Is this motherboard bad?

[Sam]

I am trying to fix a friend's computer, and he was told by HP tech
support that his motherboard was dead. His HP Desktop is over 3 yrs
old and has no warranty left. I am looking at it right now and im not
so sure. I turn it on, and the fans hum, the lights flash, everything
looks ok, but then nothing else happens. Nothing ever comes on the
screen, and I checked to see if the motherboard's LED lit, but I
couldn't even find such an LED on it anyway. I stripped it of all the
PCI and drives it didn't need to run, and still same result. Any ideas
for what the problem is or how to solve it? It would really suck if I
had to replace this myself

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Strip everything off except processor, memory and video card.
Including mouse, keyboard, sound card, etc.
If there is onboard video, remove video card if there is one.
Reseat video card (if applicable)and memory.
Do you get a POST beep?
If not, motherboard is probably dead.

 

[Brian A.]

Correct me if I'm wrong. The way I read it is that everything powers up
yet you don't get video. If this is the case, check all of the cables for
the monitor and/or try a different monitor. If a video card is installed,
test it in another machine and/or test another in the suspect machine. If
no joy then test as suggested to see if you get an error beeps, pull
everything except CPU/power and momentarily start the machine. If you do
not get any response beep, rest assured either the CPU, mobo or power
supply is dead or near death. If you do get a response, install one
module at a time, starting each time to check if the machine boots with or
without error beeps. If no joy, check the memory modules with MemTest86.

--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

 

[frodo]

most motherboards emit a single short beep when the POST (poweron self
test) passes (from a beep device on the board, not from the speaker
(usually)). So, if the board works but the video is off, you'll at least
hear that single beep. good mb's also have a LED or two to indicate
proper power etc.

If the POST found an error that prevents it from continuing it'll emit
several long and short beeps - these are the BEEP CODES you hear about;
you'll need to find a reference for your motherboard or bios maker to know
how to decipher these beep codes.

A totalally silent, black screen, usually means the thing isn't running at
all; a clock or voltage error prevents the processor from running at all,
no POST, no nuthin'. Check and reseat all power connections; try a
different power supply. Try removing all memory DIMMS - it'll still POST
w/o the ram, usually halting w/ a long beep. Put them back into alternate
slots if available - pay special note if installing a PAIR for
dual-channel use, put them into the same color slots.

Since the board used to work fine, I'd suspect either a bad connection
somewhere (reseating can often fix this up), or a bad/leaking capacitor
has taken out the power regulation section - examine that area (usually
right rear corner) for leaking or bulging caps. Or the PS itself has gone
south.

good luck...