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PC that won’t start at all after changing the thermal paste

Hénéris -  
 Hénéris -
Good evening everyone!

I’m calling on your help due to a problem that happened to me 15 minutes ago.

I changed the thermal paste on my CPU and since then I can't restart it.

I didn’t do anything more than changing the paste (I've done it several times) and I can't restart it since.

The motherboard LED is on, so I don’t think the power supply is at fault. I don’t know either if my power button has an issue, but I don’t know if it’s possible to start it in another way!

I don’t really know what to do, so if you have a solution or any advice, I’d be grateful. x)

Here is a photo of my open case plugged into mains, in case you need more!

http://hpics.li/8b725e6

Thanks in advance for your help! <3

10 answers

  1. Heneris
     
    Thank you very much for these quick answers, it’s really nice! :)

    Otherwise, is this the original one? I upgraded my setup a few years ago and so far I’ve never had any problems.

    However, it’s since I reapplied this thermal paste that I’ve been having all these issues.

    I followed your advice and ran OCCT (I managed to start it, phew) and indeed I have a warning message telling me I’m at 93º when the maximum is 85º.

    Where could that come from?

    The heatsink fan (VRM cooler) that might be reinstalled poorly? I thought about it and tried to loosen it because I had the impression that the heatsink was putting way too much pressure, but even after leaving a bit more play, nothing changed.

    Is there a specific orientation to clip it? As long as the 4 clips clip in properly and I can power my cooler, should it be okay?

    Thanks!
    1
    1. Jedibynight Posted messages 63 Status Member 14
       
      Indeed the four clips must be firmly pressed in. The important thing is that the base of the heat sink is in good contact with the CPU, straight. Check if there is a corner or a side that is offset.

      The thermal paste is just a small blob in the middle of the CPU PCB. It only helps fill the imperfections of the metal. It is much less effective than the aluminum/copper base of the cooler.

      Modification: on the clips is there not a correct orientation (an arrow on the clip) to lock them?
      I have a doubt; I don’t have a stock Intel cooler in front of me.
      1
      1. Heneris > Jedibynight Posted messages 63 Status Member
         
        In the photo I posted you can distinguish the thermal paste I applied, do you think it’s too much? I put a bean-sized dab and spread it a bit, I’m not sure if that’s from it. I’ve reassembled the heatsink and I’m waiting for your reply before putting it back. I’m going to try to press it as far as possible if I’m good with the paste!
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    2. Jedibynight Posted messages 63 Status Member 14
       
      can you put a photo of the cpu cooler please to see the clips.

      If you start again, first remove what you’ve already put, then just put a hazelnut in the middle. It’s when you will place your heatsink that the paste should spread.

      Imagine that once spread there should simply be a thin film; that helps to evaluate the amount to apply.
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  2. Hénéris
     
    Here I am again! I wasn’t in the mood to rest before trying my best! ^^

    Following your advice I’ve clipped the left-facing arrow all the way and everything is tight.

    I also removed a tiny bit of thermal paste to see how it reacts.

    According to CPUID HWMonitor, the temperature no longer exceeds 65°, which is already better. I still have a few bugs but it seems to be getting better! I’ll keep an eye on it tomorrow morning by pushing the PC a bit and see how the temperature behaves.

    Thanks for your advice, which has been really helpful! (I have the impression that adjusting the time actually helps a lot too!)

    Have a good evening and I’ll keep you posted if it becomes critical again!

    Héné
    1
  3. fabul Posted messages 42277 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   6 091
     
    Hi,

    Why isn’t there a heatsink if it’s plugged in since you said so?
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  4. Heneris
     
    What do you call a heatsink?

    I only plugged it in to mains so that the LED would be clearly visible, now I’ve unplugged it again to reinstall the CPU fan.

    Any advice you can give me?^^
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  7. Heneris
     
    Yes, that's what I just sent back.

    I managed to restart it, but once it's on it reacts very strangely, it changed the time (20/03/2008 --) and I can't launch any heavy programs (mostly games) and some bugs start to crop up (icons on the taskbar are invisible..).

    I don't really know what to do next :/.
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    1. Jedibynight Posted messages 63 Status Member 14
       
      Hello, it could look like an overheating issue.

      Did you reinstall the heatsink properly?

      Is it an Intel-origin model or another brand?

      Run a temperature monitor by launching a game or a heavy app to see if that’s the cause.
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  8. Heneris
     
    Here is a photo of the CPU cooler once it is installed.

    http://hpics.li/36a3896

    Unfortunately I no longer have any thermal paste available. I only removed a very thin layer!
    0
    1. Jedibynight Posted messages 63 Status Member 14
       
      There is an arrow on each clip. In the photo they are all open ;) So a quarter turn on each, counterclockwise. Make sure they’re all pressed in at the same height. It’s normal that there’s a slight pressure between the rad and the CPU. Since you don’t have any more pasta, check your temps at the start. Normally the CPU, if it overheats too much (hence your bugs and lag in games) will protect itself, crash completely or slow down. But that’s not ideal. You may need to buy thermal paste again if the temps are too high.
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  9. Heneris
     
    Still as many problems and overheating... I’m going to try again and if I still don’t see any improvement I’ll look to fix the problem tomorrow morning if I can.

    I’m open to any advice still, thanks for the responses!
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  10. Heneris
     
    And if I’ve taken too much thermal paste off, I’ll buy some as soon as possible. I’ll post a photo of the remaining thermal paste tomorrow morning in case there’s a problem!

    Thanks for your answers!
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    1. Jedibynight Posted messages 63 Status Member 14
       
      yes, redo tomorrow with a clear head.

      Pasta isn’t everything; if it heats up that much it’s because the rad is poorly mounted. The arrows turned against the wind rad: closed.
      Like in the photo, okay to be disassembled.

      ++
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  11. Anonymous user
     
    Good evening.
    If you don’t set your PC to the correct time, you’ll also have quite a few problems: days, months, and especially the year.
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