Thinkpads Forum

A glass lamp dropped from a shelf onto the table where my laptop (Thinkpad X61s) was. Tiny little pieces of broken glass all over the surface. I cleaned it all up - but my worry is that little glass shards - many of them as small as a grain of salt - might have got into the laptop, especially the fan vent opening that was facing the shelf where the lamp stood before it fell. Should I be worried ? I am not into the habit of taking apart my laptops, and even if I was, I don't think it would be possible to get out any grain-sized glass shards from the maze of circuits, etc. (The grain-sized bits of glass are so small they have a tendency to stick to surfaces, thereby complicating the issue.) My guess is that a few (5 ? 10 ?) grains got into the vent opening - if any got in at all. My fear is that when I use the laptop and it gets hot inside something bad might happen. Glass melts at a high enough temperature that I probably don't have to worry about it melting inside my laptop, but I wonder if it might nevertheless have other adverse effects. Someone please put my mind at ease - or tell me I'm doomed. The uncertainty is killing me.

Glass is electrically non-conductive so you wouldn't have any problems with pieces shorting out the circuitry. What could be a problem is if some got into the fan assembly and impacts against the fan blades. Worst case is that a big enough piece could jam the fan and/or break a blade. The best case is that the spinning fan ejects the piece of glass out of the case.

In any event, what I would do is vacuum the system as much as possible; keyboard and vent areas in particular. If you don't feel comfortable with taking it apart, then do the best you can. Be aware that sucking air out of the vent(s) could make the fan spin faster than what it is designed for. To minimize any potential damage, tilt the laptop so the vent is pointed downward and that should allow any loose piece to fall out of the system. Use a low/slow speed setting on the vacuum around the vent(s).

I think it is VERY unlikely to cause a problem

Turn system off, get a vacuum cleaner, apply the hose nozzle to any intake or vents the glass might have gotten into, it is likely they will survive that.