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    how to tell if mobo is bad?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by scarletfever, Jun 30, 2009.

  1. scarletfever

    scarletfever Notebook Evangelist

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    hey guys,

    so yesterday, my desktop stopped working after having it on for a few minutes. power on, fans run at full blast, nothing shows up on monitor, 6 beeps, and diagnostic lights on back of tower show a memory problem. (i have an xps gen 3 btw). i called dell, and took out both RAM modules, and unplugged the ribbons for the hard drives and cd drives from the mobo, and also took out the video card, sound card, and modem.

    after turning it on, i still get 6 beeps, and the lights in the back show green yellow yellow yellow. the dell chat rep says that the motherboard is bad. the computer isn't waranteed anymore, so i'm just trying to make sure it can't be anything else.

    also of note - this problem happened after returning from a week long vacation, the house was VERY hot when we were gone, and when i opened the tower it was completely filled with dust. any ideas?
     
    scarletfever, Jun 30, 2009
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  2. qhn

    qhn Notebook User

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    I would first perform a good clean up and vacuuming of the unit. Try to re-seat every single card back and cross the fingers.

    This fails - yep, could be the motherboard.

    cheers ...
     
    qhn, Jun 30, 2009
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  3. thetank256

    thetank256 Notebook Enthusiast

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    thetank256, Jun 30, 2009
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  4. scarletfever

    scarletfever Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks, I tried those. I haven't upgraded RAM or anything. should the CMOS reset be done with the power cable plugged in?

    Also, about every other time I turn it on, the fans run at full blast. Could the issue be with the fans or heatsink?
     
    scarletfever, Jun 30, 2009
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  5. garetjax

    garetjax NBR Freelance Reviewer NBR Reviewer

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    There's an easier way to reset your CMOS than hunting for jumper pins on your mobo. First, remove the power cable, push the power button on the machine for a few seconds and release it. Allow the computer to sit while residual power is drained from the computer. Locate the CMOS battery and remove it. Let the machine sit for a few minutes. Re-insert the battery, plug the power cable back in and hit the power button.

    I doubt it, although you could try re-seating the HSF, it couldn't hurt. The fans running full blast is normal during the initial boot/POST of the machine and should return to normal after the POST clears.

    This thread should be moved to Desktop Review...
     
    garetjax, Jun 30, 2009
    #5