sure.....but just know those gas station air tanks are never maintained which means there is a ton of condensed water in them. let that thing run for a good 10 seconds before you turn it loose on your laptop, or you'll do nothing but blow mist right into it.

Oil too from the compressor.....use a $6 USD can of compressed air....safer and much cleaner.

meh, wouldn't worry about that much i've used compressors for years and years to clean out machines. Just always unscrew the release valve at the end of the day and let all the air / water vapor out and leave it open to dry. Never had anything shooting out the nozzle but air.

6.00 can of compressed air might do 2 dirty machines if you are lucky... that adds up in a hurry! Better to have a never ending supply :-)

Canned air will operate at a pressure that will not damage computer parts. What comes from a gas station is too high velocity that is o only offset by distance... which reduces the effectiveness of blowing dust out of the system.

The better way to go is build a dust proof room for about $2.5 million, wear an envirsuit so you don't introduce human debris (skin, etc). Your computer will run so much better. :)

I so love the cocky rebuttal!

Think about where that dust will go, whatever method you use. You may just blow the air onto other parts that require free-flow of air. i'd open the laptop, as it's probably out of warranty by now, and look for the blockages, and carefully clean the vents. It'll usually be relatively easy, and blow the dust out of the laptop, not into it.

Oh, and I would use a can of the air, not the compressor.

at least if i turn my compressor upside down it won't spray out liquid ice :-P

its also not spaying out "get high" fumes right side up :-PP

at least if i turn my compressor upside down it won't spray out liquid ice :-P

its also not spaying out "get high" fumes right side up :-PP

What about turning it sideways for a little of both! :)

I clean my PC with regular air compressor.
You only need to pay attention to pressure.

Don't mess around with an air compressor or canned air- one cycle through the dish washer will clean it right up! But make sure you use the "gentle" cycle, if available- you don't want the water pressure to damage any sensitive parts.

I used a swimming pool once.

Great ignorant comments from senior members and moderators!

I have a friend that works at NASA, he says it's fine and does it all the time.

For you people out there that really want to know?

My temp went down from 55 to low 40's immediately.

That's a solid immediate 10-15 celcius drop. Highly recommended method.

I saw a welder light a cigarette with his torch and lite his whole face on fire.

Yes you can certainly use the wrong tool for the job and get away with it but with all the flops from NASA your tale sounds quite ignorant as well...

Course genius also requires showing up as the minimum bar and using the wrong tool only requires not being afraid of stupidiity.

Back in the 1980s I was equipment tech for a large company with 124 networked systems. It was a very dusty environment (manufacturing, steel alloys, etc). The systems had to be blown out on a regular basis (every three weeks( and I did use the on-site air compressor for that purpose, but I also had the shop build a low velocity nozzle to prevent damage to the motherboards, memory, NICs, etc.

So yes, you CAN use such compressors. No, you should NOT use them without modification in air flow as, at the very least, parts might become unseated, if not damaaged.

After three (3) months of this maintenance I suggested an alternative which was accepted, as it did not require removing the system from the network, taking it out to the shop, and then having to reinstall it in the offices again: a portable vacuum... and that is what I would recommend over anything else.

As for silly suggestions, we all need a laugh from time to time.

That little can of air is still the best suggestion for a non-routine maintenance procedure. And a clean environment wouldn't hurt.

Great ignorant comments from senior members and moderators!

Ignorant? Check the date on the posts.

So yes, you CAN use such compressors. No, you should NOT use them without modification in air flow as, at the very least, parts might become unseated, if not damaaged.

I just fill the tanks to a lower PSI and the air flow is good.. 40 to 50psi