I had the joy today of opening a desktop computer that clearly had not been maintained in any way for many years.

Like Anything, maintenance IS required. In this case, the motherboard had died. Why did it die?
Well, it certainly was not because it was over maintained. I suspect it was because it was so full of dust it simply overheated and cooked itself.

Have a look at the attached pictures. The CPU cooler under the fan is solid with dust and every other part of the computer is just simply caked in dust everywhere.

It’s essentially the same as buying a new vehicle and never bothering to check the oil, or water, or even giving it the occasional wash. It will die an ugly death!

Every computer or laptop must be maintained. I recommend at least every 12 months, but shorter periods if kept in dusty environments.
Early symptoms of a computer overheating, is the cooling fan running flat out, or noisy. Get it checked before it kills your computer.

If your computer has not been cleaned or maintained in any way for some time, please bring it in and let us have a look at it. It will not necessarily cost an arm and leg for a dustout. A simple dustout is only $15.
Operating system maintenance cleanup services are also offered as a separate service, this also should be done reasonably regularly (depending on how much you use your computer).

Both of these services will keep your machine running at peak performance. You’ll be happier because you can do more on your computer, and your computer will run smoother and cooler.