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Hi all,
My cleaned my case of lint, and now my computer will not start. Upon powering:
Monitor: No Signal
Fans: On (cpu,case,video card, and power supply)
Hard Disk: Off (no lights, no sounds)
CD Rom: Off (No lights, no sounds, will not open)
No Beeps.While cleaning the case with air, I also used a plastic fork to remove stubborn pieces of lint. This included the cpu, and in are around video card. - I removed the processor and used the plastic fork to remove lint from the sides of the pins. I may have touched the pins with the plastic fork before re-seating the processor.
What I've done thus far:
1. Removed the processor, found a bent pin, used metal knife to straighten it. Reseated cpu. Powered on, no change.
2. Removed pci-express vid card: Powered on, no change.(I do not have integrated graphics, I do not think)3. Checked cables. Look good.
Any thoughts? Processor may be it, but I am loathe to replace something then find that I need to replace the other. I do not have other parts to test with.
Thanks, and sincerely,
Joshua
I have an AMD 939 Manchester 3800+ X2 64 cpu. PCI-E mobo, Motherboard
Why in the world did you mess with the processor? I can't understand how any dust or lint could have been on the pins as they are totally concealed when installed. If you bent a pin you may have had the CPU in the wrong orientation. You may still have it wrong or you may have damaged the package. You shouldn't need to apply any force when inserting the processor (CPU).
Were you using an air compressor to blow it out? If so, card must be taken that you don't make physical contact with any part of the compressor. Static charge can buildup in the airhose and be discharged if you touch anything with the nozzle. Most likely the bent pin is your problem. Are you sure you now have the processor in right?
A assume you did reinstall the heatsink/fan and used new thermal paste after cleaning off the old? There is also a proper method to apply the thermal paste.
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The heatsinc, fan and processor are still bundled, and were not separated. I don't think I need to re-apply thermal paste. Thermal paste doesn't go between pins and mobo, right?
The lint was pervasive. It was all around the pins, not in the pins. However, I did touch the pins with a plastic fork after lint drifted and landed on the pins after I removed it.
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"The heatsinc, fan and processor are still bundled, and were not separated"
Then how the heck did you get the CPU out of the socket?
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Yeah, I don't understand why anyone would need to remove the processor to remove lint.
But, assuming it is NOT a broken processor, here are some steps to try.
Remove everything that you do not need in order to boot. Keep CPU, 1 stick of memory, Video installed on the MB (along with Power Supply attaced) and attempt to boot.
If it doesn't then you can try and test each component in another PC if that is an option.
One thing to check would be the memory and any "slot" installed parts. I once cleaned out a slot PII computer which wouldn't boot afterwards. What happened was that debris was forced down into the slot and interrupted the connection betweent he card and the contacts in the slot. So, I would suggest removing the memory (or car) and blowing out the slot with directed air and cleaning off the contacts of the card with a lint free cloth.
Michael J
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The cpu fan, heatsink, and and processor are together. pins stick out from bottom side. There is a clamp holding this assembly to the mobo. When I release this clamp, the fan, sink, and cpu lift off. They seem to be in one piece. Maybe this is an illusion. Maybe they are just sticky.
As an aside, the mobo cpu socket has a metal bar that lifts and moves the socket back and forth. What is that?
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How did you get the metal bar to move with the heatsink attached? Did you bend it outward? How far did you move it? It should move 180 degrees.
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Yeah, normally you have to release one lever to remove the heatsink, then a 2nd lever to release the CPU from the socket
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nimzodisaster
I don't know what you have done. Did the unit you describe come off without any force required? I am wondering if you haven't extracted the CPU without releasing the lock for it. If you did that it is no wonder you bent a pin replacing it. Sounds like you may have released the HS/fan from the MBoard but pulled the processor out too. Sometimes there is a fairly strong bond between the processor and the heatsink but they are supposed to separate. At this point I don't know what to tell you except you need to study some pictures and see what you are working with. If you are extremely lucky you haven't permanently damaged something.
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As I understand,You released the lever(s)to remove heatsink and at the removeral the cpu came out with the heatsink. Being stick together with Thermal paste.
Well I would start with only the Basic to get a post. Making sure cpu in the correct way with no bent pins then replace paste install heatsink fan.
Following Michael J response to get basic post.
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Ha this is getting tricky!
Stacked from top to bottom:
clamp band
fan
Heatsink
cpu
socket with bar lever(90 degree turning)I released the clamp band, and the fan-heatsink-cpu all came out of the socket at once. The lever at the socket was down in locked position. You suggest that these should not all come out at once. Instead I should have released the clamp, pulled off the sink, then pulled the socket lever, thus unlocking the cpu, and then remove the cpu. Instead, I was a brute and ripped the whole thing out
it fits
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You have got it correctly. You may have damaged the processor. The only way to know for sure is to cleanup and reinstall. You will need to get some thermal paste to apply to the processor. Clean the old stuff off with rubbing alcohol.
