How to Clean Your Computer Motherboard (Mainboard)

<div face="arial" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">If you have not done the inspection mentioned in the previous article - How to Clean your Case, now is the time to do so. Look at the blades of the fan in the back of the computer. Also look at any vents. Is there clusters of dust there? Is there grime caked on to it? If so, the inside needs to be cleaned. If the fan blades are clean but it has been several years since you have cleaned the motherboard or if the computer is around cigarette smoke, it probably should be cleaned anyway. Dust and particles in the air (like cigarette smoke) can build up on the circuitry of the motherboard and cause it to heat up and/or corrode.<br /><br />The first thing that you need to do is unplug your computer. Then open up the case to get access to the motherboard. Cases open differently. If you don't know how to open your case, look on the back of your computer along the edge for some screws. These screws may hold on side panels or an upside down U shaped panel that covers the sides and top. Removing the screws will allow you to take off the cover. Other cases have the screws on the front of the computer. To get access to these screws, you must first remove the front panel by pressing a hidden latch. The cover is there to give easy access to the inside of your computer, so if you look hard enough, you should be able to figure out how to remove it.<br /><br />Remember that if you touch anything on the motherboard, you should be grounded by either touching the metal frame of the computer with your other hand or by wearing a special grounding device.<br /><br />The goal of cleaning the motherboard is to remove all dust and debris from the motherboard and all components inside of the case. This can be done using one of three methods.<br /><br />The preferred method is to use a can of compressed air to blow it out. Always hold the can in an up-right position to prevent the propellent chemicals which can damage or corrode components from coming out. Dust and dirt should be blown away from the motherboard and out of the case.<br /><br />Another way to remove dust is to use a vacuum. The common advice is to only use a battery operated vacuum because an AC powered vacuum causes static and static can ruin the motherboard. I have used an AC powered vacuum (before I knew that it was not recommended) to clean my motherboard many times and it has never caused any problems, but I may have just been lucky. When using the vacuum, keep the nozzle a couple of inches away from the motherboard or any other components so that it does not come in contact with them and so that any small parts are not sucked into the vacuum.<br /><br />If you do not have a can of compressed air or a vacuum, you can use a dry cloth and brush to clean the motherboard. Be careful not to dislodge or break anything using this method.<br /><br />While cleaning the motherboard, be careful not to unplug any cables or connections or to dislodge any loose components, such as, jumpers.<br /><br />Methodically clean the whole inside of the case going over all of the motherboard from one end to the other and all other components. Don't forget to clean the fans and heat sinks. Do not open up the power supply box or stick anything in it beyond the fan. If you do, you could get a shocking surprise and ruin your computer.<br /><br />If your computer does not work when you put it back together, something was obviously dislodged during the cleaning. Open the case back up and push all connections and cards into their slots. Look for anything that may have become disconnected.<br /><br />Cleaning the motherboard is probably the most dangerous form of cleaning but it is necessary to prevent an early death of your computer.<br /><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>About The Author</b></span> </p><div style="text-align: left;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ray Geide writes a free weekly newsletter called Ray's Computer Tips and moderates a discussion board answering computer questions called Computer Q&A. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">He is an experienced computer programmer who has been writing top-rated software for over a decade. Though he has written for some big-name companies, he prefers to write for his own company, Super Win Software, Inc. <span class="hft-urls">http://www.superwin.com/</span> </span><br /></div>

If you have not done the inspection mentioned in the previous article - How to Clean your Case, now is the time to do so. Look at the blades...

