# Is my motherboard dead ??



## primetime212 (May 21, 2004)

Hi....a computer I am working on will rarely boot when I power ON and if it does it will not load Windows....I tried a new memory stick, video card, PSU, took out all unecessary cards, and even tried a new CPU and CPU fan and it still does the same thing....all the fans spin (PSU and CPU)....Does a motherboard slowly die or does it die quickly ?? any advice on this situation ?? any help is appreciated...


----------



## winbob (Aug 2, 2004)

My thoughts would make me look at the HD as a possible cause. Can you Clone it and test, or put in a different one and reinstall Windows to test?


----------



## primetime212 (May 21, 2004)

winbob said:


> My thoughts would make me look at the HD as a possible cause. Can you Clone it and test, or put in a different one and reinstall Windows to test?


well I doubt its the HD because when I disconnect the HD from the computer it wont even show the BIOS..with or without the HD the computer won't POST almost all the time.


----------



## sammysosa (Nov 25, 2005)

First, clear the CMOS; either remove the battery from the motherboard and wait ten minutes, or find the jumper and short the clearing pins for a few seconds. Remember, NO POWER to the board when you do this, so UNPLUG the PSU from the board, or from the wall. Shutting off the PSU is not going to kill the power to the board completely, only unplugging it will.

Then, strip it down again (if you've added anything you don't need); don't even connect any peripherals (no HDD, no optical drive, no floppy). Boot with the bare essentials attached (CPU, one RAM DIMM, vidcard, PSU, HSF), and work from there. Add ONE device at a time and retest until it works or fails; resist the temptation to install more than one component at a time. When you add the HDD, set the CMOS to detect the IDE devices; do it again when you add the optical drive(s).

Be logical and analytical in your approach; if it won't work with one PSU (AFTER you've cleared the CMOS), try again with another. If one DIMM won't work, move it to a different RAM slot; if it won't work in ANY RAM slot, try another DIMM. If the board uses onboard video, try that and make it work before you try a videocard. You've done a good deal of testing, but start over from the basics after you've cleared the CMOS, and try it again. Only if EVERYTHING I've suggested fails will it be time to suspect the motherboard itself as the culprit.

Good luck; let us know what you learn.


----------



## primetime212 (May 21, 2004)

sammysosa said:


> First, clear the CMOS; either remove the battery from the motherboard and wait ten minutes, or find the jumper and short the clearing pins for a few seconds. Remember, NO POWER to the board when you do this, so UNPLUG the PSU from the board, or from the wall. Shutting off the PSU is not going to kill the power to the board completely, only unplugging it will.
> 
> Then, strip it down again (if you've added anything you don't need); don't even connect any peripherals (no HDD, no optical drive, no floppy). Boot with the bare essentials attached (CPU, one RAM DIMM, vidcard, PSU, HSF), and work from there. Add ONE device at a time and retest until it works or fails; resist the temptation to install more than one component at a time. When you add the HDD, set the CMOS to detect the IDE devices; do it again when you add the optical drive(s).
> 
> ...


thanks for the advice but I already did all that..the only thing left to suspect is the motherboard...


----------



## sammysosa (Nov 25, 2005)

Well, motherboards die every which way; 99% of the time, the problem is actually caused by corrupted CMOS settings. Clearing the CMOS and starting over is the best way to get everything working normally again, but motherboards can fail slowly or between reboots, so let your judgment be your guide now.

Any information on motherboard specifics? How old is the motherboard? What type of CPU does the system use (which type of slot or socket holds the CPU)? Did you replace the motherboard battery? Sometimes...

I HATE scrapping motherboards; I hope it is under warranty, so you can RMA it. Of course, depending on the age, it could have defective capacitors onboard (look for the components that resemble "cans" with shiny metal tops; those are the caps). Look closely at the caps to see if there is any goo leaking out of them (top, bottom, or side), or if the top is bulging. Bulging caps can actually be replaced; I've done it many times over the years, on many different types of board, from motherboards to videocards to modems...

Anyway, if you can't find the problem, and you've tried everything suggested to make it work, then chances are the motherboard is defective. If the other components all work in a different board, you'll know for sure.

Do you have a replacement board available to test the other components in? Do you have one that will work with that CPU? Do you see any defective caps on the board?

Look here for more information about defective caps, and their motherboard repair services...

http://www.badcaps.net

Never dealt with them (I repair my own stuff), but might be an option for you. Hope you can find another board for the CPU if you can't get that board repaired... any information you can provide about the make and model of the motherboard is appreciated.

Let us know how this turns out; seems like you've done all you can to solve this.


----------



## primetime212 (May 21, 2004)

sammysosa said:


> Well, motherboards die every which way; 99% of the time, the problem is actually caused by corrupted CMOS settings. Clearing the CMOS and starting over is the best way to get everything working normally again, but motherboards can fail slowly or between reboots, so let your judgment be your guide now.
> 
> Any information on motherboard specifics? How old is the motherboard? What type of CPU does the system use (which type of slot or socket holds the CPU)? Did you replace the motherboard battery? Sometimes...
> 
> ...


its an older Compaq UWAVE2 board..and I tried all the other parts (different CPU, PSU, memory, video card, CPU fan, cleared CMOS) besides the motherboard...almost all new. and it still would not boot or even POST most of the time


----------



## sammysosa (Nov 25, 2005)

Check these links...

http://www.edaboard.com/ftopic107733.html

http://www.igs.net/~ndaines/Qfiles/uwave2.html

You can Google some others, if you still want to try to save the board from the Sledgehammer of Fate...


----------

