Alright, some of you might have noticed i was having motherboard issues, it seemed to be fixed but after i did some tests (raised the fsb 5 mhz) it spat out 25 errors on my memory. I decided to return the mobo to newegg and i will be getting a refund . Now the bad part. I was using the stock amd heatsink with the pad on the bottom. I unclipped (or hooked, whatever you want to call it) the heatstink, took it off and noticed that part of the pad was on on the bottom of the hsf and some was on the CPU. I unlocked the socket and gently removed the chip. My dad got hom and when i showed him the chip/hsf he said i screwed up my chip. I was under the thought that there was something i could use to remove the gunk on the chip and get thermal paste and a new hsf or just some thermal paste. Did i screw up my chip or is my dad just a bigger noob then i am?

Your dad is a bigger n00b than you.

It cleans up just fine with some "Goof-Off".

I like to toss the chip in a pot of boiling water for a minute or two and then just wipe the stuff off with a napkin. Works like a charm.

You have my vote for that method. Does work well.

Well thanks for the nice mature responses guys, now i know who to not go to for help.

mmm CRE wasn't joking,it works.
as an afterthought though,you might want to remove the pad before installation and use thermal grease.(and possibly lapp the sink)

Vodka works well no joke any grain alchole works well everaporates fast ,or rubbing alchole also ..pardon the typos.

I was under the impression that that would damage the cpu, could i get some more info on how to do it so i dont screw anything else up?

water can't damage anything without electricity. as long as its 100% dry, it will be fine..

Q-tips or a soft cloth---really anything that won't scratch the silicon.
(and i use lighter-fluid,followed by rubbing alcohol)

i use nail polish remover, (acitone, not sure on spelling), works pretty good.

There isn't much strategy involved. Get some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and a napkin and start rubbing it off. If you have it, surgical gauze works very well too. One thing I've learned over the years is that CPU's are pretty damn resilient little SOB's. You can even take your fingernail to it if it's on pretty hard. As long as you don't use anything to scratch or corrode the CPU you'll be fine. I've even used a razorblade on an old AMD before because the TIM was on there like cement, but I wouldn't recommend that for a first-timer.

To get it off the heatsink, I just remove the plastic and stick it in the oven for about 3 minutes. Then, just wipe off the goo.

I wouldnt do that with the chip though. I have tried the boiling water, and that has worked for me. Just dont leave it in too long. If you want to be extra safe, you could use deionized water. Then just use some alcohol to make sure everything is off and you should have a like new chip.

I guess i still have a lot to learn about computers.....Anyways, i went up to talk with my dad about this and he agreed with the rubbing alcohol, then he looked at the chip and used his fingernail to remove the gunk from the core (is that right?) I just watched in horror, but it seemed to me he didnt push hard or anything but it still scared the crap outta me. He started to try to get the stuff off the actual chip board but i took it away from him so theres still some stuff on the sides of the core and around the it on the board. I'm guessing i still need to get the stuff of the sides so I'm probably going to get some rubbing alcohol and Q-tips tomorrow. Anything else im forgetting?

nope, you're good to go. If there's any of the crap left in any tight spots, just get as much of it as you can with a wooden toothpick.