Installing heatsink/fan combo over CPU

Hi MeitHed . . . I like your name LOL

I disconnected everything from the motherboard, including the RAM, and put everything back in 3 times. If you take a look at the number of posts that this topic has, and if you read some of them, you'll see that this computer (from the case to the tiniest light) gives me a hard time as if it has a mind of its own. No kidding. Starting from the very first step when I needed to change the back panel, it wouldn't budge, no matter what. I was given a link where someone else faced the same problem and they used a piece of a 2X4 and a hammer in order to knock it out. I used a rubber doorstop and gave it a few good whacks and it came out, but normally some solid pressure is supposed to remove them.

Anyway, thanks for your advice. I appreciate it. I'm just happy it booted up but now I'm afraid to turn it off!

Denise

 

You have it up and running , again - well done.
Set that system restore point.

Shut down, and load failsafe defaults,in the Bios, if it plays up.
It sounds like you went too far ,too quickly.
If the computer is stable, and you want to insert your sata card, - you don't need to touch anything else.
Fit the card, and restart, pressing del/f2, whichever to get straight into Bios, and load failsafe defaults. While in there, see if it shows the new cardin the Bios, before pressing f10/save and exit.
When it startsup, you will have to wait for Windows to recognise new hardware,or install any driver disk that came ( if there is one )with the card.
Once that has been accomplished think about adding drives.
If the computer fails to start with the new card, shut down,and remove card
it may have a compatability problem - remember you are on x64 (drivers, may have a problem):cry
Come on you x64 geeks - more input.rolleyes

 

Hi baklogic,

This has been a project that I'm now thinking that I shouldn't have started.

The computer started up last night and when I went to bed, I turned it off. When I got up this morning, the computer was dead except for the PWRSW1 light. All 4 of the system status lights were unlit.

I unplugged everything again, inside and outside the computer, including the power from the wall. I waited about an hour and plugged the power into the motherboard, the CPU, the system status lights and 1 stick of RAM. When I plugged the power into the wall, all 4 system status lights were still off. I then connected the floppy drive because I've been reading all over the place that a SATA system needs a floppy drive (I don't know the technical reasons for it). Still, none of the system lights lit up. I pressed the On button just for the heck of it and, of course, nothing happened. To me, it looks like either my motherboard or CPU is damaged. I hope that I'm wrong though. Is there something else I could do to diagnose the problem?

Right now, I'm using my old computer again.

Denise

 

Hi there, I only just saw your problem come up, and I am due offline.

Someone told us that the power button fell out, or , broke earlier in this thread
- Check that first.It is possible that when diving in and out of the computer, that you moved a connection or two, and they are not making proper contact - I would not blame any hardware, yet awhile. Remember the basics, stop, and think.
Power switch leads, reset lead ,Walters plug, motherboard multiplug,..... thease are the main things to start - check them all , slowly, ensure they are not slightly off connection.
1 stick of ram, clips o.k.
Power supply fan-does it start? at all.
Cpu fan - any movement ?
Check motherboard fan connection is secure.
Follow through , but take your time - don't let it frustrate you.
Sorry I have to go, but the others should be online sometime soon.(23.15 here in U.K )
I will look in agAain, in the morning .

 

Hi baklogic . . . as always, thanks for your advice.

I looked at the wires that run to the on/off switch and they're intact. I pressed the button several times while looking at the wires inside and there was no visible change.

Last night, using a flashlight and a magnifying glass, the system status plugs were properly connected. The computer nor anything else (power cord in wall, etc) was touched between last night when it was working and this morning when it wasn't working. The 4-pin plug (Walter's advice) was plugged in. Everything worked fine last night, which suggests that everything was installed properly. I clicked on Start, Turn Off, and went to bed. This morning, I clicked the on/off button to turn it on and absolutely nothing happened.

They look to be mounted properly. The clips clipped on by themselves when the sticks were installed.


Power supply fan-does it start? at all. No.
Cpu fan - any movement ? No.

I don't have a motherboard fan, just a fan and heat sink on top of the CPU. I checked the temperature of the computer a number of times and it never went above 39F and it's usually at around 37F. I'm planning on buying and installing one nevertheless.

