While processor can be considered as the brain of our computer, motherboard can be considered the cardiovascular system of our computer. It is a platform where all components are connected and integrated into a single hardware configuration. Our computer needs all parts to work properly and correctly. Things should operate very smoothly and there are signs that could indicate motherboard failures. In this case, our computer may fail to booth up, shows erratic behaviour, not completing the POST test and others. If the motherboard is faulty, all components will not be able to work properly. For starters, we should be able to perform visual inspections to make sure that all fans are spinning, all cables are attached properly and CMOS battery is seated firmly on its socket. Motherboard is consisted of many electrical components and we should check for leaking or broken capacitors. Just one small malfunctioning electrical component could render the whole system non-operational. We should also make sure that all jumpers are configured properly and we could know about this only after reading the instruction manuals.
In many cases, motherboard problems are caused by faulty power supply and if our visual inspection shows that the motherboard is working properly, we need to check whether the power supply works well. The easiest way to do this is by swapping the power supply and make sure that everything is working properly. If our computer is still unable to run, then it is possible that the problem is related to our motherboard. We may need to check whether our motherboard is still in warranty and in this case, we could send it back to the local service center. In some cases, we are allowed to receive a replacement, because repairing a faulty or defective motherboard can be quite consuming and may not worth the costs. In some cases, we may need to refrain from sending the motherboard back to a distant service center, because the shipping and handling fees can be quite high relative to the actual costs of the motherboard. When checking our motherboard, we should check for its stickers and we should make sure that we don’t remove or damage them, because this could void the warranty of our new motherboard.
The power supply could give us trouble if our computer runs well with the replacement power supply. This is something that we need to consider and it is possible that a dying power supply can bring other components with it to the grave or in this case to the recycling center. Dying power supply couldn’t send stable voltages and this is a bad situation for any electrical component. It could cause short circuits and components could overheat rather easily. In some rare cases, faulty power supply may catch fire and we could be lucky enough if the power supply dies by only emitting a funny smell. There are some signs that our power supply has gone bad and this could be indicated by more frequent crashes and hands. This could eventually be ended by a billowing smoke, which is a sure sign of its demise.