Urgent! Cotton wool in cpu socket

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kyle
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Can't you just put the motherboard in a dishwasher ? I've seen someone do something similar to get rid of insulating gum on here before. Just put it in the oven at 40-50° later.
 
I wouldn't use compressed air, as someone said it may make it go in deeper, and depending on the quality of you compressed air it may have moisture (water or oil) present, which you don't want near your socket. The water would dry quick enough though, the oil not so.

A vacuum cleaner and velcro are your best bets (dab the velcro, don't scrape!). Or as mentioned magnifying glass and small tweezers, toothpick kinda idea. A cursory check for bent pins when your done would be advisable too!
 
i feel like this turned more into a humorous thread than any serious stuff. at best you just don't do any of that stuff anyone tells you here and you sit down in a corner and think about what you've done! and then you can spend 14 hours getting every last bit of wool out of that socket.
 
Soft toothbrush to comb it out or velcro are the best solutions imo. And at the beginning of the thread there were some serious suggestions.
 
Velcro or needle is the best idea although i love the setting fire to it attitude :) and yeh compressed air normally gets water vapor inside.
 
I use a soft fine paint brush for cleaning. Lightly brush it. Also tape may work. More like Scotch tape, not duct tape, too sticky. Don't press the tape down to leave a residue, just lightly touch the cotton with it.
 
Why would you clean you cpu socket...especially with cotton wool???
That comment with sheep was the best for me so far:D
 
I shouldn't laugh but it's so hard not to.

As for a solution on how to get rid of it, I would suggest a strong magnifying glass and use a combination of small tweezers, wooden toothpick and if possible a non metal needle or pin and take your time with it.

You should be able to get atleast 99% of it out, but be carefull not to bend any of the pins unless you are able to bend them back without snapping them.
 
don't whatever you do, hoover it.. STATIC STICK!

Velcro could work

You can get ESD safe vacuum cleaners, but obviously I'm not suggesting the OP go and buy one. Vacuum cleaners can be safe enough for very short periods and if used properly.

The OP should just go an buy a new f##king motherboard if he hasn't already.
 
You can get ESD safe vacuum cleaners, but obviously I'm not suggesting the OP go and buy one. Vacuum cleaners can be safe enough for very short periods and if used properly.

The OP should just go an buy a new f##king motherboard if he hasn't already.

I'm kinda with you on this one, you learn your lesson way better when you have to suffer, in this case by paying for a new mobo. but at the same time that would be a huge waste of money. let him just pick each string out of that socket, good training for precise fingers.
 
IMHO opinion, you should get another mobo and never touch your socket again. There should never be a need to.
As someone has already said, if you run it your socket will certainly get hot enough to burn the wool, leave residue and gases that will fuck the pins up, probably bending them. Cleaning it would be a near impossible task. Velcro is a fantastic idea and is worth the try if you are very careful. Air could push it deeper, hoovers I doubt would do much and you don't have enough years of life left to pick it out with tweezers.
You could try and RMA it for a new one. I know this sounds silly, and might not work, but if you talk personally with the company, it might be possible. The board works fine, and they should have the resources to restore it properly and sell it again. Although it is a long shot.
 
A hoover,and knock up some kind of rudimentary nozzle so it fits right over the socket, so it seals it over the board. And personally for cleaning any thing delicate I use a fine flat makeup brush.
 
A hoover,and knock up some kind of rudimentary nozzle so it fits right over the socket, so it seals it over the board. And personally for cleaning any thing delicate I use a fine flat makeup brush.

That is the same type brush I use...um...for cleaning things, not for my make-up. :) My Ex wife left some new ones of differing sizes behind and they work great for delicate areas. The last thing I would do is get a new MB as some suggest. That type brush and as I said before, Scotch brand type tape to gently grab the fuzzies will work. I'm nearly 58, been fixing computers and other electronic equipment and peoples weird screw-ups for decades, especially when I was a factory service specialist. This is a simple problem in my opinion. I'd fix it in 5 to 10 minutes.
 
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