Denise

 

To explain a little more:

It's not just that nothing happened, but the 4 red system status lights were unlit. I had double-checked their installation and they were plugged into the right pins. This morning, I gave each of them a slight more pressure to make sure they were fully installed, as I did with all the connections. I unplugged everything and reconnected only the vital connections.

The vital connections were:
CPU
Fan/heat sink combo
1 stick of RAM
Power to the motherboard
The system status plugs

When I plugged in the power cord, none of the system status lights came on. When I pressed the on/off switch, the computer didn't turn on.

The manual says:

LED-DIMM indicates the voltage of memory is activated normally.
LED _5SB/LED_PWR indicates the system is ready for Power-on.
PWRSW1: This is an on-board Power Switch button (this one is lit)
RSTSW2: This is an onboard Reset button (I have never seen this one lit)
LED_D1: When off = VGA error
LED_D2: When off = Memory error

To sum it up, the system status lights are telling me that:
I have a memory error
I have a VGA error
I have a CPU/chipset error
The voltage of memory is not activated normally, and
The system is not ready for power-on.

Right now, everything is unplugged inside and outside of the computer and it's laying on the anti-static mat on my coffee table. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to tackle it again (plugging in only the vital connections and giving it power) as it's getting late here.

Denise

 

Sorry Denise, I misread your post! So the computer is up and running now right?

Dang, I misread again! What are you doing to that poor compruter? I would suspect the PSU is bad, but I am in the middle of formating 7 drives for 'the man' after a long day at work, so my brain is shutting down. So wait for more replies, unless you have an extra PSU laying around.

E

 

Hi Fred,

It was up and running last night but when I woke up this morning and pressed the Power On button, it was deader than a doornail. Only the PWRSW1 light was lit. I unplugged everything inside and outside of the case and put it on an antistatic mat on the coffee table and decided that I wasn't going to try anything until tomorrow morning.

But curiosity got the best of me and I decided to tackle it once more before I went to bed. :boxing

I plugged in the system status plugs, the PSU, CPU, heat sink/fan plugs and one stick of RAM. I then plugged the power cord to the computer and into the wall and not even the PWRRSW1 light lit up this time. Of course I pressed the Power On button but nothing happened . . . I wasn't expecting it to. confused :banghead :cry

So I'm worse off this evening than I was this morning. :cry

Denise

 

Does the PSU do anything when you hook it up to the AC or when you hit the power button? (do the fans move, anything)? Most mobo's have some kind of LED that comes on when it is powered. Do you have any lights on the mobo? I think your PSU is dead. Let's see what the others say though. And just for the heck of it, try another power cord if you have one. (AC plug to PSU).

I got 6 out of the 7 hard drives formated. One is toast, unless you like to scare cats. Dang that is the worst sound I have heard from a HD! RIP drive! 'the man' owes me a bonus or a few hours off this week.

Good luck!

E

 

Hey Denise
It's so horrible to read such a long thread:tired

I think Fred's on the right track

Ditto
____

I'll bet your PSU has taken a dive, Are you using the same one that came with your case? "OKIA ATX Power Supply"
Very few PSU's that come with cases are worth squat
OKIA = :crap

Get your self a Good Quality PSU
The PSU is the Most important part of a Good PC.
Here's the last one I bought
Corsair HX 520w http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373100&prodlist=pricegrabber

Other great brands OCZ & Antec, 480w or higher ( more important than total watts is the total +12v amps )

 

Hi Asus and Fred,

I'm using the Okia ATX Switching Power Supply 450W that came with the kit. It says on the PSU label that it has a combined voltage of 12v.

Nothing comes on when I plug the power cord into the wall outlet. No lights and no fans. It looks the same as if I didn't plug it in the wall outlet.

I switched and used the power cord that came with my old computer and plugged it in but there was no change, no lights and no fans.

 

Thanks for the url for the Corsair PSU, Asus. This computer is getting expensive.

Do you know what could have killed the PSU? For a few days before I installed the SATA card and bracket, I had only 2 external hard drives on. When I installed the card and bracket, all hard drives were off and I unplugged the plug from the wall outlet. When I finished installing the SATA card and bracket, I plugged it back into the wall and the PSU was still "alive" but wouldn't boot up. When I removed the SATA card and bracket, the computer booted up again with no problem. I was on it for about an hour or two, turned it off and went to bed and it was completely dead the next morning. Any idea of what could have caused this to happen, other than it wasn't the greatest PSU? The label on the PSU in my 4+ year old computer has faded to the point that it can't be read but it powered up to 11 external hard drives at the same time and it's still alive and kicking.

