Restarts and instability

[rendermandan]

sounds like motherboard to me. I had the same kind of problems too. -Haven't we all at one time? The caps on the mboard go bad over time, and based on your system specs Id suggest upgrading the motherboard and processor. Not to mention the video card.

[Olen]

I can't ever make sandra work and on a computer which locks up the whole time there wasn't a hope so no joy there.

Don't need a higher spec system. All it does is internet browsing, word processing and CAD all of which it did fine. I might try to move a new processor in (I have another). Any hints on applying thermal compound (I don't want to fry anything)?

[doesi87]

Apply it in a thin layer, but cover the whole die. You should get something like this but with a smooth surface and thermal compound on the whole die. (Guess you will use a processor without headspreader)

[.Maleficus.]

Use a small dab. For the older Athlons without a heatspreader, you should use ~the size of half a grain of rice. Maybe even less. Then, what I normally do, is to not spread it, put on the heatsink, and rotate it 1 or 2 degrees left and right. It gets out trapped air bubbles, and the heat from the processor will spread it for you.


Edit: And look around the socket and CPU and see if you see some burn or scorch marks. If you do, you know where your problem is.

[Olen]

cheers I got it sorted a couple of days ago.

It was the processor, I put mine in (also socket a...) and it ran fine. Went down to the local computer shop and they gave me two for free . So its all good. Was no sign of damage to the cpu but that computer is evil and not to be trusted. Apparently thats its third cpu the other two also having died and its onto its second mobo and second set of ram. Persumably something is damaged (last mobos voltage regulator I'd guess) but not my problem.

So alls good (well it isn't but thats another post (sigh)).