Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 October 7

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October 7

On the verge of breaking...

On my Socket 754 motherboard 2 hooks on the side of the CPU that were holding the fan down broke off and the remaining one looks like to be on the verge of breaking is well, and my CPU is getting hot since the contact is not optimum. Is there any way I can remedy this situation, because this motherboard is really good for a file server (built in IDE/SATA RAID etc.) and I want to keep it in service even after I get a new computer. --antilived^{T | C | G} 04:55, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

You can use a thermally conductive adhesive to permanently attach the heat sink to the CPU. Clem 05:26, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

...like the standard Arctic Silver. --froth^t 05:55, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

I always thought Arctic Silver is simply a thermal compound which has barely any adhesive power at all... Will it not put too much stress on my CPU since the heatsink is quite heavy (~600g). --antilived^{T | C | G} 06:18, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

What? Why would it put stress on the CPU? If that beast of a heatsink is already sitting on the processor, the arctic silver won't make it any worse. You could try buying artic silver thermal paste and putting that in the middle, then dabbing a little of this insane stuff around the edges.. warning, it will NEVER EVER come off. Don't use globs. -froth^t 06:48, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Yes it's now pushing it in but if I had to use the epoxy once the remaining hook breaks off the CPU will experience a pull instead, due to the weight of the heatsink, and I'm not sure if it can withstand that. --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:40, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

You are correct - Arctic Silver (and other things like it) are NOT adhesives - they are thermally conductive pastes that fill in the microscopic gaps between the CPU and the heatsink to allow heat to flow from one to the other without there being an air-gap (air is a pretty good thermal insulator). When the clamp breaks, there won't be stress on the CPU - but then the heatsink will simply fall off - or a gap will open between heatsink and CPU which will probably allow the CPU to destroy itself. That clamp is there for a reason - you need it. If it breaks - buy an new heatsink and put fresh thermal paste onto the cpu before you clamp it back together again. SteveBaker 14:18, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

I think the OP is referring to the tabs on the CPU socket. If so then again use a thermal adhesive versus a thermal compound to permanently bond the heatsink and CPU so as to permanently eliminate the air gap between the CPU and the heatsink. Do not mix the adhesive with compound. Doing so is unnecessary if the adhesive is a thermal adhesive. Using compound with the adhesive may prevent the heatsink and CPU from bounding allowing the heatsink and CPU to separate and an air gap to form. Clem 17:37, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

So does anyone know if the CPU can withstand the pull from the weight of the heatsink or would I have to lay it down horizontally? --antilived^{T | C | G} 03:08, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

What other choice do you have? --froth^t 04:34, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Well, there are many other choices... He could get a lighter heat sink. He could switch to a liquid-cooled system. He could use a bunch of zip-ties to hold the heat sink to the motherboard. He could underclock the system to keep heat down. That's just a start. There are certainly many more. -- kainaw™ 04:57, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

What's the plastic structure with the hooks near the CPU called? Is there any documented case of replacing that since I've found a faulty, near-identical board and it would seem a better idea to simply replace the hooks instead of gluing my CPU to the heatsink. --antilived^{T | C | G} 06:50, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

I'm getting confused about what's broken. We have the circuit board - then into that is soldered the zero-insertion-force (ZIF) socket (a plastic thing with a lever for releasing the CPU) - into that plugs the CPU chip itself - then onto that sits the heatsink with a set of metal spring clips that clamp the heatsink/fan assembly over the CPU and onto the ZIF socket. So which is broken - the metal spring clamps or the ZIF socket?

• If it's the metal spring clamps then you can just buy a new heatsink (and clamp).
• If it's the ZIF socket's attachment points then you're in deep trouble because those things have a bazillion pins and your chances of successfully de-soldering it and replacing it are ZERO.

