How to tell if my Motherboard is Bad

[Docbrito82]

so im new to the hole self repair thing, here is my situation i have a alien ware laptop wich is now my project. i have had the laptop for about 3 years it is a alienware Sentia 3450 it will not power up, i have checked the battery and it is good i have checked the hard drive and it is also good the LED lights that tell me the laptop is getting power and the battery is chargeing due light up when plugged in how ever when i hit the power on button nothing happens no screen light nothing all i get is the LED lights turn on and the cooling fan turns on. It runs on windows XP has a 80 Gb hard drive and a pentium dual core processor. I have trouble shooted it with Alienware Tech support they believe this to be a mother board issue. now i have two options i can send it out for repair for a fee of 260 dollars if it is the mother board or i can get a new motherboard for 56 dollars and replace it my self. befor i go spending the money how can i tell if the mother board is bad

 

[muckshifter]

welcome to PCR

The way to tell if a MB is bad, is, to replace it with one you know is working ...

I would say that your particular laptop is beyond economical repair ... you/I always seem to have something left over when "repairing" laptops.

 

[floppybootstomp]

It's possible that the battery is faulty despite the led indicating it's charging.

That's the most common cause of laptops not booting - dud battery. The machine needs to see voltage from the battery, the charger alone will not suffice.

Only way to tell, unfortunately, is with a known good battery and they're not cheap, laptop batteries.

Best bet is to find a local dealer/repair place who can try a good battery for you.

It could just as likely be the motherboard and it's not worth trying to repair yourself, laptops are a law unto themselves.

260 dollars seems reasonable to me but you have to ask yourself what your laptop is worth second hand and if a repair is economical or not.

 

[Docbrito82]

I apreciate all the help, looking more into it basicly i want to try and fix the labtop my self if possible lol like a learning experience how ever it comes out extra peices or not i just hope i can get it to work. i have tried the battery option tech support told me i can remove the battery and try to boot it just with the power cord no such luck. i was hopeing to find out if there were any sure set signs maybe visual that i can see on the mother board that may possibly indicate this mother board is shot.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Very rarely will a motherboard show signs of being faulty, they usually just die quietly, like a pensioner falling into Niagra Falls on holiday.

If you want to gamble 56 dollars on a new motherboard then yes, give it a go.

It will help if you have some knowledge of taking apart electronic devices and understand how internal cables connect cos you'll have several ribbon cable connectors to contend with that just push home into contact strips.

Also take your time, make notes and if you have a camera, take pictures, using macro if necessary to show where all the screws go.

Be prepared to take absolutely everything apart accessing top, bottom and sides of the machine.

Obviously it IS possible but usually a task best left to experienced repair people.

Good luck.