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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?

Look for the video card and check if it hasn�t popped out of it�s slot (remember the monitor, the card to which it is connected to is the video card), if so re-seat and try booting up. If the video card is embedded (meaning it is part of the motherboard) it may have failed (sorry, replacement is the only option for this form of motherboard) or if you have a slot for third-party video cards you may purchase one and disable the one embedded within the system.

Note: It is normal for Video Cards to pop out of their slots (AGP or PCI) due to some manufacturers making them with teeny-tiny edges where the contacts are located that fail to seat firmly into the board. They tend to jump out by themselves especially if the PC is used heavily or there is a source of vibration nearby say in an office. The short edges, instead of being grabbed by the connector on the motherboard, sits just above the clamping part which acts as a spring hence the jumping part.

It is true that not many people know how to tinker with their computers which doesn�t mean that one cannot handle minor repairs. Repairs and preventive maintenance such as cleaning can be carried out by you and me with the most elementary of cleaning tools and a little elbow grease to go with them. First, to ensure you experience less problems try to get the computer CPU cleaned at least once a year. If you live in a dusty environment or if you have a Fido or Fifi in he house then this might become a regular routine. Before you take off the cover which is normally screwed down ( be sure to check for any warranty seals on the casing, breaking them would void the warranty terms) with four Phillips type screws be sure the power chord is removed and all devices are unplugged from the respective connections (tip: if you assume that you won�t be able to return all those wires to the proper places, get hold of your camera phone or digital camera and take a few shots as a visual record). Slide the cover off to get a glimpse of the innards of your personal computer.

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.

Next, check if the power supply has a switch at the rear if it is on (older models) and see if it works. Check for any foreign metal objects that may be stuck between the board and the case which is shorting it out, again the protection circuit would prevent power up to avoid damage to the various sensitive electronics. A faulty motherboard fan can also be causing the problem so check the fan if it works. You might have also forgotten to connect the power button to the board (along with the reset button) so check that too. A shorted reset switch can also keep the board in a state of permanent off, unplug it to see if that works.

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 just re-furbished your computer say replacing parts (memory, video cards, hard drive and other bare essentials) make sure all power connections are properly seated and connected then try to power-up. If that fails, try to un-plug and re-plug all cards and connections (IDE cables, SATA Connectors, power supply connections, etc.)
connections to ensure they seat properly (it would be nice to check for bent pins before you re-plug them in their proper sockets for that sometimes happen) and check for broken pins that may be preventing proper connections. Re-check what you have done by powering up and see if that works.

There are a couple of very easy steps that would allow you to troubleshoot a motherboard that doesn’t power up but be sure to get a grounding wrist strap to dissipate any static electricity that would kill any electronics you may touch. Make sure all power connections are unplugged before servicing a computer to prevent stray electricity from kicking you with a jolt of electricity. As with many PC problems, it would be best to strip down the PC to a bare-bone system, which would be the, Power Supply, Motherboard, processor, memory, hard drive and the necessary CPU fan. Take out all peripherals that may be connected to the computer and un-hook all connected printers and other devices. This would allow you to do an elimination process whereby you get to add components that may be causing the failure to power up.