PC not starting up - could it be due to the thermal paste?

HI,

I have a AMD X2 4000+ AM2 and am currently using the stock heatsink and fan that came with the CPU. Recently my PC hasn't been starting up - it turns on for 2 seconds and then switches off, and then it wont turn on for a while, it will go through the same process of turning on for a few seconds and then turns off again. I read up on a forum that it could be due to the CPU overheating, so I took out all the components and put them back in properly one by one. I got to seperating the CPU and heatsink and saw that the thermal paste didnt look like it was applied properly. Click on the images below for what it looks like.

http://img207.imageshack.us/my.php [...] 003jx7.jpg
http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php [...] 005sz2.jpg

I read that some thermal pastes can cause a short circuit. I am currently using the stock thermal paste that came with the CPU and am not sure whether to buy OCZ FreeZe thermal paste.

Some thermal paste compounds can cause a short.... although that is really not a realistic happening with processors that have an IHS (integrated heat spreader) such as the processor that you have (as pictured) The application pictures that you link to show a good application.... nothing wrong there.... Did you make any changes to the bios prior to this non start problem? I would do a CMOS reset... and if the problem still exists then I would suspect either a short or a bad power supply....

did you change the jumper to clear the cmos? just removing the battery doesn't always do it.

Also start from the ground up, so 1 stick of ram (try both alternately), just the vid card, no cd drives, 1 hdd etc. and then see what happens.

sorry its mobo specific, check the manual...

Try removing the hard drive and dvd-rom power cables and only let the mobo, cpu, ram , and gpu run. See if the problem still exist.

Have you checed the power supply for proper voltages or if it is bad? Undervolting a cpu will cause it to heat up as well as burn it out.... You might want to check your voltages....and have some of the items in case connected at the time to verify the voltages are good under load.......

In general terms... if the it starts to power up and then shuts down there is a short somewhere or a bad component...... if you do not know how to turn on the power supply separately by using a jumper (with all of the plugs removed from the board and components) then I would try a different power supply although I do not feel this is the problem. Perhaps a better course of action would be to attempt to boot the board up with absolutely nothing installed but 1 stick of memory and the cpu... this means no video card as well..... The board should attempt to boot up but should also give you a beep code if you have a speaker attached to the header on the motherboard..... BUT it will stay on...... if it does not stay on then I would suspect the board itself. Without knowing all of the specifics of your system... it is a shot in the dark.... one would really need to know more to troubleshoot it accurately....

@Shabaa - Well ive tried doing that already, i started with nothing but the CPU and then added 1 stick of RAM then 2 then the Graphics Card but still the same problem, does that mean that it could be the motherboard?