What model of laptop is it and where did you buy it from?
It is possible for motherboards to just go because they have so many different bits integrated into them now and if any one of those bits goes wrong, that tends to be the end of the motherboard working as it's not possible to replace the components on the motherboard itself. I have seen it happen in reasonably new machines and it's one of the most common failures in laptops at work, it's a pricey repair as it's a custom part and you need to dismantle the entire machine to fit it.
However that doesn't make it acceptable at all and you have rights under the sale of goods act through the retailer (assuming it's a UK retailer and not the like of Play) that the product should last a reasonable amount of time (technically up to six years but it varies on the product), clearly lasting just over a year is not acceptable. It is the retailer's responsibility to resolve this although they won't do so willingly, depending on the retailer you should be able to find useful information on how people have approached such a claim.
When you say it doesn't load up at all, what exactly happens when you press power on the laptop?
John
