Hi.I'm new here.I find electronics fascinating but I'm totally new to the subject.I'm Involved In networking and software repair/hardware replacement but would like to learn how to at least test electronic components.
I've been staring at an old motherboard trying to distinguish between diodes and resistors etc but I really can't tell the difference.Should I be able to distinguish between the two by sight and markings or are there cases where I have to test the component to know exactly what It Is ?
Excuse my Ignorance

 

I've been staring at an old motherboard trying to distinguish between diodes and resistors etc but I really can't tell the difference.Should I be able to distinguish between the two by sight and markings or are there cases where I have to test the component to know exactly what It Is ?

In general, you should be able to tell the difference between through hole diodes and resistors, but SMD components are more difficult. And there are always special cases where components are hard to distinguish.

A good clear color photo of the board you are looking at would help.