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How-to POST Test a Motherboard – POWER ON

SELF TEST Guide

Motherboard POST Information – Troubleshooting and Diagnostic

To perform a POST TEST (Power On Self Test) on a motherboard you need four pieces of hardware.

The Motherboard
A CPU (Processor)
Memory (RAM)
A Power Supply

Depending on whether your motherboard has onboard video or not you may also need a Video Card for the
POST Test.

01. A Good Motherboard Testing Area

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Place your Motherboard on a non-conductive surface. A foam pad works great. Otherwise use the antistatic
bag, or box the motherboard came in for a testing surface. (Make sure no metal is touching the motherboard or
it may short out.)

02. Install the System Memory (RAM)

Install your memory onto your motherboard. Check the notch in the bottom of your memory to make sure it is
oriented the correct way when you install it into your motherboard.

When you insert the RAM into the memory slots on the motherboard you should feel two tabs on each end of
the memory socket snap into place. Check to make sure your RAM is seated level in the memory socket.

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If it is not seated properly you will need to remove the memory and reinstall it. In the picture above you can
see the tab has not locked the memory in place and the memory is not seated correctly. The tab should remain
flush with the others once the memory has been installed properly.

03. Mounting Your CPU (Processor)

Next you will need to install your processor. All CPU sockets have a lever that needs to be opened to install
the CPU. Make sure this lever is open so you can get the processor into the CPU Socket.

Picture #1 shows an Intel CPU Socket with the lever closed.

Picture #2 shows an AMD CPU Socket with the lever closed.

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Before placing your processor in the CPU Socket check for an alignment indicator on the CPU.

Picture #1 – On Intel Processors there are two (2) notches on the bottom of the CPU that will line up with 2
notches on the CPU Socket.

Picture #2 – On AMD Processors this will be a small arrow marked on one corner of the CPU that aligns with
a mark on the CPU Socket.

Make sure to note these indicators and double check that your CPU is aligned the correct way when you place
it into the CPU Socket. This will help you avoid bent pins that may damage the CPU.

Once the Processor is installed securely in the CPU Socket you will need to close the socket and secure the
lever on the CPU Socket. This will lock the CPU in place.

Once you have closed the lever on the CPU Socket you will need to install your CPU Heat Sync.

Picture #1 – Shows an Intel Processor mounted in the CPU Socket. The lever is closed locking the CPU in
place.

Picture #2 – Shows an AMD Processor mounted in the CPU Socket. The lever is closed locking the CPU in
place.

04. Installing the CPU Heat Sync (Cooler)

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All retail box CPUs come with a CPU Heat Sync. You should have received one in the box when you
purchased your CPU.

(Make sure to remove the plastic cooler on the bottom of the heat sync if it has one. DO NOT remove the grey
square or circle on the bottom of the heat sync. This is known as the “heat patch” and is needed for the cooler
to function properly.

AMD CPU Heat Sync

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To install an AMD cooler you will need to mount the heat sync over the CPU. There are two tabs on each side
of the heat sync that will lock onto notches on the CPU Socket. Make sure you align these when you place the
heat sync on the CPU.

Once you have placed the heat sync on the CPU latch one of the tabs over the first notch. Once this has been
done latch the other tab over the other notch. Once both latches are attached to the notches flip the lever on
the heat sync over to increase tension and lock the heat sync in place.

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(If you are having trouble getting the tabs to lock over the notches check the lever on the CPU and make sure
it is not flipped in the direction that increases tension. If it is it will keep you from being able to get the tabs
locked into place.)

Once the lever has been flipped and the cooler is locked into place the heat sync has been installed correctly.

Intel CPU Heat Sync

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To install an Intel cooler you will need to place the heat sync on top of the CPU. Check where the wire from
the heat sync plugs into your motherboard and make sure you have enough slack to reach. If you do not then
rotate the cooler until the wire will reach.

Once you have the cooler placed on the CPU check for the four (4) holes in the motherboard near the CPU
Socket. These holes are for the pegs on the cooler. Once you have the pegs aligned with these holes use your
thumb to press down on each peg until you here a small click. This click indicates the peg is locked into place
through the board.

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If you do not hear the click look at the backside of your motherboard to ensure the peg locked into place. If it
did not lock into place then try pushing the peg once again.

Once all four pegs have clicked into place the Intel cooler has been installed properly.

In the picture above you can see in the “Right” installation the ends of the peg have been spread apart by the
black middle piece locking it in place. In the “Wrong” picture the peg has poked through the motherboard but
has not been locked into place and will pop out.

05. Hookup the Power Supply to the Motherboard

Most Power Supply (PSU) units require two connections to the motherboard to provide power for a POST
Test.

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The first connection is the 20/24 pin ATX power connection. This will go into the 20/24 pin white connection
on your motherboard. This is usually located near your memory sockets.

This connection is “keyed” meaning it will only fit one way. Align the notch on the 20/24 power cable with
the tab on the 20/24 pin power socket. When you insert the connection you should feel a small click as the tab
latches in place.

Now you need to plug in the 4 pin ATX power connection. This is usually located between your CPU and your
IO ports.

This connection is also “keyed” so it will only fit into the socket one way. Once again align the notch on the
cable with the tab on the socket and you should have trouble getting it to snap into place.

