Motherboard, CPU, RAM

Diagnostics Flowchart
Copyright 2009 by Morris Rosenthal -All Rights Reserved
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Learn to troubleshoot like a technician. This page is excerpted from "Computer
Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts." The published version can be purchased direct
from the publisher, from online bookstores, or ordered through your local
bookshop.

Warning! You must unplug your ATX power supply from the wall before working
inside the case. Click diamonds for troubleshooting details.
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Copyright 2009 by
Morris Rosenthal

All Rights Reserved

CPU, RAM and Motherboard
Troubleshooting
Do you get a live screen? A message saying "No Video Signal" or anything similar doesn't count
as a live screen in this case. You need to get at least as far as a BIOS screen, either the system
BIOS or an adapter BIOS loading.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

Does the system power up? Do you hear any beeps, drives spinning up, fans, etc. If the power
isn't coming on, proceed to Power Supply Failure. If the power supply diagnostics sent you back
here, follow through these diagnostics as a double-check before giving up on the motherboard.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

If you haven't performed the Video Failure diagnostics for a dead screen yet, do so now. Don't
ignore the obvious steps, like checking the power cord and the outlet. If you skip the video
diagnostics and continue with the motherboard flowchart, you could easily end up buying
replacement parts for hardware that's not bad.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

One of the most common failures following motherboard or RAM upgrades is improper insertion
of memory modules. The levers should be lowered before inserting the memory module, and
should raise themselves up and lock in place when the module is correctly seated. If you're using
RIMM (Rambus Inline Memory Module) memory, the modules in a bank must be matched, and
you must install CRIMMs (Continuity RIMMs) in the empty sockets. If you're using older
SIMM (Single Inline Memory Modules), each bank needs a matched pair. In both cases, matched
doesn't just mean capacity and speed, it also means manufacturer. I have a new page up for
upgrading laptop memory with SODIMMs. For replacing regular DIMM memory, see the
illustrated replacing RAM.

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There are a number of reasons for a system with a good power supply to refuse to power up
which were covered in the power supply diagnostics. Another reason is a failed CPU insertion,
whether it's a slot or socket CPU. With good lighting, using a flashlight if necessary, make sure
that any socket CPU is sitting dead flat in the socket, which means that the heat sink should be
perfectly parallel to the motherboard surface; the CPU may be so totally hidden beneath some
heat sinks that you can't see the edges. This problem should really only be relevant if you just
upgraded your CPU or installed a new motherboard, because the CPU socket locks the CPU in
firmly and the heat sink adds another level of clamping. If a socket CPU is a new install, you
have to remove the heat sink and CPU to visually inspect it for damage such as crushed or bent
legs. A CPU will not seat correctly if the socket locking arm wasn't raised all the way up before
the CPU was inserted, or wasn't lowered all the way down after. If your CPU won't sit down in
the socket properly, either the socket is faulty or you have the wrong CPU for the motherboard! I
haven't seen a CPU creep out of a socket due to thermal shock for over a decade.

It's pretty tough to tell if slot type CPUs are seated by visual inspection, so when in doubt, I
reseat them. On the plus side, you can remove and reseat a slot CPU without removing the heat
sink, since they form an integral unit. Make sure you correctly identify release levers on a slot
CPU package, which are normally located at the top of the CPU package, to the inside of the
motherboard support structure.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

A stone dead CPU is another reason for a system to fail. All modern CPUs require a heat sink,
and most of these are an active heat sink, with a fan on top. You may encounter a heat sink
without a fan in mass-manufactured brand-name systems where the manufacturer had the
engineering talent in-house to do a thorough thermal analysis and determined that the airflow
over a passive finned heat sink was enough to keep the CPU within the operating temperature
range. When there is a fan on the heat sink, it must be hooked up to the correct power point on
the motherboard for the BIOS to monitor its condition and turn it off and on. If you just installed
a new CPU and powered the system up with no heat sink, it may have failed already. If the fan
on your active heat sink isn't spinning up, replace it and hope for the best. Make sure you see the
new heat sink fan operating since it could be the power point on the motherboard that's failed.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