Denise

 

While I'm at it, this would be a good time to order a motherboard fan. Does it have to be a special type or will any fan fit any computer/case?

Denise

 

Hi Denise, glad to see the others came on to help you, and it does look like Fred and Asus have come to the same conclusion.
In my hurry to give you a little quick guide, as it was late for me, I put motherboard fan, when I meant cpu fan - sorry to add more confusion to you.
The only other 'motherboard' fan that can be used, that I know of ,is a chipset cooler, and you do not need to worry about that. sorry.
The little list of checks that I left you gave you the chance to run through them, and by reporting back, Fred and Asus did not have to duplicate the basics , and it gave them a starting point, and saved time.
For instance the power switch was not at fault, as the motherboard light lit up.
We are all sorry to have to tell you that it looks like the psu is faulty - it is a pity you have not got a friend/neighbour/ or, young geek/tinkerer who has an old machine, that has been left around, with any psu, to test , first, in your computer.
As Asus said, a good cpu, is worth its weight in gold, when needing power hungry extras.
It seems that your sata card might have wanted more power than the psu could give, so if anyone is more familiar with these, and the power they draw from the psu jump in here please.:cry :cry

 

Hi baklogic,

I'll take Asus's advice and order the Corsair HX 520w. Checking out different brands and different stores show the price for the PSU to be a good one and, if Asus recommends it, it should be a good PSU. If not, the whole thing will go to my local charity (the town dump) and I'll wait 5 years until I've saved enough money and I'll buy a computer that's completely built. :cry

I was exaggerating there, but I would like to buy a system fan. It can't hurt (I hope) but it'll help keep things a little cooler inside the case. Do I have to buy a certain type or size or shape or brand to fit in my case, or are they basically generic? I don't do gaming but my computer is on 24/7 much of the time along with a number of external hard drives.

Denise

 

Basically, ,if room to fit a 100mm fan to rear of case, and the same in the front would give good airflow, but often there is only a fixing position for 80mm fans.Your cpu hs/fan probably stops you fitting a side panel fan.
I seem to remember you have a good cpu heatsink/fan .
These case fans can be bought very reasonably,again the bigger/better the fans the quieter they are, but I gathered you computer was runing reasonably cool.
I found my 100mm front fan gives me good cooling to the motherboard.
I use th Artic Freezer 7 pro, heatsink and fan, and my new core 2 duo setup is running around 29 deg C., but I cannot fit a side fan, cos that is so big.
I hate to tell anyone to buy anything new, I prefer to try with any old thing , first, just to be sure.- I don't want to put the mokkers on it.

 

If you have a system board point to connect a fan, you have to be careful, as the case fans can demand more than the motherboard is designed for, and that can cause problems. - worth checking in the manual.

 

My computer doesn't get above 39F but stays more at 37F. I'm just trying to avoid another mishap . . . I'd hate to overheat the motherboard but if a fan is able to put more strain on the motherboard than it can handle, it's not worth it. I'll open the side panel for a while if I'm on line for a long time to give it more/cooler air.

This is all so new to me. I never had to worry about any of these things with my old computer. It was like the Energizer bunny . . . it kept on going and going and going . . .

But it was getting old and I would have had to start replacing parts so I decided to put the money into parts for a new computer.

Thanks for your help :highfive

 

. . . and removable side panel has a funnel-shaped part attached to it that's facing the CPU which was put there to draw out heat. There's also a grate facing the PSU on the removal side panel and a large grate in the rear panel, I guess all for ventilation.

Is there a program that can tell the temperature? When I boot up/reboot, the temperature is displayed but I don't know what it is again until I reboot.

 

For most information, including temperatures of cpu, motherboard, and hard drive, is Everest Home 2.20 edition - Asmall program dowloadable from
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181
You can strink the frame down , and drag it down , if you want to check temperatures, whilst working on something, or just generally, and it does not use a lot of your memory.

 

Leaving the side panel off is a fallacy, as it stops the natural airflow through the case - it can actually get hotter.

 

Will I ever learn ?!?

Thanks for the Everest program.

