Did windows fry the mobo?

[manchurianCEO]

I had a recent post and it's solved, the mobo fried.

But now I'm wondering. This machine, a compaq presario with windows ME (upgraded to windows XP) had been unused for two or three years. My cousin calls me and asks if it can run again so they found the XP copy (not original) and I installed it. Voilá, it was working, sound and all.

Next day I stopped by and find out my little cousin had turned on the computer and we don't know for how long it had been on. But the monitor was blank however it worked well when I plugged it to my laptop.

I opened the computer's case and find a little scorching near the video card and it still smelled a bit like there was a short.

Could this be work of the pirated windows? or the computer just gave up?

Oh, and it is probable that my cousin (who has autism) may have been poking the power button on and off for who knows how long, could this be a possible cause?

[dimsums]

Software can't fry hardware, to a point, unless say a program were to stress the CPU or GPU so much it overheat, and without enough cooling, it will burn the components.
In your case, most likely a hardware fault, try changing the video card, if not, might as well get a new one because if it were ME hardware before, its over 10 years old.

[manchurianCEO]

Software can't fry hardware, to a point, unless say a program were to stress the CPU or GPU so much it overheat, and without enough cooling, it will burn the components. In your case, most likely a hardware fault, try changing the video card, if not, might as well get a new one because if it were ME hardware before, its over 10 years old.

I ruled out the video card because the mother board has in fact visible charring. Or well, it may have been the video card too.