Removing thermal tape

Acetone? No, scrape off what you can with a plastic knife or other disposable plastic object with a flat edge. Then use rubbing alcohol and a clean coffee filter to clean off the thermal remaining residue.

whats so bad about acetone though? what could happen if i did use it? i just don't have any ispropyl alcohol at home and i can't out go out and buy it right now.

and when i am removing the thermal tape would i keep my CPU inside my mobo and not take it out of the mobo and place on a static bag or something?


my friend even told me using paper towels worked to remove thermal tape. all he did was make the paper towels a bit sharp and keep removing the tape until the paper was white.

netix, the best way to remove thermal paste is to firstly use toilet paper to remove the excess amounts of the paste off the surface. Then when that is done, use Isopropanol (found here) to really clean the rest of the paste off (most of which will be in the micro-cracks on the surface) using an anti-static cloth (such as a cleaning cloth for monitor screens). Acetone is something i really wouldn't advise...

use rubbing alcohol not acetone, much nicer on anything that it touches, acetone is a much stronger solvent and is often used to dissolve strong glues, it has the potential to cause harm to items or you if you arent in a well ventilated area. Depending on how the paste is applied you may just be able to wipe it off with a paper towel, if its the more solid stuff a plastic putty knife would do quite well, you can then use rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth to remove the rest.

dont take the CPU out because you dont wanna get any chemicals on the pins, use a q-tip and dip it in some chemical so its moist not dripping, apply it and let it sit for a few seconds, then take a softmicrofiber cloth or coffee filter and rub the residue off, DO all that after you scrape as much as you can off with a plastic knife or something like that.

DON'T do the job when your not prepped to do it. its stupid to do something like that half assed without the right tools at hand. wait and get the right things, whats another day? don't be lazy.

agh sigh just typed up a paragraph and it got deleted by accident  

anyways i'm gonna go to CVS tomorrow morning and buy Isopropyl Alcohol 91% http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.j...

now, what are the steps when removing the HSF and overall just cleaning out my CPU?