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Overheating?

1K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  inuyasha320 
#1 ·
Hi

Great site, new member here and first post!

Gericom Overd.2 PIII 800mhz laptop with a GERICOM/KAPOK INTEL 440BX/ZX
Motherboard came to me with a loose power supply pin connector, so no power, battery dead too and doesnt hold charge. De-soldiered motherboard connector then re-soldierd connector back onto mainboard. Laptop powers up fine now, only to develop what seems to be a overheating problem as it freezez and locks up after the first 5 minutes of power-up.

This happens even in the bios/cmos setup screen, it just freezez. Tested memory, fan is working when it freezez up in bios, heatsink cleaned, new thermal pad, tried thermal paste aswell, cleared cmos via disconnecting cmos battery, detached hard drive, re-seated processor, cleaned mainboard with commpresed air but Still no joy. Ive been up every night and now have great big bags under me eyes and the mrs not too pleased either, its all becoming a bit disappointing really!

Respect to all who read and reply and any suggestions tips or pointers would be highly appreciated!
 
#2 ·
Given it some more thought and was wondering, maybe Im not applying the thermal pad correctly? Im using Akasa ShinEtsu thermal pads on the heatsink. (note, when I cleaned the old thermal pad of the heatsink, there was a square foil attached to the heatsink, dunno if this was the original thermal pad, but the new thermal pads didnt have any such foil) Applied as directed per instructions. Now on the heatsink/fan itself is stamped: CAUTION FOR KEEP GOOD TOUCH WITH CPU THE SCREW TIGHT ORDER IS 1,2,3,4 TORQUE=2kgf-cm. (guess they forgot about the punctuations and full stops!) Anyway...2Kgf-cm!!?? Torque?? I have a torque wrench but its a big beast for the car and motorbike...Ive torqued cyclinder head bolts and wheel retaining nuts...but heatsink? Anyways, didnt have a torque wrench for the job. The heatsink/fan sits on top of the processor (PIII 800Mhz, socket 370) and the thermal pad is sandwiched in-between, the heatsink is held in place with 4 screws with springs coiled around the screws themselves ( a bit like the spring coils around the shock absorbers on a car). Now, how tight am I supposed tighten the screws? Is the heatsink only supposed to sit lightly on top of the processor or solid and real tight? I've gone through 4 pads now with different variations of pressure on the screws but still have same result with the laptop freezing up.

Is there other foiled thermal pads? Any tips on pad installation or torque guide is welcome.

Walks away...still scratching his head....
 
#3 ·
Im using win ME and I have tried the hard drive in my other laptop and it worked for days with no problems. Also the laptop in question locks up even with the hard drive removed, when in bios setup screen and even when at the command prompt. I have removed and an hour later replaced the cmos battery and then set it to bios defaults. I have even set it to basic config with no hd, ports, cd, etc attached. I have tried to boot from a cd, tried a different monitor attached, but whatever I do the system always crashes in 5mins. Im of to test the processor, see if it works in another system. If there is a hardware problem then I hope its the processor as its cheaper to replace and easier to find than this dam m/board.
 
#4 ·
Well, I wasnt able to check the processor out but I was able to pick up another processor - PIII 700mhz. Results = same as before, system lockup after 5mins. So...opened the keyboard area of the laptop, and hovered a small sized pocket fan at the exposed motherboard over the processor area. The processor and heatsink is located on the underside of the motherboard. I was able to keep the laptop running for 12 mins before lockup! It has never broken the 5min barrier before! Even when I rebooted it lasted another 7-8 mins before lockup where as before it didnt last 2! Sound like an overheating issue? The fan definatley made a difference.

Anybody know where I can get a hold of a Gericom/KAPOK Intel 440BX/ZX motherboard from? Im getting tired of diagnosing and isolating this problem...
 
#5 ·
I'd bite the bullet and buy a new laptop. A new MB for a laptop is normally not cost effective. I've seen much better laptops selling for $500, it may coast as much to get that dinosaur running again.
 
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