"New CPU Installed!" ...not really, BIOS...

Hello all! I haven't formally introduced myself or my new setup in the welcome thread, but I'm having a little issue.

I put together a new rig a few weeks ago and everything has been going swimmingly. Today I just switched out the stock cooler for a new Corsair A70 heatsink. I'm a first-timer on most of this pc-build, so I was very concerned when, while cleaning the old thermal paste off the CPU, (outside the mobo if you're wonder how newbie lol) I got some on a couple pins. I just cleaned it extra well, with Q-tips and isopropyl alcohol, til I could see no trace. I plugged everything back in, and thank God nothing seems to have "fried."

When I booted up, my mobo came up with black screen full of white text, and at the bottom, a message: "New CPU Installed!" with options to enter BIOS or load defaults. No biggie, I thought. I was headed into BIOS anyway, but didn't see any options for the 2 huge CPU fans this Corsair A70 has. Oh well. I saved & exited. The computer rebooted. This time I hit a black screen with only that message and the options to enter BIOS, or load defaults. Vicious cycle. The only way I can continue booting is to load defaults now. When it does boot, Windows says it installed the new driver for the newfound hardware just fine, but upon restart it-- you guessed it-- yet again thinks it's a new CPU.

Any ideas or things I could check/try?

Here's at least the important specs:
Mobo: M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
CPU: AMD Phenom II x6 1090T BE
Need more info, lemme know.

I just realized that this site suggested a similar thread, http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=559456, where very probably this is my solution. The new heatsink isn't applying as much pressure as the old one.

I can attest to that, as the stock one was incredibly difficult to get on, and the Corsair A70 brace snapped in place so easily. I've already tried just reinstalling the hardware pieces themselves, to no avail. I checked that the swing arm is in the locked position. Anything else I can do to tighten this Corsair A70?

I can't give it up, my cpu temps went from ~110F to ~85F!

I would try to clean the cpu again, and inspect the socket to see if any managed its way into one of the holes. Maybe the cooler mount is causing uneven pressure on the cpu and it is not sitting properly in the socket. Does it happen when you put the stock cooler back on?

Regarding fan monitoring, you can only monitor one fan per socket, and will not be able to see both in the BIOS under the cpu header. The only way around that is to use a chassis fan header for the secondary fan.

The first thing I would also try is to clear BIOS and remove the CMOS battery. Bring the mobo to a default state, unplug all drives and unnecessary hardware, and just try to get it to POST and restart without going into Windows.

Thanks, I'll try all of that and post how it goes.

Btw, when I select to load defaults and continue, it has been working correctly there and booting Windows, and performance seems the same (except cooler temps now). But what good is having an awesome cooler when you can't overclock cuz it must keep RE-loading defaults, ya know? Anyway, I'm guessing that if it was some interference from the thermal paste, it can't be too bad cuz it still essentially runs.

Back into the case, ttyl.

Well, resetting the jumpers didn't change anything. I couldn't get the stock cooler back on cuz it was too hard, and I figured I could try just 1 thing at a time. Even if the stock cooler does get rid of the new cpu installed message, that still doesn't mean the Corsair will have no issue. =/ I'm checking their forums as well. Thanks again! Any other ideas lemme know.

You don't need to run at default settings once everything is working fine. That step is just to make sure you are starting from a clean slate, so to speak. Putting the stock cooler back on, and having it work correctly, eliminates the hardware or software as the culprit. That would only leave the Corsair cooler as the cause. Because a few people run them here without issues, it means its a problem you could solve. That is assuming something with the mount is not broken. If you post a picture of the setup, maybe someone will notice something you haven't.

Okay, so I actually got the stock back on. I ended up having to unscrew the bracket, snap the cooler to the bracket, then screw it all back to the mobo. I'm always so afraid I'm going to snap the motherboard. Normally I have to press so hard with stock see-sawing latch til the metal bends, and hurts my fingers too... Sorry, just reeeally didn't want to have to go through that again.

So I booted up, got the same message. Loaded defaults, continued to boot, logged on, then I shut down. Upon starting up again, same message. Since this is with the old stock one, does that mean there's something up with the cpu or mobo?

