Can my motherboard be saved?

Ok, I'll start first off by saying that I am not computer illiterate, when it comes to using the computer... but I am totally lost when it comes to hardware....

About a year and a half ago I formatted my computer, because I have read that it is a good idea to run a format once a year to keep your computer running well and all that. Well, after I formatted and reloaded windows, the colours were wrong, it could only go to 16-bit, not 32. Also, the network adapter didn't work. Now, about a year prior to this I ran a format, and the colours were fine afterward, but the network adapter didn't work. That time I bought a new one, installed it, and everything was fine.

Well, this time, my mom sent the computer in to be fixed, it cost $100 and it came back, colours working fine and network adapter working fine. It didn't occur to her to ask what was wrong with it, she just paid them and brought the computer home.

Well, since then we have bought a new computer tower, and I took the old tower and hooked it up in my room with an older monitor we already had and got a mouse and keyboard and all that. We had taken the floppy drive and CD burner out of the computer and put in the new one (which is a pentium 4, the old one is a pentium 3). I took the floppy drive out of our really old 486 and put it in the pentium 3 when I hooked it up in my room, and it already had a Cd-ROM (since it had had a CD rom and a burner) Well, the computer worked alright when, except it was slow, and there were a few errors with it.

However, I ran a virus scan and came up with a few, so I figured to get rid of the viruses and fix the other little problems I would run a format again. I did, and guess what? The colours are screwed up and the network adapter doesn't work again. I was told that it is likely the motherboard that is shot, since my video card is built in. I went to a computer store and they told me it would be more than $400 to replace, which I really don't want to pay for it (that computer is really not worth that much to me).

So I figured before I tried to send it in to be fixed again, I would try to see if there was a way I could fix it myself, but I don't know how. It is an Xcel 2000, with a pentium 3 processor, and the video card and sound card are built in. I'm not afraid to take it apart if I need to (I already had to take the motherboard out once to take it to the store to see if they carried that kind). But I also don't want to waste my time trying to fix it if there is nothing I can do.

So, please, if you know anything about this and how to fix it, or if it is even fixable, please help!!!

You probably need to re-install the video and network drivers.
I'm surprised the store didn't suggest this. And you were told it would be $400 for the mobo or the whole computer? If thats the quote for the mobo, I wouldn't go there anymore, they are just trying to take advantage of you.
Anyway, the drivers should fix this, post back if that doesn't work.

Ok, thanks. I am going to look for drivers for the video card on the internet, because I don't have any other than the one that it's running on right now.. As for the network adapter, I have all the drivers for that, it's brand new, and I installed them, but I can't get on the internet. I have a router and when I plug the cord in the light comes on on the router, and the light comes on on the network adapter, so I know it is connected, it's just when I open the internet I get "page cannot be displayed".

As for that store, when I first went in they told me between $50 and $100, but told me to bring my motherboard in so they could tell me for sure. When I did that I talked to someone else at the store, and he said it would be $400. That seemed like a lot to me, so I told him I was going to compare prices and I didn't go back.

Today I went into system information and it told me that the PCI Multimedia Audio device and the communication device were both missing drivers or had drivers installed incorrectly. But it is telling me that the driver for my video card is there. I tried searching for the best driver for it, and it said that the best driver for it was already installed, but I still can't get out of 16-bit colour. I only have the option of 16-bit or 2-bit. Would it help to try to find an updated driver on the internet for it??

You may have to install/configure something with your ISP to make your internet access work. Do you remember when you first got it? You probably had to set up a password and such? If so, you have to do that again. Also try pinging another computer on your network, and pinging something like google.com, if the problem is your internet setup, you should be able to ping on the network, but not the internet.

What mobo do you have?

I have an Xcel 2000 with a pentium III processor. I told my uncle about my computer problems a little while ago, and he told me to see if my video card was built in or not... I thought I had found it and it was built it, but it turned out that was an ethernet controller (which I also found out is missing a driver, so I need to install that), but I now I don't know how to find my video card tho! So I don't know how to get drivers for it. I had a friend trying to help me, but he was mistaking RAM for a video card, so now I'm lost again.

Look where your monitor plugs into your box. That is the video card. Its probably the topmost (closest to cpu) slot on the board.

ok, now I have another problem tho, I hope you can help... I unplugged everything from the back of the computer, and I took out the RAM to see if that was what I was looking for, and I put it all back in the exact way it was, plugged everything back in... and now the peripherals don't work. My monitor won't turn on, it's stuck in stand by, and the mouse and the keyboard have no power... what did I do???

Nevermind, they're working now Now I'm just working on getting all the drivers I need, hopefully that fixes it!!

If you can tell me the motherboard model i can post the driver locations on here.

I'm guessing she's got them, since this thread was from June.

i have the same problem as yours. I only have 16-bit colour and can't access my 256 colours. I think there is something wrong with my VGA. If you've solved yours can you help me.

Andrew, welcome to our forums.

First thing we need is information on your system-- motherboard and processor, amount of memory, what kind of video you have, Operating SYstem, etc.

We also need a detailed description of what your problem is, as well as what you have tried so far in your attempts to fix it.

Third, I think you would be better served starting a new thread, with an appropriately descriptive title.