Stupid question: can you turn on a computer without a CPU

[dreasoda]

Hello,
This may be very stupid, but can I turn on my computer (laptop) if it does not have a CPU? My cooworker took her laptop to a guy at her church to fix it and he told her that the laptop is missing the Processor. I told her he is a lying theif and he probably stole it, but I want to be sure without opening up her laptop

 

[hunter315]

Nope not a chance of successfully booting, im not sure how far through POST it can make it without a CPU but probably no more than a half second before it needs something that not on the ROM or some processing to be done.

 

[dreasoda]

Thank you, very helpful, I will see how far it gets through POST. Learning stuff I never knew!

 

[jsc]

Won't POST because you have nothing to run the program built into the ROM.

 

[KevinWI]

It's possible that he told her it was something else and she mis-remembered and said processor.

But yeah, at the basic level, the CPU IS the computer. It's what is doing the 'computing', so to speak.

 

[zalittle]

Unless the person in question opened the laptop considering it is true he said there is no cpu in it. He or someone would have to unsolder the chip from the motherboard because it does not fit in the board the same as a desktop motherboard. Also if the chip was unsoldered from the board I would assume it would damage the boot up process and not allow it to power up at all. But I admit, I have never heard albeit rarely anyone to replace a cpu on a lappy. Not to say it couldn't be done.

 

[mindless728]

Unless the person in question opened the laptop considering it is true he said there is no cpu in it. He or someone would have to unsolder the chip from the motherboard because it does not fit in the board the same as a desktop motherboard. Also if the chip was unsoldered from the board I would assume it would damage the boot up process and not allow it to power up at all. But I admit, I have never heard albeit rarely anyone to replace a cpu on a lappy. Not to say it couldn't be done.

no all CPU's are soldered to the laptop motherboards (in fact none of mine have been)

 

[dreasoda]

It does have a CPU in it. The same guy who said the CPU was missing also asked for $300 to replace the screen. (There's nothing wrong with the screen, sheesh)

We we able to reformat and reinstall the OS and now the laptop works great.

Thanks everybody, you guys have totally increase my computer knowledge and I was able to help a cooworker from getting ripped off.

 

[10wilsonk]

You can always use something conductive to connect the one of the green and black wires on the 24pin connector for your mobo , this will effectively be testing your psu. If you plug in the fans and do this they should spin if all is well.