If you have a system that powers up, the next question is, do you hear any beeps coming from
the motherboard speaker. If your motherboard doesn't have an integrated piezoelectric speaker
but does have a speaker connection next to the power and reset connections (usually the front,
left-hand corner of the motherboard) attach a case speaker. If you hear an unending string of
beeps, it's often bad RAM, while a repeated sequence can be RAM or video. Other beep codes
have been largely abandoned since they pertained to non-user replaceable surface mount
components. Beeps or no beeps, I always reseat the video adapter and the RAM, paying special
attention to the locking levers on the memory sockets.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

Are your motherboard settings on the defaults? Whether you just put in a new motherboard or
have been fooling around with overclocking, restore the default settings. This is often
accomplished with a single jumper or switch setting, but sometimes it involves moving several
jumpers or switches. Get the default values from the motherboard documentation. If you can't
find the original manual or locate the equivalent documentation on the Internet, you may have to
skip this procedure. Sometimes, the silk screens on the motherboard are sufficiently detailed to
work out the defaults, but you need really good eyes to figure it out.

Although we're repeating a little of the power supply diagnostics here, stripping down the system
is the next step in a "no power-up" scenario. Unplug the power cord before each change in the
case. Disconnect drives, one at a time, reconnecting power and trying power up after each. Next
start removing adapters, saving the video adapter for last, reconnecting power and retrying after
each change to ensure you discover which component is causing the failure.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

Running the motherboard without a case is a common technique used by technicians to eliminate
any weird grounding and shorting issues or mechanical stresses. It also makes it much easier to
swap the CPU if that's required. I normally do my bench testing on top of a cardboard box, with
a static free bag or foam between the bottom of the motherboard and the cardboard. You don't
walk away from a test like this or you might come back to find the box on fire! If your
motherboard powers up on the bench with the same power supply that you used in the case, you
have a geometry problem. Ideally, you should have a spare power supply for bench testing if
you're going to do regular repair and testing work.

Make sure some standoffs aren't higher than others, putting unacceptable stress on the
motherboard. Check that every standoff appears under a screw hole. The easiest way to be sure is
to count the standoffs, count the screws, and make sure there are no screws leftover after you
install the motherboard. There could be a short caused by a misplaced standoff, a loose screw,
metal chips from shoddy materials. I've encountered standoff shorts that produce an endless
string of beeps like RAM failure, without damaging the motherboard. There's also the possibility
that the case geometry is so messed up (out of square or level when the cover is forced on) that
it's putting an unacceptable mechanical stress on the motherboard resulting in an open circuit. If
you can't find the cause of the problem, don't hesitate to try another case and power supply.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

If you still have a "no power" situation with the motherboard running out of the case, there's
always the last refuge of a scoundrel. Swap in a known good CPU not forgetting to install a good
heat sink and to connect the fan, even just for a quick test. I try to keep around some cheap old
CPUs for this purpose, just in case the motherboard is a CPU eater. It's another good reason to
leave all the motherboard settings on the default "Automatic" setting, so you don't have to fool
around with them at this stage. If your old CPU is bad and the heat sink fan is dead, it's a pretty
sure bet that the dead fan caused the CPU failure. If the heat sink fan is working, determining
whether the CPU failure was due to poor heat sink contact, improper motherboard settings, or
lousy power regulation from the motherboard is a guessing game. If the motherboard is an older
make and you have a couple bucks to spare, replace the CPU and the motherboard together.
Replacing just the CPU, even if the motherboard tests out OK, is kind of risky and usually tough
to justify from a price/performance standpoint unless the system was practically new, say less
than a half a year old.

