[KJT]

I need to clean my MacBook Pro. In looking at some websites that review how to clean the keyboard they talk about removing the keys, using compressed air, rubbing alcohol for the keys, and underneath the keys. I do not have access to compressed air except the kind in a can. However it says on the can not to inhale so I am wondering if it is "air" and could it damage my keyboard. I live in a dust bowl and my MacBook Pro is several years old. I am not sure about using rubbing alcohol on black keys with white letters. the articles I read must have been old because they showed a white keyboard with white keys and no black lettering. Is it safe for me to remove the keys with a screwdriver, put the straight end of the small screwdriver under the key and lightly pop it up? Once the keys or main keys are removed, do you think the canned air is OK to use to get all the dust and crap that has made it under the keys? and the to use rubbing alcohol for the food stains, if any made it down under the keys on the keyboard? any way to clean the DVD drive? would I use the compressed air with the straw-type device and put in in the DVD drive area? this makes me nervous, but the DVDs are not playing well and I am sure it is because of all the dust that this room collects.

Any special way to clean out the fan vents. The underside gets very hot and I am thinking the dust is causing problems here too. I keep my MBP i a case but I use it so much and I se what one day's worth of dust looks like on a glass table, I can imagine that some of the problems I am having with the keys and DVD drive might be made better by a thorough cleaning.

any suggestions in this area would be appreciated.`

One final question. I have the TechTool Deluxe 3.1.3 with the Guide. Does this do anything if I want to see if I can get what the MBP is having trouble with? LIke not playing videos all the time. Flash is updated and shows on the Adobe site that it is working with the right update. The sound sometimes plays when playing back news videos or podcasts and sometimes it does not. When I plug the charger in near the battery it says (not charging) but it is charging. Somebody told me to reset the SMC (I think it was) but that did nothing. when the battery needs charging and I plug the adapter in next to the battery it says "not charging," but the battery does charge.

thanks for any suggestions regarding this tech tool deluxe.

[Waragainstsleep]

Air in a can is just air but it also includes a propellant which is why you shouldn't inhale it. It won't do your MacBook Pro any harm at all.
Rubbing alcohol on the keys would have been a bad idea on the old iBooks where the letters wore off very easily but your keys are actually clear, not black. They are coloured black from the underside leaving clear characters for the backlight to shine through. You could remove them carefully one by one and clean underneath with air but this is time consuming and you will very likely damage one or more of the clips which hold the keys in place. I would just get the air can as horizontal as possible and try to blow all the dust out through the gaps. There is only so far you can reasonably go.

If you want to clean out the vents properly, your best bet is to take the bottom plate off and get busy with the air can again. Don't be afraid to spray it onto circuit boards, it won't hurt them. Just maintain a good distance and keep the can moving as you spray. Just like paint.

One thing about air: You will notice that small amounts of liquid will form on surfaces you spray it onto if you are too close. This won't do any harm as long as you let it evaporate before you switch anything back on. It is volatile stuff so it evaporates quickly even at quite low temperatures.

[KJT]

Actually, when I got the MBP, it was given to me by the Apple Store in place of an old one that had so many problems. some of the keys at that time had small "sections" of the white part of the letters that had already either chipped off or for some reason areas of the white letters were missing. I think it was a "used" MBP but still apparantly in "new" condition. I think what you are referring to is once the white part comes off of the keys a light can still be seen where the white area of the keys some how came off. Under the white area is a clear area where the light shines through. I will try the rubbing alcohol in hopes that it will not take off the letters.

The MBP is one where the battery is not supposed to be removed. I guess only by a trained individual. so taking all the small screws out, I will have to be careful as not to lose any and remember where they go. Should I remove the battery once the back is removed? do you know if I can get to the cooling fans so I can spray from the inside out rather then from the outside in.

As far as the DVD drive, is this something also that I can spray from the inside out once the back is off or do I have to spray from the outside in? I am reluctant to do this because I have no idea where the air will push the dust. Do they still have the DVD/CD cleaners that they used to have when cds were more popular? If so would that be better then spraying in the DVD drive or rather if I can once the back is off spray from the inside out of the DVD drive? I doubt I can get into the DVD drive once the back is off since it is probably inclosed.

Any hints on cleaning the glass touchpad? The LCD? the ethernet/power/USB, etc ports? Can these be cleaned once the battery is removed with q-tips and rubbing alcohol or the spray air?

I know tis all seems like a lot of work but had I not known how much dust there is in tis room and some of what the keys are doing, I would leave it, but I think it will be worth it as long as I do not ruin anything.

any idea on the article about removing the back of the unibody MBPs?

As far as removing the keys, maybe only the large keys like the space bar and the other keys tat are used much more.

Any feeling on the TechDeluxe dvd? Is that worth anything as far as getting some areas in the CPU, etc checked and possibly fixed to original specifications.

Have you removed any keys from a MBP? Is putting them on just a matter of lightly trying to snap them back in place?

On the side note, I am looking at the new MBPs. any feelings on this new machine and is it worth the money. Is the crises in Japan something to worry about if part are needed in the future?

Finally, since you seem really smart with Apple, I am getting my first iPhone. Any feeling about going with Verizon's iPhone 4 or Apple iPhone 4 through ATT. I do not know the difference between CDME or SMS I think is what the difference is between the 2 as far as network connections.

Thanks a lot. How do I give points in this forum???

[cgc]

Originally Posted by KJT 

...How do I give points in this forum???

