Problem with Socket 478 and Heatsink reset

  • Thread starter Thread starter Iain William Wiseman
  • Start date Start date
I

Iain William Wiseman

Hi All,

A couple of times a week my PC will not start. I varies on where it
stops sometimes not beeping, sometimes at the video bios, something a
the loading of the operating system.

I have taken each PCI/IDE/Memory/AGP card out one by one and it will not
boot. However, if I left the heatsink levers it then goes back to working.

I have cleaned under the motherboard, bought paste for the heatsink,
changed the power supply, swapped the memory, video card and disks but
nothing seams to make a difference.

Any suggestions?

Work in IT and have built all six of my PC's and install linux on my
X-Box so I am no idiot. However I might be a fool so if there is
something glaring I am missing then please suggest.

My thoughts are a new Heatsink. However the fan is still going around
during the error so I am dubious about this.

I have a PC with a

- Pentium 4 1.8 chip in it
- SolTek 85DRV4
- Nivida MX 400

Thanks,
Iain
 
Hi All,

A couple of times a week my PC will not start. I varies on where it
stops sometimes not beeping, sometimes at the video bios, something a
the loading of the operating system.
Click to expand...

Most often this is caused by a marginal power supply. Is it
a generic OR very low wattage for the parts?


I have taken each PCI/IDE/Memory/AGP card out one by one and it will not
boot. However, if I left the heatsink levers it then goes back to working.
Click to expand...

What exactly do you mean?
What else do you do then? Could it be that this is just a
result of having the AC power disconnected for a few
minutes?

I have cleaned under the motherboard, bought paste for the heatsink,
changed the power supply, swapped the memory, video card and disks but
nothing seams to make a difference.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

yes always open a thread with a concise but complete
description of the system. Until you do that we have no
context. What you mention below is not a system, only 3
parts.

Work in IT and have built all six of my PC's and install linux on my
X-Box so I am no idiot. However I might be a fool so if there is
something glaring I am missing then please suggest.
Click to expand...

You are missing all of the details you can see but we can't.

If the _ONLY_ thing that seems to make a difference is
messing around with the heatsink lever then I would suspect
your motherboard has some stress fractures on surface-mount
parts or solder joints, but unless the board had been
mishandled, this isn't so common, unlikely if the system had
worked for a fair amount of time after being first
assembled.

My thoughts are a new Heatsink. However the fan is still going around
during the error so I am dubious about this.
Click to expand...


Unlikely you need a different 'sink. So long as the present
'sink is at least "on" the CPU at all, CPU can't overheat
from a poor 'sink within the amount of time it would take to
post and mostly boot the system, if not run for quite a
while although progressively overheating later.

I have a PC with a

- Pentium 4 1.8 chip in it
- SolTek 85DRV4
- Nivida MX 400
Click to expand...

Open the system and recheck everything. Sometimes things go
unnoticed but later you see what you missed previously.
 
Many thnaks for replying
Most often this is caused by a marginal power supply. Is it
a generic OR very low wattage for the parts?
Click to expand...

I have changed the power supply with not effect.
What exactly do you mean?
What else do you do then? Could it be that this is just a
result of having the AC power disconnected for a few
minutes?
Click to expand...

When I said I have taken each card out. I meant I have removed, one at a
time, each card and tried to restart the machine without success. As
soon as I left the heatsink lever it worked again. The next time I tried
and every time since I have only had to left the heatsink lever.
yes always open a thread with a concise but complete
description of the system. Until you do that we have no
context. What you mention below is not a system, only 3
parts.
Click to expand...

Not sure what other parts I can name. Given the Motherboard/CPU. The
remaining items have all been changed to no effect. Including Video
Card, Hard Disks and memory.

Goes wrong before it hits to OS.
You are missing all of the details you can see but we can't.

If the _ONLY_ thing that seems to make a difference is
messing around with the heatsink lever then I would suspect
your motherboard has some stress fractures on surface-mount
parts or solder joints, but unless the board had been
mishandled, this isn't so common, unlikely if the system had
worked for a fair amount of time after being first
assembled.




Unlikely you need a different 'sink. So long as the present
'sink is at least "on" the CPU at all, CPU can't overheat
from a poor 'sink within the amount of time it would take to
post and mostly boot the system, if not run for quite a
while although progressively overheating later.



