Fix a Laptop Motherboard
The motherboard on a laptop is the core component with which all other parts connect. If your laptop's motherboard isn't working, you may notice that random components on your computer stop working at irregular intervals or that the machine may not boot up at all. To fix a laptop motherboard, you can first attempt to flash the Basic Input Output System (BIOS), but if that does not resolve the issue, the motherboard will need to be completely replaced.
Instructions
1. Check the manual that came with your laptop and find the exact model for its motherboard. Open your web browsing program and navigate to the website for the manufacturer of your laptop's motherboard. Access the support section of the website and then click on the link to be taken to the BIOS updates page. Navigate to the most recent BIOS update for your model of motherboard and click on the download link.
2. Close your web browser and open the folder where you saved the file. Right-click on it and choose the option to "Extract Here." Insert a floppy disk into your laptop if it has a floppy disk drive. Copy the extracted BIOS update file to the floppy disk.
3. Open your web browser again if you don't have a floppy drive on your laptop. Navigate to a website that offers an ISO disk image creation tool like "MagicISO" (see "Resources" below). Download and install the ISO creation tool. Open the program up and then insert a blank CD into your computer's CD-rewritable drive. Click on "File" and then "New CD Image." Click on the extracted BIOS update file and then click on "Save."
4. Burn the ISO image to the blank CD using your computer's CD burning program. Leave the floppy disk or burned CD in your computer then re-start it. Wait for a new menu to appear and then use the arrow key to highlight the option to "Boot From Disk." Press the "Enter" key and then follow the instructions that will appear on the screen to update the motherboard's BIOS. Restart the computer and check to see if you are still experiencing any problems with the motherboard.
5. Purchase a replacement motherboard if there are still problems occurring. Power the laptop off and flip it over. Remove the battery and then use a screwdriver to pull out all of the screws on the bottom side of the case. Pull off the two plastic covers at the lower end of the case that cover the hard drive and RAM modules. Pull the RAM modules out of their ports and then slide the hard drive out of the laptop.
6. Pull the CD drive on the left side of the laptop out of the case and set it aside. Flip the laptop back over and open the screen lid. Push a flat object such as a screwdriver head underneath the plastic bezel just below the screen. Pop the bezel off and remove it from the laptop. Lift the keyboard off of the laptop and then disconnect the cord running from the motherboard to the keyboard. Set the keyboard aside.
7. Find the processor on the lower-right side of the motherboard. Remove the screws holding the fan and heat sink assembly to the processor. Pull the assembly off and set it aside. Lift the processor directly off of the socket on the motherboard and set it outside the laptop case. Check to see if the laptop has a separate graphics adapter at the bottom side of the motherboard. Remove the screws holding it in place and then remove it from the motherboard.
8. Slide the wireless Internet card out of it's port on the left side of the laptop and set it aside. Remove any remaining screws that are holding the motherboard to the laptop's case. Pull the motherboard out of the case and discard it. Put the new motherboard in the case and then reassemble the processor, heat sink assembly, graphics adapter, and wireless card. Put the keyboard and bezel back onto the laptop case.
9. Put the RAM, hard drive, and DVD drive back into the laptop and then reattach all the screws. Put the battery back in the case and then power the laptop on. Wait for the laptop to completely load its operating system to ensure that your new motherboard is working properly.
Tags: your laptop, floppy disk, laptop case, your computer, BIOS update, hard drive