Member Avatar for Buxtreme

During the winter, I made the mistake of running a virus scan program overnight, while I knew there was a snowstorm going on outside. Power went out, surged back in, and it fried something. I was rather frustrated, because when I purchased my computer, I was somewhat new to things, and the salesperson at the Best Buy in Virginia Beach neglected to tell me that there was a difference between APC's and normal power strips.

Regardless, I replaced my power supply, hoping that it was the extent of the problem. No such luck. Is there anything else that may have fried, or have I narrowed it down to the motherboard? I'm looking to get this thing back up and running, and would rather not take a $200 leap of faith. :)

Another sub-question I had... When a motherboard does burn out, does it also burn out the processor? I have seen a few good deals on replacement motherboards, some of which do not come with a processor. I was wondering if I could just pluck old faithful out of the burnt motherboard, and pop it right into the new guy when I get it?

Thanks in advance for your time and wisdom!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by goldeagle2005

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— sorry this happened. A storm surge that kills a PSU commonly stresses the motherboard's local power circuits (voltage regulators, MOSFETs) or the BIOS/EEPROM so the system simply won't start. is correct that swapping known-good parts gives a definitive answer, but there are a few lower-cost checks to try first before buying a replacement board.

  • Power down and unplug, then do a careful visual inspection for burnt components, scorch marks or bulging/leaking capacitors around the CPU power area.
  • Confirm the main ATX connector and the separate CPU 4/8-pin power lead are fully seated and that no pins look melted or blackened.
  • Try the front-panel power header by momentarily shorting the power-on pins with a screwdriver (to rule out a faulty case switch).
  • Clear CMOS (remove the battery or use the jumper) in case the BIOS was corrupted by the surge.
  • Verify the new PSU actually puts out correct rails with a PSU tester or multimeter (5VSB present, 12V, 5V, 3.3V). A replacement PSU can be faulty too.
  • If the board has POST LEDs or a speaker header, use them or a POST card to get diagnostic codes; those codes narrow the fault quickly.
  • If comfortable, breadboard the board outside the case with only PSU, CPU + cooler, and speaker to rule out a short to the case.

About the CPU: it can survive a surge, but it can also be damaged. You can reuse the chip if the replacement board has the same socket/chipset and the BIOS supports that CPU; many used boards may need a BIOS update before they will boot with your processor. Inspect socket/pins (LGA sockets and PGA CPUs) for physical damage and use fresh thermal paste when reseating.

If you see clear burn damage or these checks fail, replace the motherboard or have a shop run powered diagnostics. Before re-assembly, consider a UPS with AVR for future storms and pull the hard drive to back up data as soon as you can.

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Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

You could check to make sure that your connections are tight. Also, remove the RAM stticks and see if your mobo shows any signs of life. If not, I'm sorry to say you may have fried it.

As for your second question, yes, it is entirely possible (though not necessary) for a lightning strike to take out the processor along with the motherboard.

Member Avatar for Buxtreme

Logically, my next question is whether you feel that it is guaranteed to be the motherboard? Is there anything else that you feel might possibly be causing my computer to not turn on, now that I have replaced the power supply?

Again, thanks in advance for your time and help!

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

The most certain way to be sure would be to install a known, working processor on your motherboard and see if the system works. Do the same for your your processor - install it on a known working motherboard.

Otherwise, if you're sure all the other components (RAM, graphics card etc) are working, it has to be one of the two.

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