Hi everyone. Pardon my being a new user with no posts, but I'm a fairly knowledgable and experienced computer user. Yet, the problem I am facing is unique and I have found no answers anywhere on the net so far.
Reason being, this isn't your typical "scratched motherboard" situation, at least as far as I can tell. All the Google results I found pointed to scratched tracers and random sections of the top/bottom sides of a mobo going into the layers, but I scraped precisely 2 small square solder pieces off the PCB, without scratching anywhere else around them or breaking any actual "parts" like capacitors or transistors etc.
How did it happen? One motherboard M3 screw got screwed in poorly into the standoff when I was putting the mobo into the case and I could not screw it back out as it was "locked" in with a really badly broken thread. I tried to carefully use pliers to remove it (risky, I know), but it didn't come out. In the end, I just left it in as the mobo feels secure enough with all the other screws well in their standoffs. However, as I tried the pliers one last time, I scraped off these two tiny squares of solder. I actually was able to pick the pieces up with the tip of my finger and it's definitely just tiny solder material.
Here's a picture of exactly what I mean (example, not my actual motherboard), I circled the little parts I scraped off:
What's showing now is the orange colour (copper?) of the circuit board underneath. I haven't yet tested the PC to see if it boots/runs well, but I will do that tonight. Regardless of the outcome, I am still curious about what exactly is the function of this solder on the tiny parts of the motherboard, as they are all over the entire motherboard. I looked underneath and there was nothing soldered on the underside of the motherboard in that same spot, so maybe I'll be safe.
Anyway, if it doesn't POST or reboots randomly, should I just re-solder those two tiny squares carefully to fix it? What do you guys recommend?
Thanks very much for any help and words of advice. I'm really upset with myself for risking the pliers given the amount of money I spent ($200 case and $250 mobo). I guess the bad screw frustrated me and I didn't think it through. I'll update when I try out the PC tonight, fingers crossed. If it doesn't work and you guys don't recommend re-soldering, maybe I can somehow get ASUS to agree to discount a replacement board for me.
Thanks again to anyone who can help in any way.
Reason being, this isn't your typical "scratched motherboard" situation, at least as far as I can tell. All the Google results I found pointed to scratched tracers and random sections of the top/bottom sides of a mobo going into the layers, but I scraped precisely 2 small square solder pieces off the PCB, without scratching anywhere else around them or breaking any actual "parts" like capacitors or transistors etc.
How did it happen? One motherboard M3 screw got screwed in poorly into the standoff when I was putting the mobo into the case and I could not screw it back out as it was "locked" in with a really badly broken thread. I tried to carefully use pliers to remove it (risky, I know), but it didn't come out. In the end, I just left it in as the mobo feels secure enough with all the other screws well in their standoffs. However, as I tried the pliers one last time, I scraped off these two tiny squares of solder. I actually was able to pick the pieces up with the tip of my finger and it's definitely just tiny solder material.
Here's a picture of exactly what I mean (example, not my actual motherboard), I circled the little parts I scraped off:
What's showing now is the orange colour (copper?) of the circuit board underneath. I haven't yet tested the PC to see if it boots/runs well, but I will do that tonight. Regardless of the outcome, I am still curious about what exactly is the function of this solder on the tiny parts of the motherboard, as they are all over the entire motherboard. I looked underneath and there was nothing soldered on the underside of the motherboard in that same spot, so maybe I'll be safe.
Anyway, if it doesn't POST or reboots randomly, should I just re-solder those two tiny squares carefully to fix it? What do you guys recommend?
Thanks very much for any help and words of advice. I'm really upset with myself for risking the pliers given the amount of money I spent ($200 case and $250 mobo). I guess the bad screw frustrated me and I didn't think it through. I'll update when I try out the PC tonight, fingers crossed. If it doesn't work and you guys don't recommend re-soldering, maybe I can somehow get ASUS to agree to discount a replacement board for me.
Thanks again to anyone who can help in any way.
