Processor connecting pin stuck in motherboard socket

vincio_filiarum

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Good Afternoon!

I'm a long-time reader of these forums (on and off for several years now) but I've never felt the need to post until today. I have a rather annoying problem, and I'm hoping that someone will be able to provide advice.

One afternoon last week, having just finished a session of BF2142, my computer (see sig for specs) just went black. Fans were still running, but nothing would show up on the monitor. I tried changing the Gfx Card, but that had no effect, but the MSI board I have has an external LED bracket that brooadcasts error codes - this said it was a processor problem. So I ordered the only Socket 754 processor available to buy (a Sempron 3000+) to swap for my Athlon 3200.

I've come to today to try and install it, I removed the previous heatsink, and took out the broken processor, but the Sempron just wouldnt fit in easily. Half of it would fit, but the top Right-hand-side wouldnt. I didn't want to force it, so I tried the original again... it fitted like a dream.

On examination of the bottom of the original 3200+, theres a broken pin missing... which is stuck in the socket of the motherboard, just poking above the plastic. This, I'm assuming is why my ClawHammer failed last tuesday; I'm also assuming thats why the sempron won't fit in. The question is... how do I get it out?

The obvious solution is to get a new motherboard and processor - but all of my files (music, photos, videos, my Masters Thesis) are on my raid drives... which I believe will go if I switch boards. Besides, I was wanting to wait for Nehalem before going down that route. My Clawhammer may have been old and deeply flawed (single-channel matched-memory only anyone??) but it worked for what I wanted it to do (played BF2142 on full; played Oblivion on full with 300+ mods, although thats the 1950 pro, really - point is its enough for my needs). So ideally, I'd like to put the sempron in, get my files off, and then either use that, or grab an E2140 and try for 3.2....

So, to the questions: are there any solutions to removing this b*thard pin? it is just about sticking up above the socket plastic... if I were to get minaiture tweezers and a magnifying glass, would that cause any damage? What, in your collective opinion, is likely to help?

All advice greatly appreciated - many thanks in advance.

Vincio_Filliarum
 

drnoobfragger

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Sounds like a bad week.

Yess actualy, as long as you ground your self to the case and pull the pin straight out no harm should come. yet be careful as to any static discharged into the pin could fry the mobo, if it already isnt from the pin breaking off.
 
Good Afternoon!

I'm a long-time reader of these forums (on and off for several years now) but I've never felt the need to post until today. I have a rather annoying problem, and I'm hoping that someone will be able to provide advice.

One afternoon last week, having just finished a session of BF2142, my computer (see sig for specs) just went black. Fans were still running, but nothing would show up on the monitor. I tried changing the Gfx Card, but that had no effect, but the MSI board I have has an external LED bracket that brooadcasts error codes - this said it was a processor problem. So I ordered the only Socket 754 processor available to buy (a Sempron 3000+) to swap for my Athlon 3200.

I've come to today to try and install it, I removed the previous heatsink, and took out the broken processor, but the Sempron just wouldnt fit in easily. Half of it would fit, but the top Right-hand-side wouldnt. I didn't want to force it, so I tried the original again... it fitted like a dream.

On examination of the bottom of the original 3200+, theres a broken pin missing... which is stuck in the socket of the motherboard, just poking above the plastic. This, I'm assuming is why my ClawHammer failed last tuesday; I'm also assuming thats why the sempron won't fit in. The question is... how do I get it out?

The obvious solution is to get a new motherboard and processor - but all of my files (music, photos, videos, my Masters Thesis) are on my raid drives... which I believe will go if I switch boards. Besides, I was wanting to wait for Nehalem before going down that route. My Clawhammer may have been old and deeply flawed (single-channel matched-memory only anyone??) but it worked for what I wanted it to do (played BF2142 on full; played Oblivion on full with 300+ mods, although thats the 1950 pro, really - point is its enough for my needs). So ideally, I'd like to put the sempron in, get my files off, and then either use that, or grab an E2140 and try for 3.2....

So, to the questions: are there any solutions to removing this b*thard pin? it is just about sticking up above the socket plastic... if I were to get minaiture tweezers and a magnifying glass, would that cause any damage? What, in your collective opinion, is likely to help?

All advice greatly appreciated - many thanks in advance.

Vincio_Filliarum

So, to the questions: are there any solutions to removing this b*thard pin? it is just about sticking up above the socket plastic... if I were to get minaiture tweezers and a magnifying glass, would that cause any damage? What, in your collective opinion, is likely to help?

