lwmuddy
So.carolina
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Joined: 04/07/2002
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    All these emoticons and more explain how truly stupid I am.
Take one nice computer (Specs listed in signature at bottom),open it up, as I have done numerous times to others, in order to clean out cat hair and dust bunnies. Barely a year old, it died a premature death.
Seeing that the fans were thoroughly coated I started with the CPU fan.
To do a better job, while not thinking of the consequences, I unlatched the CPU fan, which is connected to the heat sink, and pulled it out with a little resistance. OH NO NO NO.
The heat sink is STUCK to the CPU CHIP with thermal paste (hardened) and ripped it right out of the chip holder that has a thousand one pins....little TINY pins, all in nice neat rows, or at least they USED TO BE NEAT.
Tried to put the whole setup back in and bent many of the tiny pins.
After visiting Youtube for ideas, which of course I should have done first just to be sure, I saw that there is a release lever that that when lifted will release the pins.
Straightening the pins and reinserting the chip was a disaster.
There is no cure for stupid.
Luckily I just "Inherited" a nice laptop, so with the aid of an exterior hard drive enclosure I was able to dismount the hard drive and retrieve all my saved info on the "Murdered" computer.
I did have a backup drive, but once again, I was silly and failed to do regular backups. Might not have helped, because if the CPU AND the motherboard were toasted windows wouldn't have recognized the new board and chip.
Got to go now and change my signature to "Senility Works".
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bob213
Fresno, CA
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Joined: 12/09/2007
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Don't get rid of it! For $109. at Newegg you can get the X4 645. Just replace what you broke...
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RFCN2
MT
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Joined: 05/29/2011
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LWMuddy - I am a little surprised your computer needed cleaning out in so little time (1 year). Our family really uses computers and it has literally been years since we have had to fix or clean anything. I finally took an old (2002) Sony desktop out of my office last week and put it in a box in the garage. I have never had the case off.
But that said I enjoyed reading your post. I feel your pain as I have made many oooops software errors. You should be able to replace your part as the previous poster suggested and save your one year old computer.
RFCN2
Country Coach
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
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SWD
Land of Living Skies
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Joined: 06/07/2005
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I see this many times from my customers. Some even dont unplug the pc prior to "spring cleaning" If the pins are bent the chances are you caused some damage to the motherboard. If the pc is only a year old you can find a replacement motherboard and cpu, but make sure your ram can be accomodated in the new board.
If you are not savy to do this on your own, it may be cost prohibitive to get it done at a pc shop. Do the math. Get a new pc, take out your old hdd and put it into an enclosure and use it as an external hard drive. Put it down to experience.
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romore
Canada
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Joined: 09/18/2010
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I can get in enough trouble without messing with computers. I know just enough to be dangerous. Did a good job of screwing up my e-mail though.
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bgum
South Louisiana
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Joined: 02/22/2006
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A guy I knew from work wiped a hard drive on a server once by mistake.
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retired4fun2002
Ellenton, FL
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Joined: 07/22/2003
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Nah, I am not smart enough to take one apart......techs get that job!! Doing something stupid with your computer was the question - does throwing it over a cliff qualify? It was a relatively new Dell about 8 years ago (when my temper was not sooooo good!) It is amazing the things that change your attitude and temperment, ha!! Oh yeah, I am still married, but ever so humble! Safe travels.
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rockhillmanor
On the Road
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Joined: 12/06/2003
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I don't clean mine they die of other things first. The last one I took in for a virus cleanup and had to watch the tech's eyes' roll as he took one of those air cans to blow out the key board and Kentucky Fried chicken crumbs came flying out!.
My best kill an electronic was letting the cat sit on the printer.
I hit the print key as I looked up and he was pushing a CD off the top of the printer, it fell and got fed into the printer with a sheet of paper before I could catch it. Printers crush CD's and also never work again. 
"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us".
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Wills250psd
walnutcove NC
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Joined: 08/13/2011
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I have lost 2 due to viruses and have nooo idea where they came from.
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fla-gypsy
North Florida
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Joined: 04/19/2005
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Did you ever do something truely stupid to your computer?
You mean like giiving it coffee to drink? LOL
09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)
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