I was just checking around the net to see what acceptable temperatures are and it seems that there is an acceptable temperature for several parts of the computer . . . motherboard, CPU, PSU, etc. I don't remember which part of my pc was being reported as being between 37F and 39F. I'm not too concerned about a little bit of memory. But my birthday is coming up very soon and all you need do is ask me for my mailing address so you can send me 2G twin sticks of RAM!

 

These are the temperatures that Everest Home came up with for my old computer. Are they high?

Temperatures
Motherboard 34 °C (93 °F)
CPU 50 °C (122 °F)
Maxtor 6E040L0 37 °C (99 °F)
WDC WD800JB-00ETA0 39 °C (102 °F)

Cooling Fans
CPU 4963 RPM

 

Depends what your cpu is P4 (socket 478) Presscotts wer known to run around there - I am using my old one with 3 gb presscott, and managed to get it down to 39/41, depending on load.(cpu heatsink and fan made the difference)
Generally I find 30/35 for hard drive, and motherboard.
Others may think differently, but I have little trouble up to 56/58 on the cpu, (at one time it was 71)
Your cooling fan appears to be working well, but at thise revs, I don't suppose its that quiet

 

I'm going to watch Newcastle, so I might drop back in later.

 

Hi baklogic,

Thanks for your thoughts about acceptable temperature levels.

The computer is very loud but after 4+ years, I don't notice it anymore. My new computer isn't much quieter but I thought it would be but, again, I'm used to it and I don't notice it or care about it. My daughter's computer is just about silent.

I guess I'll be giving you guys a break from now until I install the new PSU and I hope to heaven it fits without having to take the motherboard out. I feel like we built 4 computers already!

 

Denise, I looked back and on the back of a pict of your case, and it looks like you have room for one 120mm fan (a little more than 4.5"). I know you like the flEbay, so here is a link for you. http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...rom=R8&satitle=120mm+computer+fans&category0=

There is most likely room for a front intake fan, but I can't tell from the picture. I would put an intake and exhaust fan in the case. I am not familiar with the Intel CPU temps, they seem a little high to me, but I am a overclocker, so I worry more about temps and such.

I hate all the problems you are having. You can look around on the trading section on the forums here. Most of us Geeks usually have a few fans laying around.

Let us know how the new PSU does when you get it.

E

 

Ya know? I just realized the name of this topic, lol. Boy, it really doesn't cover more than the first step, does it?

About fans . . .

I checked them out at eBay, thanks Fred. I think I've decided on one but I sent the seller a message with a few questions and I'll wait to hear back from him. If I don't buy that one, there's another one that I will buy. They're very low in price, at around $5.00 with $5.00 for shipping/handling so that's more than do-able.

The back panel has a grate with 4 screwholes in it. Using a cloth measuring tape I measured the area and it's about 5" square, and from the middle of one screwhole to the middle of the screwhole on the opposite side is about 4-1/2" (both top to bottom and side to side), so the 120mm fan will fit on the rear panel very well.

The bottom half of the front case doesn't open. I took as good a look at the front panel as I could from the inside of the case. There's a grate that's circular in shape and has 2 screwholes, one on the top left and one on the bottom right. The area looks to be about 3" square and I'd have to go through a 4" frame that's about 4" away from the grate. If a fan can be installed in there, it will be very difficult or next to impossible to do.

But a fan in the rear of the case will do enough cooling for what I do with my computer, and I won't have to worry about it overheating.

I appreciate you checking them out for me :hyper

 

Sounds like you have 2 80mm fan mounts in the front of the case and a 120mm in the back. The plastic front of the case does come off. It may be held in by screws (if so, the head of the screw faces the back of the case) or some tabs you have to press to remove it. Be careful if you do remove it, the power/reset buttons are still attached to the mobo, but you should have enough slack to set the front panel to the side or top or the case.

Look around before you buy any fans. A while back, I needed some 80mm case fans. At the Egg they were around $8 shipped for one fan. But if you buy 10 of them for $12, You get free shipping! If you can find a deal like that, keep a spare or two and sell the others on the flEbay.

E

 

That kind of work isn't for me right now . . . between taking care of my 4-year old grandson full time, my daughter's house and her animals, shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, and all the necessary household jobs that need to be done, I'd rather save myself 2 to 4 hours of work from posting them on eBay, hoping they'll sell, wrapping and addressing the ones that do sell, and getting them to the post office. It is well worth spending $10.00 and leaving those things to someone else.

