After doing a standard reflow on the main video chip, the issues with the monitor ceased, further confirming that this model suffered from the same issues the Gateway version did. While testing I decided to test out the temps the chip was generating. Turns out that the main video chip was sitting at between 90°-102°C most of the time if left on for more than 30 minutes or so. No big wonder why it fails so often. Due to this, we decided to rig up a cooling system for our customer to keep his $1200 monitor from burning out before it’s time.

We chose a Thermaltake Spirit A100 chipset cooler to accomplish the task, mainly because it was the perfect size to fit the chip’s dimensions exactly, and also would blend in nicely with the rest of the casing (other than the bright blue lights)

First thing we did was to wire the fan up to a USB cable (since this LCD has onboard USB ports) from which to pull voltage. All of the LCD’s internal voltages were far too high to hook up a bitty 40mm fan to, so instead we opted for a non-invasive low-voltage approach instead.

Tt Spirit A100 all wired up and ready to go

Next we had to cut a hole in the case the proper size for the fan and heatsink to rest on the chipset. I used a standard dremel rotary tool with a carbon fiber cutter wheel to do the job. First I measured out the dimensions of thecooler, and using the measurement and ruler pretty much just eyeballed the first cut over the chipset. I made sure to make the first cut a little too small so that I would be able to gauge the next cuts better by replacing the case over the chipset and re-measuring. By this method of cut, re-measure and cut again I was able to get a hole perfectly sized and positioned for the fan and heatsink:

Finished hole for the Fan and Heatsink

One thing I did not know about when we bought the Spirit A100 is that the blue color is on the base as well as everything else, so I decided it would be a good idea to Lap the base. I discovered it was a good idea to do anyway as the base was slightly concave and would have needed lapping anyway for perfect contact I didn’t bother doing a mirror finish job, since what I’m attaching it to is basically just a shield over a silicon pad on the chip itself:

Lapped using a glass coaster and 800 grit sandpaper

After the lapping was done successfully, all that was left was getting the chipset in place and permanently mounted. To accomplish this we chose Arctic Silver Thermal Adhesive (not Arctic Silver Thermal Paste), which works like other epoxy in that it has two parts that are mixed and takes about 15 minutes to cure. I set the chipset with the back casing on to make sure the fan was positioned perfectly:

Positioning the chipset for the adhesive

A perfect fit! Fan was even flush with the higher section!

To be sure we could go back later to make other adjustments, repairs, or what-have-you, I made sure to paste the heatsink onto the main video board’s RF shield, and not directly to the chipset. While this will hinder thermal performance somewhat, It will allow for error correction later on or re-repair of the board, and I figured this chip would be kept cool enough just to have some active cooling rather than nothing.

Heatsink after thermal adhesive has set

Turned out that having the chipset fan made a huge difference to the video board. While testing, the video chip never got above 50°C, cutting the original operating temperatures in half! It should be noted that we DID turn the AC on halfway through the installation, which could have fudged the temperature variance some, but it appears to have done the trick! Another happy customer!

Doing its job marvellously!

Can hardly see the chipset heatsink! Fan sticks out a bit though

Here’s an example of the video chipset that usually has issues on many different computers. HP laptops and desktops from between 2006 and 2009 especially. There are many manufacturers and brands that use this chipset (nVidia GeForce 6150SE/LE) and many of them experience issues with this chip overheating and failing.

This picture is a successful refurbishment called a “reball” where the old solder points under the chip are removed and replaced, restoring the chip’s functionality in most cases.

The other picture is of the solderpoints the chip will be reflowed back onto, cleaned and prepared for reatachment

Not so for The Neighborhood Nerd! Over the last year, we’ve been experimenting with the idea of doing circuit-level repairs on damaged boards, and have found that, with some practice and education, doing these types of services are well within our perview!

With many successful repairs now under our belts, we are officially adding several services to our catalogue with flat rates for BGA chip reballing, water damage repair, overload and burn repairs, DC Charger Port repair, and Power Regulation Circuit repair.

So if someone else tole you your motherboard was dead, and that you might as well chuck your computer, give it another chance and let us take a look at it for you!

Playstation 3 Single Chip Reball Service
Playstation 3 Full Reball Service (CPU, GPU, CXR714120)
Xbox 360 Single Chip Reball Service
Xbox 360 Full Reball Service (CPU, GPU, SB, HANA)
Wii Single Chip Reball Service
Wii Full Reball Service (CPU, GPU)
Laptop Motherboard Chipset Reball
Laptop Motherboard DC Jack Repair
Laptop Motherboard mosfet / capacitor repair
Laptop Motherboard Damaged Trace Repair
Desktop Motherboard Chipset Reball
Desktop Motherboard mosfet / capacitor repair
Desktop Motherboard Damaged Trace Repair

If one or more of your computers or electronic devices such as Monitors, HDTV’s, Receiver Amps, Video Game Consoles, or other electronic devices were effected or damaged, please give us a call and let us know! We would be happy to help with any problems you might have!

The user will get an error 0xC000009a fatal error while the system’s registry is being updated. The system will then freeze or reboot and not allow the user to access windows, either in normal or safe modes.

Due to the widespread nature of this problem we are offering to do fixes for this problem for $60 flat rate with our guarantee to get your system functioning again (without needing to re-install Windows). This fee does not cover existing infections, software damage, or other related issues however.

Please give us a call to schedule an appointment!

We’ve found no less than 14 instances of this virus on computers protected by the most stringent antivirus systems. To further compound the problem, the symptoms of this virus vary wildly.

The only way we have been able to tell these instances are the same virus is manually detecting the viral files:

C:\install.exe
C:\eula.3051 (there are several variations of this file in the same location with different 4 digit numbers)
C:\VC_RED.msi

And a few other similar files. So far the only effective removal technique is to use ComboFix

Firstly you will need to kill the virus process under Task Manager:
On the keyboard, press ctrl+shift+esc all at once to bring up the Task Manager.
Next click the processes tab to show active processes.
Lastly right click on stdrt.exe and click “end process” and confirm.

It hides itself in several separated temporary folders so using CCleaner to clean out all your temp files will eliminate the virus for good after you have killed the running process.

We here at The Neighborhood Nerd want to solve your problems in the easiest, least painful, and most permanent way possible, so we’re offering to upgrade Windows Vista users to Windows 7 at 10% off our normal fee! (Which, by the way, we already sell our windows licenses 20%-50% cheaper than retail)

Call today for details!

Several things can be major factors in your computer’s security:

• Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware software
  • Use of both Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware
  • Update regularly
  • Scan regularly
• Computer Usage
  • Visiting adult or pirate websites
  • Using music download software (Limewire)
  • Play online gambling games (Party Poker)
  • Play “free” online games (Gamevance)
• Computer’s specifications
  • Memory and Processor
  • Operating System
  • Number of installed programs

There are a number of broad categories to avoid when surfing websites. Avoiding these things will help greatly reduce you chances of getting infected.

• Myspace: The main website is mostly clean, but any of the ads on the top or sides will have many different infections. Zwinky and the cursors and smileys specifically have some really nasty ones.
• Party Poker: And other gambling sites like it are stuffed full of spyware
• Pirate websites: places that support the downloading of illegal software generally don’t care about the law or what damage they do. Not many of these sites have viruses built into them, but it’s a large enough percentage to give note

Switching your browser from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome can also avoid many security vulnerabilities

Remote Support Technical Help is free for the first 30 days after purchase of one of the above listed services, after which customer’s may pay monthly for on-demand Remote Support or Pay-Per-Use. See here for pricing!

Thanks for helping make The Neighborhood Nerd a better company!