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Ok heres the story. Yesterday I tried to turn my laptop on and nothing happend so I looked it over and it turns out my 13 yr old brother decided to take it apart for a better look inside. Well I noticed that he took the CPU out and when he put it back in he didnt lock it totaly into place so im pretty sure its fried. Heres what happens when I turn it on: the power lights and the lock lights ie caps lock and so on flash constantly and the CD-ROM starts to run then shut off again and again. If the CD-ROM and the lights are getting power then the motherboard isnt fried right? Id like to get it going soon because im making a custom compartment for it in my Eclipse. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

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Dani AI

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A few focused checks before assuming the CPU or motherboard is toast. As pointed out, power LEDs and a spinning fan only show some power — they don’t prove the board or CPU are healthy. As suggested, the repeated start/stop behavior often means the system is tripping into a protection/shutdown state; and is right to flag seating and visible damage as likely culprits.

Quick, safe troubleshooting (work with battery removed and AC unplugged where possible)

  1. Drain residual power: remove battery/AC and hold the power button 20–30 seconds.
  2. Open and inspect around the CPU socket/heatsink for bent pins, scorch marks, cracked solder, or bulging capacitors. Visible damage usually means motherboard work.
  3. Check the CPU retention/locking mechanism and orientation marks — don’t force anything. If the heatsink was disturbed, clean old thermal paste and reseat properly.
  4. Minimize the system: disconnect HDD, optical drive and any PC cards; try booting with just CPU, one RAM stick, and power. Swap RAM into different slots or try a known-good stick if available.
  5. Reset CMOS (remove the coin cell briefly) and listen for POST/beep codes — note the pattern (beep codes differ by BIOS vendor). Attaching a small speaker can help hear codes laptops sometimes mute.

How to read results

  • If the machine posts after reseating or with minimal parts, CPU is probably fine and a loose connector, RAM, or peripheral was the issue.
  • If there are obvious burn marks, cracked components, or the system still power-cycles with nothing attached, the motherboard is likely damaged. Repeated power attempts can cause more harm, so stop and document what you found (photos).

Next steps and cautions

  • If under warranty, contact the manufacturer (explain what you tried; photos help). Be aware user disassembly may affect coverage.
  • If unsure about handling laptop sockets or BGA CPUs, get a pro — laptop CPU repairs can require board-level work. Use anti-static precautions and avoid forcing connectors.

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Member Avatar for Dani

Gee I'm sorry 'bout that. Tough luck. A part of a motherboard can be fried meaning that some things will work while others won't. Lights powering on, unfortunately, doesn't mean your motherboard is all good 2 go.

Unfortunately, I'm no hardware expert. Perhaps someone else here would have some more definitive news for you. If I were you I'd actually just call your laptop/motherboard manufacturer and ask for their opinion. If it's under warranty, you can send it back to them and they'll replace the broken parts. (Actually, it depends what type of warranty you have, as it was caused by human error). Does your computer beep at all when your turn it on?

Member Avatar for whipaway

Sounds like a short: the power supply is trying to start up, it then detects an overload and then shuts down. This cycle will then repeat. I would open up the computer and check to see if the ribbon cables that interconnect the floppy, hd, keyboard, touchpad, etc are fully seated or maybe installed backwards.
Could also be the other way around: The power supply is not detecting enough of a load and shutting down then recycling.

Member Avatar for subtronic

Ok heres the story. Yesterday I tried to turn my laptop on and nothing happend so I looked it over and it turns out my 13 yr old brother decided to take it apart for a better look inside. Well I noticed that he took the CPU out and when he put it back in he didnt lock it totaly into place so im pretty sure its fried. Heres what happens when I turn it on: the power lights and the lock lights ie caps lock and so on flash constantly and the CD-ROM starts to run then shut off again and again. If the CD-ROM and the lights are getting power then the motherboard isnt fried right? Id like to get it going soon because im making a custom compartment for it in my Eclipse. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Sounds to me your chip isn't thuroughly secured to the board.. a chip that's not thuroughly secured doesn't mean it will be "fried"; does your chip have burn marks on it? It could be the case that the fan wasn't working or the chip was overclocked (jumpers were changed).

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The CPU fan does run when I turn it on.

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