O/T"Puter Problem"
Submitted: Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 18:30
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66531
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Flywest
Sorry for the Off topic - bvut without the puter I can only get on here by borrowing someone elses!
Mine has started acting up.
It's only a couple years old and a top of the wazza dual core processor etc etc.
It suddently switched the flat screen off and just makes a 3 beep sound when you turn it on - 0one long beep followed bye 2 short beeps.
I figured that coz the monotors not working maybe it is the graphics card, opened the ox and sorta wiggled the graphics card in its motyherboard slot a little.
Itstarted right up and worked Ok for about 3 hours whence i turned it off.
Next day when I turn it on the same problem, no screen and 3 beeps One long followed by 2 short.
Wiggled the graphics card again - no help this time.
Tried pluging the graphicscard into a spare slot on the mother board, still the same problem.
Does this mean the graphics card is shot?
It's a pretty expensive top of the line ATI Radeon X
Sapphire 1600 pro graphics card.
Not really sure what to try next - the fact it wouldn;t go then it went again now it wont go makes me think it might just be a dry joint or something?
Just curious if the beeps combination means anything and how I would know if it is a motherboard or graphics card fault?
Many thanks in advance.
Cheers
Reply By: Gramps - Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 18:38
Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 18:38
Brand of computer and motherboard model etc might be helpful.
AnswerID:
352366
Reply By: MrBitchi (QLD) - Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 19:00
Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 19:00
The beeps are a POST error code. What model motherboard? You can google for the codes.
At a guess it's probably video card. Does it have an on board video connector as
well? If it does you can remove the video card and connect your monitor to the onboard video. Will get you going till you can get a new card.
AnswerID:
352371
Reply By: Member - Warfer (VIC) - Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 19:37
Reply By: Tenpounder - Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:01
Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:01
Hi there. I sympathise with you. Is there a chance you can try an alternative monitor and cable before you get too drastic with new graphics cards? My understanding is that the POST (Power On Self
Test) can give the error code when the video circuit fails to return an OK signal, which includes the screen as
well as the cable, and in addition to the monitor.
It would be horrible to lash out on a new card, and then find out a $10 lead was the culprit!
Chris (SA)
AnswerID:
352379
Follow Up By: Tenpounder - Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:06
Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:06
Also, while you have access to the graphics card (and, in theory with an earth strap attached to your wrist!!) you can push
home onto the card any chips (etc.) that are fitted. I have rescued equipment that way, for nil expense, which is always nice!. Obviously the video connection into the card is as impartant as anything. Good luck
Chris
FollowupID:
620590
Follow Up By: Tenpounder - Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:22
Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:22
Sorry, should have said 'in addition to the card', not 'in addition to the monitor'.
Chris
FollowupID:
620604
Follow Up By: thomasando - Friday, Mar 06, 2009 at 09:52
Friday, Mar 06, 2009 at 09:52
i've never known POST to fail if there's no monitor connected - I have many machines running without monitors (or monitor leads) connected and not one of them fails to start or throws error beeps because of this.
1 long beep and 2 shorts generally means graphics card failure, hence why it worked after you reseated the card. If reseating it doesn't work again, then it might be time to look at a new card.
FollowupID:
620683
Reply By: Blaze (Berri) - Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:04
Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:04
How would you change slots with vid card, X saph 1600 is an AGP card and most older boards only have 1 AGP slot. Most boards that except dual core are PCI Express unless its one of the odd ones when CPU's first started appearing.
As others have said some more info on MB brand would help.
AnswerID:
352380
Reply By: obee1212 - Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:21
Thursday, Mar 05, 2009 at 20:21
I have had graphics board die a couple of times. They work pretty hard if you play games. I take my box down to the place I bought it from and they work it out in as long as it takes to plug a keybaord mouse and moniter in. No charge they just happy to sell you a new board. I keep an old monitor in the office that I picked up from a roadside rubbish chuck out. It helped me to confirm a monitor problem with the daughter's computer.
Owen
AnswerID:
352382
Reply By: Flywest - Friday, Mar 06, 2009 at 18:43
Friday, Mar 06, 2009 at 18:43
Sorry for the delay getting back to everyone.
I id try another monitor and lead, and no change same dead screen and one long 2 short beeps on startup.
I googled the codes frthat graphics card / motherboard and it says that one long 2 short is graphics card!
Just annoyed the cards quit because it was expensive and didn;t do much work (ege play games).
That said theres a lot of dust inside the puter and graphics card heat sink etc, and rhis puter was situated on an offshore island i9n the tropics for 9 months sucking moist salt laden air thru it, so it wouldn't surprise me if the dust and salt havent shorted something on the graphics card.
I'll get a new graphics card and see what difference that makes.
Thanks one and all for your invaluable help.
I miss my PC it has a few gigs of Ram and was very fast compared to this old clunker that I have to sit and drink a coffee while it loads!
Cheers
AnswerID:
352601