I accidentally scratched my motherboard with a screwdriver and I'm worried it might be damaged. Here's a link to a picture of the scratch: https://imgur.com/a/foIRi9q. Do I need to replace the entire motherboard?
4 Answers
It's hard to say without a closer look at your motherboard. If the scratch has completely severed or shorted any traces, that might be a problem. You could try powering it on to see if it works, but keep in mind it could damage other components too. If it’s a low-cost board, you might want to just replace it to avoid any potential issues.
I’d recommend checking if the scratched traces are touching or completely severed before turning it on. Even with severed traces, it could still function, although you might lose less critical features. Just make sure there's no short circuit!
If the traces are just slightly damaged and not completely cut, a good electronics repair shop could potentially fix it. However, consider that the repair might end up costing as much as just getting a new one.
You might not know for sure until you try powering it up. Some parts might still work even if there are severed traces, especially if they aren't critical components.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload