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The first issue is simply that most businesses, particularly smaller ones, don’t fully appreciate the value of the information they have stored on their computers and believe that manually retrieving it (presumably by making a few phone calls and checking old paperwork) is a relatively trivial process.

Those that have recognized the need to protect their data are then faced with the challenge of knowing what the threats are and how to protect against them.

Data can vanished through hardware failure, software problems, malicious software such as viruses, theft of equipment, human error or major physical disasters such as fire and flood. Taking into consideration all these issues can be a major challenge in its own right.

The next issue is that backup solutions are notoriously tricky to run and manage dependably - no one wants to take day-to-day accountability for them and all too often they are left flawed for lingering periods.

Finally we have the old favorites: time and money. With all the other pressures placed on small businesses it is usual to put data backup on the “to do” list. Spending money on marketing and sales is seen as more important, so protecting the data will just have to wait… after all, it’s not likely to fail, is it?

Some boards may simply have a two-pin configuration which if shorted can remove the errant password. Others motherboards require a few minutes for the BIOS to re-set and some require you to power the system up, then shutdown in order to return the jumper block into its previous position. After this, you would have to re-configure the BIOS to it’s previous settings so it would be a nifty idea to have a copy of these in a safe place. You can always have the manual to get the best optimal settings which would work for your system should you have a need to. The automatic settings that are built into the BIOS are not always the best setting to use but it will get you up and running in no time. Take time to understand each and every setting that you encounter (having the manual by your side makes it easier) and some boards even have descriptors which tells you which does what and what the default settings are.

A manual would be great and better for it eliminates mistakes which could not solve the problem at all and worse send you off buying a new board due to a short you created when you hastily did the operation. Boards come in several versions from several manufacturers, and if you’re like me who sticks to a select group of manufacturers, chances are they will have the overall same labels that allow easy understanding of the board even without the manual. If the reset pins come in the form of a three pronged arrangement, then there should be a jumper that shorts out two of them which in it’s current state would be the normal setting, switch the pins using the jumper and short the pins labeled reset, wait for a few minutes for the bois to reset then return the pins to the normal position. Some boards have labes some don’t and have numbers that have to be referenced with the manual.

Some motherboards are so sensitive to cooling that no fans connected to the on-board fan connectors would prevent power-up to avoid ruining the processor (this would be the case if you were using externally powered or special/exotic cooling systems) try plugging in a fan or two to see if it works. The worst case is to get the lights and fans working but still there are no beeps, display or other signs of life for it may be a signal of a dead board or power supply.
If your bare systems now functions, you can then add your components one at a time so you can continue to eliminate any problem device. The prices of computer parts have indeed gone down so much that they are affordable to most. If one does not want to spend all the time tinkering and wondering what is wrong then a trip to the computer repair shop would be an easier alternative.

Modern boards use plastic stand-offs to which the board simply snaps into place or is fastened to by ties. Older PC casings use brass ones that need paper or cardboard washers for the task. There may also be an issue with the alignment of the board itself (there was an issue with Gigabyte boards sometime back that had the whole board sagging in one place of the other which prevented the memory modules from seating properly. Thanks to answersthatwork.com for the details ) Use plastic tie-downs where a plastic tie is used to pull the board into alignment to solve this type of problems.

If there is still no activity, re-seat the memory modules and video card for they may not be properly seated and locked in place(some boards and cards have locking mechanisms that prevents them from unplugging themselves as the heat goes up when it is used due to thermal expansion). There are some motherboards that have issues with grounding; any contact with the casing (which is normally grounded to the earth prong of the power supply) would activate a circuit in the power supply that prevents it from working properly to avoid frying any sensitive equipment. Isolate the board by checking the stand-off and ensuring they are isolated from the casing.

If you have no way of getting proper grounding (which you should) insulate yourself from the floor by wearing shoes or stand on any insulating material such as a block of wood. Proper grounding prevents the circuitry of all electrical devices from frying in the event of failure and it carries away dangerous current from them sending them to the ground instead of through your body. Having grounding installed is not only necessary for safety but is common sense. Check out with an electrician so you can get your power source properly grounded to prevent injury to you and the other members of your family. SHOCKING!!!! Isn’t it.

Reminder: If you do know what I’m talking about don’t do anything and call an electrician to install grounding for your outlet (electricity kills). If there is grounding, then you might have a faulty power supple chord or one without the grounding prong (or it was removed). Power strips and AVR’s(Automatic Voltage Regulators) need grounding to work properly as well as GFI’s(Ground Fault Interrupters) for them to give optimal protection from shock. Tip: if you have a test light that’s normally used by electricians probe the outer chassis of your PC, if it lights it’s grounded and it can shock you.

Ideally, the power company provides this from the service entry as it enters the house and is distributed with the power cables throughout the house. Without proper grounding, all devices that consume electricity have the potential to shock and even kill if there was a pre-existing condition such as a heart attack. First, check if the house outlets have grounding with a multimeter if possible by connecting one probe into the powered side and the other into the ground side. If the house outlet is grounded it should read half the amount of total voltage you have in the house. For a 220 volt system, it should read anywhere from 100 to 110 volts.

Pc’s have shocked people fro as long as they have been in use. The culprit is improper grounding form the mains or wall outlet. Most homes have grounded wall outlets but in developing countries, grounded outlets are kind of a non-existent idea. The problem is that any electricity/power that leaks from the system has to find the shortest way to a grounding source and if you have just gotten a jolt you’re it. The three pronged plug is standard for most computers and laptops. The two parallel ones are the powered ones and the third being the ground prong or the one which should be connected to the grounding source.