HELP! COMPUTER NOT BOOTING

[RShick]

Alright, I need your help bad. I really screwed up, but I can't pinpoint what screwup it was. I have an older gateway system (PIII 933Mhz, 384Mb, 40GB, DVD, CDRW, Nvida 64Mb GeForce2 GTS). I noticed some strange noises coming from inside the case, thinking it was just a mass collection of dust on the PSU and Chipset fans. I was right, it was pretty disgusting in there, so I decided to start unhooking power and IDE cables and removing various components (something I have done before without any problems on this system).

I noticed that the heat sink and fan on the chip was covered in dust. I removed everything from the case leaving just the mobo in there. I unclipped the HS fan and cleaned that off. I then unseated the heatsink itself (something I have not done before on this system). I saw the thermal gunk on it (light amber color sticky stuff that only contacted the chip around a spot about .25 x .5 inches. Didn't even cover the center of it, just kind of went around the matching area on the chip itself. Anyway, I cleaned everything in the case and put it back together the same way I took it apart. I didn't reapply any thermal paste or pads, cause I don't have what I needed to clean off the old stuff, and I don't have any new stuff to put back on.

So, I go to fire it up and I don't get a signal to the monitor, and it just beeps at me twice. I can see the fans running, I can hear the hard drive, but nothing coming to my screen. I try this agian a few times and the same thing happens. So then I start to take out components again and I end up back at just the graphics card and hard drive connected to the mobo. Now when I start it up it sounds like everything is fine, but now no beeps.

This is where I am really stuck, I have no idea what this means or what steps to take next. Any of you with any constructive suggestions? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
RS

 

[RShick]

Shameless bump, could really use some help here.

 

[MDE]

I'd say your problem lies with the thermal paste on the CPU. If I'm not mistaken PIIIs were incredibly easy to kill while installing the heatsink.

 

[fslove]

You say that with just video and HD is sound like everything is OK. Are you saying you then get video with that configuration? If not see below.

A CPU should not instantly be overheated from not reapplying paste so I don't see that being the problem here. If you took the CPU off the MB it may be that you have bent one or more of the pins on the CPU and there not reseating properly in the socket. You need to hold the CPU up and look at it closely (looking down each row to look for a bent/broken off pin) it is very easy to overlook bent/broke pins so take a good long look at it.

If you didn't remove the CPU but just took the CPU fan off the CPU you may have slightly lifted the CPU up enough for it to have lost contact. In this case a simply lifting out of the socket and reinserting should solve that problem.

Just a couple thoughts. Try it out and let us know what's up.

 

[RShick]

Thanks for the help, I checked the pins on the chip itself, and they all look good. I reseated it and ran it without the HS just to check it out. Didn't work still. I'm thinking that I damaged the mobo somehow with all the fiddling. I have two choices now.... 1. buy a new p3 compatible mobo and rebuild from there. OR 2. start from scrath, canibalize the existing parts, and build the system that I really want. I'm going with option 2 I think; I don't want to put more money in my existing system when I have been wanting to build a new one for so long. Time to visit newegg.

Thanks again for the help.

RS.

 

[axemanxt40]

Well apparently you had your mind set on option 2...just a question about your clean out experience. While you were inside your PC were you grounded properly? It is possible that your fried the chip that way.

And the other possibility had been mentioned before, the thermal paste and your heatsink/CPU. Once your remove the heatsink you are supposed to clean off the the old stuff, and apply new...because just reseating it will not do anything in terms of maintaining good contact. As for stuff to clean it off, its really very easy to find, just go to your local drug store Walgreens, Genovese, etc. and buy high purity isopropyl alcohol, some sterile cotton balls and nice too. Then come home and put some alcohol on the cotton ball and give the bottom of your heatsink rubbing and put some elbow grease into it. I did this when I needed to clean my P4 retail heatsink's thermal pad residue off of it so I could use Artic Silver 5.

 

[RShick]

I have had my heart set on building a new system for a while now, my current unworking system is over 3.5 years old and is not running my apps too well anymore.

I was properly grounded when inside the case, I made sure of that as soon as I took the power cord out of the back. When I started it back up, I didn't smell anything burning and looking at it again, there was not any discoloration on the surfaces. My environment when I was working on it was pretty sterile too. I going to keep this rig and see if I can't get it back and running for other purposes.

I am really hoping that my HD in there is still good. I don't have another unit to test it in to check. Going to have to wait for my new parts to arrive to build the system up and then test it out.

Anyway, thanks for all the help, I'll let you all know how the build turns out.

Thanks,
RS

 

[RShick]

I have had my heart set on building a new system for a while now, my current unworking system is over 3.5 years old and is not running my apps too well anymore.

I was properly grounded when inside the case, I made sure of that as soon as I took the power cord out of the back. When I started it back up, I didn't smell anything burning and looking at it again, there was not any discoloration on the surfaces. My environment when I was working on it was pretty sterile too. I going to keep this rig and see if I can't get it back and running for other purposes.

I am really hoping that my HD in there is still good. I don't have another unit to test it in to check. Going to have to wait for my new parts to arrive to build the system up and then test it out.

Anyway, thanks for all the help, I'll let you all know how the build turns out.

Thanks,
RS