Reference no: EM132241132
Discussion :
Motherboard beep codes are useful for troubleshooting hardware and configuration faults. If all is well, a computer should beep once to signal this and continue the boot-up process. If there is no beep, or if nothing happens after the power button is pressed, what steps should you take to determine the issue?
When troubleshooting any computer part patience and being thorough are the key to success. Troubleshooting the motherboard is no different in this respect.
When attempting to boot up a computer and there is no beep, a series of beeps, or nothing happens when the power button is pressed, there are a few areas that can be checked that are most likely the culprits. First off, it is important to distinguish whether the computer you are working on is one that has been newly built and this is the first attempt to boot it, or whether this is a computer that has been working in the past and now no longer is.
The reason this distinction is made is that if you are attempting to boot a computer with a new motherboard for the first time, there is always the chance that the motherboard or another component is simply defective coming from the manufacturer, whereas with an older computer that has been working in the past, you know that at one time all the components have worked properly and that something must have changed to cause this issue.
Whenever troubleshooting it is always best to check the simplest solutions first. If there seems to be no power at all when pushing the computer's power button this is most likely an electrical issue. Cables can come loose for a variety of reasons and it is a simple task to check all the connections to ensure they are all properly seated and plugged into the correct ports.
Along with checking the cables within the system, it is also important to check the power at the wall outlet. It is possible that there is an issue there or that the computer is not properly plugged into the outlet or surge protector. It is also important to check the power supply. "Is the switch on the rear of the case on?
Is the dual voltage selector switch set correctly? Are the power supply connectors securely connected?" (Andrews, J., Dark, J., & West, J, p. 198.) If the answer to all these questions is yes, it is very possible that it is a bad power supply. An easy way to check if this is true would be to swap out the power supply for another that you know for certain is good.
Andrews, J., Dark, J., & West, J. (2017). CompTIA A+ Guide to IT Technical Support. Boston: Cengage Learning.