Motherboard connects everything else that your computer needs to function. Hence, understanding motherboards is crucial for the well-being of your computer.
So how to find motherboard damage symptoms? If there’s anything out of the ordinary happening with your computer, you should check for hardware damage.
In this article, we’ll discuss what damages motherboards and how to detect any damages so that you can act quickly.
Table of Contents
What Damages a Motherboard
Most of the time your motherboard gets damaged without making your concern at all. Generally, you damage your motherboard without being concerned. So, you should take some general precautions to get rid of damaging the motherboard of your computer. The motherboard can be damaged for many reasons. Among them, some common reasons are given below. The motherboard can be damaged by –
- Overheating
- Bad power supply
- Short circuits
- Bad CPU
- Bad video card
- Bad Ram
- Dust
- Bad Hard Drive
Motherboard Damage Symptoms
If your computer’s motherboard is damaged, you will encounter a lot of issues. A faulty motherboard will not let you use your computer at all. Some of bad motherboard symptoms will be found because of the damaged motherboard.
- Randomly Reboot: This is one of the most common problems generated by a faulty motherboard. But your computer may encounter this problem for virus or a faulty hard drive. So, you should check that virus and hard drive are not causing the problem. After checking this, if your computer still causing the same problem, it is an indication of a damaged motherboard.
- Getting beep code:
If your computer is not booting at all, you now have to listen to your computer when the computer is turned on. A pattern of beeps will be heard as an indication of damaged hardware. A beep sound followed by three, four, or five is a symptom of a damaged motherboard. Or you may get four beeps followed by two, three, or four beeps as an indication that there are some serial or parallel port issues. This indicates a damaged motherboard.
Your computer may show a blue screen for many reasons. But generally, if there is an issue with the hardware, a blue screen is seen. If you encounter this problem, you should troubleshoot this problem by searching the error code. You can do this on Google or Microsoft’s site. If you still face the same problem after troubleshooting, it indicates that there is an issue with the motherboard.
It is the first thing you need to do. A common cause of motherboard failure symptoms is bulged or blown capacitors. So, you have to check each of the capacitors. If any of the capacitors are bulging or leaking then your motherboard is damaged. Replacing a bulging or blown capacitor is possible under some conditions. But this requires precision soldering. If you don’t find any damages, you have to use software utility or hardware diagnostic tools.
Using Software and Other Hardware Diagnostic Tools
Some examples of software and diagnostic tools are given below:
- Hot CPU Tester: This software is great for testing your computer motherboard. It is easy to use. It is also included with a burn-in feature for a new
- PC-Doctor: This is a great hardware diagnostic tool including the motherboard. But it is not cheap. Sometimes, it is used by service centers and other technicians to diagnose hardware.
- Ultra-X: This is a hardware diagnostic tool. This tool is able to check your motherboard whether it is damaged or not.
What to Do When You Sense Motherboard Problem
If you encounter some issues, don’t think that your motherboard is damaged. You can face these issues if your other PC components get damaged. You can check for several things to find out that your motherboard is damaged or is not in good condition.
Check the power cord whether it is loose or not. If it is loose, it would cause frequent shutdowns. Loose peripheral connectors can cause many problems. Make sure that they are perfectly fitted. Your computer may encounter booting problem for an external hard drive, or flash drive, or bootable CD. Remove CD or DVD from the optical drive, remove thumb drives that are connected via USB, disconnect external devices including printers and scanners. Now restart your computer. If the problem is solved, you can adjust the boot order in your BIOS settings so that, the computer doesn’t boot from these devices. But how to reset the BIOS? To find the answer, refer to your computer’s operating manual or manufacturer’s website.
Warnings
If you are not familiar with a computer’s insides, you shouldn’t attempt to fix it. Because you may cause more damages to the motherboard and other components of your computer. If you attempt to change any system settings, write down the current settings first. It will help you to return to the previous settings if the changes don’t help. You should check your computer’s warranty condition. Many company’s warranties become void once a computer is opened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a damaged motherboard be repaired?
It depends on the condition of the motherboard. If there is a problem with some capacitors or socket, it may be repaired. But the damaged board often cannot be repaired.
Can other components damage the motherboard?
Yes. All other components are connected to the motherboard. If the connection between them is loose, there may occur short circuits. So, the motherboard gets damaged.
What components damaged the motherboard?
All other components such as RAM, CPU, GPU, PSU etcetera can cause harm to your motherboard. Faulty components often cause short circuits and damage motherboard.
My computer isn’t booting perfectly. Does this indicate a faulty motherboard?
No. There may be a virus problem or a hard drive problem. Check your connections and virus and hard drive before checking the motherboard.
I am hearing beep code when the PC is turned on. Does this indicate a faulty motherboard?
A pattern of beeps is heard as an indication of damaged hardware. A beep sound followed by three, four, or five is a symptom of a damaged motherboard. Or you may get four beeps followed by two, three, or four beeps as an indication that there are some serial or parallel port issues. This indicates a damaged motherboard.
My PC is showing a blue screen and some writings on it. Does this indicate a faulty motherboard?
A blue screen is shown if there is a problem with the hardware. You should troubleshoot the problem by searching the error code.
Summing Up
All other components like Ram, CPU, PSU, GPU, etc. are connected to the motherboard. So, if there is a problem with the motherboard, your PC won’t work at all. A simple problem on the motherboard will show you some specific symptoms. But if you encounter some problems, first, check for other things before checking the motherboard. This article has given all the possible symptoms that can be found on the damaged motherboard. We hope, now you know all about motherboard damage symptoms.
