Bent Pins

[ZGundam]

I was ready to put my CPU into my new motherbaord and I notcied there were bent pins along the outer edge of it.

Is there any way to salvage the processor and bend the pins back to where they should be?

[White Haven]

They can be bent back, if you're very careful. I recommend the twin tools of a boxcutter or x-acto knife and a narrow-bore mechanical pencil without the lead. The knife will let you slide in and try to tease the pin upright, the tube can be used to slip over a pin and twist it upright. With any luck, you won't snap them off or mangle them too badly to operate.

[loomer]

You can also, if you're smooth enough, use a pair of tweezers.

[General Zod]

You can also, if you're smooth enough, use a pair of tweezers.

Or needle-nose pliers, depending on how bent the pins are.

[Mr Bean]

It can be fixed, if you break a pin...
You are fucked
So find a nice stable place to do it. Remove all distractions and take your time on every single one. I've succesfully bent back into place an entire side once which had been smash due to being stepped on some eighty odd pins, it took close to two hours but the processor still worked afterwords. As long as you don't break them off your fine.

[Stark]

I've bent pins over the years (who hasn't) but there is no way I would accept a new CPU that came out of the package with bent pins. DOA, get a new one. Don't fuck around with this shit on new part.

[Superboy]

I think it was his motherboard that was new, not his processor. Do any new processors still use pins?

I used to work at a shop that would repair and refurbished used computers to give to schools, and I once spent 4 hours slowely straightening each and every pin (it had be mangled), only to twitch and snap one off on the last row. That was the last time I ever spent more than 5 minutes straightening processor pins.

Amusing story: We once got a shipment of computers in from the Dept of Nation Defense (in Canada). The tech guys at their end individually removed each processor from the computers and intentionally mangled the pins so that we wouldn't be able to recover information from the computers. They left the hard drives completely intact. For some reason they sent us a box full of the mangled processors. I'm still not sure how concerned I should be that the techs working for our Dept of Defense thought you could destroy info my destroying a processor.

[Sephirius]

I think it was his motherboard that was new, not his processor. Do any new processors still use pins?

AMD.

[ZGundam]

I've bent pins over the years (who hasn't) but there is no way I would accept a new CPU that came out of the package with bent pins. DOA, get a new one. Don't fuck around with this shit on new part.

Well the good news is I managed, over a good few hours, to straighten every pin so they look perfect. Replaced the MB and swapped out the DDR3 6GB with DDR2 8GB for the same price. Built it, connected all the cords and turned on. Loaded the Windows & RC and I am in business!!

Here is what I have:
AMD Phenom II X4 940
Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3
8GB OCZ DDR2 PC 8500 RAM
BFG GTX 260 896MB Video Card
WD 1TB SATA HD
Lite-On 22X DVD-RW w/Lightscribe
Antec 900 Gaming Case
OS Windows 7 RC 64-bit (Ordered Windows 7 Pro 64-bit)

Last question:

I decided to use 2 HDs in my new system. An old 1.5GB/s 250 GB HD and a new WD 3.0GB/s 1TB. I put the Maxtor on SATA1 on both the PSU's Cable and the MB. The WD went on SATA2. When I went to install the OS, it showed the WD as C: and the Maxtor with no drive letter.

Why would it do that and how do I get it so Maxtor is C: and WD is D:?

Thanks in advance!

[Sephirius]

change the priorities in hardware management or in the BIOS.

EDIT: Assuming you haven't used the jumpers to put one to master and one to slave.