[dberlin58]

Hello, I'm looking for some help. I recently changed my case for one with more space. I cleaned out a lot of dust when changing parts. Now my computer will not boot up. I turn it on and everything powers on...the harddrive spins, BIOS post comes up, DVD/CD drives start fine. Usually the power just turns off right before Windows gets ready to boot but a few times (out of 50 tries) Windows has started and then the computer shuts down while programs are loading. I canont even get into the BIOS most of the time and when I do it shuts down right away. I am almost certain it is not a software problem. I have tried almost everything I can think of to fix the problem. I swapped everything back to the old case...no change. I disconnected everything (including the HDD) expect 1 stick of RAM and the GPU...no change. I have checked the cables and they are securely connected. The power supply is about 2 years old and is not really pushed hard in my system so I do not think it is the problem. I made a couple of stupid mistakes when doing the switch. This is the first computer I have built and tinkered with so I'm a novice. All the components are about 2-3 years old. I made a couple of stupid mistakes when doing the switch.

1. I removed the heatsink from the processor to clean dust out of the fan. When reinstalling it onto the motherboard I broke one of the clips that goes through the hole in the motherboard. The heatsink is pretty tight and 1 side of the clip is still attached and in the hole. I did not apply more thermal paste or remove the old dried up paste but I have some in the mail. I do not think this is the problem (but I am far from an expert) since the computer shuts down before the processor has time to get too hot.

2. I bent a capacitor but to no more than 80 degrees (where it was originally 90 degrees to the mobo) and straightened it back out.

3. I did not protect against static transferring from my body to the mobo during the process. When I reinstalled the heatsink the board flexed a bit so I think I may have messed the board up.

4. I have had problems with an overheating CPU when running memory intensive programs but I installed more fans and the problem seemed to be solved.

I'm thinking the motherboard is the culprit since I was not careful when doing the switch. I'm not really sure though. The processor could be the issue since I messed with the heatsink but the fan is working perfectly. Could the heatsink being a little loose be the problem? It only moves an 1/8 inch at the most back and forth when testing its fit. The power supply is my other suspicion but I do not have a volt meter to test it. I do have another power supply but it has a 20 pin connector instead of the 24 pin required for my motherboard. Can I use this power supply to test the system or is that pointless? If I switch the PSU to 115 volt the computer will run without shutting down but will not boot up the HDD or anything else and no BIOS post comes up.

My system is:
ASUS P5VDC-X mobo
Intel Pentium D 2.8 Ghz processor
Western Digital 160gb SATA HDD
2- 1gb sticks DDR2 667 Kingston valuRAM
ATI Raedon X1300 GPU
Ultra 650W PSU- not sure of the model right now but it cost around $100 2 years ago if that helps

[Advertisements]

Intel has a built-in switch that turns off the computer when the temp hits the set limit. You probably still need to reattach the heatsink with proper thermal compound and good hardware. Sometimes you really need to reset the bios to get the CPU from going into shutdown after hitting the temp limit more than once. Use the jumper on the MB after shutting down the computer and unpluging the power cable from the wall.

New intel heatsinks are pretty cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=190231274234

http://www.xpcgear.com/inorginc.html

You might be able to download speedfan and see what the voltages are on your MB. Speedfan does not work on all MB's but it does not hurt to try. Look for less than 12 volts and less than 5 volts on those lines, If they are below the rated voltage, replace the power supply.

If you had ruined a CAP the motherboard would have had a lot of stability problems, buy from what you say, i doubt its hurt.

Static electricity is still a problem but not nearly as it used to be, I just touch the computer metal case before touching anything elsein the computer. I have had only one video card die because of static electricity and i knew it when it happened because i felt the electricity jump from my finger( a slight spark jump).

SRX660

Edited by SRX660, 30 August 2008 - 07:39 AM.

[SRX660]

Intel has a built-in switch that turns off the computer when the temp hits the set limit. You probably still need to reattach the heatsink with proper thermal compound and good hardware. Sometimes you really need to reset the bios to get the CPU from going into shutdown after hitting the temp limit more than once. Use the jumper on the MB after shutting down the computer and unpluging the power cable from the wall.

New intel heatsinks are pretty cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=190231274234

http://www.xpcgear.com/inorginc.html

You might be able to download speedfan and see what the voltages are on your MB. Speedfan does not work on all MB's but it does not hurt to try. Look for less than 12 volts and less than 5 volts on those lines, If they are below the rated voltage, replace the power supply.

If you had ruined a CAP the motherboard would have had a lot of stability problems, buy from what you say, i doubt its hurt.

Static electricity is still a problem but not nearly as it used to be, I just touch the computer metal case before touching anything elsein the computer. I have had only one video card die because of static electricity and i knew it when it happened because i felt the electricity jump from my finger( a slight spark jump).

SRX660

Edited by SRX660, 30 August 2008 - 07:39 AM.

[dberlin58]

Thanks, I have already ordered a new (more powerful) heatsink and thermal compound. I will let you know how it worked out once they arrive and I install the new one. I did not feel that static shock" at all so I do not think that is an issue like you said.