Thanks for the thought of the 80mm fans. I haven't looked yet because it's late and I'm more than ready to go to sleep but I'll check my case tomorrow.

 

baklogic, you said in one of your posts:

I looked through the manual and it doesn't mention the amount of power that is allowed for fans. There are several fan ports on the motherboard though. Where specifically would I find this information?

 

Page seven of your manual shows the onboard fan connections, and it seems that as long as they have a senser wire (3 cable) they will be o.k Akasa are good.
Sorry to back track, but while looking for the information, I read faq,s there, and it could be worth you trying the following, taken from Biostars suggestions, in case that sata card caused cmos problems, and the psu is not dead.
As your psu, and cpu fans never started,Try unplugging the power cord and wait for 5 seconds.
Plug the power cord back in, press and hold the INSERT key while turning on the power,
This way all CMOS settings will be restored to factory default , and it might just work again.
Otherwise it would be worth manipulating the JCMOS jumper
This little point is in your maual, where it explains to remove the jumper from pins 1/2 to 2/3 for 5 seconds, then put it back onto pins 1/2, where it was.

 

Hi baclogic,

I tried this when the computer still had the blue light lit:

It didn't work and after I did it, the blue light didn't come on again.

Everything is disconnected in the computer at the moment. I have my old computer connected and I'm getting some work done. I'll connect everything and give this a try later in the day.

 

Regarding the fan:

Do you mean 3 pin? There are 2 that I'm looking at:

1.

2.

I don't know what a SonicTower is right now though.

The pictures are attached

 

This is a third fan that I'm looking at:

3.

 

some fan connectors only have 2 wires for power
others have these 2, plus another one (yellow) so the motherboard fan header can control the speed of the fan via the voltage

http://www.thermaltake.com/product/cooler/retail/cl-p0071/cl-p0071.asp

 

Too loud !!
I only get fans that are around 20dBA

 

Hi shanemail

Thanks for the info about sonic towers. Are they worth it/do they do a much better job than just a fan?

I knew the 3rd one was going to be loud but the rpm was high, so more cooling.

With a quick glance at my motherboard, I found 2 fan ports, both having 3 pins. To me, a pin looks like a pin and a plug looks like a plug, so this is where I'm hung up.

In picture 1, the "4-pin fan," looks like a plug at the end of it, much like the plugs that come off the PSU. None of the fan ports on the motherboard have 4 pins though.

Picture 2 (the one that recommends a sonic tower) doesn't show the pin/plug but the description says it has 3 pins, which would be compatible with the 3-pin ports on my motherboard. Since it "strongly" recommends a sonic tower, would I have to use a sonic tower?

In picture 3 (the loud one), says that it has a 3 wire plug, but I see only 2 wires going into the plug, or does it mean that the plug has 3 pins?

 

This fan looks good to me. It's fast and quiet and has 3 pins.

 

Hi Denise :wave

Have you thought of a name for this computer yet ?
Perhaps Damien ? :eek

Its just a fancy heatsink for a CPU
Personally I dont like Thermaltake (very noisy fans) but I believe I am in the minority. They are one of the largest brands in cooling.

Generally large fans will move more air at lower revs so they are more efficient and quieter.
The theory with case cooling is that you want to take in as much air as you push out, so your intake fan(s) should roughly equal you exhaust fan(s) in terms of
cfm (cubic feet per minute)
That one exhausts about 112cfm (a lot)
so in theory you would need to intake that much as well
its probably overkill

fair enough, the two do join together
baklogic was talking about a plug with 3 wires going into it
which will connect to a 'motherboard fan header' which has 3 pins
ie: the two "fan ports" you found
same type as what you plugged your CPU heatsink fan into

That is a 'molex connector' which are the ones that come from your PSU.
Most of my case fans are connected via these instead of the "3-pin ports"
the molex connectors (4 pins) output 12 volts
the fan headers (3 pins) output 5 volts

Connecting suitable fans via the 12 volt connectors means they will run faster
and they will not place undue load on the motherboard itself.
But, it also means that the motherboard cannot control the speed of the fans as the temperature varies.
However you can get fan controllers to adjust the speed if need be.
Some fans come with their own controllers