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware

<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">by: </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="author">Steven Stoddard</span></span><br /><br />There could be many reasons why you’d want to troubleshoot your computer, well, one actually and that’s because something is not working right. The process of troubleshooting is something you learn after working for a long time with computers. Often enough when there’s a problem, nothing is going to explicitly tell you what is causing the problem and how you can fix it. By taking logical steps and walking through the process of troubleshooting you should be able to solve almost any computer problem, software or hardware related. It involves identifying the problem(s), finding the cause of that problem, determining the solution, executing that solution, and testing and checking that solution to see if it solves your problem.<br /><br />As an example let’s say one day while using your computer the screen suddenly turns all black and you can’t see anything. We found a problem now what would be the first step to take to fix it? First check to see if the monitor is on and is receiving power, most monitors when they have power, but no connection or connection problems with the computer will display a message that says this monitor is working, but make sure you check your cables. So the next logical step to take would be to check the cable to make sure it is properly connected and secured to the VGA slot behind your computer case and to make sure the monitor cable is plugged into the monitor. Now, here’s where you have to decide what would be the next best course of action to take. you could either swap out your monitor with another monitor that you know is working to see if the problem is the monitor itself and nothing else or you can try to see if the problem is your graphics card. If your replacement monitor works, good, then you know your culprit is a bad monitor and you’ll most likely have to get a new one, because monitors are dangerous and too costly service. If the replacement monitor you used shows up a black screen as well, the next thing you’d do is check to make sure the graphics card is properly seated in the motherboard, if it is and the display is still not showing up, then swap out the graphics card to see if your problem is fixed.<br /><br />Generally there are only so many steps you can take before you solve the problem and everything is back in order. Make sure that before you start testing and swapping out parts that the problem wasn’t caused by you changing a software setting in Windows or some ambiguous option in the motherboard’s BIOS that causes your problem. <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">read more about...(troubleshoot):</span><br /><a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer_1172.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">1. motherboard</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><br /><a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer_3207.html">2. power supply</a></span><br /><a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer_1361.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">3. memory</a><br /><a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer_1056.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">4. hard drive</a><br /><a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer_9454.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">5. monitor</a><br /><a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer_6450.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">6. graphics card</a><br /><a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer_15.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">7. soundcard</a><br /><a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">8. processor</a><br /><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>About The Author:</b></span> </p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Steven Stoddard </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events. </span><br /><a class="hft-urls" href="http://stevestechguide.com/" style="font-style: italic;">http://stevestechguide.com</a></span><br /></div>

by: Steven Stoddard There could be many reasons why you’d want to troubleshoot your computer, well, one actually and that’s because somethin...

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware (Motherboard)

<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >by: <span class="author">Steven Stoddard</span></span><b class="author"><br /><br /></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b class="author"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></b><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> Motherboard</span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> The motherboard is the heart of the computer, every part of the computer relies on the motherboard to function correctly. It maintains connection between every PC component and ensures that things are operating smoothly between them. Many signs of motherboard failure is that the computer won't boot up, not reaching the POST test, erratic system behavior, different combinations of components not working. Because everything is connected to the motherboard certain parts may or may not work correctly if the motherboard is faulty so be sure to test those parts before thinking they're dead and getting new ones. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Be sure to do a visual inspection of the motherboard to make sure all cables are seated properly, the fans are spinning, and that the CMOS battery is in it's proper place. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Also check for any broken or leaking capacitors, those can immediately render a motherboard dead. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Make sure that all of the jumpers are set correctly as well, you should be able to find jumper information in your motherboard's manual, and if you don't have the manual you should be able to find the manual on the Internet at the motherboard manufacturer's website. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Many of the problems caused by a bad motherboard is also similar to problems caused by a faulty or dying power supply, so be sure to check if the power supply is faulty or swap it out for another to see if your problem is fixed. If you have a spare motherboard you can try swapping out the motherboard to see if that solves your problem, if that's the case then the motherboard is most likely faulty. If you think the motherboard is faulty and it is still in warranty you should be able to send it back to the manufacturer for a new one with no hassle, sometimes they might even pay for the shipping & handling if it is a big problem that is happening with a certain line of motherboards. Make sure that when you open a motherboard you keep all of the packaging and the box, and if there are any stickers that will void the warranty if removed make sure you do NOT remove them, so that way it is easier to send back. <a href="http://computer-infocentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-troubleshoot-your-computer_4042.html"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">(home)</span></a></span><br /></div><b class="author"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></b><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">About The Author:</span> </p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Steven Stoddard </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events. </span><br /><a class="hft-urls" href="http://stevestechguide.com/" style="font-style: italic;">http://stevestechguide.com</a></span>

by: Steven Stoddard Motherboard The motherboard is the heart of the computer, every part of the computer relies on the motherboard to fun...

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