Most of us recognise the noise - the incessant whirring of an overworked laptop fan, struggling to keep a computer cool. You might put it down to old age, assuming that notebooks always get noisier and hotter until, eventually, they just stop working.That doesn't have to be the case though. When your laptop is starting to get on a bit, overheating and shutting down on its own, it might not be worn out - it might just be dirty.However clean you keep the outside of your notebook, dust inevitably gets sucked into fans, crumbs fall into keyboards and fluff gets into vents.We have already looked at how to clean the inside of your desktop computer to keep it running smoothly. You can do the same to your laptop, but it's a much more complicated job, requiring a good deal of technical confidence and steady nerves.To help you get started, we've put together a few tips on tearing down and cleaning the inside of your mobile machine.Laptop model designs vary considerably. You can broadly assume that machines in the same range will disassemble in the same way, but that's no guarantee.

Peculiarities in design can arise due to specific configurations.In some cases you may be able to access the internal parts you need to clean through panels on the bottom of the case. For example, if you can get to the CPU, heatsink and fan without having to take apart your machine, then the cleaning process will be much shorter, easier and less likely to end in tears.Flip your notebook over and have a good look right now. See if you can identify the panels. There are likely to be access panels for RAM, your hard drive and optical drives and, if you're lucky, the main board.If motherboard access isn't offered here, you may need to take a deep breath and partially dismantle the notebook.As we said, laptop assembly varies between brands and models, but there are two main ways to get into most notebooks - through the top or through the bottom.If your machine is accessed from the bottom, you're in luck. These machines are often easier to disassemble - at least enough to access the bits that you'll need to clean.

If your laptop has to be cracked open from the top down, you'll generally have to start by removing the keyboard.Our advice is never to go blundering in. You should always start your teardown routine by sourcing and reading a manual carefully. The document we're talking about here is a different one to the user manual that came in your laptop box.It's called a service manual or maintenance manual. How easy it is to get hold of will depend on your manufacturer. Try visiting your notebook manufacturer's website first, and look under 'Support' for maintenance documents. If that fails, try Repair4Laptop, which is a free database with links to service manuals and teardown guides for hundreds of machines.You've got a laptop that needs cleaning and a service manual. Now what you need are the right tools to start the job. We'll divide these into case-opening tools and cleaning tools for convenience. You'll need a set of electrical screwdrivers to handle the small Philips and flat-head screws found in notebook cases.

If you have a Dell or Apple notebook, you may also need to find a set of TORX screwdrivers. A search on Maplin's website reveals you shouldn't have to pay much more than a fiver per set.A plastic putty knife or guitar plectrum is a handy thing to have when you're opening notebooks. You can use it to pry open seams held together by plastic clips.cost to clean coils on acIf you’ve had your laptop for a year or two, it may be full of dust. best leather cleaner for land roverDust clogs fans, vents, and heat sinks, preventing your PC from cooling down properly. couch cleaning service columbus ohioYou can remove a good amount of this dust, even if you can’t open your laptop.best car leather cleaner and protector

Dust build-up can prevent a PC from cooling down properly, and that heat can even cause hardware damage. Your laptop’s fans may also run at full blast, draining your battery. Your laptop may even reduce its performance to stay cool. Most laptops, especially newer ones, aren’t designed to be opened by their users. good vacuum cleaner for bed bugsThis presents a serious problem. the best dyson vacuum cleaner 2014On a desktop PC, you’d power down your PC, open the case, blow it out with a can of compressed air, and close the case. You could dust out a laptop in a similar way– if only there was a way to open it up and get inside. Your laptop may have a bottom panel (or several bottom panels) you can unscrew to access the internals. Check your laptop’s manual, or look up a special “service manual” for your specific model of laptop online.

Power down the laptop, remove the battery, and unscrew the panel to get at the laptop’s insides. If a service manual is available for your laptop, it will walk you through the process. Depending on your laptop, opening the panel may or may not void your warranty. After it’s open, take the laptop somewhere you don’t mind getting dusty — like your garage, or even outside. Use a can of compressed air to blow out the internals of your laptop. Ensure you’re blowing the dust out of the laptop’s case, not just moving it around inside. For example, you could blow more toward your laptop’s vents so the dust would be blasted through the vents and out of the laptop. Be careful when blowing air at the fans in the laptop — if you make the fans spin too quickly, they could be damaged. Blow at the fans from many different angles, using short blasts of air. We recommend compressed air — also known as canned air — for a reason. Don’t use a vacuum, and be extra careful if you opt to use an air compressor instead of a can of compressed air.

When you’re done, you can screw the panel back on, plug in the battery, and power the laptop back on. It’ll run cooler, and its fans should spin up less often. Whether you want to upgrade your laptop’s hardware or just dust it out, manufacturers don’t want you to open most laptops. But dust does build up inside a laptop, whether you can open it yourself or not. Even if you can’t open your laptop, you can still attempt to dislodge some of that dust. First, take the laptop somewhere you don’t mind getting dusty. You probably don’t want to blow dust all over your desk or bed. Get a can of compressed air, point it at the laptop’s cooling vents, and give them a few short bursts of air. With any luck, the jets of air will knock some of the dust loose and it will escape the laptop’s vents. You won’t get all the dust out of the laptop, but at least it will stop plugging up the vents, fans, and whatever else it’s stuck to. This isn’t the ideal way to dust out a laptop, but it may be all you can do.

Exercise caution when doing this. If you aim a blast of compressed air directly at a cooling fan inside a vent, you could cause the cooling fan to spin too quickly. Don’t aim the air directly at the fan and give it a long blast. Instead, blow air in short bursts, waiting in between to ensure you’re not spinning the fan too quickly. If your laptop has serious problems with overheating and you can’t clean it yourself, you may have to contact the manufacturer for service. If it’s still under warranty, they should hopefully help you. If you’ve had your laptop for a year or two, there’s probably some significant dust build-up inside its case. Cleaning your laptop on a regular basis is a good idea, but you don’t need to go overboard and do this all the time. How often you need to clean your laptop depends on the laptop itself and how dusty your environment is. Image Credit: nick@ on Flickr, Rick Kempel on Flickr, Although on Wikimedia Commons, Cheon Fong Liew on Flickr