Consider this:Do you have the tools and
knowledge to do low level component
repair? Do you know what I mean by low level component repair?
If no is the answer to either of these questions then there is no repairing the motherboard for you. There is however things that can be done to a main board
that is malfunctioning that does not require repair of the board itself. So this
section will deal with trouble shooting and things that can be
repaired/replaced.
If you have a proprietary computer there in not a lot you can do besides
diagnose your problem then call the manufacture support and get it replaced.
Trouble shooting motherboard problems.
Most manufactures buy their bios from programming houses like Phoenix. Some
manufactures have their own in house bios programs, like Compaq (now HP). These
bios programs have a section for diagnostics, some of them are accessible by the
user others are not. Most have a way to tell you there is a problem with the
computer, these are "post" codes (Power On System Test). Some also have "beep"
codes, the computer speaker beeps a certain code for different failures. The
main thing is when you turn on the computer you either get a number on the
screen, the computer starts beeping, or it dumps into the BIOS setup screen.
I can not list all post and beep codes here but they can be found by noting the
BIOS program name when the computer starts up, then searching the web for the
codes by the programming house name.
From the post or beep code you get a general idea of what the problem is. Memory?
Video? Keyboard? Mouse? and so on.
Most problems with components can be resolved fairly easily and quickly.
Sometimes reseating the component will take care of the problem. Sometimes
removing the component and putting it back in will clear the problem. If the
problems persist after reseating it then it is dead, needs to be replaced.
The main thing is troubleshoot the problem before replacing it, this will
save
you some money.
