My PC refuses to work

(new question on my fourth post in this page)

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A few months ago my computer could run Test Drive Unlimited reasonably well, with a few lags here and there. Now, it's a miracle if TDU runs at 0,5 fps, and I have exactly the same system as before.

I used that [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del] window to see the CPU's usage during gameplay, and it was almost always 100%, dropping during two or three seconds to 97-98%. My computer's CPU, however, is faster (Pentium 4, 3GHz, dual core) than what's required for the game (Pentium 4, 2.4GHz).

So, can dust be the problem?

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Um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito nove dez
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2008 01:20AM by Lex.

It could, there's no harm opening the case up and cleaning it out once in a while, but do NOT whatever you do use a vacuum cleaner on it! (Vacuum cleaners create static buildup, which causes shorts on the motherboard.) Use a damp cloth, go for the fans first.

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Everyone knows that million-to-one chances happen 9 times out of 10; indeed, it's a common requirement in fairy tales. If the human didn't have to overcome huge odds, what would be the point? Terry Pratchett - The Science Of Discworld

GPGSL S5 Race driver for IED.

my laptop had that problem, I was blowing the thing like crazy and seeing clouds of dust fly... you should check it for dust regularly!

u can get dual core pentium 4s?

Yes Neil, they're not the greatest invention Intel cobbled together, it has to be said, since the P4 already ran hot under load, placing 2 cores on the same chip basically would double the heat produced! [en.wikipedia.org]

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Everyone knows that million-to-one chances happen 9 times out of 10; indeed, it's a common requirement in fairy tales. If the human didn't have to overcome huge odds, what would be the point? Terry Pratchett - The Science Of Discworld

GPGSL S5 Race driver for IED.

The most effective way to clean a computer of dust is, apparently, to take both sides of the case off and stand outside with your computer on a windy day. (A dry windy day, obviously).

The air currents are far more efficient at whisking dust out of corners and cracks than a damp cloth ever could be.

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Or (less effective, but quick and dirty, without relying on that bastard Mother Nature) place a desktop fan by the side of the open case. Do stand back if there's a lot of free-flowing dust, as I'd hate for you to choke to death because of something I suggested.

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Everyone knows that million-to-one chances happen 9 times out of 10; indeed, it's a common requirement in fairy tales. If the human didn't have to overcome huge odds, what would be the point? Terry Pratchett - The Science Of Discworld

GPGSL S5 Race driver for IED.

Guimengo Wrote:
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> my laptop had that problem, I was blowing the
> thing like crazy and seeing clouds of dust fly...
> you should check it for dust regularly!


I tried that. Unfortunately I forgot to take the other side of the case off, so when I blew, the dust had nowhere to go except back into my face...

Some crazy ideas here :S

Just get a can of compressed air, simple and safe.

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MattB Wrote:
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> Some crazy ideas here :S
>
> Just get a can of compressed air, simple and safe.


i used our compressor once. on my dads computer. haha.

is it against a radiator? move it if so.

I cleaned the CPU's fan with a soft brush. Now, the PC refuses to stay on, stating that there's a "overclocking error" and a "CPU temperature error". And all I've done was cleaning the fan. *rolls eyes*

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Um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito nove dez
Eins zwei drei vier fünf sechs sieben acht neun zehn
One two three four five six seven eight nine ten
Один два три четыре пять шесть семь восемь девять десять

NeilPearson schrieb:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MattB Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Some crazy ideas here :S
> >
> > Just get a can of compressed air, simple and
> safe.
>
>
> i used our compressor once. on my dads computer.
> haha.


i do that regularly. a compressor is a very nice machine....

After some research, I found out about thermal pastes and noticed that I had accidentally removed it while cleaning the fan.

I'm going to buy some of this paste tomorrow. Hopefully it'll solve my problem.

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Um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito nove dez
Eins zwei drei vier fünf sechs sieben acht neun zehn
One two three four five six seven eight nine ten
Один два три четыре пять шесть семь восемь девять десять



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2008 11:08PM by Lex.

n00binio Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NeilPearson schrieb:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > MattB Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Some crazy ideas here :S
> > >
> > > Just get a can of compressed air, simple and
> > safe.
> >
> >
> > i used our compressor once. on my dads
> computer.
> > haha.
>
>
> i do that regularly. a compressor is a very nice
> machine....

except that water builds up in the tank, u can get water catchers for them but still... its scary to do

well, you should keep the pressure low and keep about half a metre of distance to the pc but then it´s quite safe i´d say (when there´s no water in the tank)
i always experienced quite good performance gains after doing that.

I always use a vaccum cleaner - Whoops, But as i always leave the case eathed...

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So, I've applied the thermal paste on the CPU. Now, nothing happens when I turn my PC on: the fans are working, a small led is on, but the system doesn't start - the PC doesn't even beep.

Does anybody know what could be happening?

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Um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito nove dez
Eins zwei drei vier fünf sechs sieben acht neun zehn
One two three four five six seven eight nine ten
Один два три четыре пять шесть семь восемь девять десять

You only touched the CPU fan? Why did you take the heatsink off to clean the fan? How did you clean the fan? Does the PC normally beep when it boots (some don't have the onboard speaker to beep, but all motherboards send the beep signal).

It could be any number of things which caused it to fail to work, but at the moment I suspect you've not got the heatsink sat on the CPU properly. Have a look through this (perhaps the previous pages too, which cover the actual installation of the CPU). You've got to be quite brutal with them sometimes.

Yes, the heatsink is properly attached. I took it off because it was really dirty, so a better clean-up was required. I used a soft brush to clean the fan and the heatsink.

I suspect the problem might be with the power supply unit (the one that's inside the computer). The last time I turned the PC on and it worked, some weak light came out of the stabilizer and it sounded like it was burning. I changed the stabilizer, but maybe it affected the power supply unit.

By the way, my computer beeps once when it's OK.

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Um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito nove dez
Eins zwei drei vier fünf sechs sieben acht neun zehn
One two three four five six seven eight nine ten
Один два три четыре пять шесть семь восемь девять десять