentionally left blank...

Jules wrote on 29/12/2009 :
I normally wash PCBs. Warm soapy water followed by 'flushing' with
distilled water. Leave to dry somewhere warm for several days afterwards.
Remove any fans first, because motor housings make for great water
traps... the long drying time makes this unsuitable for some
situations, but it works a treat...

Which exactly what I have done for many years, but two things to be
aware of - don't wash hard disks not keyboards. Hard disks have
breathers which can let the water inside and many keyboards are
membrane types which can trap water under the membrane.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:50:13 +0000, Harry Bloomfield wrote:

Jules wrote on 29/12/2009 :
I normally wash PCBs. Warm soapy water followed by 'flushing' with
distilled water. Leave to dry somewhere warm for several days afterwards.
Remove any fans first, because motor housings make for great water
traps... the long drying time makes this unsuitable for some
situations, but it works a treat...

Which exactly what I have done for many years, but two things to be
aware of - don't wash hard disks not keyboards. Hard disks have
breathers which can let the water inside and many keyboards are
membrane types which can trap water under the membrane.

Yes, last time I washed a hard disk PCB, I took the PCB off. That was an
old ST506/412 drive, so easy to do - it's probably too fiddly on a modern
drive (if possible; they might solder connections to the heads straight to
the PCB these days).

Most keyboards simply don't wash well, membranes or not - I've
found that completely dismantling and cleaning individual parts as
required is normally the best way. Thankfully it doesn't take long to
pull keycaps and the case shell on this 'ere Model M and give everything a
good clean; the wife's machine has some modern Logitech Sponge-O-Matic
thing that doesn't look like it'll come apart easily (but then as it's
modern junk it'll probably break long before it needs a clean ;-)

cheers

Jules

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:05:18 -0600, Jules wrote:

Most keyboards simply don't wash well, membranes or not - I've found
that completely dismantling and cleaning individual parts as required is
normally the best way. Thankfully it doesn't take long to pull keycaps
and the case shell on this 'ere Model M and give everything a good
clean; the wife's machine has some modern Logitech Sponge-O-Matic thing
that doesn't look like it'll come apart easily (but then as it's modern
junk it'll probably break long before it needs a clean ;-)

Yep, I have two Model Ms to clean this week. They have both been in daily
use since 1992, and cleaned every few years....!

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

In message , Harry
Bloomfield writes
Jules wrote on 29/12/2009 :
I normally wash PCBs. Warm soapy water followed by 'flushing' with
distilled water. Leave to dry somewhere warm for several days afterwards.
Remove any fans first, because motor housings make for great water
traps... the long drying time makes this unsuitable for some
situations, but it works a treat...

Which exactly what I have done for many years, but two things to be
aware of - don't wash hard disks not keyboards. Hard disks have
breathers which can let the water inside and many keyboards are
membrane types which can trap water under the membrane.


keyboards are one of the few thing which I would wash, but I would
completely dismantle it first (making sure I have a second one nearby to
make sure all the keys go back where they came from

--
geoff

In message . com, Jules
writes
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:50:13 +0000, Harry Bloomfield wrote:

Jules wrote on 29/12/2009 :
I normally wash PCBs. Warm soapy water followed by 'flushing' with
distilled water. Leave to dry somewhere warm for several days afterwards.
Remove any fans first, because motor housings make for great water
traps... the long drying time makes this unsuitable for some
situations, but it works a treat...

Which exactly what I have done for many years, but two things to be
aware of - don't wash hard disks not keyboards. Hard disks have
breathers which can let the water inside and many keyboards are
membrane types which can trap water under the membrane.

Yes, last time I washed a hard disk PCB, I took the PCB off. That was an
old ST506/412 drive, so easy to do - it's probably too fiddly on a modern
drive (if possible; they might solder connections to the heads straight to
the PCB these days).

Most keyboards simply don't wash well, membranes or not - I've
found that completely dismantling and cleaning individual parts as
required is normally the best way. Thankfully it doesn't take long to
pull keycaps and the case shell on this 'ere Model M and give everything a
good clean; the wife's machine has some modern Logitech Sponge-O-Matic
thing that doesn't look like it'll come apart easily (but then as it's
modern junk it'll probably break long before it needs a clean ;-)

What the hell are people bothering cleaning a mbd with soapy water?

Really, just blowing off the worst of the dust is all that's required,
the rest is doing no harm as long as long as you keep fans and heatsinks
clean

more is just courting trouble


--
geoff

In message
,
Owain writes
On 29 Dec, 19:21, geoff wrote:
keyboards are one of the few thing which I would wash, but I would
completely dismantle it first (making sure I have a second one nearby to
make sure all the keys go back where they came from

Just photocopy or photograph the keyboard before dismantling.

(or learn to touchtype!)