Just leave something in the tip jar...

[KJT]

OK, guess your not into the point game. What about the Droid X smartphone? I have never had a smartphone but before I die I would like to say I at least sent a text message. However with the crises in Japan I am not so sure now is a good time to put the money in the phone that might not have parts available.

Where is the tip jar and I will put a happy face in it.

[KJT]

oh forget the tip. after all i typed in the other post, no reply????????

Well, I guess that says a lot.

[KJT]

My luck in these forums is I find someone who teases me by giving me a lot of info. and I get all excited thinking they can help me with more areas I have no idea what I am doing. /for some this all comes natural. I attack my concerns like a research paper and do research after research and when I am all done, it is nothing like a human there by my side helping me make some of these decisions and lerning in the process.

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say THANK YOU!!!!

[P]

Originally Posted by KJT 

The MBP is one where the battery is not supposed to be removed. I guess only by a trained individual. so taking all the small screws out, I will have to be careful as not to lose any and remember where they go. Should I remove the battery once the back is removed? do you know if I can get to the cooling fans so I can spray from the inside out rather then from the outside in.

Have you tried just vacuuming out the vents? I wouldn't try to disassemble the machine that much to just clean it.

Originally Posted by KJT 

As far as the DVD drive, is this something also that I can spray from the inside out once the back is off or do I have to spray from the outside in? I am reluctant to do this because I have no idea where the air will push the dust. Do they still have the DVD/CD cleaners that they used to have when cds were more popular? If so would that be better then spraying in the DVD drive or rather if I can once the back is off spray from the inside out of the DVD drive? I doubt I can get into the DVD drive once the back is off since it is probably inclosed.

Yes, they make those CD/DVD-cleaners still, and you are correct that just disassembling the back lid will not let you get in to the DVD-player. There is no real force pushing dirt into the DVD, though - not like the fan - so it might not be required. Do you have problems with the DVD?

Originally Posted by KJT 

Any hints on cleaning the glass touchpad? The LCD?

From dust? Just wipe it down with a piece of cloth or something.

Originally Posted by KJT 

the ethernet/power/USB, etc ports?

That's where the compressed air in the can works very well.

Originally Posted by KJT 

any idea on the article about removing the back of the unibody MBPs?

Find your exact model here.

Originally Posted by KJT 

As far as removing the keys, maybe only the large keys like the space bar and the other keys tat are used much more.

Well, if you have to. I wouldn't. The big keys usually have a metal bar in them as well, to keep the entire key going down straight, and that can be tricky to reassemble. Honestly not sure how the MBP keyboard works.

Originally Posted by KJT 

Any feeling on the TechDeluxe dvd? Is that worth anything as far as getting some areas in the CPU, etc checked and possibly fixed to original specifications.

I guess you mean Techtool Deluxe. It can be useful, but I have to ask again - do you have a problem with the MBP? Vacuuming out the vents is fine, but don't give yourself more problems than you already have by disassembling a working MBP.

Originally Posted by KJT 

On the side note, I am looking at the new MBPs. any feelings on this new machine and is it worth the money.

Depends on the exact model you have today, but in general yes, I think they're excellent value for money right now.

Originally Posted by KJT 

Is the crises in Japan something to worry about if part are needed in the future?

Apple says no. We'll see - Apple doesn't manufacture anything in the area and most of the subcomponent manufacturing is on the Asian mainland these days, but you never know.

Originally Posted by KJT 

Finally, since you seem really smart with Apple, I am getting my first iPhone. Any feeling about going with Verizon's iPhone 4 or Apple iPhone 4 through ATT. I do not know the difference between CDME or SMS I think is what the difference is between the 2 as far as network connections.

They're called CDMA and GSM. I don't know - I don't live in the US - but I think you'd get better responses in the iPhone forum.

[KJT]

I am aware of all the other forums and areas of forums. You seem drool and knowledgeable so I thought I would ask. Just tell me you do not have any experience I want to share. Thanks.

Dust, cover. No, I guess you did not read the original post. I use the McBook Pro and I can't keep the keyboard covered 10 hours a day, which is how long I use it. It heats up quick because I think the dust has accumulated.

I can think of the common sense kind of stuff but I was asking about doing some extra work on the machine to get rid of the dust and other stuff (food particles, etc) that have off their way down under the keys.

really, i tried to give my situation. I was hoping that people who could imagine the extreme dust accumulation and offer any advice, especially comments on what my research has taken me to so far.

I threw in the other questions because one guy who replied seemed very knowledgeable and nice and willing to, help..

I will go to other forums and see how it goes but I threw these other questions in.

As far as cleaning my MacBook pro, the ports, the DVD drive, under the keyboard, maybe taking of the back and getting rid of all the dust. It is major because the venting system where I teach online courses is the pits and over the years the dust adds up.

thanks

[KJT]

Vacuuming can be really hard on the keyboard and the lights. The ports, yea it seems the right thing to do. they keyboard needs something more because in order to get the dust in and around I have to do something major like remove the keys or some of the keys so I can get down in the keyboard. On the underside I will try to remove the back. However I am not familiar with the back and if it is safe to remove it with the unibody. I think Apple does not recommend it but they do have an article on it in case one wants to add RAM, another Hard Drive, etc.

This is a major deal. I have let it go too long. when not in use as I said the MBP is closed and covered in a case.

I was really looking for someone's advice, or suggestions if they had any.

thanks