The motherboard is one of the main parts of the computer without this you can not use your computer. If your computer is not working properly so it may be a motherboard problem. You need to know where or not this is the actual problem why your computer is not working. And how to tell if motherboard is dead and the cause of your problem.
Read this article to know how to tell if the motherboard is dead or not, you just have to check a few things as explained below in this article. We have also explained the reasons why a motherboard dies and also the ways you can avoid this from ever happening.
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What Causes A Motherboard To Die?
Dead motherboard simply means the motherboard that has stopped working, many things may cause your computer’s motherboard to die. There are many things such as,
- Overheating, a high temperature may cause malfunctioning in your computer. A computer overheats because of overuse and because of high room temperature.
- Fan Failure, a fan maintains the temperature. It happens because of the dust that accumulates over it over time.
- Being old, every computer part has a lifespan, your motherboard might die because of being used for a very long time.
- Accidents, it can get damaged because of any accidents. Things like accidental drops damage your PC so much and can cause your motherboard to stop working.
There can also be some other reasons why the motherboard in your computer might stop working. The next question is about how to tell if the motherboard is dead or not.
How To Tell If Motherboard Is Dead
Check If Your PSU (Power Supply Unit) Is Working
The power supply unit of your computer is as important as the motherboard itself. You need to check if this is working properly or not, a power shortage may cause damage to the motherboard and other computer parts. You can check this by connecting the PSU to any other device. If the other device works fine then your PSU is fine, there is a problem with the motherboard. If your PSU is the issue then you can replace it with any other spare PSU if you have one.
Check If Your Computer Is Overheating Very Fast
You need to check the temperature of your computer before assuming that the motherboard is dead. Many computers have to feature to automatically shut down when they are overheated. If your PC is overheated then turn it off and wait for it to cool down, once the temperature drops you can turn it on again.
If the computer turns on properly then there is no need to worry. You should manage the temperature, overheating might badly damage your motherboard.
Check If Your Computer Makes A Beep Sound
This is an amazing feature in a computer that helps you decide whether or not there is any hardware failure in your computer. The computer will beat for specific times if your motherboard is damaged, this is known as beep code. You can check whether or not your computer is working properly by checking the number of times the computer makes the beep sound when you try to boot the computer.
These codes can be different for each device so you will have to check this first. You can easily find these beep codes in the user manuals or through google.
Remove Your RAM & Power Up Your Computer
Sometimes, this can be true that your motherboard is not dead but this is your computer’s ram. You can check this by removing the ram and then powering up the computer when you remove the ram and power up the motherboard then it should make a beep sound. These beep sounds are long and sometimes repetitive so if you hear this type of beep when you power up the motherboard then your motherboard is fine.
You can change the RAM if that is defective if you find any issues with the motherboard then you can use further diagnosis to confirm.
Reset The CMOS Battery
Your motherboard can stop working because of CMOS ( complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) so you can try to reset this. There are two ways you can reset the CMOS Battery, this is one of the best ways about how to tell if the motherboard is dead. A CMOS battery looks like a silver disc similar to the batteries in a wristwatch, you have to remove it from your motherboard, if you can not find it then use the user guide. Put the battery back as it was, power up your motherboard to see if the motherboard makes any beep sound.
In the second method, you have to make use of the jumpers, use your motherboard’s manual. There are specific ways to do this for each motherboard, so you need to check this through the manual. Once you are done, power up the motherboard and then again wait for it to make any sound. If this makes a short beep sound then your motherboard is fine.
Check If The CPU & GPU Is Working Properly
Both of these things are important for your computer, CPU is the heart of your computer while GPU makes your display look more beautiful. You have to check that both of them are working fine before blaming your motherboard. For CPU, you can use diagnostic tools like intel processor diagnostic. You can check whether your GPU is fine or not then you can check that by removing that if that picture is stable then your motherboard is fine.
How To Avoid Motherboard Failure
Make Sure There’s No Physical Damage To Any Component
You should be extra careful with your computer, any kind of physical damage will make the motherboards to stop working. If there are any damages such as burned capacitors, bulging or it’s bent anywhere then it will probably stop working. You have to save your motherboard from things that can cause such things as water and drops.
Regularly Clean Out The Dust
One of the main reasons why motherboards stop working even after taking care of any physical damage is because of dust. The dust can accumulate if you don’t clean your computer regularly, you can use a cloth to remove the dust or even use an air blower for this. The dust should be cleaned properly, you should not use water for this, a dry cloth would be enough to remove the dust. If you do it regularly then it will be easy to clean them, make sure you clean everything properly if you want the long life of your computer.
Make Sure There Are No Power Surges Electrical Spikes
Motherboards can only work with a proper electric supply but when there are any power surges or electrical spikes then it can damage the motherboard badly. You can avoid this by using any surge protector and installing a high-efficiency AC unit. Unplug your computer during stormy weather and keep a check on the wires, you should be careful about these things.
You can save your computer from these things if you are a little careful about this. Your computer can only handle a voltage of specific points, electrical spikes are not good for your computer as well, you can take the same precautions for this as well.
Conclusion
A motherboard is one of the most important parts of the computer so if it’s dead you will have to replace it with a new one. You should check this before you do anything, as we have explained above. Without making sure that your motherboard is dead, you should not do anything by yourself.
We have also explained things that you can do to save your motherboard from failure. Now you must have understood by now how to tell if motherboard is dead, this is simple. Make sure you take care of your motherboard if it’s not dead, but if there is any issue then you should change it.
Also Read: How To Fix “Windows Cannot Install Required Files” Error?