Hello everyone, I made a small guide on how to detect if your motherboard is dead. Hope someone finds this helpful.

***REALLY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: BEFORE DOING ANYTHING THAT REQUIRES YOU TO PHYSICALLY WORK ON YOUR PC (eg. swapping PSU/RAM/CPU etc.) TURN THE POWER SUPPLY OFF! This is for your and your PC's safety. And also remember, static is not your friend.***

Let's assume you were about to turn on your PC, but nothing works. (Fans may spin but no screen and/or USB power and POST)

Let's see how you can check if your motherboard is dead, without taking it to an expert (saving a few bucks).

For desktops:

First of all, try to remember what were you doing right before this happened. Was the computer overheating? Did you OC it too aggressively? Did you see smoke coming out of the case? Just your ability to respond to these simple questions is often enough to determine if the motherboard is still alive.

I don't know, it just happened randomly!

Check if there is any visible damage to the motherboard. If there is visible damage, or if something smells like burning, then your motherboard has gone to the big repair shop in the sky. If there is no visible damage, or if you didn't even bother to check at all, proceed to the next step.

Some motherboards have LED's on them, that light up if something during the POST (Power-On Self-Test, it checks that all the components are working) went wrong, indicating the defective component.

If the LED's work, then your mobo is most likely ok.

Just check the LED's that are on still, this way the motherboard is telling you which component is defective.

My motherboard has got no LED's.

That's ok, some desktops have a speaker attached to the motherboard. It sounds a pattern of beeps depending on the outcome of the POST. Unfortunately, there's not a standard for beep codes, and every BIOS manufactures have different ones. To acknowledge what they mean, consult your motherboard's user manual (or just do a quick google search).

If it beeps, there is a good chance it is still alive.

That's right, a dead motherboard 99% of the time fails to POST. But to be sure, check the meaning of the beeping.

Ok, it's not beeping/my mobo hasn't got a speaker, what now?

There's still hope. Check if the PSU works. (If it worked just fine before it happened, or if your fans are spinning, you may skip this step)

Rich man's method: Get a PSU tester to check

Poor man's method: Swap your current PSU with one from another PC or ask a friend to borrow theirs. Make sure it has enough wattage to sustain all your hardware. Or just plug your PSU into another PC.

Poor man with no friends method (Paperclip Test - May not work for Zero RPM PSU. You may need a PSU Tester.):

1. Disconnect the PSU from EVERYTHING in your computer. I'm assuming you've also already disconnected power from the wall.
2. Get a paperclip and bend it somewhat straight, then bend it in half without breaking it. The ends don't need to touch.
3. Insert one end of the paperclip into the pin-plug for the green wire (there should only be one).
4. Insert the other end into the pin-plug for any of the black wires.
5. Get something to hold the plug up so that the paperclip doesn't accidentally touch anything metal.
6. Plug the PSU to wall power and flip the switch on.
7. Does the fan spin? Yes - Your PSU is most likely good. No - Your PSU is dead. RMA it if it's new. Replace it if it's not.
8. Here's a link to visuals for the process. Go here if your 20/24-pin connector is not color coded (WHAT GREEN WIRE?! THEY'RE ALL BLACK!!!). http://www.corsair.com/en-us/blog/2011/may/testing-your-corsair-power-supply

Heh, PSU is fine but nothing is working.

Try clearing the CMOS. To do so, you first have to unplug the power from your PSU.

The process you got to follow to clear your CMOS depends on the motherboard. I suggest you take a look at your user's manual on how to do so.

You got 3 ways to do so:

1. Your motherboard has got a CMOS jumper (usually located either near the battery or on the bottom right area of your mobo). Just move the jumper from his standard 1-2 pin position to a 2-3 pin position. Remember to bring the jumper back to the 1-2 position before booting up the PC.
2. Your motherboard hasn't got a CMOS jumper, but you managed to locate the clear CMOS pins. Just short them with a screwdriver or anything conductive for 5-10 seconds.
3. You can't locate the clear CMOS pins, but there is still a way to clear the CMOS. Just disconnect the coin battery mounted on your motherboard and let it discharge for about 5 to 10 minutes. To be sure all the power is gone, press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. This will force a CMOS reset. If you cannot locate your mobo's battery, check behind the GPU.

Still nothing, what now?

Disconnect everything that is not needed for the PC to boot (USB, hard drives, GPU if the system has also got integrated graphics etc.). This will give maximum power to the core components, making the booting process easier.

I'm starting to think it's dead.

As a last resort, try to swap the CPU and reseat the RAM in different sockets, taking out all the extra sticks, leaving just one in the 1 slot. As a very last resort try to also replace the RAM with a different one.

It's dead

Congratulations, your motherboard is fried! Don't want to carry any more bad news, but especially if the cause was an electrical surge, other components might be broken too. I'd suggest also checking other troubleshooting guides and/or taking it to an expert as a last resort. Good luck!