So I guess we're talking about the fallback position when the ZIF socket is busted (or you are too cheap to buy a new heatsink+clamp!). In that case, you have two problems:

1. Firstly, how do you keep the heatsink in firm thermal contact with the CPU? Glue is the only way I could imagine would work - and you'd have to get glue with really good thermal conductivity or else the CPU is still gonna overheat. We've established that the usual stuff you squirt between CPU and heat-sink is a good thermal conductor - but it's not an adhesive. I'm not aware of any adhesives with the thermal properties of Arctic Ice - but maybe there is something out there that'll be good enough.
2. Secondly, with the heatsink fixed to the CPU - but not clamped onto the ZIF socket, if you have the motherboard mounted on it's side, will the weight & leverage of the heatsink+CPU be enough to wrench the CPU out of the socket? If so, you're in deep trouble - if not...not!

So if you can mount the motherboard horizontally (put the computer on it's side maybe) - then you shouldn't have too many problems - but if you absolutely have to mount it vertically - I'd predict that sooner or later you'll have trouble...but it's hard to say for sure. It's all down to how well the ZIF socket grabs onto all of those pins. It used to be that they were designed to grip pretty well - but that was in the era before the heatsink clip would hold everything firmly together - so these days...who knows? —Preceding unsigned comment added by SteveBaker (talk • contribs) 16:02, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

See this photo about my motherboard (and most Socket 754 motherboards out there. The hooks are not on the socket itself, but on the black plastic housing around the CPU, and it looks like it's replaceable. --antilived^{T | C | G} 05:16, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

Ah! That helps! So the ZIF socket is that white thing in the middle of the black frame - but the frame is what's broken. I guess the question now is how the black frame is attached to the motherboard and whether you can buy a replacement. The problem with getting a replacement is that these things are not common 'user replaceable' parts - you might have to find an electronics component vendor - and they may not be happy about selling them in one-off quantities to an individual. Urgh! SteveBaker 13:15, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

I found a faulty, near-identical motherboard selling at a low price and I was just wondering if there's any previous examples of replacing that. --antilived^{T | C | G} 04:09, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

customising pie chart in MS Visio

Help please! I want to create pie charts in MS Visio without showing the percentage text. Whatever I do, the result is like the one seen in the pic at the link. http://www.data.no/FilesUploaded/Publications/612/Images/tut1_fig4_chart.jpg What I want is a pie chart with custom text, like the following. http://tommcmahon.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/27/piechartalternative2.gif I suppose there must be a way. Can somebody please help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Weird connector (talk • contribs) 09:51, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Unfortunately I don't know Visio at all. Is it possible for you to do it in another program (like Excel) and import it? --24.147.86.187 20:39, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Visio seems to use the same chart engine as Excel anyway. To make a chart like the example you gave, insert a chart on to your Visio worksheet, then change the Chart Type to "Bar of Pie". Then go to the Chart Options, turn Show Legend off, and in the Data Labels tab, turn on whichever options you want to show on the pie chart. -Canley 02:55, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

This is how to do it:

Select the whole pie chart then right click, select format and select "behavior". On bottom right corner n the drop down box select "members first" under selection. Now when you select the pie segment you will get an edit box around the "percentage" text which you can now edit. peter C 10 Novemmber 2009

Reverting all Windows XP Display settings to default

I recently installed Battlefield 2, but somehow it changed all my GFX settings including the Display settings. The tahoma font setting is massive and ugly and makes me want to puke, the taskbar is massive. I need to know how to revert all the settings (icon, message box etc). My video card is Radeon 9200. - Vicer 13:21, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Try Right-clicking on the desktop to go to "Properties", then under theme tab, there is (or should be) a drop down menu, select Windows XP in the menu. Hit apply and then OK. This should work. Let me know if it does not work.

BTW, a small game is not supposed to interfere with you GUI. I hate it when games don't just mind their own business. --Kushal^{Click me!} write to me 14:41, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Hi, it didn't really work but I soon found out it was the DPI settings that caused it to look huge. Thanks for the help though. - Vicer 14:58, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

You are always welcome ... and congratulations! --Kushal^{Click me!} write to me 15:05, 7 October 2007 (UTC)