This morning, my PC failed to boot in any mode. The computer would power on and reboot during the Windows XP loading screen. None of the boot options had any effect on this. I have not installed any new hardware or software onto this machine for weeks.
In attempting to fix the problem, I tried swapping the RAM after reading that this is something that should be done before resorting to a system restore. After doing this, the computer now emits a 1 Long, 2 Short Beep code, which I believe corresponds with a video card failure. I tried switching the RAM back - no change.
This machine was custom built by a former employee, and not being formally trained in IT, I'm really not sure how to resolve this. Where do I go from here?
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If you aren't prepared for a troubleshooting session you should take it to a local independent computer store (not a big box).
Otherwise, we need to know the name of the motherboard maker - it is probably somewhere on the motherboard - MSI, Asus, Gigabyte are biggies but there are many others. Besides the name we need some model info - a model number or name.
wb
Eirman - that's actually the exact URL which told me that it was a video problem. It defines the code as:
"Indicates a video error has occurred and the BIOS cannot initialize the video screen to display any additional information"
Warrenbuckles - I'm going to have to give this a go by myself, at least until I really cannot progress further. The motherboard is an ASUS M2A-VM HDMI.
If you are seeing video, most likely it is not your video card. Could be a bad memory slot. Depending on how many slots you have and how many are filled you could try removing a stick and try booting and if that doesn't solve it, try moving just that one stick to each of the other slots and booting. This might help narrow it down if it is in fact a bad slot.
OK - so it quit completely after swapping RAM - only indication is beep code.
It sounds like the system isn't finding the RAM and, since it has onboard video, the RAM in the video area is missing, too, so it gets a video beep code.
The CPU is alive or you wouldn't get beep codes.
Regardless, you now have a motherboard/RAM problem rather than a Windows boot problem.
You need to isolate the problem to motherboard or RAM.
Do this:
Get the manual here (if you don't have already):
http://support.as
Pu
Disconnect any hard drives/CD/DVD/floppy drives - these will be SATA connectors and/or PATA connectors only - leave the power connectors, front panel connectors, USB, audio connected.
Connect the monitor/kbd/mouse
Install one of the RAM sticks in the slot closest to the CPU
Power up.
Keep doing this until you have run out of RAM or have video.
If you have run out of RAM, get a compatible, known good, RAM stick and try again. If this fails, you have a bad motherboard.
If it passes, you have bad RAM.
Replace the RAM or the motherboard.
If you have to replace the RAM, you will need to fix the Windows boot problem - there are several locations on this site that have recovery directions for your initial problem. Here's one, but there are many others:
Q_21660746
http://ww
If you replaced the motherboard, you had best reinstall Windows in another part of the hard drive (don't repartition - just use a different Directory - /Windows2, for example). Recover the user data, save it somewhere else, then repartition & reformat the drive and reinstall from scratch, reinstall the recovered data and your are done....whew.
wb
Video is built-in. And since the person did not reference an additional graphics, card it might be that the built-in may have run into trouble.
To which connection do you plug in your display (DVI or to the standrad/analog DB15)? If you are connecting to the DVI, check whether you have the same issue if you plug in your display into the Analog. If the same issue, your Video component may have issues. You would need to use an external graphics card like swappedsr mentioned. I think your external card options are PCI-express-16x(The Blue PCI), PCI or PCI express 1x slots.
I think PCI-express 16x will likely be simplest since the MB will likely shutoff the built-in video and shift the display to the PCI-express connected card.
The OS might work with either displaying in 640x480.
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by: EirmanPosted on 2009-02-03 at 07:41:45ID: 23538212
This should help
http://www.computerhope.co