You're PC is giving off 8 beeps...
Check your manual. Often computer maladies will give off a certain number of beeps to tell you what is specifically wrong.
If nothing is coming up at all, not even scan disk or defrag, your hard drive may have crashed or worse...your CMOS battery may be dead. If that's the case, you'll have to get another computer, your computer is dead.
Before you panic, check the manual to see if it has a list of problems designated by a certain number of beeps.
Unfortunately these days the manuals that come with PC's tend to be rather useless for troubleshooting, but certainly still worth a look.
The beeps you are getting is the PC failing its POST, POST meaning Power On Self Test. This happens before it even tries to look for the presence of hard drives, CDroms or a floppy drives defined in BIOS.
Three common causes for a POST failure, in order that they are tested are - faulty VGA card (missing VGA bios), faulty memory, and a faulty keyboard or loose keyboard connection.
If you can get some clarification from your manual, and it tells you something more useful than just "contact your service providor" follow its guidance. If you can't get anything usefull out of it, try the following -
Open up the case, remove the VGA card (if it hasn't got on-board VGA), and using a clean dry cotton cloth, wipe the edge connector. If you have some access to Isopropyl Alcohol (tape head cleaner) use a drop of this, but nothing else as any other cleaning liquid will leave a residue that will cause problems. A white pencil eraser is also good for cleaning edge connectors, just make sure any leftover bits are wiped off.
Re-install the video card, then do the same thing with the memory DIMMS. Remember to always hold the cards and dimms by the edges, dont touch the connectors, and also keep in contact with the PCs case to remain grounded - static electricity kills these parts.
Lastly (or firstly if ir is obviously loose) make sure the keyboard is properly connected. When you boot the PC back up, if the keyboard is working properly you should get the three lights (caps lock, num lock and scroll lock) all flash once. You can boot the PC up with out the keyboard in place if you think it is faulty, and you should get a display come up and complain about there being no keyboard.
Good luck,
James.
If none of the already mentioned seems to work you could also try checking the battery on your motherboard. That stupid little battery supplies the power for the cmos memory and start up.
And no I did ask myself how you posted. Every computer freak has a back up plan for when thier computer fails and need to get something done. Hell I know of at least 4 places I could go for comp access.
IM BACK!
quote:
Originally posted by jc84corvette
IM BACK!
I see that you are back, if you get the beep thing again try http://kb.state.ar.us/sysadmin/kb/docs/1043700774:29266.html for beep interpretation. [:)]
Thanks Mic, that is a very good resource! It will help others.
Hey there! After reading this you will ask your self how did corvette post this when his pc is busted. So here is my problem
Around sunday night I came home, booted up my PC and went to the desktop. I walked away and came back in 10 sec. I couldnt type, do cntrl alt del or anything! I couldnt even press the button on my PC to shut it off so I had to unplug it! I let it sit there for 30 min and I plugged it back in. The thing wont even boot up, I get no image on my monitor, NOTHING! I always get one beep from the PC speaker on boot up, this time I get 8. It been doing that sense Sunday! Whats wrong? Please help me.
PC stats
EMACHINE
96 ram
433 celeron
I have a vid card but I cant remember the name off of my head.