KSYR (Syracuse, NY) to be down 5/2/08 for maintenance

[KSYR-pjr]

I need to take down the KSYR (Syracuse, NY) feed today, Friday, May 2, for preventive and reactive maintenance. 

The laptop computer providing the feed, as discussed in another thread in the Listener forum, need to be "de-dustified" and parts re-seated to see if that eliminates an occasional boot-up problem.  The process should only take a couple of hours at most.

Hopefully all will go well and the feed will be back up before the end of the Eastern Time Zone business day.  I do have another laptop as a backup in the event this, um, blow job does more harm than good.   

[KSYR-pjr]

OK, feed is back up.  Time and a few monitored reboots will provide the evidence of whether this work was successful.

As a sidebar, I also took the opportunity since the compressor was operational to blow out my desktop computer.  Coincidentally last week the second hard drive had failed in this computer.  The amount of dust inside was incredible - one of the many joys of having cats, I suppose.  In any regard, blowing it all out and cleaning off the hard drive ribbon and power cable seem to have resurrected the second hard drive.

For those of you who are NOT upgrading your computer every year I strongly recommend opening it up once every 6 to 8 months and blowing out the dust with a compressor, if available.  It really will extend the life of the computer and its components.

[bcrosby]

My friend had two cats and was wondering why his laptop kept on locking up.

I cracked 'er open and found a coating of dust+cat hair on the heat sink effectively acting as a blanket and keeping the cpu nice and warm.

It was so dense and compact, I didn't need compressed air. I just picked up the literal "brick" of dust off the heat sink.

Glad you got everything working again

[KSYR-pjr]

It was so dense and compact, I didn't need compressed air. I just picked up the literal "brick" of dust off the heat sink.

Ha!  I can imagine. 

[Jacko]

OK, feed is back up.  Time and a few monitored reboots will provide the evidence of whether this work was successful.

As a sidebar, I also took the opportunity since the compressor was operational to blow out my desktop computer.  Coincidentally last week the second hard drive had failed in this computer.  The amount of dust inside was incredible - one of the many joys of having cats, I suppose.  In any regard, blowing it all out and cleaning off the hard drive ribbon and power cable seem to have resurrected the second hard drive.

For those of you who are NOT upgrading your computer every year I strongly recommend opening it up once every 6 to 8 months and blowing out the dust with a compressor, if available.  It really will extend the life of the computer and its components.

Yep I agree, theres nothing like a good air compressor to clean out a PC.. pitty I dont know how to use mine, hehe.

[KSYR-pjr]

Yep I agree, theres nothing like a good air compressor to clean out a PC.. pitty I dont know how to use mine, hehe.

Excellent tool.  It will blow out computers, fill your vehicles tires, clean out your bicycles' chains, and even allow you to play a NASCAR tire changer with a pneumatic impact wrench.