Took apart computer, cleaned it, now monitors don't come on, keyboard

Hello everyone,

I took apart my computer today for its yearly dusting and clean. I put everything together which I thought perfectly, but my monitors are not coming on or at first said no signal, mouse and keyboard don't work or the keyboard doesn't light up, but my computer turns on. I looked inside I don't see any errors or any unusual color lights on. So I'm not sure.

I was thinking maybe I ruined the video card or maybe my CPU wasn't hooked correctly but I thought I did. Not sure. Would love to get your thoughts on it.

Thank you very much.

Did you plug all the power supply cables back into the motherboard? Especially the 4-pin 12-volt connector?

NavyLCDR said:

Did you plug all the power supply cables back into the motherboard? Especially the 4-pin 12-volt connector?

Hey NavyLCDR,

Good to see u again! Thanks for your assistance!

I have both my power connectors hooked up.

I noticed that I had a memory LED light on and I looked at my manual. Looks like I might have a memory problem. Not sure how that happened as my computer was working before. What are your thoughts on that?

Thank you again.

Another update, not sure if I should've done this, but I was taking out the memory one by one and restarting to see if I can find a faulty one. But for some reason I am getting the CPU LED light on and then I'm starting to smell a burnt smell. Maybe I will just unhook the CPU again and re-put it back and see if that helps. I'll have to do that a little bit have something I have to do at this moment.

Thank you again!

swarfega said:

How did you clean it, what materials and types did you use?

Make sure everything is seated properly and give a visual inspection of the motherboard to make sure theres nothing untoward.

Thank you swarfega! I really appreciate your time and help.

I took all the parts apart and I use my brand-new dirt devil that has a suction to it and removed the dust from all the parts. On the CPU I removed the old thermal compound and then applied a little alcohol to the center to clean it. Then I reapplied a new batch. I then started to put all the parts back together. That's pretty much it.

I will take apart my cooler and CPU and reput them back and see what happens.

I will make sure I give a close look at them on the board as well. As soon as I'm done I will back in if there's anything else you think of please let me know. Thank you so much.

mrje1 said:

I took all the parts apart and I use my brand-new dirt devil that has a suction to it and removed the dust from all the parts.

Never, ever use a vacuum cleaner on the interior parts of a computer. There is enough electrostatic build-up at the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner to seriously damage the internal parts in a computer, if not destroy them completely. Especially if you are using the brush attachment.

If your power cabling all checks out and your memory turns out to work, and the computer still won't start, you've likely blown up something on the motherboard by using the vacuum. The burning smell you describe concerns me. What I would do is take out the motherboard and use a magnifying glass and look at the motherboard close up and see if there are any burned looking, or charred components. Do the same with the graphics card. If it all looks ok, put the motherboard back and power it up without the CPU, RAM and graphics card. Then see if you can still smell something burning. Add components back in and check for a burning smell at each phase. Save the CPU for last.

You should only clean your computer with compressed air on the inside and a soft, damp cloth for wiping down the outside of the case. Never a vacuum.

Or one could use a toner vacuum but they are not cheap.
toner vacuum at DuckDuckGo
A treatise about them:
SER FAQ: PRINTFAQ: Warnings about vacuuming copier toner

Check out the electronic duster from NewEgg. It's like a mini leaf blower. About $50, but you never have to buy compressed air again.