Dust is it really as harmful as people say?

[TheWheelMan]

Dust it plagues our systems and computers and what i need to know is how can i protect my xbox from dust.....I live on the 2nd story of my house that has a big window and the sun shines in alot dust is always a problem for me....It wasnt really when i was in the basement cause it was alot cooler down there but ya i think in fact dust might already be causing my xbox problems which really stresses me now if i get another xbox or wait and get the xbox 2 im hopeing that the system wont act up like it is now but if in fact it is dust what can i do about it???

[LiquidX]

Compressed air is good for blowing out dust. You can find it in most computer stores. If that doesnt work, you could take it apart and manually clean the eye (thats what I did with mine when I got loads of DDE's). Doing that WILL void your warranty. If all else fails, get a new Xbox. Theres no reason to wait for Xbox 2 since its only $150 bucks now. You really dont wanna miss Halo 2.

[Cryogenic Pyro]

Dust isn't so bad, but if you have a pet with fur, I'd watch out. For instance, my computer gets covered, and I mean covered in cat hair within a few weeks. Lots of cat hair all over = very bad cooling.

I just cleaned out my computer(Not even a thorough job, just a quick run through) and my CPU temperature dropped at least 15 degrees celsius; that's 59 degrees fahrenheit.

[Reclaimer]

Pollen is even worse. It's smaller than dust particles and stickier in some instances. Depening on where you live, you'll get a lot more pollen then dust and it really chokes a system down. If you frequently open a window to your room during the spring and summer, you'll have a lot of pollen intrusion. You should treat it as dust and use compressed air to clean out your Xbox and computers as normal.

In fact, you should adopt a monthly cleaning schedule and stick to it. Every month open your computer and blow it out. For your Xbox, spray compressed air into it and try to get all the crapola out.

A clean Xbox is a happy Xbox.

[OC Noob]

Don't sweat it unless you have problems. Consoles are made to take serious abuse like over heating from being extremly dirty.

If you have problems, just pop it open and use compressed air like someone suggested.


Might want to water cool it or add a vapo if you have it open though;)

[Reclaimer]

Don't sweat it unless you have problems. Consoles are made to take serious abuse like over heating from being extremly dirty.

If you have problems, just pop it open and use compressed air like someone suggested.


Might want to water cool it or add a vapo if you have it open though;)

They may be built to withstand more abuse than a computer could, but that's just the hard plastic case. The hard drive is no different than a standard hard drive.. All the internal components are essentially standard computer components that are not any more resistant than a standard computer's. The only thing more resilent in an Xbox is the plastic case, which tolerates quite a bit of abuse, but the internals are nothing more than a computer.
It may be tough, but it's not bulletproof and it does require some maintenance to prolong it's service. Over heating is still bad news for an Xbox and that's why it's stated in the owners manual to not block it's ventilation ports, not to place things over the Xbox and to make sure that if it's going to be placed in an enclosure that the enclosure has ample ventilation.

Much like your computer, internal dirt will cause problems and thermal issues. It should be taken care of.
I'm not saying the Xbox needs to be babied and treating as fine China, but it is not absolutly impervious to wear and tear or damage.

[SoundX]

Dust has never really effected my Xbox. I clean my room regulary and while doing so I dust my consoles, disk trays alike. Problem solved.

[LiquidX]

It may be tough, but it's not bulletproof .

Now wheres that story about the guy who shot his roomates Xbox with the 9 and it sill worked... :watchout:

[Shadow20002]

Just put a cover on the Xbox, should be fine.

[TheWheelMan]

i sorta do have it in an enclosure in like a tv unit but it has quite abit of room all around it and about the compressed air im not sure what i need to do where abouts should i spray it and the like???

[Cloud Wolf]

My xbox has not moved for a year its just a block of dust..... erm is that bad?

[No Fear 23]

My xbox has not moved for a year its just a block of dust..... erm is that bad?
umm.... yes

[Shadow20002]

You should clean it Cloud Wolf.

