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by Answerbag Staff on January 25th, 2010

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How can i tell if the motherboard or the processor is bad in a laptop?

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  • by Jennifer Uhl on January 25th, 2010

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    Great Answer

    Professionally Researched. (What's this?)

    Troubleshooting motherboard and processor problems typically boils down to a few basic steps, all designed to try different tests until you can determine the specific piece of equipment that is not working properly. When it comes to troubleshooting motherboard and central processing unit (CPU) problems, the best strategy is to perform a swap to see whether the processor runs properly in another computer.

    CPU Removal

    If you don't know whether a laptop's problem lies in the motherboard or the processor, both issues can be addressed by swapping out the CPU in the computer. Remove the CPU from the troubled laptop.

    Installation

    Once the CPU has been removed from the laptop in question, install it in another laptop. The test laptop should be running smoothly, without any issues, for this strategy to be effective. Install the CPU in the new laptop and power it on as usual. What happens at this point will help to determine which piece of equipment in the laptop has failed.

    Results

    Boot up the test laptop. If it boots properly, the processor is not the problem. If the test laptop runs properly with the old CPU installed, you'll know that the motherboard was the equipment that failed in the ailing laptop and requires replacement. On the other hand, if the test laptop does not boot properly, the failed equipment was the processor and the original motherboard likely is good. It is possible, of course, that both pieces of equipment have failed, but it's more likely one or the other, not both.

    More Information:

    Diagnostics Flowchart

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