How to Clean the CPU-Heatsink on a Toshiba1955-S805 by Chain

8/2/2019 How to Clean the CPU-Heatsink on a Toshiba1955-S805 by Chain

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How to clean your computer's heatsink guide - Toshiba 1955-S805 and compatiblesor,... How to get rid of the SHUT DOWN problem on Toshiba Laptops by CH@IN

Some days ago, a friend of mine complained about his computer turning off on its own. This is not the first time

it happened to him, but lately this occures more and more often, sometimes even just after 5 minutes of

operation, making this 16 inch LCD laptop unreliable and useless.

He was very upset and was about to throw his laptop away because he would never have enough time to backup

his work before the computer would shut off on its own.

A quick search on the Internet confirmed, what I was asuming: He was not the only one facing this shut down

problem with this specific Toshiba model. Instead of finding solutions on the internet, I found mostly complains

and threats with demands for a money refund...

First, let's understand why a computer would turn off on its own. Actually, it's a protection to safe the hardware

components from excess temperature. Whenever the CPU (Central Processing Unit) realizes high temperature

increase, it signals a power shutdown to protect itself from damage. Although the hardware is saved, our

currently open documents (like Microsoft Word, Excel) are lost. It's up to you to decide which case of damage

is worse...

In cases like the above, I first check the ventilator inside the Laptop for normal operation because if it gets

broken, stuck or dirty (i.e. from nicotin layers making the ventblades heavy and unbalanced), the heat is trapped

inside the case and the CPU temperature increases which causes the computer to shut-down on its own. A quick

solution is to use a regular vacuum cleaner and hold it towards the airvent INLET in order to remove the dust

and the dirt from inside. Never use the full suction power but only about half or less to avoid damage. Also

have your computer turned off during this procedure. Cool airflow IS VERY IMPORTANT for a laptop.

Your computer might work better now and hopefully will not shut off as often as before, but in order to do it

the right way, we will attempt to clean our laptop like the professionals:

How to clean your computer's heatsink guide - Toshiba 1955-S805 and compatibles

or,... How to get rid of the SHUT DOWN problem on Toshiba Laptops by CH@IN

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Ok, it's about time to start with my cleaning guide for the Toshiba Satellite 1955-S80x series. It can be done by

anybody as long as you know how to avoid static electricity and are willing to spend a few bucks for a special

screwdriver named T-6. I do not want to be held responsible for any possible damages caused to your Laptop,

directly or indirectly by making use of the instructions given in this manual,...although I believe it's quite

simple even for a 10year old kid without any help from an adult. Sometimes kids are smarter than their parents

in technical terms, but this is another story... :)

It is YOUR investment so it's up to you to decide if you are up to this risk. Just to warn you enough:

IT WILL DESTROY YOUR LAPTOP if not done carefully, also opening the CPU HEAT SINK cover of

your laptop might void your warranty, so be WARNED.

Enough talking, let's start with the guide:

First of all, disconnect your POWER SUPPLY and REMOVE THE BATTERY from your computer. After

doing this, press once on the power button to empty any remaining electricity from components inside your

Laptop. (I know, it won't turn on without power...)

Now you can turn your computer upside down, and locate the ventilator opening. We will need to find the

plasticcover of the CPU which should be to your right now (Toshiba 1955-S80x) or, rule of the thumb,

wherever the hot air comes out of a Laptop.

On the Toshiba's 1955-S80x series the CPU cover is secured with two screws that look like a tiny star with six

cuts. You will need a special tool to open this kind of screws (this screwdriver is usualy on stock in electronic

stores because it can be used to open the housing of mobile phones, too). Remember when buying, it's a T06 or

(TORX) T-6, if uncertain how to ask for it, take your laptop or any Sony-Ericsson phone and show the screw to

the guy in the store. Cheap Torx screwdriver sets are even available at one-dollar-shops.

You can see my tool on the picture below. Try to avoid destroying the screwheads with wrong equipment. Youmight need to open the case after some months again.You will also need a Phillips screwdriver for the screws

we will find inside the laptop.

Now that we have located the CPU cover, we are ready to start our disassembling/cleaning project. Open the

two screws as seen on the picture and lift the cover by putting your fingernail or a coin into the slot between the

two screws.



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This will uncover the CPU-heatsink as you can see on the picture below. The heatsink is secured with eight

phillips screws. The middle ones are shorter than the outside screws. ONLY the four outside screws keep the

heatsink attached to the computer case and should be removed to release the CPU, but you can also remove all

screws to release the clamp, too (see picture). Pay attention not to drop anything inside the computer case. I

have placed the bottom clamp and some screws on the cover for illustration and to show you where the short,

and where the longer ones go. As I said, only the long screws need to be removed (not the one that my

screwdriver is in on the picture). The short ones are optional and will only remove the clamp.



