Cleaned my comp and now it does not boot - only lights and noise.

[Tommygunn]

Early Saturday morning I delved into my desktop to give it a thorough cleaning, certainly not the first time. Because the mobo and g/card were quite filthy I gave them a deionized water bath while everything else (cpu, ram, hd etc) was just wiped clean making sure to not touch any contacts or circuitry.
The mobo and g/card were drained, shaken, tissued, left in the sun and otherwise allowed to dry. However, now my comp refuses to boot. It makes all the usual noises and all board and case lights come on but nothing is coming up on the monitor.
Also, the HD, which I hardly touched, does not seem to be behaving. You can can hear it make that quick, wind up noise at the beginning and the front panel light comes on, as per normal, but then according to the light no more activity. After about 5 or so seconds the light become solid but much dimmer than normal.
I even swapped out the mobo for a different board, doesn't help.
Obviously, many things could be wrong but if you know anything please do tell.

Cheers,
Tom.

 

[hat]

Do you have another graphics card to test with? Perhaps try checking everything over again, maybe you've forgotten some small detail... Something not plugged in, something not seated all the way...

 

[Tommygunn]

As mentioned, I swapped out my washed P5W DH Delux for my spare P5Q Deluxe and, of course, nothing happened. However, I thought that to eliminate as many problem factors as possible I would run just one stick of Ram and low and behold the computer fired up. It was then I remembered why I'm not using this mobo because there is some sort of problem with having two sticks installed.
Anyway, that has put my mind at rest and leaves me with just the P5W DH board as the main culprit.
I'm going to go back to it and possibly re-install it again and just try a single stick of ram etc, you never know.

Tom.

 

[jboydgolfer]

you wash your MoBo , and GPU in De-ionized water? Wow, thats pretty drawn out. I just use either a compressor, or a Shop Vac running in reverse, and a smaller paint brush which gets 'Em pretty clean, EXCEPT when i used to smoke indoors, but it seems that has become taboo as of recent years, and i run into it FAR less in business.

 

[LightningJR]

I would never dip any components in water, there are too many "sealed" components that could be negatively affected if water were to leak in. I am glad to hear you figured out the problem OP.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Dips motherboard in water then wonders why it wont work. Seems legit.

 

[Mussels]

yeah... de ionised water was a terrible idea.

use a soft brush and a low pressure air compressor like the sane people do in the future.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I agree with the above. I have never - ever - heard of washing a motherboard or graphics card in water - deionized or not. Especially a "bath" which would suggest submerging the boards in the water or pouring water over them, as opposed to wiping a board with a damp cloth. Do you have a link to the article, tutorial, or white paper tutorial that recommended this method of cleaning?

I agree with jboydgolfer and I use an air compressor (in an inline moisture and particulate filter) and soft brush for cleaning.

How long did you let these boards dry?

I even swapped out the mobo for a different board, doesn't help.

What did you wipe the CPU with? Did you take the essential ESD precautions? Are you absolutely sure you have connected all the PSU connections properly?

 

[Jborg]

I understand cleaning something with compressed air, or a brush being very gentile...
but I would never think of trying this....

Now I know I am not offering any help to the matter,

but DONT FIX WHATS NOT BROKEN

 

[Tommygunn]

I know this has been all quite comical but I got the idea from here, TechSpot or Tom's and if you search I'm sure you'll find the info either there or as a general internet search.

Bill_Bright,
I didn't touch the CPU except to clean the old thermal paste off with some alcohol, only the GPU and Mobo got a wash. All parts were left to dry in the Italian sun for an hour or so and then left indoors for about 36 hours until I returned.

Anyway, you're all going to love this. As mentioned above I went to put my problem mobo back in with the intention of installing just one stick of ram. However, I thought, that maybe, if I put my mobo in the oven for a while it would make it better! I know what your thinking and it's probably 'WTF' and this blokes a nutter, but treat it as comedy.

So in it goes on top of a wooden chopping board for about 15-20mins at 130°C.

It came out perfectly cooked, with a scent of onions from a previous pizza, and I'm writing this reply with all my perfectly washed and cleaned components re-installed.

Next time I'll try the washing machine and the iron.

Cheers,
Tom.

(Seriously, in the future I'll probably borrow my mates compressor and air pistol and leave most stuff in situ.)

 

[Mussels]

the problem with the oven is that water + heat = rust.

This is why slower, 'gentle' drying methods are often recommended.

 

[RejZoR]

I hope you do realize that deionized water ionizes itself over time and becomes conductive again? Besides, why would you do that!? Always clean system with canned air or compressor. It's the safest way to do it.