If it is doing it with the stock cooler, then yes, it is an issue with either the cpu or mobo. To make things easier, lay the motherboard on a box and test it externally. When you enter the BIOS, does the clock/date reset each time to an early date without touching anything? Is so, then the battery on the motherboard might be bad. Since it just started doing it, its unlikely, but also a thing to check. Also, remove all but one RAM stick from your machine and try to boot with that.

can you post a closeup of the cpu and socket?

I'm at school right now. I'm going to try to reclean the cpu and mobo again when I get home. I also did find a nearby shop that can professionally clean the cpu & mobo for $49, but considering one of the reasons I got this cooler was that it was only $25... Doh.

For right now, I can tell you that when I've entered the BIOS all those times, the date/time has been correct. When I reset the jumpers, it did reset the date/time as it should have. I corrected the date/time, and any restarts since then have still had the correct date/time.

I can post a pic later, & switch out the memory. Btw, what should booting with removed memory tell me?

There are occasions when the computer will act strange after a reset if there is more than one memory module installed. The motherboard ships with preset timings, and sometimes the specs on the memory modules do not match what is set in the system. This can cause failure to boot the first time. It is also more of a precaution when trying to find the cause. The less hardware attached to a system, the easier it is to isolate the problem. Any new system I put together, I always just start with the cpu, mobo, video and one ram module for the first turn on.

Its also worth a shot to update the firmware of your motherboard. If something got corrupted on your BIOS chip, but it still allows you to POST, then you can flash new firmware. HERE is the link to the firmware page for your board on the ASUS site. Im pretty sure all ASUS boards have a utility built in now. You can enter when you first turn on the computer at the same time you press DEL to get into BIOS. I think you can also enter the utility when in the POST setup screen.

Wait, are you understanding me correctly? It does allow me to fully boot up. I'm using this rig right now actually.
& actually a friend of mine is going to come over tomorrow to take a look at everything with me. Plus I have a project due tomorrow. Thanks for all the info though. I'll keep in touch later. =)

I am assuming that your rig powers up, allows you to POST and load into Windows. When you shut the computer off, then power it back on, it gives you a message that says 'new cpu installed'. My understanding was that it thinks there is new cpu, and keeps using default settings. Most of the steps I described are precautionary, but also part of a common checklist of things to do when troubleshooting. If you are up and running back to normal, thats great. Now overclock that thing, and post some results.

noxqzs said:

There are occasions when the computer will act strange after a reset if there is more than one memory module installed.

Click to expand...

Reminds me of my Asus A7V8X-X when I put an earlier T'bred 2400+ (a "03") with unlocked multiplier and lower the multiplier and raise the FSB from 133 Mhz to 166 Mhz. It will then fail on warm boot and I must turn it off then back on.

noxqzs said:

This can cause failure to boot the first time.

Click to expand...

I just had similar stuff going on when I disabled the CPU load line calibration with my Asus P5QL Pro.
I get a cold boot failure.
If the PC's been off then I turn it on, I get nothing but blank screen!

I'm required to have load line calibration, except maybe if I increase the Vcore to a crazy level.

It sounds like either your board has a bad pin or two on the socket, or you didn't clean it good enough, and you may have corrupted the bios, in which case you will need to flash, or reflash if you want to keep your current bios.

Either way you should flash the bios and see if that clears things up...BTW, is your board still under warranty? If so, that may be your last option...or if your bios chip is removable, you can get a new bios chip customized to your board.
good luck,
Doc

Sounds like your CPU pad or pins on the motherboard are not correct i would check that.

Maybe it's the CR2032 battery clip.

(The clip that holds the battery and is also the contact for the positive.)

I had this once, with a s775 mobo. But the time and date resets every cold boot, not on a reboot. I took the battery out and meassured the voltage, which was good. Put a different one in to be sure, which was 3 years old, and worked fine. Decided to put the original one back in, board was just a month old, and worked fine also from then on. Apparently the clip can have a loose connection now and then on certain mainboards, causing this. Could happen while fiddling with cards and fans inside your case etc.
I was under the impression if one or two cpu pins were broken or bend, the system would not boot or give obvious errors?