Ah - but its the peripheral keys

buggered if I'm going to learn to touch type just to get the keys back
in the right order

having a second kbd to hand - no worries, simples


Owain


--
geoff

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:26:39 +0000, geoff wrote:

In message . com, Jules
writes
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:50:13 +0000, Harry Bloomfield wrote:

Jules wrote on 29/12/2009 :
I normally wash PCBs. Warm soapy water followed by 'flushing' with
distilled water. Leave to dry somewhere warm for several days afterwards.
Remove any fans first, because motor housings make for great water
traps... the long drying time makes this unsuitable for some
situations, but it works a treat...

Which exactly what I have done for many years, but two things to be
aware of - don't wash hard disks not keyboards. Hard disks have
breathers which can let the water inside and many keyboards are
membrane types which can trap water under the membrane.

Yes, last time I washed a hard disk PCB, I took the PCB off. That was an
old ST506/412 drive, so easy to do - it's probably too fiddly on a modern
drive (if possible; they might solder connections to the heads straight to
the PCB these days).

Most keyboards simply don't wash well, membranes or not - I've
found that completely dismantling and cleaning individual parts as
required is normally the best way. Thankfully it doesn't take long to
pull keycaps and the case shell on this 'ere Model M and give everything a
good clean; the wife's machine has some modern Logitech Sponge-O-Matic
thing that doesn't look like it'll come apart easily (but then as it's
modern junk it'll probably break long before it needs a clean ;-)

What the hell are people bothering cleaning a mbd with soapy water?

OK OK... admittedly I wouldn't bother with a PC motherboard - I normally
just use a paintbrush / toothbrush and a vacuum close by to collect
whatever's brushed off. But I've restored a *lot* of vintage "non-PC"
systems and those I do tend to wash - and see no reason why it wouldn't
work for generic PC stuff too.

Most of the problem with PCs seems to be that they're "designed" with
little thought to airflow and have little filtering, so they suck in
whatever crap they can and often put it right where it's least needed.

geoff explained :
What the hell are people bothering cleaning a mbd with soapy water?

Really, just blowing off the worst of the dust is all that's required, the
rest is doing no harm as long as long as you keep fans and heatsinks clean

more is just courting trouble

I was referring to cleaning much more up market electronics than PC's,
especially so before attempting any repairs on said electronics. Most
people would be more than a little wary of dunking electronics in
water, but no harm comes - providing there is nothing which absorbs the
water or where moisture can become trapped.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Bob Eager
saying something like:

this 'ere Model M and give everything a good
clean; the wife's machine has some modern Logitech Sponge-O-Matic thing
that doesn't look like it'll come apart easily (but then as it's modern
junk it'll probably break long before it needs a clean ;-)

Yep, I have two Model Ms to clean this week. They have both been in daily
use since 1992, and cleaned every few years....!

1994 I got this one and it was attached to an old 286 machine that came
out of a typesetter's shop. Gawd knows how many characters it's actually
typed.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Owain
saying something like:

Just photocopy or photograph the keyboard before dismantling.

If it's so disgustingly grungy you can't even read the letters or
numbers, much good that is.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=filt...eyboards&w=all

(or learn to touchtype!)

Ah, I knew there was a reason for that.

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:39:16 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Bob Eager
saying something like:

this 'ere Model M and give everything a good
clean; the wife's machine has some modern Logitech Sponge-O-Matic
thing that doesn't look like it'll come apart easily (but then as it's
modern junk it'll probably break long before it needs a clean ;-)

Yep, I have two Model Ms to clean this week. They have both been in
daily use since 1992, and cleaned every few years....!

1994 I got this one and it was attached to an old 286 machine that came
out of a typesetter's shop. Gawd knows how many characters it's actually
typed.

If it's a Model M, it should have the manufacture date on the bottom...!



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:32:09 GMT, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

geoff explained :
What the hell are people bothering cleaning a mbd with soapy water?

Really, just blowing off the worst of the dust is all that's required, the
rest is doing no harm as long as long as you keep fans and heatsinks clean

more is just courting trouble

I was referring to cleaning much more up market electronics than PC's,

Is there _anything_ more upmarket than PCs?

|-


--
Frank Erskine
Sunderland

"Frank Erskine" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:32:09 GMT, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

geoff explained :
What the hell are people bothering cleaning a mbd with soapy water?

Really, just blowing off the worst of the dust is all that's required,
the
rest is doing no harm as long as long as you keep fans and heatsinks
clean

more is just courting trouble

I was referring to cleaning much more up market electronics than PC's,

Is there _anything_ more upmarket than PCs?

There is plenty of stuff that is more over priced than PCs.
I keep getting junk mail from bose and that is seriously over priced.

I used to work with kit that had 20 inch square cards that cost about $1m
each, they were all washed with water.
It was best to make sure the lasers were dry as they could suffer a steam
explosion (or worse) if there was water in the way.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Bob Eager
saying something like:


1994 I got this one and it was attached to an old 286 machine that came
out of a typesetter's shop. Gawd knows how many characters it's actually
typed.

