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PC problem: 1 long beep and 3 short beeps

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Vincent:
Hey guys,

Wondering if one of you ever had that particular problem.  Sometimes, that seem totally random, when I boot my PC, my BIOS sends me this message: One long beep and three shorts beeps.  Then the PC doesn't shutdown, but nothing shows up on screen.  I searched the web a little to get an idea and I found out that it may be a video card problem or a memory problem on the motherboard...  But if it is so, why doesn't this problem occur at each boot attempt?

Since now, when the problem showed up, I simply turned off the PC, and let it cool down for one or two hours, and then boot it up again, and usually, it works fine.  If I don't let it cooldown, it keeps bugging repeatedly.  I didn't bother until now, because letting it cooldown was enough and since I'm don't know much about hardware, I don't really know how to repair it.  But know I bother, because I can't boot it up since the day before yesterday. :(

Just when I was able to take time to work on my game, my PC lets me down...   :hurt:  Oh well, at least I had time to create another two enemies.

Jam0864:
1 long beep then 3 short beeps is the motherboards troubleshooting beep code, make sure when you researched it you were on the correct motherboard manufacturers website, or else you could looking at a completely different issue. (Different manufacturer = different beep code meanings) Look in your motherboard manual or on your motherboard manufacturer's website and you should be able to narrow it down further to a specific piece of hardware.

Seeing as it seems like an overheating issue, use a program such as Speedfan (free) to check the temperatures. If your unsure of what's safe for your hardware, post back the temperatures and the hardware in your computer and one of us will tell us whether it's in the safe range.

It could also be an issue with the seating of the videocard or memory modules. Try opening the case and reseating these parts. Try booting with just one memory module, if it still doesn't work, try using just the other memory module. While your there it's a good idea to clean out as much dust as possible, just don't use a vacuum cleaner. (really, don't, it can remove transistors from your parts) You can use a cloth to lightly wipe dust off the parts, just be very very careful with raw circuitry such as the motherboard. Make sure all your fans are working and aren't clogged with dust. If you have a portable fan (like a desk fan or something) try taking off the side panel of your computer and blow the fan directly onto the hardware. This should lower your temperatures significantly and determine if that's the problem.

I'm not sure how much you know about hardware, but make sure when taking off the side panel you take off the right one, or else your motherboard and everything attached to it will fall to the ground. (Obviously not good  :-[) The correct one is the one on the left when you're facing the front of the case.

Vincent:
Thanks for helping me out Jam0864!!!  :)

My motherboard is a Asus P5LD2.  I opened my case following your instructions
(I might have opened it by the wrong side... I guess I would have had a 50% chance of mistake! :P)

I'm browsing ASUS website trying to find an answer, but I can't find any yet.  Good point though, I thought the BIOS beep were universal, thanks for pointing out that they are manufacturer related. 
There is not much dust inside the case.

Installing a program such as Speedfan seems irrelevant... since I can't get to install for the moment.  But I will when it'll work.

I'll keep you posted. :)

(Good thing that my girlfriend has a laptop!)

Jam0864:
Oh right, I didn't read it properly, I thought it still worked when you let it cool down.

You'll be able to tell if you open the wrong side because everything will collapse. (it's not too hard to fix, just a pain) The correct one in this case is the left panel when looking at the front of the chassis.



http://support.asus.com/pcassistant/pdf/BeepTable_en-us.pdf

It says 1 long beep then 3 short is a problem with the video card.

They have some suggestions...

--- Quote ---Please try the following suggestions in turns to resolve this issue:
1. Try re-installing the VGA card.
2. Try installing the VGA card onto other DIMM slots.
3. Clean the golden finger on the VGA card with white eraser, and
clean the expansion slot with soft brash, then install the VGA card
back onto the slot.
4. Please replace your VGA card
--- End quote ---

Your motherboard has one pci-e x16 slot, so don't bother with suggestion number 2. (Unless you have the p5ld2 deluxe, which has two pci-e x16 ports)


I have another suggestion they haven't mentioned, and that's to check if your graphics card requires additional power from cables instead of just from the motherboard, and if it does require those power cables try reseating those. If you're unsure whether it requires power cables or not, look on your video card to see if there's any slots to plug some in, if there is some slots it most likely means you require one or more power cables. You can grab these from the power supply in the back top corner of the case, only the right type of cable facing the right direction will fit in properly, so don't worry about putting the wrong thing in.



If all of this fails you will have to replace your video card. Video cards are quite cheap nowadays because competition is fierce. If you have no idea what video card to buy, list your other computer specifications and what video card you currently have and I can recommend you one.  ;)

Vincent:
Okay...  I removed my video card and started to dust it clean and erase the gold contacts...  and guess what I found out!!!  My video card has a small fan on it.  And a small plastic paper glued on it that says: "Remove protective film before use"!  I can't believe that it was never removed by the seller!  Of course, the fan under the plastic is clogged with dust balls!!!   :crazy:

Anyway, just reinserted the video card in its slot.  I don't have the deluxe version of the motherboard.
I don't see where an extra power cable could be plugged in...  I guess if there was one I would find it.   :suspious:

Great!  I couldn't find the beep codes, guess I wasn't looking at the proper place.  I found info on how to clean the video card on a forum.  It also suggested to remove and replace the memory form the motherboard.  I guess I'll try that if it's still not working after the video card cleanup.

Allright, I'm reassembling the case now.  Let's see if it works...

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