Clean laptop heatsink and Where I went Wrong

NorahBattyNorahBatty
edited March 2009 in Hardware
Hi there,

I'm new to any kind of forum but if someone could help me with my problem I would be really so grateful.(grin)

I need help to solve where I went wrong on following a great article posted by MCWC in August 2004 about cleaning a laptop heatsink. The laptop used in the article was just like mine, a Toshiba A30, but I bent one of the pins on the CPU putting it back in and now the laptop won't do anything.

I would like to try and solve this myself - can't afford to take it to a repair shop so if there is anyone at Icrontic who is willing to give some advice I can go into more detail.

Thank you so much
NorahBatty ( a total neophyte!)

Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2009
    Norah, is the bent pin still on the bottom of the CPU? If it is broken off, you'll most likely need to replace the CPU. I've never heard of anyone repairing a broken CPU pin.

    If the pin is merely bent, but is not split or splintered, you are in luck and can probably easily fix it! Here's how: find a mechanical pencil with the fine .5mm lead. Remove the lead or back it off so that the end of the pencil is just the hollow tip. Insert the pencil tip over the end of the bent pin, push the pencil tip down to the base of the pin, then slowly and gently lever the pin back to where it is parallel to all the other pins. If you are very gentle and steady, the pin should not break. Many of us here have used this technique with success, including me.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited March 2009
    Leonardo gives some great advice on this. Do as he lined out and just be calm and very patient. I once dropped a CPU and bent 8 pins to varying degrees in several directions. Then using the same technique I was able to put the CPU back and all was fine. It did take a long time to do all 8 pins but if you only have 1 you should be OK.
  • NorahBattyNorahBatty
    edited March 2009
    Leonardo wrote:
    Norah, is the bent pin still on the bottom of the CPU? If it is broken off, you'll most likely need to replace the CPU. I've never heard of anyone repairing a broken CPU pin.

    If the pin is merely bent, but is not split or splintered, you are in luck and can probably easily fix it! Here's how: find a mechanical pencil with the fine .5mm lead. Remove the lead or back it off so that the end of the pencil is just the hollow tip. Insert the pencil tip over the end of the bent pin, push the pencil tip down to the base of the pin, then slowly and gently lever the pin back to where it is parallel to all the other pins. If you are very gentle and steady, the pin should not break. Many of us here have used this technique with success, including me.

    Good Morning Leonardo and Mt_Goat too and thanks for answering. :smiles: This is what I had already done before seeking help here last night.
    The pin was in the corner of the CPU and it was bent flat. I had managed to raise it up with a sewing needle but it still had a little hook-like bend at the top. When I put the CPU back in the laptop the second time I got the same reaction as first time. The HDD light blinked once, the fan started up and then everything went dead.
    At that point I took it to a repair shop to ask if they would straighten the pin because I figured that if I tried I might break it. Guy said that I had probably shorted it - but didn't say what the 'it' was - the CPU or the entire laptop. He also said that the fan was broken and that would have to be repaired. Plus a new CPU! By now the costs were creeping up towards $200 :hair: so I thanked him and left. Powered the laptop up again when I got home and for the few seconds it was on I could feel the fan was working.
    So if I wasn't careful about static have I ruined the CPU or the entire laptop. Or could the little hooked bit on the pin be the only problem?

    Thanks again for any help you can give.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited March 2009
    It is possible that the hooked pin may be not making proper contact in the socket. What does the pin look like after removing it now? You may try to remove the hook by squeezing it with some tweezers. Another thought would be to find a used CPU from craigs list or one of the forums. I beleive it is a 2.5 Celeron???

    BTW
    I would not go back to that shop. It sounds like the guy isn't too keen or is just a shiester.
  • NorahBattyNorahBatty
    edited March 2009
    Mt_Goat wrote:
    It is possible that the hooked pin may be not making proper contact in the socket. What does the pin look like after removing it now? You may try to remove the hook by squeezing it with some tweezers. Another thought would be to find a used CPU from craigs list or one of the forums. I beleive it is a 2.5 Celeron???

    BTW
    I would not go back to that shop. It sounds like the guy isn't too keen or is just a shiester.

    Thanks Mt Goat, tried the tweezers and it certainly looks straight and ran credit card through all lines of pins to make sure they were alligned, put it back in and same thing - HDD light comes on for a few seconds, fan comes on, usual humming and then it all goes dead.

    I guess I do need to get a used CPU - although I think its a Pentium not a Celeron. I'll check out which on Toshiba site and then go hunting to buy one on Craigslist or somewhere else. But.....what if it is not the CPU? Must think about this.

    Thanks
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited March 2009
    I guess I do need to get a used CPU - although I think its a Pentium not a Celeron. I'll check out which on Toshiba site and then go hunting to buy one on Craigslist or somewhere else. But.....what if it is not the CPU? Must think about this.

    Actually either will work. You just need to get the same series of CPU. The Celerons are just reduced versions of the Pentium line.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2009
    If you can't find the right CPU for your laptop, you should just consider acquiring a new (new to you) pre-owned laptop. If you have a decent Craigslist community where you live, you should be able to find some quite nice laptops in full working condition for around $250. Most CL laptop sellers will let you try out the laptop first. If they don't, just say no and run away! :) I imagine you are concerned about the data on your present laptop's hard drive. Easy. Just purchase an inexpensive external drive enclosure (not the drive, just the enclosure) for about $10 on eBay, put your drive in the enclosure, connect it to the new computer, and copy over your important data.
  • NorahBattyNorahBatty
    edited March 2009
    I have a call into Toshiba to get the exact CPU (or equivalent) and if I can't pick up a used one cheaply I'll go the route of picking up a used laptop, like you suggest.
    I'm not concerned about the data. The laptop was running very slow and switching off before I tried cleaning the heatsink and I had backed up the data to an external hard drive.
    Thanks for all the help I've received. I appreciate it.
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