What do I do if my computer's motherboard is dead?

all your data is in the hard drive, replace motherboard? it depends on what kind of computer you have: if it’s old (3–4 yrs) then NO, buy new computer and ask him to transfer old data and destroy hard drive

Depends on the computer. How old is it? What kind of processor & memory does it have? Do you need onboard video, or do you have an AGP/PCIe video card?

If you have a six-year-old manufacturer box, then it may be more expensive and difficult to find a mobo for it than is worthwhile. If it’s a fairly common board, or if it supports newer processors and memory, then it may be worth replacing.

I don’t see any reason you couldn’t just keep your old drive and have two as opposed to having it destroyed. Provided it still works and the motherboard was indeed the problem.

So, here’s the thing- the guy first worked on it with me at my house for 1 1/ 2 hrs and got pretty nervous, blaming it on coffee. He cliche “computer guy” and I got the feeling he got nervous because of me (friends always say that I am too friendly and guys take it the wrong way). He replaced the hard drive but never gave me my old one back. It that really shady? What is the legality of that when he works for a company? I was dumb and didn’t think anything of it until my brother mentioned it.

@ Joey— The computer is a sony viao and it is at least 5 yrs old. It isn’t a laptop but it is just a screen with all the components in the back and the keyboard attached if that means anything. It was a hand me down from my father and he doesn’t remember it he got it (he’s almost 80 yrs. old) and I never took the time to learn about all the other info you asked about. Now is one of the times I wish I had listened to my geeky ex- boyfriend when the went into rants. Damn.

Ah, the all-in-one things likely have very expensive components, (1) because they’re specially made for being crammed into the monitor, and (2) because they’re Sony. I looked for a few minutes and didn’t find much. It’s probably time to upgrade anyway, since it’s more than a few years old.

It’s not terribly out-of-place to take a hard drive that’s died (I work at a computer repair place and we don’t typically return known malfunctioning drives), but if he didn’t test it in another computer to be sure that it didn’t work then I don’t get why he’d want it. He may have just not thought about it, since he assumed it was garbage. If it is working, however, I’d try to get it back since it has all of your data on it and it’d be nice to have another on in your new system.

Also, if you’re into hopeless nerds… :)

@ Joey- Too bad I can’t get a new one right now. I have been having withdrawals. I guess I won’t go nuts about the hard drive. My brother is probably just over- protective and so he freaks out… then I freak out… anyhow, thank you for your input. I will have to work overtime on the boulevard now.

personally, I would have kept the old hard drive. Who knows what you may have on it (if it is in fact still good). It may have been. But if it was indeed defective, I would have felt better disposing of it myself.

The way prices have dropped in computers and electronics, it’s almost disposable assuming it’s more than 2 years old. Don’t buy extended warranties on desktop computers. I’d only consider it on a laptop, or all-in-one unit. (I sell them all the time, they’re a waste)

Who did this guy work for? I’d feel more comfortable with a well known chain repairing a computer than a “computer guy” because they have insurances to cover damages they may cause to your computer and will guarantee work done as well. Also, they work hand in hand with manufacturers to get components that are defective.

If you have questions on any good deals on newer computers or what not, let me know. I sell them alll the time, and will know a good deal when I see one. It always bothers me when I have a friend tell me they bought something to find out they over paid for it.

@ Random- He worked for “Computer Rescue” which I don’t know if it’s just local or not. I will have to ask him. The only reason I really got bugged was because he seemed to have a crush on me every time we talked. Didn’t want some stalker looking at my porn ;) Thank you. I will keep you in mind!

When I had my hard drive replaced by a local repair shop, they specifically asked me if I’d like the old hard drive, or if they should dispose of it. I opted to have it returned to me. I wasn’t sure why, but now I understand. (I took it back…I figured when in doubt, take the safest route.) Gives me a little more appreciation for that local company : )