Be very careful one how you separate the processor from the HS if it is still stuck. A twisting motion is preferable to prying. Prying can break the processor. Be gentle with it.
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I have had this happen before as well when pulling th eheatsink off. But, I knew that they should not come out together and made sure to separate them before reinstalling.
If you attempted to reinstall the CPU/Heatsink as one unit (i.e. with the lever down) three is a definite possibility that the CPU socket has been damaged. It definitely explains why you had a bent pin.
Separate the CPU and Heatsink (try twisting). you will then want to clean the thermal paste off of both very thoroughly. Then to reinstallt he CPU you will raise the bar and insert the CPU and then close the bar. Then add thermal paste to the CPU and install the heatsink.
Good luck!
Michael J
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Thank you everyone. I sure hope I didn't damage both socket and processor. I've removed it the wrong way last night 10 times. Ah hell, time to upgrade..
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If you forced the CPU in ande out 10 times you may have worn the pins down to the point where they won't make contact.
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If I were to install thermal paste again an it still doesn't work, is there a good way if I could tell if both units are bad, or one bad, without buying parts? Which is more likely to have been damaged?
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If the CPU slips into the socket easily then neither may be damaged. The way the ZIF socket works is to apply a pressure connection to the pins after the CPU is in place. You forced the pins past the pressure plate. this no doubt wore metall off both parts. If it were mine I wouldn't buy any parts. You could have the stuff tested or borrow a CPU to try. Don't orry about things untilo you need to. Hopefully it will work OK. What I would suggest is to inset the CPU, clamp it down and then gently pull on it. If it moves I wouldn't bother with it. You will probably have intermittent issues with it.
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I feel a bit embarrassed. I am hounded by everyone at work to fix their computers, known in the office as the tech guy and here I am ripping my processor out of its socket ten times like some barbarous brute.
Ha!
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Well, we won't tell the guys at work.
BTW, you can do a good job with compressed air or canned air without removing the HS/fan. I don't remove anything.
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If there are any bent pins, be very careful when you bend them back. Don't feel bad, I did something similar before. One time I was disassembling a Sempron CPU and motherboard, but I couldn't get the heatsink pulled off of the CPU because of the paste. I ended up twisting it off. In doing so, I bent a bunch of pins. I used a safety pin and a flashlight to carefully bend each pin back in place. It took a lot of trial and error. Sometimes I would bend a pin too far. It's also confusing with so many pins there.
Jesus can change your life for the better!!
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why did you clean it? i think this is a case of if it aint broke dont fix.
tips in future for your next pc.
to avoid dust dont sit it on floor/carpet
if dust gets in blow dust out but do so with caution then turn upside down and shake the loose stuff out. if its stunnorn on the mobo then leave it. clean dust from cpu and heat sink and fans. these you can use your fingers. when there switched off! same with cpu heat sink but rember to touch case first so your static charge is the same as the pc. static dosent kill it, static flashes kill it. take watch off too and rings and if posible use an anti static wrist strap.
looking at your post your fingers have less chance of building up a static charge than your plastic fork.im probaly going to get a tonne of posts with people saying this is the wrong advice but hey 17 years and still havent killed a pc this way. must be doing something right.
all text needs typos. There there for the reader to find,to distract them from the total lack of content.
google it! wasnt the answer to the question i asked so dont be dense and give me that repl
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TIP: A beeter way to straiten bent pens is to use a mechnical pencil with the lead removed. The pins will fit perfectly in the cylinder and can be easily repositioned.
However, there are two different diameters that most mechanical pencils use. I forget which one exactly fits the processor pins.
Michael J
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Michael J
Good idea with the mechanical pencil. FYI there are more than two sizes. Drafting pencils come in various diameters. I have .5MM, .7MM, .9MM pencils and lead. I am sure there are other sizes too.
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My thoughts were someone could take an old processor to the office supply and see which fits. I was in not way trying to correct you.
This is why I don't understand why text messaging is so popular among the younger set. Had Micheal and I been speaking to each other there wouldm't be any misunderstanding. Oh well, guess i'm just old school.
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Thanks for that tip, Michael, I'll remember that next time it happens.
Jesus can change your life for the better!!
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I feel a bit embarrassed. I am hounded by everyone at work to fix their computers, known in the office as the tech guy and here I am ripping my processor out of its socket ten times like some barbarous brute.
Ha!
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I once had to bend the pins on a 486DX2-66MHz processor that I bought off of Ebay for this one older machine that I own, and it worked perfectly after that. Instead of bending the pins with a plastic fork however, I used a miniature flathead screwdriver.
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