If it's a Model M, it should have the manufacture date on the bottom...!

12/6/1989 made in UK, so probably a Greenock one. I have another that's
slightly newer but is missing any ID.

On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:02:06 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
If it's a Model M, it should have the manufacture date on the bottom...!

12/6/1989 made in UK, so probably a Greenock one.

Mine's a late 1986, before they started putting status LEDs on them. I
kind-of miss having a caps-lock LED sometimes, but I've not poked around
in the guts yet to see if there's any possibility of adding one (I'm not
sure if the lack is because they hadn't thought of providing them yet,
or if there was some aesthetic* reason)

* maybe the ashtray was supposed to live in that spot on my model :-)

Oh, mine has a right-hand shift key that sometimes sticks - never have
worked out why (there's no obvious wear or problems in the mechanism).
Some silicone spray helped a lot, but it still sometimes binds if I tap it
quite far out toward the right-hand edge (fine in the middle or left-hand
edge). Other than that it's pretty much bomb-proof, though...

cheers

Jules

In message . com, Jules
writes
On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:16:11 +0000, Dave Osborne wrote:
No disrespect to Harry, but generally speaking, you should not clean a
computer with a domestic airline, as the airline will most likely
contain water vapour and may contain oil and grit - none of which are
good for the innards of a computer.

Potentially. Ditto with vacuums which (depending on setup) might have
static issues; if using a vacuum then someone else's comment about using a
brush to brush dirt toward the nozzle is a good one.

Following on from thoughts in another thread

Who has been meaning to, but hasn't got round to ...

backing up the important data on their computer ?



--
geoff

On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:09:41 +0000, geoff wrote:

In message . com, Jules
writes
On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:16:11 +0000, Dave Osborne wrote:
No disrespect to Harry, but generally speaking, you should not clean a
computer with a domestic airline, as the airline will most likely
contain water vapour and may contain oil and grit - none of which are
good for the innards of a computer.

Potentially. Ditto with vacuums which (depending on setup) might have
static issues; if using a vacuum then someone else's comment about using
a brush to brush dirt toward the nozzle is a good one.

Following on from thoughts in another thread

Who has been meaning to, but hasn't got round to ...

backing up the important data on their computer ?

Do it every day...



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

geoff wrote:

Following on from thoughts in another thread

Who has been meaning to, but hasn't got round to ...

backing up the important data on their computer ?


Finally got around to that this weekend!

On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:26:11 +0000, Cicero wrote:
And possibly also copying or verifying older data CDs / DVDs to prevent
any chance of corruption. I believe that some CDs and DVDs can age badly.

And they can be damaged easily, and there seems no guarantee that a
disc created in one drive will always work in the drive of a different
manufacturer.

Fine for transient stuff, or as a secondary source, but I just don't trust
them as primary for anything critical.

cheers

Jules

On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:09:41 +0000, geoff wrote:
Following on from thoughts in another thread

Who has been meaning to, but hasn't got round to ...

backing up the important data on their computer ?

I've moved around a lot, so I've never had a very coherent backup
plan. My problem is that I create too many darn backups, and I've ended
up with about 20 different archives split across two countries, with
various duplicates and/or previous revisions of files.

I'm currently picking things apart file-by-file to make sure I've got just
one 'live' version and a couple of backups of the most recent copy of
every single file, and it's taking forever...

cheers

Jules

geoff
wibbled on Friday 01 January 2010 13:09

In message . com, Jules
writes
On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:16:11 +0000, Dave Osborne wrote:
No disrespect to Harry, but generally speaking, you should not clean a
computer with a domestic airline, as the airline will most likely
contain water vapour and may contain oil and grit - none of which are
good for the innards of a computer.

Potentially. Ditto with vacuums which (depending on setup) might have
static issues; if using a vacuum then someone else's comment about using a
brush to brush dirt toward the nozzle is a good one.

Following on from thoughts in another thread

Who has been meaning to, but hasn't got round to ...

backing up the important data on their computer ?



My oldest computer (Debian Unstable) that I built over 7 years ago just
started frying one disk (1 of 4 Seagates).

It was my backup server and exim email server. It's being re-burnt in,
failing disk will be removed and the rest reinstalled with Ubuntu 8.04 (LTS)
and used again as a backup box (Still got 0.5TB storage).

That and my old bent exim config was the last element of my systems that was
****ing me off.

Finally, I almost understand my email config(!) having moved and redone it
on another server. Managed to integrate DSPAM (antispam with learning) into
the IMAP server (Dovecot) so whenever a user drags missed spam to the Junk
folder, the IMAP server triggers a learning cycle on that mail. Ditto in
reverse for mail being miss classed as SPAM. That's the way it should be.

DIY, but not as you know it Jim

--
Tim Watts

This space intentionally left blank...