Solved PC stopped booting some time after changing thermal paste

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Malakambla

PCHF Member
Jan 24, 2021
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Hi,
my PC was constantly overheating and crashing because of it so I decided to change thermal paste on my CPU. I had to reapply it because I guess it moved around a bit the first time and was shortcutting something and my PC wouldn't turn on. After that it booted up nicely, I managed to play a few hours in a game that would crash my PC after 10 minutes before, I started download and left my PC overnight. I guess it crashed during the night, when I tried to turn it on twice, I'd get CPU fan error on boot as fan wouldn't start up. So I turned off the power supply, grounded myself and pressed pins of the fan a bit. Now the PC won't turn at all.

I was wondering if there's any point in trying to reapply paste again because I guess it shouldn't move now that everything is fastened. Or if there's a possibility I bricked my PC because I forgot I should have also disconnect power supply from the socket. I'm honestly at the loss what I could try
 
Hello Malakambla,

Malakambla said:
my PC was constantly overheating and crashing because of it so I decided to change thermal paste on my CPU. I had to reapply it because I guess it moved around a bit the first time and was shortcutting something and my PC wouldn't turn on.
Click to expand...

Unless the CPU cooler is disturbed/removed for some reason the original thermal compound when correctly applied will most often last the lifetime of the computer, what this means, if you were previously having overheating issues and you had not disturbed the CPU cooler the overheating was most likely being caused by something else, some common causes, a bad PSU, a failing CPU cooling fan, bad overclock and poor internal cooling.

Please provide information about your computer, is it a custom build or brand name such as Dell or HP, if a brand name, provide the model name or series number (not serial) if a custom build post the brand and model name or number for the CPU, MB, the RAM (including the amount) add on video card if one is used and the PSU (power supply unit) providing these details will enable folk to better assist you.
 
It's a custom build

MP: ASUS Z97-P
CPU: intel i5-4690K
GPU: msi geforce gtx 970
RAM: 2X4GB Kingston, probably DDR3, I'd have to take out the cpu fan again to check serials as it's the only part from my old ready made PC
PSU: XFX TS550 550W
 
In case you are not already aware, if your RAM is not seated correctly it could be shorting out the MB and preventing the system from firing up.

Is your PSU the same model as at Newegg here
Malakambla said:
grounded myself and pressed pins of the fan a bit.
Click to expand...

What pins are you referring to.
 
phillpower2 said:
In case you are not already aware, if your RAM is not seated correctly it could be shorting out the MB and preventing the system from firing up.

Is your PSU the same model as at Newegg here


What pins are you referring to.
Click to expand...
I'll check if the ram is seated correctly, thank you.

It is the same model.


I mean the plug connecting the cpu fan to the MB. Sorry, I don't know the exact term for it in english.
 
Right, hold fire on checking the RAM for now.

That PSU is potentially ten+ years old, well out of warranty and therefore should have been replaced well before now tbh, this could explain your previous overheating issues.

You say that the PC will not turn on at all now, does this mean that when you press the case power button the PSU does not activate at all.

Will come back to the fan once we have the answer to the above question.
 
It doesn't react at all when I press the case power button.

The psu was bought in 2015 when I was building this PC.
 
Only just in warranty then and if it has gone bad I don`t fancy your chances of any warranty period remaining being. honoured

Suggest that you see if the PSU is actually capable of powering up first then go from there, see "how to" here no need to attach a case fan as we only want to see if the PSU activates.
 
......thats going to be very embarrassing but somehow the 24pin came undone and I didn't notice it before I started disconnecting PSU.
Thank you so much you let me waste your time ^^' and thank you for the video, it will come in handy in the future!
Thank you once again
 
You have not wasted anyone's time, we are here to help if we can and if your PC is now up and running that is all that matters.
 
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