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06. Installing a Video Card (Or not)

If you have an all in one motherboard you are ready to perform the motherboard POST test. Simply hookup
your VGA (Monitor) connection and your PS2 Keyboard and Mouse connections.

If you do not have a spot to connect your monitor (VGA) cable then you probably need to install a video card.

Installation of the video card is very straight forward. You simply need to insert your video card into your PCI
express socket (or AGP depending on how old the motherboard us.) You should feel the card snap into place.

Some cards do not feel like they lock in when they are inserted into the motherboard. If this is the case check
the socket where the video card plugs into the motherboard and make sure it looks level.

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Some video card slots have a tab, or notch on the side closet to your memory that is designed to lock the card
into place. Check this tab and make sure it is latching properly if you are having trouble getting your video
card installed.

07. Hooking Up Your Keyboard, Mouse and Monitor

Once you have everything in place you need to attach the cables for your mouse, keyboard and monitor. If
you are using a video card make sure you attach your monitor cable to the correct VGA port.

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Make sure to also connect the AC Cable to your power supply. Once the AC cable is connected check for a
black switch on your power supply unit (PSU). This switch has a setting of one (1) or zero (0). One is “On”
and Zero is “Off” so make sure this black switch is set to One “On”.

08. POST Testing Your Motherboard

To POST Test the motherboard we now need to turn the hardware on. To do this we will use a flat head screw
driver to connect the power switch pins on the motherboard.

Refer to your motherboard manual for help in identifying these pins. These are commonly labeled red, black,
or green but can vary depending on the motherboard. It is always best to refer to the manual to locate these
pins.

Once you have located the two (2) pins for the power switch take your flathead screw driver and connect the
two pins to power on the board.

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When you tap them with the screw driver you should see your CPU fan start to spin. In a couple seconds you
should hear a beep from your motherboard. One beep means the board has successfully POSTed.

(NOTE: Some motherboards do not have a speaker and may not beep.)

The main thing to look for is POST information on your monitor. Once you have POST Tested the
motherboard you should see information displayed on your screen. If you see this information it is a sign that
the computer has successfully completed the POST.

09. Completed POST Test

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If you saw the information displayed on your screen you have successfully completed POST testing your
board. You now know that all your basic hardware is functioning correctly and can proceed building your
computer.

If your hardware did not complete the POST Test correctly you will need to look into troubleshooting your
hardware.

I will be following up with articles on troubleshooting a NO POST motherboard combo and other common
issues people run into.

Please feel free to ask any questions regarding the POST Test procedure and I will try to address them.

(Visited 51,385 times, 34 visits today)

January 19, 2009 · Filed under Motherboard

32 Comments »
1. Tim Said,

January 26, 2009 @ 10:59 am

Thanks for the awesome guide! I was having problems with a new motherboard I purchased and it turns
out I have the front planel wiring done wrong. Your tip to use a flathead screw driver to start the thing
helped me pin down the problem. Thanks so much, now I don’t need to pay to ship the thing back!

2. kimsland Said,

February 25, 2009 @ 5:13 pm

Tutorial: No POST (Power On Self Test)

http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic113137.html

3. carmelo Said,

June 9, 2009 @ 6:32 am

thnks!!! i’ven know my mistakes!!! thnkz!!!

4. raj Said,

August 13, 2010 @ 4:18 am

he is a king

5. William Said,

August 13, 2010 @ 11:20 pm

excellent guide!!

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6. stuart Said,

September 10, 2010 @ 7:53 am

followed steps still having problems back panel conectors not working can anyone help

7. admin Said,

September 10, 2010 @ 10:00 am

Hi Stuart,

It could be a number of things, but it sounds like you might be running into a grounding issue. Double
check to make sure your back plate is securely mounted into your case. To do so, take your finger and
trace around the metal edge of the backplate that sticks through the case. It should be level on all sides.
If it is not, it might be making contact with your board and shorting out near the back panel connectors.

Another thing to check for is on the back plate there are usually 2 or 3 metal tabs that stick in towards
the case. These tabs brace the backplate on top of the motherboard. I find them unnecessary and usually
bend them up so they are out of the way. In some cases these can end up inside your NIC port, or a USB
port if they catch when you are mounting the board inside the case. This can also cause a short. If this
has happened I would recommend removing the board, bending the tabs out of the way and remounting
the board. You should be able to tell by looking at the rear ports if this has happened.

If all else fails try removing the board and doing an isolated POST test to ensure the rear ports are
working. If they are still not you can try clearing the CMOS by removing the battery on your
motherboard. If you are still running into issues after this you may have a defective board.

Good luck!

8. rupesh kumar Said,

December 20, 2010 @ 8:31 pm

i have a desktop my motherboard light is glowing it is also performing post test but my screen is dead
after post test no activity is shown kindly guide me what to do ?

9. admin Said,

December 21, 2010 @ 6:53 am

When the system completes the POST test most motherboards will usually give you 1 beep if the tested
has been past successfully.

From this point you should start seeing boot up information displayed on the screen.

If you hear this beep but you are not seeing the information being displayed on the screen this can most
commonly be a result of a failed display port. (Onboard or Video Card.) If you are running onboard
video see if you can get a video card to test the system with. If you are using a video card see if you can
test the system with on board video. If not, swap the current video card for another one and see if that
makes a difference.

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