[ShannonX]

i've kept my xbox off the carpet and in a fairly well ventilated shelf. I've had it since launch and have only had 1 game that i could not play (gta 3). I've had a handful of dirty disk errors, but i can count them on both my hands over the past 3 years. So if you keep good care of your system, keep it off the floor (the very worst thing you could do) it should last you a long time (most of the time)

[OC Noob]

They may be built to withstand more abuse than a computer could, but that's just the hard plastic case. The hard drive is no different than a standard hard drive.. All the internal components are essentially standard computer components that are not any more resistant than a standard computer's. The only thing more resilent in an Xbox is the plastic case, which tolerates quite a bit of abuse, but the internals are nothing more than a computer.
It may be tough, but it's not bulletproof and it does require some maintenance to prolong it's service. Over heating is still bad news for an Xbox and that's why it's stated in the owners manual to not block it's ventilation ports, not to place things over the Xbox and to make sure that if it's going to be placed in an enclosure that the enclosure has ample ventilation.

Much like your computer, internal dirt will cause problems and thermal issues. It should be taken care of.
I'm not saying the Xbox needs to be babied and treating as fine China, but it is not absolutly impervious to wear and tear or damage.


You are soooooooooooooo wrong. It is bullet proof!

lol, there was a story about a guy who shot his roommates Xbox and the box still worked. Funny story.

Seriously, its very much like a computer, but that 733 mhz chip doesn't run as hot as as the 2 gig+ chips of today and all console manufacturers take into consideration thermal issues. Consoles are super abused when it comes to maininance and air flow. The Xbox will take a lot of dirt/heat and keep tickin.

I definitely agree though, that cleaning it and taking care of it will make it last longer and greatly reduce failures due to heat. Cleaning it out is a good idea, but nothing to lose sleep over.


Great thing about computers/electronic is your HSF can be caked in dead cats with ****roaches breeding inside of it and likely it will still run.

I'll have to link a thread with some of the funky stuff people have pulled from computers. Its pretty sad/funny.

[AlphaRaptor]

Dust has never really effected my Xbox. I clean my room regulary and while doing so I dust my consoles, disk trays alike. Problem solved.
Same here :) Hasn't been a problem for me, my Xbox plays as good as it did the day I bought it.

Btw, I got mine 3 months after the XB's release...

[LiquidX]

You are soooooooooooooo wrong. It is bullet proof!

lol, there was a story about a guy who shot his roommates Xbox and the box still worked. Funny story.


Dude! I already said that... stinkin n00b :)

[Cloud Wolf]

Ok I just started to clean it this morning I wiped it down and went inside and my fan was coverd in dust!!!! cleaned everything till it went all shiny, now it has stopped this annoying sound it made it was like a grinding noise has stopped, I even cleaned my GC thats I got 1 week ago, Ill do it more often. but I had no idea dust would have that kinda impact and I never thought it would go on the fan.

[LiquidX]

I just found a great new way to clean your Xbox. If you have an air compressor go to a hardware store and buy an air blower attachment for like 5-10 bucks. I took the power supply for my computer out in my garage and blew that thing clean. It was like a black cloud shooting out of there (hasnt been cleaned for over 4 years :yikes: ). Nothing better than 90psi of air cleaning the dust out of your electronics. And you dont have to keep buying compressed air cans. :)

[SoundX]

I onced used a hover to suck the dust out. Wonder if that is sensibe, because it did work pretty well for me, but I dunno, could interfere with the box.

[OC Noob]

Dude! I already said that... stinkin n00b :)

lol


I noticed you mentioned it "in passing." I got a bit more specific so he would know what you were talking about.

I still laugh when I think about that.

F Cevlar (Kevlar?) I've got an Xbox.

[Reclaimer]

I just found a great new way to clean your Xbox. If you have an air compressor go to a hardware store and buy an air blower attachment for like 5-10 bucks. I took the power supply for my computer out in my garage and blew that thing clean. It was like a black cloud shooting out of there (hasnt been cleaned for over 4 years :yikes: ). Nothing better than 90psi of air cleaning the dust out of your electronics. And you dont have to keep buying compressed air cans. :)

Luckily, there isn't any loose bits inside an Xbox or small bits of wire or anything. Everything in there is pretty tightly attached.

The inside of an Xbox is pretty much like two layers when you take the lid off. The top layer is a plastic tray that rides on top that holds the hard drive and DVDROM side by side. Under that is the motherboard with everything intergrated to it with the exception of the PSU which is a seperate unit.
The controller ports are connected to a USB hub type daughterboard that rides on it's side upfront, but it's covered by the drive tray.

The reason I'm saying that is because you can blow some air in there and not unplug something accidentally. It's all tightly packed and fairly secured.