A dying motherboard is likely one of the most irritating {hardware} points you possibly can take care of. Because the motherboard serves as the guts of the pc, any points it encounters will trigger the opposite elements in your PC to malfunction.
Whereas this may make a dying motherboard troublesome to determine, just a few indicators may also help you affirm your suspicions.
Figuring out Whether or not Your Motherboard Is Failing or Misconfigured
Earlier than you assume your motherboard is useless, confirming it is not simply misconfigured is important. When you discover any purple lights in your motherboard, your system’s points are most likely the results of a misconfiguration. If you have not already, confirm the PSU, CPU, RAM modules, and GPU are all correctly configured and appropriate. You possibly can examine your PC half compatibility, and there are different methods to examine your PC for failing elements.
In case your motherboard and its elements aren’t misconfigured, there is a good probability that the motherboard itself is the problem. To substantiate your suspicions, you must decide whether or not the signs beneath apply to your system.
1. Booting Your Pc Makes Your Motherboard Beep
If there’s one thing flawed along with your motherboard, your pc will try to speak that via a sequence of beeps—also called POST beeps. Sadly, there is not any common normal for beep codes. You may want to find out your BIOS producer by checking your motherboard’s model, then seek for “[manufacturer] beep codes.”
Most producers embody a beep code that signifies a dying motherboard or different motherboard-related points. When you decipher the beep codes and discover that is the case to your pc, prepare to switch your motherboard. In case your pc does not show something or sound any beeps, that is additionally a transparent signal that your motherboard could possibly be useless (or perhaps simply not plugged in?!). Nonetheless, if the beep code signifies a problem with one other part, there is a good probability that your motherboard is OK.
2. POST Returns Errors or Fails to Run
The POST (Energy On Self Take a look at) is a course of carried out by BIOS earlier than your pc boots. In case your motherboard is failing or useless, your PC will not be capable of POST—although it is price noting that improper set up or failure of different {hardware} elements also can trigger this symptom. If the POST fails to run, there is a good probability that the problem is your motherboard or PSU.
3. Blinking Lights Seem on Your Motherboard
Your motherboard lights give just a few extra hints about what’s flawed along with your system. Most fashionable motherboards have 4 labeled purple LEDs. BOOT signifies HDD/SSD points, VGA signifies GPU points, DRAM signifies RAM points, and CPU signifies CPU points. If addressing the indicated part does not repair your situation, it is most likely your motherboard failing to work correctly.
4. Your Motherboard Exhibits Indicators of Bodily Harm
Final however not least, any bodily injury in your motherboard serves as a transparent indicator that your motherboard is likely to be useless. Search for chipped circuits, bends or dents, breakages, cracking, lumpy capacitors, or electrolyte discharge. Water injury and brief circuits are tougher to note, however discoloration or burn marks could point out every is current, respectively.
Make certain to examine that the standoffs are holding the motherboard correctly, too. If they are not correctly aligned with their slots, they’ll trigger your motherboard to short-circuit. Strive uninstalling and reinstalling your motherboard. When you discover the motherboard is visibly dusty, you can even attempt cleansing it with a can of compressed air.
5. Putting in a New CMOS Battery Fails to Revive the Motherboard
Earlier than you assume your motherboard is useless, attempt changing the CMOS battery. Some suspected motherboard “failures” are attributable to a useless CMOS battery. Seek for your motherboard on the web and decide the suitable CMOS battery to buy—more than likely a CR2032 battery. Set up the brand new CMOS battery and try to boot your pc once more.
6. Changing the RAM and Eradicating the Video Card Does not Assist
It is not unusual for a tool to fail in addition due to points with the RAM modules or GPU. You possibly can decide whether or not that is the case to your pc by eradicating the GPU and all however one stick of RAM. If it fails in addition, attempt changing the RAM with one other stick. Failure in addition regardless of the RAM and GPU being eliminated signifies that neither part is the supply of the issue.
7. Your Elements Work When Used With a Completely different Motherboard
If putting in one other motherboard causes your system to work once more, there’s an excellent probability that your motherboard is the failing part. This take a look at is useful as a result of it means that you can decide in a single easy course of {that a}) the motherboard is useless or b) a non-motherboard part, such because the PSU or CPU, is malfunctioning.
You also needs to attempt changing the PSU when you occur to have an additional available!
8. Your Motherboard Will not Flip On Even When Breadboarded
Breadboarding is a time period that refers to stripping your PC right down to its base {hardware} elements—the motherboard, one RAM module, the CPU and cooler, and the PSU. In case your motherboard has a speaker, you also needs to make it possible for it’s included. You may want to attach all of those elements on an antistatic mat and try to energy your PC on.
If the breadboarded configuration does not boot, you possibly can assume one of many elements is malfunctioning. You may hear beeps from the motherboard speaker or observe that error lights illuminate the motherboard. If there are not any points, energy it off and regularly add one part at a time till the system fails. When it does, you have recognized your malfunctioning part.
Substitute Your Motherboard and Revive Your System
Motherboard failure is extraordinarily troublesome to diagnose. When you might need to take care of just a few intensive troubleshooting and restore processes, it is doable to revive nearly any system to correct operate by taking the best steps. When you decide that your motherboard is the problem, you must examine whether or not it is nonetheless lined beneath guarantee—many producers supply beneficiant insurance policies.
