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

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.

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.

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)

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

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.

(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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.