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The motherboard appears to be cracked

Explanation: The motherboard appears to have a crack in the board itself.

Diagnosis: Eek. This is not good. It's very rare for this to happen, actually. This most likely would have been caused by abuse, especially by being too forceful when inserting components. It may be caused by pressing too hard when inserting expansion cards, especially into a poorly-mounted motherboard. If the motherboard is new, it may have been a manufacturing defect. As for the board itself, if it is working OK, don't worry about the crack. Otherwise, it will need to be replaced; there is no practical way to repair damage of this sort.

Recommendation:

• If the board is new, and you suspect it may have been shipped with the crack, return it for exchange.
• Examine the motherboard to determine if it is mounted into the case correctly. Consider adding additional plastic supports to brace the motherboard if it is flexing when pressure is applied to it.
• Be careful when inserting expansion cards and components into the motherboard.
• If the motherboard is not working, troubleshoot it to eliminate all other possible causes of the problem. If the motherboard is still causing problems, you should replace it and see if the problem goes away. If it does, the motherboard with the damage should be discarded.

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