ibook smell

I am having a similar odor problem with my ~15 month-old G3 dual usb ibook. But, it is difficult to pinpoint the source of the smell. My ibook's odor is particularly strong near the top of the display. I barely notice it around the keyboard area. I suspect that the smell comes from a combination of the heat reacting with the plastic parts. I just hope it is not symptomatic with a larger problem like excessive heat generation due to a faulty cooling fan.
Does anyone know how to test for a faulty cooling fan? I think that I can hear the fans, but I am not sure. Thanks in advance for any help.

Macs don't have fans, which is why they run so much quieter than PCs. I am an ibook user who had a BO smell coming from my machine. Applecare replaced my keyboard and voila- no more smell. I think they were using glue that eventually starts to smell.

odd,
No smell here (knock on wood).

No, Rebecca. The iBook does have a fan.

http://www.medicalmac.com/mac79.html

It's at the back, and just to the left of center.

No smell here either...

You can get replacement keyboards from Apple (athough they are a bit pricey), you can also get iSkin iBook keyboard covers, which are quite good and easily removable/washable/etc.

Maybe something crawled in and died. Try taking the keyboard out and having a look inside.

MacGee.

Yeah, it smells like burning crayons (and you would only understand this if you had kids)!

Fortunately I've never had a problem with smelly-ness with my iBook, however, my 2 year old daughter did wrote all over it with a green permanent marker.
After distressing over how I would ever get the marks off the keyboard and screen, I decided to just try cleaning it with a baby wipe.
It worked like a charm. All the marks are gone, there are no streaks on the screen and it's completely smell free.
Probably something only a mom would suggest, but go buy a pack of Huggies Natural Care baby wipes.

-my keyboard smells great!

You don't have to be so careful about the keyboard, but I wouldn't use anything on the display except a product specifically made for them or plain distilled water. If you goof up the display, you are talking a huge repair bill (so big, you'd just as well buy a new iBook).

I have read elsewhere that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonders on the wrist rests and trackpad. As always, turn the computer off, unplug it, and remove the battery before touching the iBook with anything even slightly damp and allow to dry for several hours before using it.

I think this thread is the longest, funniest, most useful thread in the history of this Discussions, isn´t it?

Saludos,
Paulo

Paulo,

Well, to quote Meatloaf, "Two out of three ain't bad."

Longest, yes; funniest, yes; most useful, dubious. A smelly keyboard isn't going to keep you from getting your work done, even if you have to do it in isolation for fear of dying of embarrassment. :o)

I would vote for many other threads as "most useful" before putting this one in that category. If you want a third superlative for this thread, it is certainly the oddest.

Ronda,
thank you for correcting me...you´re absolutely right :o)

Cheers,
Paulo

Jeffrey,

You can use isopropyl alcohol to clean both the screen and the keys. This can be purchased as Isocol (rubbing alxohol) at Coles, Safeway (Woolworths) or many of the smaller independent supernarkets.

For cleaning the screen, take a tissue (Kleenex) and fold it in half, then roll it into a cylinder. Moisten the tip with isocol, then use the tip to swab the screen. If you apply too much pressure, then you will bend the tissue. Trim the end off as it becomes soiled, and repeat. IT will take time, but you can get it clean eventually.

To clean the keyboard, you can just use a folded tissue with isocol. Hold the iBook upside down and, whille it's off, rub across the keys to remove the accumulated grime. You don't need to do it too hard, just do it gently and frequently until all had been removed.Then leave it inverted until all is dry (say half an hour). All up, it should take no longer than an hour to get your iBook back to a pristine appearance.

Doug
(Werribee, near Melbourne, Vic)

I read in apple's KB somewhere that your not suppost to use alcohol products on the display? Is this true, or is it so?

Jeff

I have a smelly iBook as well. Just wanted to add that to this amazing thread.

Cheers, no I need to get a new keyboard.