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Note: this post has been imported and re-editing from a personal blog. Time-sensitive material may no longer be relevant.

I have been experiencing lots of weird computer crashes. Eventually I decided to check on the temperature at which my cpu was running. Thanks to Motherboard Monitor, I found out that my CPU was running at a toasty 75°C! Whoa!

I pulled out my case and checked my CPU cooler (heatsink/fan combo). The fan was spinning — but the heatsink was completely clogged with dust! (and, if the spider carcasses I found in my case were any indication, spiderwebs too — how embarrassing!) I blew it out, blew out a few other key areas around the fans, and restarted.

Thanks to about 1/4 can of compressed air, my CPU is running about 26°C cooler, at a much saner 49°C, and even occassionally dipping down a little lower. And the crashes are gone!