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You should also remember where is up and where is down on the heatsink. Although you can't place it the

wrong way, like this you won't cause unnecessary force on the pins when reassembling. In my case, the label

was towards the inside of the laptop. On the pictures you can also see the sink-blades which appear to be clean.

I underline the word appear because the dirt is on the other side of the sink as you will see on later pictures.

Now that you have removed all screws, it's time to lift the CPU block from the computer. In order to release the

sink, you should hold the CPU block by its sides and swing it carefully to the left and to the right while pulling

it to the top. Pay attention to the silver cover with the sticker as it is only glued on the sink and will easily bend

if you pull on it. You can use a screwdriver under the copper to assist you to lift the sink. Take time and extra

care not to detach the CPU from the heatsink while lifting. It might need some force, but I believe most of youhave detached a Processor from it's socket in the past and are familiar with this pulling feeling. Remember that

we are now handling static electricity sensitive devices so be sure to touch ground before and while handling

the sink. You should now see something like on the picture below:



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Let's start with the cleaning...

Get some cotton sticks and start cleaning the dust and dirt from the square plastic air channel. If you do it

carefully, you can sense the ventilator with the sticks. Just block the vent-blades from rotating with one stick

and use a second one to wipe the dirt off. Avoid bringing the dust and dirt back into your computer and NEVER

use any fluid like alcohol to clean. On the picture below you can also see the plastic cover upside down. The

metal inlay is very dirty and, if you want to, you can clean that one, too. ;)

Ok, now that we have removed the dirt from the case let's inspect the CPU-heatsink. It is full with tiny blades

and has a grey paste (see red arrows) that keeps the CPU attached to the heatsink. I would suggest NOT TO

REMOVE THE CPU FROM THE SINK. In case you accidently detach the chip, you will have to apply new

paste (thermal grease) available at electronic- or computer stores. This paste is responsible to secure the proper

thermoflow between CPU and Heatsink. [*see comment by cj2600]

[*comment 1: cj2600 suggests in order to do a complete and safe cleaning: Detach the CPU from the heatsink and always replace the old thermoflow paste with new one. When you reinsertthe CPU into its socket, do so without the heatsink attached to prevent bending the processor pins. After the CPU is back in its normal place, apply new thermopaste and attach the heatsink onthe top. @ cj2600: Thank you for this comment. FYI: The socket used in this model of Toshiba does not have a lock]



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As you can see on the following picture, this side of the heatsink is clean because this is the side where the

AIR gets OUT of the computer. The dirt and dust is stuck on the other side.

Are you ready to see WHAT is causing the shut-off problem on your Computer? ;)

Here is a picture from the other side of the sink. No, there is no filter (although it looks like it). What you see is

100% pure dirt and dust. I have lifted the top left corner of the dirt to show you the amount of dust that is

blocking the normal air-flow. The removing of this layer is what a laptop service center is charging you money

for.



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On the following pictures, you can see the progress of cleaning the sink. I used for this a long needle and went

into each of the blades several times until the dirt was completely removed. You can blow some air into it too,

just remember to AVOID touching the pins of the CPU.

It should become totaly seethrough by the time you have finished with it. You can see the dirt I already

removed in the backround. (cleaning still under progress)



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Now, that everything is clean and shiny it's time to put everything back into the case. Push the CPU carefully

back into the socket. Don't use ANY force instead you should make sure you do not put it back upside-down.

The sink-holes should be aligned with the clamp-holes before you tighten the screws softly back into their

position. Before you start screwing them back in, you should make a small counterclockwise turn (like

unscrewing) to make sure they will follow the correct path (grid) back inside. If you sense any kind of difficult

turning, don't force it, instead, you should unscrew and startover again. Also, remember that the middle screws

are the short ones. While screwing in, make sure you can continously see through the holes of the long screws.

Don't tighten up any screw before ALL of them are back in their places. Like this, it's easier to correct the

alignment of the clamp. You might want to use a magnetic screwdriver as the tiny parts easily drop off.

When all screws are back in place, insert the battery and then the power supply. Start your computer and run a

power consuming application and leave your computer on for several hours. If your problems are gone, drop

me a Hello into my mail. This might want to make me write some other guides, too.

Good luck and regards

CH@IN

P.S.: If you are a Laptop designer, how about making the Ventilator inside a Laptop rotate for a few seconds (during booting) the other direction so that dust that istrapped could get out on its own.... Or a dual vent Laptop that would change the airflow direction... just a suggestion. :)

All pictures are made from a Toshiba Satellite 1955-S805 with a NIKON D70 in low quality and are

Copyright 2006 by CH@IN . The only reason for me to release the copyright would be for a wikipedia entry.

This manual was written with OpenOffice 2.0 without using the spellcheck. (Sorry for typos guys :) and

converted to PDF with the same OpenOffice PDF Export function.

Manual Version 1.00c

Source and home of this file at: http://electrochain.googlepages.com/toshibafan



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How to Clean the CPU-Heatsink on a Toshiba1955-S805 by Chain

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