One for the "Oh, bugger" file

[unixronin]

whitestar's been spontaneously powering itself off since yesterday evening.  Having swapped out the power cord without success (on the speculation of a broken core in the power cord due to bending), I speculated that it was a CPU thermal problem, so I took the heatsink fan off to clean the top of the heatsink and (as I more than half expected) found it clogged with dust.

So I've removed and thoroughly cleaned the heatsink, I go to put it back on, and guess what . . . I can't find my heatsink thermal compound.

YO, MURPHY!  OFFA MY CASE!

Comments

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention . . .

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

. . . one of the best things about it is it mounts with screws to a backplate, instead of using one of those *#&%&^(#@&$!#@)(*$)(@#$ steel spring clips. I'm always scared whenever I have to fasten (or even worse, remove) one of those damned things that I'm going to gouge a trace or put a screwdriver through the motherboard.

Re: Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention . . .

[caged-admin.livejournal.com]

I wish I could get Thermal Integration Technologies HSFs with bigger and quieter HSes and Fs. They have the clips, but to tighten the whole thing, you just push a lever. (Think ZIF sockets.) Want to take it back off? Flip the lever back up, pull the clips off (fingernails quite sufficient). Great stuff. Loud as hell, though. I've got three idential ThIntTech HSFs sitting around unused because sharing a room with them sucked so badly. Maybe I'll use 'em again if I press any Socket 7/370/A machines into service as closeted servers.