Troubleshooting a laptop's motherboard may or may not work
The motherboard is the hardest component in a laptop to troubleshoot, owing to its location and intricate arrangement inside the laptop. Before you attempt to troubleshoot your laptop's motherboard, make sure that you have diagnosed the problem correctly -- a video card problem and a motherboard malfunction may have the same symptoms initially, but solutions to the two problems are different.
Instructions
1. Plug in the power cord and try to power up the laptop.
2. Flush your battery. Unplug the laptop's power cord from the AC mains outlet, remove the battery from its dock under the laptop, and press the 'Power' button for about ten seconds.
3. Check whether the 'LCD closed' switch is stuck. When you close the LCD lid in a laptop, the switch closes and instructs the LCD assembly to stop displaying images on its screen. If the switch is stuck in the 'LCD closed' position, the laptop will be unable to display any image. Depending on model, the switch may be located in different regions on the laptop's surface, usually near the hinges. Locate the switch and undo the 'closed' position if it is stuck.
4. Check the laptop with a different power adapter. The power adapter may fail and be unable to supply the laptop with power, even when its green LED light is on. Plug in the new adapter and try to power up the laptop. If you connect the laptop to the same wall outlet most of the time, try connecting to a different outlet.
5. Reset the RAM. This may be a simple and straightforward process, or an involved one, depending on laptop model. Some laptops have a RAM hatch on the bottom which can be undone to expose the RAM modules. In other models, you may have to dismantle the keyboard to access RAM modules; refer to your user manual for instructions on taking apart the keyboard. With the RAM in view, undo small metal clips on either side of the modules to release the RAM. Hold the modules on either side and carefully pull it out of its socket. Reinsert the RAM modules by inserting it back in the port. Align its teeth with the port and gently force it down until it clicks into place.
6. Remove the hard disk drive and optical drives (CD-ROM and DVD-ROM) if they are easily detachable. Some laptop models can disassembled easily, simply by removing plastic casings covering internal components.
7. Plug in the power cord and try to switch on the laptop. With the RAM modules reset, the laptop's removable components detached and its battery removed, if the laptop still does not power up, you may have to replace the motherboard.
Tags: power cord, adapter power, closed position, either side, laptop motherboard, laptop with, Plug power