You will likely end up with a new MB and processor. The broken pin remaining in the MB CPU socket did not just 'break off' under normal circumstances. If applying force to remove the broken pin with a tweezer doesn't remove it, you likely have a damaged MB. The MB (cpu socket) is likely damaged considering what you have described as an unexplained broken processor pin remaining in the MB's CPU socket.
 

jjnguy13

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This might be a really bad suggestion....but it might work.

Find the corresponding position of the broken pin on your new Sempron. Then clip or sand that pin down until you can get the new CPU to fit in the socket. It sounds risky. But its only a $40 CPU....

Good luck!
 

eric54

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Another technique i've heard of is using a mechanical pencil. But if tweasers work than all the power to ya. Its really odd that a pin would just fall off during regular use. It makes me wonder if it broke when it was first installed. Some of those pins arent necessary for the computer to function, maybe when the computer was moved around the pin slid a shorted out an adjacent one, in any case let us know if you manage to rescue your thesis.
 

1haplo

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If you cannot get that motherboard to work You can save the data on the RAID drives. Active@ Undelete File Recovery will let you assemble the RAID in the software as long as you DO NOT FORMAT the drives. Just install as NON-RAID disks in the computer (or another computer) that has enough space free to copy all your files that need to be recovered. My P4C800 went south on me a few months ago and that’s how I saved all the stuff I had on that RAID 0.

Good luck.
1Haplo
 

vincio_filiarum

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Sounds like a bad week.

Heh heh.. tell me about it... and it gets worse...

Right, first off, thank you to all who posted advice here - I've managed to get the offending pin out... and then something really strange happened...

Using all your suggestions (and with the help of my brother) I turned the board upside-down and took the tweezers to it - this removed the offending pin, and I was able to re-seat the sepron perfectly, lock it, apply thermalpaste\HSF and re-assemble the computer.

I re-wired the inside, connected up all the cables, HDD, Gfx card, put the side back on the case, wired up the PSU, monitor, keyboard and mouse, pressed the "on" switch and... nothing.

ah heck.

Aha, thinks I, theres a switch I have to press to switch the PSU on - I'll do that... so I do, and... nothing.

Hmmm.... normally, when you switch the PSU on, that switch glows green, to show theres electricity connected; and it wasnt turning green. So I figured the fuse had gone on the plug. Luckily, I had a spare lead, so I tried that in the PSU's mains socket. Plugged it in, switched the mains on, turned the PSU on...

...and BANG!!!!!!!

out comes a puff of smoke from the PSU...

Now, note I haven't pressed the power button on the case - this is solely the PSU switch thats being fiddled with... do any of you have any ideas???

Luckily I have a spare PSU... but what are the odds of having stuff survive...?

Thanks once again, for before and for the future...

Vincio_filiarum
 

vincio_filiarum

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You can try to face the board down and lock and unlock, with some luck it may just fall out.

Luck, and some tweezers from my brother - thank you for the suggestion though.

Another technique i've heard of is using a mechanical pencil. But if tweasers work than all the power to ya.

Yep - tweezers work! Very small ones....

Its really odd that a pin would just fall off during regular use. It makes me wonder if it broke when it was first installed. Some of those pins arent necessary for the computer to function, maybe when the computer was moved around the pin slid a shorted out an adjacent one

And two months outside the three-year warranty... damnit...

in any case let us know if you manage to rescue your thesis

Will-do squire... thank you for your concern.
 

vincio_filiarum

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If you cannot get that motherboard to work You can save the data on the RAID drives.

That's the best news I've heard all week - 1Haplo thank you, you've given me hope... assuming my PSU-Blow-Out didn't fry 'em.

What is this Active@ Undelete File Recovery? is it native to Windows or is it some 3rd party software - admittedly I haven't looked on google yet (will do so after writing this though) but even so, past users' experiences are even better for understanding how something works.

Thank you for this - The only thing that I'm really bothered about is my thesis - I have it in hard copy, but my other electronic copy is a 2nd draft... and much has changed since then... But still, 250 Gb of stuff is still a lot of history to throw away.... but with any luck...

but then again... perhaps luck ain't with me (see PSU ref for details....) :lol:

Heh heh - have fun,
Vincio_Filiarum
 

misiu_mp

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If the PSU was connected to the motherboard when it exploded it could damage the motherboard. But there is a great chance it didnt,

Just try it out with a different PSU.

There is a lesson to learn: if a fuse blows on a PSU it is usually for a reason. And that reason will not disappear when you replace the fuse. So dont just try replacing the fuse next time whithout severe testing of the PSU before plugging it back into the motherboard.
 

1haplo

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Here is the link to the Active@ Undelete File Recovery. It is well worth the money if you lose a motherboard a RAID setup.

www.file-recovery.net

Good luck.