CPU, BIOS, PC stopped working

cosmokramer5

Junior Member
Mar 13, 2009
11
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Hi,

I've ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 board and AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor.

I thought I'd clean up processor and surrounding areas, took the heat sink and the fan, which are adjoined by releasing the latch on the side and cleaned it up and now it'd not work. I can't even get to my BIOS.

When I power up my computer, CPU's fan and others fans swing and that's about it. Nothing else happens - no signal to the monitor. Keyboard num-lock keys turns on and I can't gracefully powerdown my PC either, had to pull the plug to turn it off.

I think I screwed it up, any suggestions if I'm doing something wrong or if I could check something ?

To clarify, when I remove the latch, what comes out is processor ( I can see the pins at the bottom, heat sink and the fan all joined together. What left is in the board is the AM2 socket.

Thanks much.
 

cosmokramer5

Junior Member
Mar 13, 2009
11
0
0
I found instruction as how I could reset the CMOS, tried that too, but nothing happens. When ever I power up the PC, the fans swing and that's about it. Any pointers ?

Thanks
 

cosmokramer5

Junior Member
Mar 13, 2009
11
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0
One question out of ignorance - suspecting a dead CPU, do I need a function CPU to even see BIOS messages ?
 

NXIL

Senior member
Apr 14, 2005
774
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To clarify, when I remove the latch, what comes out is processor ( I can see the pins at the bottom, heat sink and the fan all joined together. What left is in the board is the AM2 socket.

If I am reading this description correctly, it sounds like you unlatched fan and heatsink, and when you pulled it off, the fan, heatsink, and CPU all came out together?

This is bad.

It sounds like the thermal paste/tape glued the heatsink and CPU together, and you yanked the CPU out of its socket without releasing its securing lever--the one on the side of the socket itself.

That doesn't sound good.

If that is not what happened: did you vacuum inside the case? That can create a lot of static electricity, which is not good for CPUs and motherboards.

Pix?

NX
 

cosmokramer5

Junior Member
Mar 13, 2009
11
0
0
Nxil,

>> If I am reading this description correctly, it sounds like you unlatched fan and heatsink, and when you pulled it off, the fan, heatsink, and CPU all came out together?
Yes, that's correct. I couldn't get the Heat Sink and Fan( which are joined together ) alone, leaving the CPU in the AM2 socket. I didn't apply force either. I removed the
latch of the AM2 socket, pulled the heat sink ( fan on top of it ), it all came out together

>> It sounds like the thermal paste/tape glued the heatsink and CPU together, and you yanked the CPU out of its socket without releasing its securing lever--the one on the side of the socket itself.
I couldn't get to the AM2 socket with the Heat Sink on top of it... So, yes, if the Processor had remained in the socket, yes you're right I should be releasing the sockets' latch to release the processor

>> If that is not what happened: did you vacuum inside the case? That can create a lot of static electricity, which is not good for CPUs and motherboards.
No didn't vacuum. Once the heatsink, fan and the proc was out. I used air-duster to clean the sink's vents or scales. Also, over time, as I was cleaning this the CPU released from the heat sink and
there was this ash color paste or glue. It had stuck to my fingers, so cleaned the ones on top of the processor and the heat sinks with tissue paper.

 

NXIL

Senior member
Apr 14, 2005
774
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0
Did you reapply thermal paste to the CPU/Heatsink interface before reinstalling?

 

cosmokramer5

Junior Member
Mar 13, 2009
11
0
0
No I did not. I didn't have it. Bummer ??!!

But on the sequence of events - the very 1st time or first few times, when the Processor was still in tact with the heat sink, all I did was, remove ( HSF + Proc ), Clean and put it back on - it stopped right from there...
 

NXIL

Senior member
Apr 14, 2005
774
0
0
Re: reapplying thermal paste to CPU/heatsink interface:

No I did not. I didn't have it. Bummer ??!!

Yeah, most likely a bummer. I am not sure if your CPU has overtemp protection built in--I think it does-so it COULD be the chip did not fry. It might have though.

More concerning is actual physical damage to the cpu when it got yanked out of its socket--I do not know what the odds are on it still working now. Any pins missing/damaged/bent?

There are good experiences. There are learning experiences. This sounds like a good learning experience. All education is expensive; sadly, I think you just graduated from the school of hard knocks.

NX



 

cosmokramer5

Junior Member
Mar 13, 2009
11
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0
All pins are intact, I don't see anything missing, broken or bent. Sadly, the proc does gets seated without any issue, into the AM2 socket.

You're right. Not know what's going on, is frustrating :) If this is still alive and can work, great... otherwise, my next fear is hopefully the socket is intact, to even receive another processor, if that's the only resort for me to wake this computer from coma.

What a turn of event - intention to clean the PC turned crazy :)
 

NXIL

Senior member
Apr 14, 2005
774
0
0
Can you take CPU to friend's/shop to get it tested in known good mobo?

If CPU ok: need new mobo.

If not ok, probably need new CPU and mobo....

NX