If you take a look at that link again
http://www.thermaltake.com/product/c...1/cl-p0071.asp
you will notice down the bottom of the page there are two fans with controllers on them that fit into the back of a PC Case (where PCI cards normally have their outputs)

No, Its just one that they recommend will fit the sonic tower - they strongly recommend it partially because they are made by the same company

if that is the case, it is exactly what baklogic was talking about.
If it only has 2 wires going into it, it will still conect to a 3 pin port but the motherboard cannot control the speed.

your best bet is to post the links for the fans you are considering, then we can all check them out, using the links you can get the manufacturer and model for the fan.
You can then find reviews of them and go directly to the manufacturers web site to get all of the stats etc
I have a couple of thermaltake fans sitting around collecting dust, because they were a funky size. This may be the case with your fan selection #2
so it pays to find out as much as possible.

Hope this made sense
baklogic, Fred_G, Yargwil or ASUS will hopefully clarify it (or correct me) if not

Note: I typed too slow, (our posts crossed-over) so I have not mentioned your 4th fan selection in this post
if you can post all the links for the fans you select it will be handy

 

Off-topic here, but is it only me who has to log in every 15 minutes or so or does everyone have to? I don't leave the forum but when I want to post a reply or open an attachment, I have to log in again. I usually log in about 15 to 20 times a day.

 

I think I might be in big trouble.

A metal plate came with the CPU. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to attach it to the motherboard. There didn't seem to be a place for it to go. The instructions were extremely poorly written. I mentioned it in the beginning of this huge topic. The instructions say

Since the CPU and the motherboard were not specifically made for each other, and there isn't a "hole" for the plate, I thought that the plate would need to be installed on some motherboards and not on others (with no hole). Also, there aren't 4 screwholes in the plate to screw the bracket into it, so I didn't install it.

As I was looking for fans, I came across this page:

http://www.tt-itbu.com/product/Accessory/Accessory.htm


The frame is slightly different, with 2 rectangle-shaped cut-outs instead of one large square in the middle, but it's definitely the same device.

I couldn't get the heat sink/fan off the CPU the last time I tried, a few days ago. I don't have the strength in my hands/thumbs to push down the clips with one hand and pull it away from the device with the other, or even enough strength with both thumbs to push the clips down.

Please tell me that the plate isn't necessary . . . lie to me if you have to . . .

I'm attaching a picture of the :*** plate just in case the link doesn't open.

 

LOL, Damien would be a good name for this . . . this . . . "thing" that I'm building. Unfortunately, it ran great when I was using it and I loved it and I want it back!

 

I would like a fan that has 3 pins so that the motherboard can control the fan.

This is a new one that I just found and it seems to do what I want, but what do I know?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140095993507&fromMakeTrack=true


These are ones that I mentioned earlier:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=230103046092&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=110102692750&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=190092299009&rd=1&rd=1

I didn't put the link to the one that has only 2 wires. That one is out of the running.

 

Well, I can see where the plate goes now but the lever won't open so that I can't get the clips off. . .

Anyone want a computer, cheap?

 

You have to press lightly on the lever, and using your finger nail, pull outwards slightly, and it should lift , then

 

Fred, and Shanemail explained The fans you looked at . They are all o.k, -any of the 4 pin plug type will connect to the power supply cables.
This one that you found, can connect to either, as it has the 3 pin plug, and the extra little cable, if you wish to connect to the power supply, instead of the board.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...6092&rd=1&rd=1

Or, something from Akasa.-- Scroll down the page to last one.
http://www.universaluk.com/acatalog/AKASA_Black_Classic_Fan.html
Your choice.

 

Sorry, I was thinking of wrong lever.
Is it a band which fixes on a clip each side of the heatsink ?, or, 4 pegs, that push in and lock ?

 

Without more information on the heatsink and fan, I am wary of it being fitted.
The only ones like that , that I have used, fitted from behind the motherboard, and as yours has fitted so tight, I am of the opinion that the motherboard fitting was sufficient.
I have tried to see if I can find anything on its' fitting , but have drawn a blank, so far.I will try a little more.

 

Oh, and, yes, I seem to have to sign back in if I do not input anything for 10 - 20minutes, or, so