Hi, My laptop doesn't even start now(after some repair work done by me - explained below). I was hearing lot of noise from the fan and the laptop would turn off very often. So I decided to clean up the lint/dust near the heat sink. I disassembled the laptop, cleanup up the heat sink/fan, (forgot to cleanup/reapply thermal paste over CPU) and reassembled the laptop. Now the laptop is able to start off, with very less fan noise, but once the Win7 UI shows up - the fan would start up at high speed and the laptop turns off. It boots and works fine in Safe Mode. So I thought that the CPU is getting hot when the UI comes up and may be not reapplying thermal paste had something to do with it. So I disassembled the laptop again, cleanup the existing thermal paste on the CPU with some Deodrant spray on an ear bud, applied 3 drops of Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste and reassembled everything back. Note that I just put 3 drops of the paste, but didn't spread it out even (if that is going to make any difference). After all this, now the laptop doesn't even turn on. Can someone let me know what would have happened? Any steps to debug? Thanks, Pratap.

Deodrant spray on an ear bud? Who told you to do that? And 3 drops of Arctic Silver 5? Again, who told you to do that? You should use a single dab of paste about the size of a grain of rice...no more. Doesn't sound like you followed the instructions. http://www.arcticsilver.com/ins_rou...

Wow!! I have done everything that is NOT supposed to be done! I cleaned the heat sink off the thermal paste with a screw driver, cleaned the CPU top with deo, used my hand to clean the CPU. The store guy recommended that I put 3 drops and the heat sink will spread it when pressed. Anyways, the damage is done already. Is there anything I can do now? Thanks, Pratap.

"And 3 drops of Arctic Silver 5? " unlike the thermal paste from radio shack, artic silvwer is conductive. I'm betting that it "spead", onto something it shouldn't have and shorted something out. I don't see where you have any other choice but to take it all apart and do it right, but it may be to late larry