Beeps
If the computer beeps the same tone over and over again (Award/Phoenix
BIOS) or beeps in series of three (AMI BIOS), then you may have
a problem with memory. The most likely scenario is that the memory
is not all of the way in the slot( see my artical on Creep). JUST
BECAUSE the white retention tabs snap up into the locked position,
does not mean that the RAM is all of the way in the DIMM slot. The
board can bow, I have seen cpu retention clips bow the motherboard
and the DIMM may not be seated in the center. On AMI BIOS based
boards, this error code is a series of three beeps repeating..
If the computer beeps one long beep and then two short beeps (Award/Phoenix
BIOS) or eight short beeps in a row (AMI BIOS), this is a video
card error. Check to make sure the video card is fully seated. If
problem persists, try another video card. If the computer beeps
a high tone, followed by a low tone, and then repeats (Asus motherboard),
make sure that the CPU fan is plugged into the header labeled "CPU
FAN" and not one of the other provided.( You would not be the
first to do it )
Here's some other beep codes:
Award and Phoenix BIOS:
1 short beep: Normal
2 short beeps: CMOS error
1 long and 1 short beep: DRAM error
1 long and 2 short beeps: Video card error
1 long and 3 short beeps: Keyboard error
1 long and 9 short beeps: ROM error
Long continuous beeps: DRAM not installed correctly
Short continuous beeps: Bad power supply
AMI BIOS:
1 short beep: DRAM flash error
2 short beeps: DRAM ECC check error
3 short beeps: DRAM detect error
5 short beeps: CPU error
6 short beeps: Keyboard error
8 short beeps: Video card error
9 short beeps: ROM error
1 long and 3 short beeps: Bad DRAM
1 long and 8 short beeps: Video card error
Invoking Beep Codes
No beeps AND no POST? Pull everything out of the machine except
for the CPU (with a cooling fan, of course) and power the PC up.
The PC should now only consist of a power supply, a motherboard
and a CPU/Heatsink Fan. This means your PC should have no video
card, RAM or IDE cables. You should have no PCI cards and that includes
modems and sound cards. Have a power button and speaker hooked up
to the board so you can turn it on and listen for beep codes.
If you have the PC stripped down this much and you STILL do not
get any beep codes, then you may have an issue with either the CPU,
motherboard or power supply. This is easy to conclude as you only
have these three parts left in your system.
If the computer is actually functioning and the computer beeps continuously,
then there is a problem with a voltage on the power supply being
incorrect or the CPU overheating. IMMEDIATELY go into the BIOS and
check CPU temperature ( older Bios may not have the temperature
feature), fan speed and voltages When you replace the PCI cards
try a differant slot if you have any spare it's supprising how many
slots do not work or do not want to any more.
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