I smell burning from my PC

[Midgar Mist]

Is it about to break?
If I use it too long it starts making a god awful whirring sound. One time it just made a god awful beep when I turned it on and wouldn't take me to my homescreen.

I've smelt burning, twice.

My only solution has been to turn it off for a good while and then its ok. But...the pattern always starts again.

Any advice?

[Laddy]

How old is it? What's the make and model? Do you regularly scan it for viruses, defray, and disc cleanup?

[Spuuky]

99% of the time, a burning smell from a PC is burning dust. If you get a can of compressed air and blow it out, there's a pretty good chance it will be better.

[Mr. Carnelian]

99% of the time, a burning smell from a PC is burning dust. If you get a can of compressed air and blow it out, there's a pretty good chance it will be better.

Where do you even get compressed air, though?

[Night Fury]

99% of the time, a burning smell from a PC is burning dust. If you get a can of compressed air and blow it out, there's a pretty good chance it will be better.

This.

99% of the time, a burning smell from a PC is burning dust. If you get a can of compressed air and blow it out, there's a pretty good chance it will be better.

Where do you even get compressed air, though?

Office depot, PC shops etc.

[Slothy]

Walmart in North America anyway. If they sell computers odds are they'll sell compressed air.

[Formalhaut]

I have never seen a can of compressed air. Though having said that, I don't often waltz into a home depot or computer store.

But no, what Spuuky said makes sense. Especially if it is a desktop PC; those things collect dust so easily.

[Fynn]

I don't think it comes in cans. More likely the store will just clean it up for you.

Unless compressed air cans are a thing in 'Murrica. I honestly wouldn't be surprised.

[Shauna]

No, you can buy cans of compressed air from shops. Heck Asda and Tesco's website say they sell them, so you could probably walk into a shop and pick one up.

[Fynn]

No, you can buy cans of compressed air from shops. Heck Asda and Tesco's website say they sell them, so you could probably walk into a shop and pick one up.

Okay. Wow. That's fascinating.

[Madame Adequate]

Can't believe the government would just let people walk in and buy materials which may be useful to carrying out acts of terrorism.

[escobert]

I don't think it comes in cans. More likely the store will just clean it up for you.

Unless compressed air cans are a thing in 'Murrica. I honestly wouldn't be surprised.

Yes, they are. Why pay someone to do it when you can buy a can and do it whenever you want for $7?

It's probably dust and the noise is most likely a clogged up or dirty fan.

[Del Murder]

It's likely dust, but you should probably dump a bucket of water on it to be safe.

[Mirage]

Burnt dust isn't really dangerous, although it does smell a bit unsettling. It doesn't get hot enough for it to catch fire, just give off the distinct smell. It is most likely coming from the power supply, if you have a desktop PC.

If it isn't dust, it could be a blown capacitor, but you would probably hear that as a pop in your PC, and the smell from that wouldn't stick around for a long time. It's not nearly as likely to be the case as just dust, though.

Do all the fans spin when it's on? If one doesn't, a lot of heat could build up on that component and the dust on it. If a fan is stuck, it could either be because of too much dust buildup, or it could be a broken ball-bearing. You probably can't fix the latter without replacing the fan entirely.

Are you guys serious about never having seen cans of compressed air? <,<

[Fynn]

I don't think it comes in cans. More likely the store will just clean it up for you.

Unless compressed air cans are a thing in 'Murrica. I honestly wouldn't be surprised.

Yes, they are. Why pay someone to do it when you can buy a can and do it whenever you want for $7?

It's probably dust and the noise is most likely a clogged up or dirty fan.

See, the shops here usually do that for free