Which way should the airflow go for side fans - Vento TA-M21 tower case (blowing air out or bringing air in?)?

Question

I have a quad core PC in a Vento TA-M21 tower case - which was put together by someone else. I'm having some problems with regular (but intermittent) Blue Screen of Death - totally random crashes, no consistent BSOD reports. I've taken the PC to two different companies now, and neither of them can reproduce the problem (and one of the companies has had it for three weeks - the first week, then back again for a separate two weeks) where they've loaded the processors, tested the hard drives, memory, etc. However, as soon as I get the PC home, it blue-screens within hours.

As I can't seem to find a company that can reproduce the problem, let alone fix it (drivers updated, memory tested to death), etc - I thought I'd have a quick look. The only thing that I can perceive as being different is the temperature of the room (all peripherals are the same).

Whilst having a look myself, I found that the side fans of the computer appear to be exhaust fans - i.e. pushing the air out. Is this correct?

Any other guidance about what the problem might be would be greatly appreciated!

Martin

Answer 1

Yes, the fan(s) need to blow out to get the heat out of the computer. If you open the inside of your case make sure the computer is off. Touch the metal on the inside to make sure you don't get shocked. After that starting at the top inside of the case take a can or two of compressed air and press it into the power supply, all the cd or dvd drives, the motherboard and the rest of the case.



I use a small two inch brush to get the dirt out of the bottom of the case.

Answer 2

In most situations the side fans are designed to be exhausts, so I don't think that's your problem. Besides if you were having airflow problems then it would have crashed at the repair shop when they did the memory/CPU tests unless they happened to perform them in the arctic.



Has anybody bothered to check out the electrical lines in your house? Random, inconsistent BSODs when all other components test healthy can be a sign of the components not getting enough juice. At first I was going to say check your PSU but if it was that then it would have failed at the shop too, so now I'm thinking maybe you should check your house's electrical setup. Depending on the area you live in, your power may be "dirty", meaning that the voltage fluctuates by a wide range. For simple devices like lamps and stoves its not that big a deal, but for more sophisticated electronics like computers it can cause problems. If the voltage drops below what your PSU is able to compensate for then insufficient power would be going to your components, causing them to trip, crash, and BSOD.



Consider buying a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) for your computer. It's essentially a surge protector on steroids coupled with a big backup battery that stands between your wall outlet and your computer. Because it has the battery, a UPS is able to compensate for low line voltages way better than the PSU in your computer can. It's also able to protect your computer from high spikes in voltage too (which can damage components). And if you ever have a power outage the battery will be able to keep your computer active for about ten minutes or so - long enough to save all your stuff and shut the machine down safely.

Answer 3

your bsod is because of the registry errors.

the steps for you.

1. Go to safe mode with internet

2. download a registry cleaner http://bluescreen-fix.com

3. scan and clean the registry errors.