If you still have a no power situation, not to mention no beeps and no video, you're probably
looking at a bad motherboard. Again, this diagnosis assumes that you went through the Video
Failure diagnostics, which would have forced you through the Power Supply Failure diagnostics
as well. I still wouldn't be in a hurry to take a gun to the motherboard. Get your system operating
with a replacement motherboard and all the identical parts that the old motherboard failed with
before you make the trash can decision. I just added some illustrated instructions for replacing a
motherboard to this site, including installing a new motherboard.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

Does the system power right up, give a happy beep or two, then freeze on the BIOS screen? This
can occur on an all text screen, during or after memory count, while checking for drives, or the
feared "Verifying DMI Data Pool." The problem is very likely due to a conflict, most like
between the adapters but also possibly between incompatible drives sharing a bus.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

Strip the system down to bare-bones, just a power supply, motherboard, minimum RAM, CPU
and heat sink, and video adapter. If the system no longer freezes when it's stripped down, but
complains about the lack of a boot device, proceed to Conflict Resolution.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

Try swapping the RAM around, reordering the banks if you have more than one bank of RAM
installed, or moving the only module installed to a neighboring slot. If this doesn't cure the
freeze-up, and you have some suitable known good RAM from another system, try it. If the
RAM currently installed doesn't meet the motherboard manufacturer specs, you shouldn't be
using it; even if it seemed to work until this point. Improperly selected RAM can be the cause of
problems ranging from no-boot to intermittent lock-ups. Is the RAM seated correctly and in the
proper quantities (i.e., number of modules, addition of continuity modules, or CRIMMs, if you
are using RIMMs). Also make sure that the system didn't use tinned (silver color) contacts
against gold contacts, or the dissimilar metals will cause corrosion over time due to a constant
electrical current when the power is off. Replacing RAM at this point isn't a guaranteed
proposition, but it's a good item to eliminate. Don't toss out the RAM you remove because you
may find out later that it's actually good.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

If you aren't using the default CMOS settings, try restoring them all at this point. You can
usually restore these from a major CMOS menu item like "Restore Default Settings" or "BIOS
Default Settings." The default settings usually put everything on autodetect and use the
recommended timing for the RAM. This means if you're overclocking, stop it, at least until you
get the system running again. It doesn't matter whether or not overclocking the exact same CPU
or RAM in a friend's system worked without a hitch, you're exceeding the manufacturers
recommendations so it's a gamble.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

An overheating will cause the system to quickly lock up. Remove the existing heat sink and fan,
make sure that the fan is working properly AND that the geometry of the bottom of the heat sink
will bring it in full contact with the exposed CPU die or the top of the CPU package. See my
illustrated guide for how to replace a CPU. Apply an approved thermal grease or thermal tape
before reinstalling the heat sink. Don't put on too much thermal grease or you'll just make a
mess. The thermal media is only there to fill the microscopic gaps between the die surface and
the heat sink. Don't improvise your thermal material, go to a computer or electronics store and
buy some. Installing heat sinks can be frustrating, but this isn't a "bash away at it" process. You
can damage the CPU if you start cracking the heat sink against it in an attempt to get the heasink
to sit right. Be patient, study the mechanical connections, make sure you aren't hitting some
poorly placed component on the motherboard and check that your heat sink isn't so oversized it
just won't fit on the particular motherboard.

Make sure the fan on that heat sink spins up the second that power comes on. If it doesn't, despite
being connected to the correct power point (see the motherboard manual), replace it with a new
active heat sink unit. Make sure the bottom surface of the new unit will make full contact with
the exposed CPU die or the top of the CPU package. The only problem with replacing an active
heat sink is it may be too late for your CPU. CPUs have an unfortunate tendency to damage
themselves when they overheat. Some CPUs can go into thermal runaway and destroy
themselves in a matter of seconds without proper cooling.

Return to Diagnostic Chart

In stock and shipping next business day.

The book can ordered from Amazon for $14.95, or from Amazon UK for £9.95 or
through any retail store by the title "Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts
Revised Edition" or ISBN which is: 0-9723801-7-5.

Computer Repair | Power Supply Troubleshooting | Video Card Diagnostics | CPU, RAM
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