Motherboard dead?

Desktop powers on, but no video signal. Everything else seems to be working, fans, CD DVD drives open and close. My guess is that the Mobo died. Oh yeah, in the back where the ethernet cabel goes in the light is not on.

1. How do I know it for sure that the Mobo is dead?
2. I can get a new one for $70, but is it simple to change it?

About question #2. I was googling the problem and an expert was describing the steps to be taken when switching mobos. Well, I am switching the exactly same mobo type, so I don't think there should be any extra steps taken. But of course I could be wrong thus the question...

 

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When you turn the computer on, does it " beep" and act like it's booting? (like the hd led blinking) I was thinking it could be the vid card. But if you are getting nothing...then you are probably right, it is the motherboard. You wouldn't happen to have an old vid card you could pop in and check it with?

You definitely can get a new mb for under $70. I took at quick look at Newegg and they had some for as cheap as $49. It's not too hard to change out....Just requires removing all of the attached cables, removing a few screws, mounting the new board, and plugging everything back in. The hardest part is the connections for the power switch, reset button, power led and hdd led. You should be able to do it.

You might have to reload windows, if the motherboard is different enough from your old one.

(edit: Is this an OEM computer, a Dell or HP or something, or is this a custom built system? )

 

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It could be the video card.

 

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The mobo powers your fans, CD/DVD, and hard drives. From the info you've given, the following are all suspect (working outwards, in):

If you're receiving the bios boot-up, but nothing else, it's probably one of the one following:

4. Corrupted OS install

5. Bad hard drive

6. Motherboard

Your correction steps are to:

1. Go into the BIOS (generally, they finish their self-text before they do so and will report errors before or upon entry, but will bypass the OS load).

If you can get into the BIOS, but cannot boot into the OS, try the following:

2. Try a different video card.

3. Try a different monitor.

If none of the above work, it's your choice whether to install an identical motherboard (which should work, if the old mobo was bad) or attempt to fix the OS, but keep these in mind:

4. If neither the video card or monitor allow you to see the BIOS at all, it's probably your mobo, and that would be your best bet.

5. If you can see the BIOS but the OS won't load, fix or reinstall your OS.

If you do decide to swap identical mobos, take several hi-res pictures! They're worth a thousand words, and ensure all connections are re-done properly.

But while swapping out the mobo is relatively easy (my 9-yr-old did it), it's probably the least likely culprit, so it pays to rule out the other issues, first.

 

Before you start trying a million things or spending money:

1. Does the bootloader show up, or not?
1a. If it does, try MugAliens 1-4
1b. After 1a - do you have an aftermarket video card...if so go to step 2.
2. Try plugging into the original video card.
3. Go with MacGyver

 

Check for loose contacts of processor & RAM. Pull them out and plug in again.

 

You sure seem to go through a lot of computers...

 

after a few minutes\seconds type your password and see if you hear the bells.

 

if you can access the BIOS but the OS fails to boot indicates a bad or corrupt windows video driver.

edit:
not sure about XP but winME allowed boot with logging.
reviewing that log will tell you where the boot process fails.

 

Sorry for not being extra clear, no BIOS, nothing shows. Monitor says no signal input. Also the mobo is integrated, so I can not just change the video card. Also
no bleep, just the main led turns on but the HD is not. Now there is a 2nd HD in it not hooked up for security reasons, I might hook it up for one more try.

Again, the problem with switching the mobos is not the physical switch, I can do that. But the expert was saying about updating the BIOS and such and I am not sure how to do it.

The last time similar thing happened with an older computer, I just bought a similar one on Ebay for $80 and swapped the HDs and it was good to go.

So do I have to do anything software-wise after putting in the new but same mobo?

P.S.: And yes, we go through lots of computers but they are old (this one is 5 years) and we are heavy users. Actually, a new computer in every 2 years for 3 people isn't that bad...

P.P.S.: Here is the website with the steps, do I really have to put in the XP licence number and such? Also, do I have to do a repair installation of XP, and why?

http://www.motherboard.windowsreinstall.com/

 

If true, this advice would be the simplest using the same mobo:

"(after the switch)Boot up your pc with windows disk in cd drive. install windows, it will search your hard drive for previous installations, click repair it will install the info for your new motherboard & leave all your other files intact."

 

Try another monitor.

 

I already did, the same thing, so it isn't monitor problem....

Now my dilemma boils down to this with the Ebay purchase:

1. $70 new mobo but maybe difficulties with installation and I get the exact same performance. 2 GHz processor

2. $120 I can get a working similar type 2.9 GHz computer, so although 50 bucks more, but no pain with installation and better performance.

 

It depends if the extra mhz will make much of a difference. 2.9 is still kind of limited if you expect to play games etc.

The mainboard you wont have to reformat your drive and you can just plug the components in but i think the cpu change may cause you to have to reinstall. I would go for the board alone.

 

yeah, I was just reading about the CPU issue.

Now how do I know if it isn't the CPU dead and only the mobo? Also if I go with the board alone I still have to switch the CPU (what I expect to be working). If so do I still have to reinstall?

By the way, my masterplan is this:

I would use an old HD for reinstall after the mobo installation and once everything is in fine order, a swap back the HD originally used thus no data lost and there is no danger playing with the older HD if something goes wrong.

I also don't really want to mess with thermal glue and such...

 

Yah I would believe 70% sure that your mobo is in fact dead.

If it were just the video signal Id say youve got a loose wire in their somewhere, but the fact is that your internet thing isn't blinking, so if that is also malfunctioning youve got two unreleated parts of your computer failing which means that either your mobo has PARTIALLY failed or your processer has PARTIALLY failed.

I stress partially because you can still turn on your computer and get the fans to work.

When you press the on butten, it sends a signal to your mobo, your mobo sends it to its own PSU and the PSU turns on power for everything else.

 

Its more unlikely it's your cpu, generally speaking a cpu can live for a decade before outright failing.

thermal glue isnt that bad.

 

I ordered the mobo, 3-4 days to get here. One more sign was a day earlier that the keyboard stopped working and I had to unhook it a few times before it got to work again.

Now I plan to take pics before unhooking anything because it did happen to me in the past that I forgot what was going where....

 

Nice idea. Let us know how it goes.

 

OK, next question:

Does the mobo actually hold data? (or the CPU) I am guessing that they don't.

So if I swap 2 exactly the same mobos, the computer shouldn't even notice it, unless there is some kind of data kept in the BIOS...