I cleaned my cpu and now my monitor says no signal and my mouse and keyboard don’t light up and aren’t responsive.

[mayaruth04]

So I was cleaning my cpu and I took my cooler off and everything. Everything went fine but it was a tough time putting the cooler back into the motherboard. Now when I try to turn my pc on the monitor says no signal and my mouse and keyboard is unresponsive. And a couple times the pc will turn off and on and off and on. Please help me!

 

[Corwin65]

Did you apply new thermal paste?

 

[mayaruth04]

No I did not

 

[mayaruth04]

I didn’t think i would since it already had some on there when i took the cooler off

 

[dontlistentome]

I assume this is not a joke. When you remove thermal paste then you must reapply new thermal paste. When you remove the heatsink for any reason then you must clean both the CPU and heatsink of all the old thermal paste, and apply new thermal paste. Watch a few videos on Youtube to see the process.

 

[mayaruth04]

So that’s the reason my pc is acting weird?

 

[Corwin65]

So that’s the reason my pc is acting weird?

It is certainly a possibility that needs to be resolved.

 

[mayaruth04]

I just don’t understand how not applying thermal paste is going to not allow my computer to actually boot, only to turn on.

 

[margrave]

So you cleaned the CPU. It seems you also cleaned its clock!

 

[XxDarkMarioxX]

I just don’t understand how not applying thermal paste is going to not allow my computer to actually boot, only to turn on.

Might be because CPU can run really hot and without the paste its going to make it worst and the cpu will overheat and that might be the reason your cpu is not booting because its to hot

 

[dontlistentome]

There wasn't thermal paste on there for no reason. These components are designed to work a certain way, and thermal paste is expected to be present for proper functionality. You can't troubleshoot problems if you haven't set the computer up properly to start with. That's why I recommend you watch some video of how it's done. It's clear this is new to you, so seeing someone do it rather than just reading our suggestions here will help you quite a bit.

 

[mayaruth04]

When I said I cleaned the cpu, I didn’t clean the thermal paste off the cpu or the cooler. So there is still the thermal paste from before.

 

[Corwin65]

Once you remove the cooler you break the seal necessitating a new application of compound.

 

[mayaruth04]

I should also mention that when I was “cleaning it” I tried out a new cpu that didn’t fit so I had to put my original one in

 

[PdxPetmonster]

I'd check that the cpu/motherboard doesn't have any bent pins. I'd also make sure to get some thermal paste on there asap. What type of cpu are we talking about?

 

[Corwin65]

I should also mention that when I was “cleaning it” I tried out a new cpu that didn’t fit so I had to put my original one in

That is a big "forgot". As mentioned previously, check your pins and give us the details.

 

[mayaruth04]

Good news, there was no bent pins or anything like that. I am ordering some thermal paste that will come in Monday. Either way I have to put it on my cpu. But right now I’m gonna take off one stick of ram at a time and see if it works then.

 

[mayaruth04]

It’s not the ram either I think I just need thermal paste

 

[gingerrankin]

Do not hurry. Wait to have the thermal paste. If the cooler is not removed, the thermal paste can last for years without problems, however once the cooler is removed the dry thermal paste does not serve to guarantee the stagnancy and must be replaced so that the contact is good.

Act very carefully. Use an anti-static strap when handling the motherboard or, if you do not have your static electricity discharge.

Carefully check all connections, because you may have touched one inadvertently. Especially the 24 pin and 8 pin power connections. Also the graphic card.

 

[mayaruth04]

But how does not applying thermal paste allow my keyboard and mouse lights to not even come on? Or my monitor to have no signal

 

[Corwin65]

To troubleshoot properly you need to ensure as many variables as possible are correct.
Trying to check RAM when CPU is more than likely not receiving the proper cooling is not a good thing to do.
With the new thermal paste correctly applied then that is one less thing to worry about.
Then you can start the proper checklists to troubleshoot.
Correct seating of components, checking RAM one at a time, testing with a different PSU if possible.

We also do not have your full specs if I recall correctly. Can you provide us with that so we can offer some advice with more detail?

Did you try to start your PC with the CPU that did not fit? Was the PSU unplugged and discharged while you did that?

I'm sure we all understand your frustration and impatience and we all look forward to helping you get this resolved.

 

[gingerrankin]

It is likely that what prevents a start is a misplaced or loose cable. It usually happens with the 8-pin powering the CPU.
It is likely that the cpu gets hot and the protection system shuts it off immediately to avoid burning it.
Whatever it is, it is dangerous to try to start the PC without proper cooling. It may happen that the cpu gets hot long before the protection mechanisms come into operation.

 

[mayaruth04]

I got this of from a friend and I wanted to put my cpu in instead of his. It didn’t fit so I didn’t leave it in there, I put the original one back. I didn’t boot it up with the one that didn’t fit. I will be getting my new thermal paste Monday so no worries. Because this is not my pc, I don’t know the specs. I do know that the gpu is a nvidia GeForce 650 ti. But worst case scenario, I’ll have to buy a new cpu or motherboard. But hopefully I just need thermal paste

 

[mayaruth04]

Gingerrankin what do you mean when you said the 8 pin powering the cpu?

 

[gingerrankin]

There are two cables that send power from the PSU to the motherboard. One has 24 pins and the other 4 or 8 according to mobo model. The 4 or 8 serves to feed the cpu. If you connect only the 24 pins, the fans and the lights of the mobo may work, but the CPU will not work. Just as the 24-pin connector is impossible to put it wrong, there is some possibility of misplacing 4/8 pins one.