Open the system and recheck everything. Sometimes things go
unnoticed but later you see what you missed previously.
Click to expand...

I have moved the motherboard/CPU to a new case, my sister PC, with no
effect.

To my view it has to be the motherboard or the CPU. It seems unlikely to
be the CPU because it runs sometimes for 2-3 days (avg 6 hours/day) with
no problem.

I guess what I need the answer for is. Why would the levers on the
Heatsink make a difference? Your suggestion of a fracture does seem
plausible.


Iain
 
Many thnaks for replying


I have changed the power supply with not effect.
Click to expand...

Ok, but relatively we have no idea if the ones you tried are
adequate. Consider the following scenario: Customer buys
PC from local shop that cuts corners. Generic PSU installed
that works fine on their lower-end all-integratd systems.
It doesn't work on a more endowed system. They swap the
perfectly working, but inadequate "true" capacity supply
with another of same make and model. Result is same
problem.
When I said I have taken each card out. I meant I have removed, one at a
time, each card and tried to restart the machine without success. As
soon as I left the heatsink lever it worked again. The next time I tried
and every time since I have only had to left the heatsink lever.
Click to expand...

This is very unusual. I still suspect some kind of
mechanical problem, either parts and board contacts or
defect (or damage) to the circuit boards. This assumes the
heatsink or retention isn't grossly defective.

Not sure what other parts I can name. Given the Motherboard/CPU. The
remaining items have all been changed to no effect. Including Video
Card, Hard Disks and memory.
Click to expand...

You can post a concise but complete list of all major parts,
including make and model. If you don't bother to do this,
then all we know is that you have a computer, which is no
different than anybody else.
I have moved the motherboard/CPU to a new case, my sister PC, with no
effect.

To my view it has to be the motherboard or the CPU. It seems unlikely to
be the CPU because it runs sometimes for 2-3 days (avg 6 hours/day) with
no problem.

I guess what I need the answer for is. Why would the levers on the
Heatsink make a difference? Your suggestion of a fracture does seem
plausible.
Click to expand...


You could take out the board and examine it under strong
light, even reflow the solder joints if you are competent to
do that, but I realize most people should not attempt it if
that wasn't an obvious problem and solution to themj, and of
course already had practice at this.

I'd also wonder if your case had an extra standoff that was
shorting out against the back of the motherboard. It could
intermittently short and UNshort when a mechanical stress
like flipping the heatsink retention was performed.
 
Iain said:
Many thnaks for replying


I have changed the power supply with not effect.


When I said I have taken each card out. I meant I have removed, one at a
time, each card and tried to restart the machine without success. As
soon as I left the heatsink lever it worked again. The next time I tried
and every time since I have only had to left the heatsink lever.


Not sure what other parts I can name. Given the Motherboard/CPU. The
remaining items have all been changed to no effect. Including Video
Card, Hard Disks and memory.

Goes wrong before it hits to OS.


I have moved the motherboard/CPU to a new case, my sister PC, with no
effect.

To my view it has to be the motherboard or the CPU. It seems unlikely to
be the CPU because it runs sometimes for 2-3 days (avg 6 hours/day) with
no problem.

I guess what I need the answer for is. Why would the levers on the
Heatsink make a difference? Your suggestion of a fracture does seem
plausible.


Iain
Click to expand...

Do you mean LIFT rather than LEFT???? If so, it could be that stress
is being released from a section of the MB that has a poor connection.
If you are SURE that this works most every time, try touching up the
solder connections in the vicinity of the processor. It could be a
hairline crack in a trace or a poor solder connection.

Of course any type of poor connection could give you this type of
failure. That includes dirty contacts for the processor itself.
 
Ken said:
Do you mean LIFT rather than LEFT???? If so, it could be that
stress is being released from a section of the MB that has a poor
connection. If you are SURE that this works most every time, try
touching up the solder connections in the vicinity of the processor. It
could be a hairline crack in a trace or a poor solder connection.

Of course any type of poor connection could give you this type of
failure. That includes dirty contacts for the processor itself.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this.

I have now changed the Chip/Heatsink in the broken machine for another
Chip (Celeron 2.4) and it still does the same thing. So it has to be the
motherboard somewhere.

My question is, could a CMOS battery being low be the problem? I will a
the board for cracks today.

Iain
 
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