Vista - Overheating

my pc fans are going crazy right now - i mean it sounds like its gonna fly off - i just cleaned out tower as i always do every couple months and when i restarted this time it seem to overheat - the fans max out over the littlest applications - one thing that i noticed is that the "goo" between the cpu housing and the heat sink is dry - i plan on adding some arctic ice a.s.a.p but can something so small create this prob - or do i have other issues i need to look into? - thanx - sorry for all the noob questions but im learning more then ever on this forum - thanx for everyones patience and support

Yes dried out paste can cause over heating issues so when you replace the paste it shouldn't over heat.

How did you manage to "notice" this cleaning out your case?

What are your temps like, because it could just as easily be a problem with your fans, your board or your case? I know this is going to sound weird, but, take the front and side panels off the case and start up an app that normally makes them spin faster than usual... when they do, lightly, and I mean very lightly, tap the fan in its center. See if that doesn't help?

Lastly, don't add thermal paste. You've got to completely remove the old and replace it. Use an amount about equal to 1/3-1/2 a grain of rice. Paste isn't made to transfer heat, it's just used to fill in the minuscule holes left behind during the lapping process. Don't go all buck wild with the stuff.

thanks for the replies - i noticed the dry paste due to the fact i was removing the heat sink and fan from the processer heat shield to blow out the fins on the sink - and i do clean out everything (grounded of course) every 3 months or so and in doing so, noticed the pastes' moisture drying up. Eventually instead of helping the contact points it was gapping. Got a tube of Arctic from Newegg and followed the instructions. Runs fine now. Lesson learned - Even ran multiple apps to make sure thats all it was. Thanks again.

Well there's the problem, every time you take the heat sink off the CPU, you need to clean off the old compound and apply new!