 

[Tommygunn]

Here's a thread of mine from 2011 where I was asking about cleaning a Mobo, lot's of talk of dishwashers, soap, D/water etc:
Link.

Tom.

 

[silentbogo]

Early Saturday morning I delved into my desktop to give it a thorough cleaning, certainly not the first time. Because the mobo and g/card were quite filthy I gave them a deionized water bath while everything else (cpu, ram, hd etc) was just wiped clean making sure to not touch any contacts or circuitry.
The mobo and g/card were drained, shaken, tissued, left in the sun and otherwise allowed to dry. However, now my comp refuses to boot. It makes all the usual noises and all board and case lights come on but nothing is coming up on the monitor.
Also, the HD, which I hardly touched, does not seem to be behaving. You can can hear it make that quick, wind up noise at the beginning and the front panel light comes on, as per normal, but then according to the light no more activity. After about 5 or so seconds the light become solid but much dimmer than normal.
I even swapped out the mobo for a different board, doesn't help.
Obviously, many things could be wrong but if you know anything please do tell.

Cheers,
Tom.

It would've been easier if you had a POST card, but you can try at least couple of tricks before moving on:
0) If ionized water isn't bad enough, I hope you did not use a hot air gun or a blowdryer to dry your MoBo and VGA. This is the most cruel way to kill electronics (worse than dusting it with a household vacuum cleaner).
1) Sometimes there is a problem with MoBo/memory compatibility, and sticks have to be installed in certain slots. I have a Rampage II GENE board with similar problem - it only accepts 3 RAM units if they are installed in particular order (in addition to being in right slots). I have my first 3 OCZ sticks numbered for that purpose. So, try and swap RAM units, or try just one stick and look up which slot(s) work in a single-channel mode.
2) Ask your friends for an extra VGA to confirm your suspicion. If they don't have one - invest $10-20 into a cheap used PCI-E card, like Radeon x1300 or similar and test both motherboards with it.
3) I am assuming you don't have a buzzer hooked up to your motherboard. It is probably a good time to find one and see if it beeps during startup. Then, just refer to user manual or Wikipedia for beep codes.

 

[Easy Rhino]

This is why I don't bother "cleaning" my computer. I maybe blow out the dust once every 4-5 months. It is perfectly fine.

 

[silentbogo]

This is why I don't bother "cleaning" my computer. I maybe blow out the dust once every 4-5 months. It is perfectly fine.

Maybe like once-a-year, when I get to cleaning my house and, most importantly, my work desk

 

[TheMailMan78]

This is why I don't bother "cleaning" my computer. I maybe blow out the dust once every 4-5 months. It is perfectly fine.

From what I have been told PCB of a mobo and GPU will handle almost a inch of dust before it starts effecting cooling and such. With that being said and me being a clean freak I blow out my rig about once every three months with a can of air. Never once has it crossed my mind to dip the thing in water!

My old man has a wood working shop and an old Pentium 2 in it. That thing was slap full of saw dust a while back and she booted right up. I suggest for the OP next time is just used compressed air and some pantyhose to cover the rig if you are that concerned with dust.

 

[64K]

I saw a guy post one time that he soaked his mobo in a sink with a little dish soap to clean it. It's not that hard to prevent dust/pet fur from clogging up your rig with regular blowing out with a can of compressed air.

 

[peche]

well using water for computer parts sounds completely insane … but it works … I was that kind of person who really doubts about this, then tried it out with a old filthy video card…. which is somewhere else in the office working…

there is some cautions on this topic, like removing everything in the motherboard possible, like CPU, Heat sink, ram modules and it’s a must to take OUT Bios battery like 1 hour prior to wash, cause it can store some charge on the motherboard, getting the pieces to dry at sun is a nice idea, I don’t trust so much the idea of bake them … also you can bathe them with isopropyl alcohol, without soap if filthiness is not rough ..

same for Vide cards, and all cards, take always Batteries, Modules attached to it , leave the motherboard as is comes new, nothing attached and again no Bios battery …

 

[OneMoar]

rofl
you dipped it in water and now it doesn't work
is this thread serious ?
de-ionized water doesn't help you at all its just as bad as tap water,because deionized water rapidly picks up free ion's from the metal and pcb and becomes conductive within a matter of seconds ..... so if there is any power left in the capacitors at all you are done ...


yes there is stories of people dipping parts in dishwater or running it through a dishwasher the thing is, those people are fucking retards .... as for the op the jury is still out

buy a new board and hope you didn't manage to kill the cpu and everything else powering it up with a shorted board
threads like this make me lose my faith in humanity

 

[Bill_Bright]

I know this has been all quite comical but I got the idea from here, TechSpot or Tom's and if you search I'm sure you'll find the info either there or as a general internet search.

