A motherboard can seem like a maze of confusion.
Desktop computers can be prone to many problems, most of which will be software-based, but on occasion, the hardware of a computer--even though it has no moving parts--will begin to fail as well. Fortunately these failures are rare, but when they do happen, knowing troubleshoot exactly where the problem is on a motherboard can save you a great deal of money in either paying a technician for diagnostic time or in finding and buying the wrong parts to perform the repairs yourself.
Instructions
1. Unplug your computer from the wall and open the case using your Philips screwdriver.
2. Lay your computer flat and identify the area where the RAM chips are. They can usually be found toward the "front" of the motherboard, which corresponds with the front of your computer, and look like long, thin, rectangular computer chips standing perpendicular to the board. You will likely have two to four of them seated in their slots next to each other. Release one of your RAM chips from its place and carefully lay it aside in a static-free area. Close your computer, plug it in and restart to test to see if removing this chip solved the problem. If it did not, unplug your computer again, open the case and switch RAM chips before trying again. Repeat until all of your memory slots have been tested.
3. Identify and change your SATA or IDE hard drive plugs. Your hard drive connections will be either IDE (wide, thin, flat gray cables) or SATA (thin black cables). Trace the cable from the back of your hard drive to the motherboard and unplug the cable from the board, plugging it in in a different port of the same type, which should be nearby. Power on your computer to test if this solves the issue.
4. Remove and reseat your Video Card. Most motherboards come with just one AGP or PCI-E slot for a video card, which can be identified as usually the largest peripheral card on your board that your monitor plugs into. Unscrew your video card from the case and, if you have an onboard video input on your motherboard, plug your monitor into it before testing your computer again. If not, reseat your video card snugly back in place and test your system.
5. Remove and reseat your Audio Card. Your audio card is either built in to your motherboard (in which case it cannot be tested without specialized equipment) or it is also a peripheral card like your video card. If it is a card, you can unscrew and remove it before firmly reseating it in place and testing your computer startup to see if the problem persists.
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