[SubyRS]

My PC slipped out of my hand while tipped at a 45 degree angle. It fell the rest of the way over, about 8" to the padded and carpeted floor. The PC was sitting on the carpeted floor.....The PC was completely "off". I decided to check it and sure enough....it will not even post now. I can't believe such a simple tip and going "poof" on the carpet would harm anything...especially since it was not powered on.

When I try to power up now, the PSU turns on, the motherboards green LED comes on, the DVD drive is accessed, all fans including the GPU fan come on. The case power light comes on....but the case HD access light says lite instead of blinking like normal. The SB X-Fi card light comes on. There are no error beeps of any kind.

I tried removing all add in cards and re-installing. Tried replugging all internal connectors and wires. Tried moving memory around, and one stick. Tried to boot to post with no HD connected. Nothing changed.

This was a miniscule tip over onto a VERY padded carpet floor. I can't believe my mobo might have broken because of that. It tipped over flat on its mobo down side, so the largish Zalman fan pushed into the CPU chip. No side loads or shearing forces involved or anything. Although a few years old....the PC is almost new with no more than 50 hours on it since a fresh build. I just don't do gaming any more so it gets used breifly once a week.

Any ideas? My specs are below.

Thanks!

PC: AMD 64 X2 6000+, Zalman fan, Asus M2N32-SLI Delux Wireless Ed., Corsair HX620 Modular PS, Win XP SP2b, DX9.c, EvGA 275GTX Superclocked /1792mb, Creative X-fi Pro, Corsair DDR2 2048mb dual channel, WD 150 Velociraptor, Asus PG221 22"LCD.

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Make sure that the CPU is properly seated, as well as anything which would could have been jarred when it fell.

[Kemasa]

Make sure that the CPU is properly seated, as well as anything which would could have been jarred when it fell.

[SubyRS]

Thanks!! I'll get the fan off and check that and go from there.

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[Digerati]

My concern is the heatsink fan. While it fell with the heatsink fan pressing down, since it tipped over in an arc, there were still some forces pushing that big HSF towards the top of the case. If lucky, all you did was break the cured bond of the TIM (thermal interface material). If not lucky, it could have put some excess stress on the motherboard surrounding the socket, or the socket itself.

Make sure you thoroughly clean all the old TIM off the mating surfaces and apply a fresh new layer. And then make sure again all your power connections are tight and secure.

[SubyRS]

Thanks! The thermal paste bond is definitely broken. I'll get to reaplying that today.

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[Digerati]

See my sticky, TIM.

[SubyRS]

Thanks Digerati!

I have also wondered how long thermal paste like Arctic silver 5 lasts.
Does the effectiveness decrease with age or use?
I know my Zalman 9700 fan has the heat pipes with the goo inside that I've read deteriorates from use.

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Edited by SubyRS, 17 November 2011 - 10:59 AM.

[Digerati]

As long as the cured bond is not broken, it can last for years - 10 or more - easily. If left undisturbed is more likely the bearing in the fan will wear out first.

Remember, the best heat transfer occurs with direct metal-to-metal contact. The purpose of the TIM is to ONLY fill the microscopic pits and valleys where insulating air might otherwise be trapped. This is why any excess TIM just gets in the way, and can actually hinder heat transfer. So if the cured bond remains intact, it acts as gasket, preventing any air from getting in.

Goo "inside" the heatpipes? I don't think so. Got a link? From my understanding, the heatpipes are sealed tubes with either a vacuum inside, or filled with special "coolant" (similar to radiator fluid). In either case, they are sealed (soldered) so replacing this coolant would not be possible. This fluid is totally different from TIM used between the CPU and heatsink mating surfaces.

[SubyRS]

I just did the reaplication of TIM and reset the heat sink. I checked everything inside again too....I even reset jbat jumper and pulled the battery to start fresh bios.....but still no post.

I'm going to bring a spare GPU card home tomorrow from work and see if that is a possibility. But no error beeps now?

I guess it is the mobo....saw a couple of used ones on ebay. No way the CPU could have been hurt I don't think.
Maybe I should test the PS ?

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[Digerati]

Maybe I should test the PS ?

Swapping in a known good PSU is almost always a first step when a broken PC comes across my bench - even when it "appears" the PSU is working. I want to know I am supplying good power.

[SubyRS]

I just read your info here:
http://www.geekstogo...monitor-or-usb/

I don't have an extra PS with the specs to run this PC, but I guess I could connect it side to side with a PC at work to rule the PS out.

I bought a used replacement board yesterday that comes with an X2 5000 CPU and 4 gig of ram. I was going to try just the CPU in my mobo first......but if my board is bad it can destroy that CPU too?

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[Digerati]

I don't have an extra PS with the specs to run this PC

Well, you can reduce the load by using only 1 stick of RAM and just the boot drive. And the graphics card, often the most power hungry device in a computer, will not draw that much if you just boot to the destop and don't tax it. And booting into the BIOS Setup Menu is probably the least demanding task you can ask of your system.

I bought a used replacement board yesterday that comes with an X2 5000 CPU and 4 gig of ram. I was going to try just the CPU in my mobo first......but if my board is bad it can destroy that CPU too?

It is not common, but yes, a bad motherboard can take out the CPU. If you decide to try the CPU anyway, I would visit the motherboard's website first to make sure it is a compatible CPU. Hopefully the motherboard maker has posted a list of compatible CPUs - most do.

There is another problem with swapping out motherboards. If your existing Windows license is an OEM license, then that license is tied to the old motherboard and you would need a new license. If full "Retail" then no problem.

While you are replacing the motherboard as part of a repair action, the license terms for OEM Windows stipulate the motherboard has to be identical, or a replacement board as recommended by the board maker if the original is no longer available.

[SubyRS]

Thanks! The mobo I bought is the exact part I have now, with the X2 5000 CPU and 4 gig memory installed on it.
I realize the hardware identification code and bios version may be different. I'm hoping it will just boot up without any Windows OEM key issues.

I just installed a new copy of windows XP Home SP2 on another spare PC I built, with a low level formated HD and it is not even asking me to register with Microsoft for key activation. It's the PC I am typing on right now. No activation required. ? ? Maybe MS has left win XP all together?

So I'll take my PC to work tomorrow to test it with a known good PS.

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[Digerati]

The mobo I bought is the exact part I have now

Great! Keeps us posted.

[SubyRS]

I turns out it was the memory modules.

I didn't have a power supply at work with the correct power connectors to the mother board.... so that test was out.
The mobo I bought on ebay was on my front porch when I came home today so that became my only option.

But upon installing the ebay board and the ebay x2 6000 CPU (same as mine it turned out)with my two corsair memory modules....still no boot to post.
The only thing left to try was using the memory modules that came with the mobo from ebay. Sure enough it booted right up.

I had no other memory to try so I am glad I got that with the purchase...as well as the duplicate CPU.
Now I have a spare mobo to build a better back up PC with

Corsair will replace my bad memory for free too!

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