Actually, I did search and I found nothing about cleaning PC motherboards or graphics cards with any type of water - except from other forum posters - that is, no electronics sites or motherboard makers. That is why I asked for a link.

And for the record, I don't think this is comical at all. I believe you when you say you read it somewhere but I feel they were spewing a bunch of BS. While those individual may have done it, and were successful, that does not suggest all electronics should be cleaned in that manner.

130°C (266°F) is still a bit high in my mind, but sitting on a bread board will block extreme direct heat rising from the burners below and only 15-20 minutes sounds reasonable. I have done something similar with notebooks (with battery removed) and keyboards that had liquids spilled on them, but my oven has a warm setting of 170°F (~77°C) and I have left them in there for hours to successfully dry them out. And at that temperature, I can even put a small fan in there to circulate the air for faster drying and even temperature distribution.

the problem with the oven is that water + heat = rust.

You don't need heat for rust. You only need oxygen and ferrous metals (rust is iron oxide). Water simply acts as an accelerant - in some cases. A warm oven will cause the water to evaporate much quicker than just letting the item sit in the room and that will help minimize rust developing. So slower drying is not recommended with ferrous metals. If water gets on it, you want it off immediately.

That said, I am not aware of any ferrous materials used on motherboards or graphics cards simply because corrosion (rust) can develop in normal, ambient, humid conditions - such as when raining outside but no air conditioning.

Here's a thread of mine from 2011 where I was asking about cleaning a Mobo, lot's of talk of dishwashers, soap, D/water etc:
Link.

Tom.

An interesting read but not one link went to any electronics site. Only to YouTube videos where the user was lucky all was well. I have cleaned circuit boards that had sticky soda spilled on them with water, but never by submerging them in bath tubs where the water has a chance to soak in. I would not trust there are no spots on the PCB that missed being treated with epoxy resins, or that a component is completely sealed unless they were designed for "under" water use.

And yes, deionized water is best for rinsing and will work, but again - I would not submerge electronics in it. Electronic boards and components designed for under water use are totally sealed. PC motherboards and cards are not designed for such use.

A battery operated vacuum and a plug in vacuum are no different when it comes to static discharge potentials. The static is created by the dust and air particles banging into the nozzle as they are sucked by, knocking off spare electrons, building up a charge. It has nothing to do with how the motor is powered as that is all isolated by the hose. When it is raining and I cannot lug dirty systems outside to blast with the air compressor, I use a vacuum. But I always wrap my hand around the nozzle with a finger sticking out that I plant on bare metal of the computer case interior. Then I use a soft natural brush to carefully brush the dust to the vacuum - keeping my finger firmly planted the whole time. This keeps the case, me, and the vacuum nozzle "at the same potential", preventing in static build-up so no electro-static discharge (ESD) can occur.

 

[sneekypeet]

I feel they were spewing a bunch of BS.

Yup, I come to TPU just to tell people how to break things....yeah, that seems about right.

Maybe one day Bill you will get out of your technical-condescending bubble and realize that the world evolves by trial and error, not by what you can find proof to on the internet of all things.
People, including myself, and many well known overclockers (world record holders) who throw components under water (to clean them) all of the time How else do you suppose they take all the vaseline off the motherboards?). If your logic was as solid as you assumed, then submerging a PC in oil is impossible to, or are all the youtube links to those edited to just look like its working!

 

[OneMoar]

Yup, I come to TPU just to tell people how to break things....yeah, that seems about right.

Maybe one day Bill you will get out of your technical-condescending bubble and realize that the world evolves by trial and error, not by what you can find proof to on the internet of all things.
People, including myself, and many well known overclockers (world record holders) who throw components under water all of the time How else do you suppose they take all the vaseline off the motherboards?). If your logic was as solid as you assumed, then submerging a PC in oil is impossible to, or are all the youtube links to those edited to just look like its working!

it can work if done by somebody with experience and done correctly
doing it simply because some idiot on youtube tells you its ok is a one way ticket to broken hardware I highly doubt the op coated his board in vaseline all he needed todo was get a can-o-air and dust it

 

[sneekypeet]

it can work if done by somebody with experience and done correctly
doing it simply because some idiot on youtube tells you its ok is a one way ticket to broken hardware

Trial by fire! As I said, you have to try things to see if it works. Whether you were good enough to ask all the questions prior to the endeavor is indeed a whole other issue. As to the other thread linked previously, it was a general discussion, and I still stand on the fact that it is more than possible to accomplish without hassle.

 

[natr0n]

I have washed old motherboards covered in dust with soapy water and rinsed. You got to leave gear a few days to dry sometimes.

If anything tiny bit of moisture wont let anything boot.