Computer won't boot
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From: Antares 531 on 28 Feb 2010 10:25 I have an older computer with a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard that I home-built a few years back. I recently built a new computer and have been keeping the old one alive until I get the new one all checked out and settled in. Yesterday the old computer wouldn't boot. It makes a BEEP about one second long during the boot process but won't go any farther. The drive lights flash and the monitor goes through its first sign of lighting up, after I turn the computer on, but this is as far as it goes. The monitor goes black and the activity lights on the front of the computer flash a few times, then everything stops. I've tried using the original Windows XP Pro installation disk, and also a second boot disk that I slipstreamed with SP3 on it. Neither boot disk will initiate a start-up process. The CD drive light flashes a few times then quits and nothing more happens after the BEEP. Any ideas as to what I might try next? Thanks, Gordon
From: Shenan Stanley on 28 Feb 2010 10:41 Antares 531 wrote: > I have an older computer with a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard > that I home-built a few years back. I recently built a new computer > and have been keeping the old one alive until I get the new one all > checked out and settled in. > > Yesterday the old computer wouldn't boot. It makes a BEEP about one > second long during the boot process but won't go any farther. The > drive lights flash and the monitor goes through its first sign of > lighting up, after I turn the computer on, but this is as far as it > goes. The monitor goes black and the activity lights on the front of > the computer flash a few times, then everything stops. > > I've tried using the original Windows XP Pro installation disk, and > also a second boot disk that I slipstreamed with SP3 on it. Neither > boot disk will initiate a start-up process. The CD drive light > flashes a few times then quits and nothing more happens after the > BEEP. > > Any ideas as to what I might try next? Your problem is *not* software. It is hardware. Unhook everything from power, open the case and clean it out of dust with compressed (canned) air. Remove/unhook all parts (one at a time) that can be disconnected/removed and put them back ion place (just unhook them, immediately hook them back up, move on to the next part.) Do this for the hard disk drive cables (power included), CD cables (power included), motherboard power, memory, even the processor if you feel comfortable doing so. Then put the case cover back on, secure all the external connections and turn it back on. If that fails - chances are some hardware you just touched has died - it happens. How's your backups? ;-) -- Shenan Stanley MS-MVP -- How To Ask Questions The Smart Way http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
From: Antares 531 on 28 Feb 2010 10:52 On Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:41:38 -0600, "Shenan Stanley" <newshelper(a)gmail.com> wrote: >Antares 531 wrote: >> I have an older computer with a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard >> that I home-built a few years back. I recently built a new computer >> and have been keeping the old one alive until I get the new one all >> checked out and settled in. >> >> Yesterday the old computer wouldn't boot. It makes a BEEP about one >> second long during the boot process but won't go any farther. The >> drive lights flash and the monitor goes through its first sign of >> lighting up, after I turn the computer on, but this is as far as it >> goes. The monitor goes black and the activity lights on the front of >> the computer flash a few times, then everything stops. >> >> I've tried using the original Windows XP Pro installation disk, and >> also a second boot disk that I slipstreamed with SP3 on it. Neither >> boot disk will initiate a start-up process. The CD drive light >> flashes a few times then quits and nothing more happens after the >> BEEP. >> >> Any ideas as to what I might try next? > >Your problem is *not* software. It is hardware. > >Unhook everything from power, open the case and clean it out of dust with >compressed (canned) air. Remove/unhook all parts (one at a time) that can >be disconnected/removed and put them back ion place (just unhook them, >immediately hook them back up, move on to the next part.) Do this for the >hard disk drive cables (power included), CD cables (power included), >motherboard power, memory, even the processor if you feel comfortable doing >so. Then put the case cover back on, secure all the external connections >and turn it back on. > >If that fails - chances are some hardware you just touched has died - it >happens. > >How's your backups? ;-) > >-- >Shenan Stanley > MS-MVP > Thanks, Stanley, I'll do this and see if I can resolve the problem. I already did a dust bunny clean-up and pressed the RAM, add-in cards and other connections to make sure they were in place. Maybe removing and re-inserting these will resolve the problem. Fortunately, I got my new computer up and running and all my important stuff moved over to it before this happened. I'm out in the clear as far as backups are concerned. Gordon
From: glee on 28 Feb 2010 11:04 "Antares 531" <gordonlrDELETE(a)swbell.net> wrote in message news:j32lo5hdvnjmj33iuhpf3ddrvt3q16cdot(a)4ax.com... >I have an older computer with a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard that > I home-built a few years back. I recently built a new computer and > have been keeping the old one alive until I get the new one all > checked out and settled in. > > Yesterday the old computer wouldn't boot. It makes a BEEP about one > second long during the boot process but won't go any farther. The > drive lights flash and the monitor goes through its first sign of > lighting up, after I turn the computer on, but this is as far as it > goes. The monitor goes black and the activity lights on the front of > the computer flash a few times, then everything stops. > > I've tried using the original Windows XP Pro installation disk, and > also a second boot disk that I slipstreamed with SP3 on it. Neither > boot disk will initiate a start-up process. The CD drive light flashes > a few times then quits and nothing more happens after the BEEP. > > Any ideas as to what I might try next? That model mobo apparently has an Award BIOS. One LONG beep from an Award BIOS often indicates a memory error. I would start by re-seating the RAM. If there is more than on stick of RAM try using just one, then the other (in the first RAM slot). If no improvement, try reseating the PCI cards and other items connected to the motherboard (power connectors, etc). It could be other things, but that's where to start. -- Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009 A+ http://dts-l.net/
From: Antares 531 on 28 Feb 2010 11:49
On Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:04:53 -0500, "glee" <glee29(a)spamindspring.com> wrote: >"Antares 531" <gordonlrDELETE(a)swbell.net> wrote in message >news:j32lo5hdvnjmj33iuhpf3ddrvt3q16cdot(a)4ax.com... >>I have an older computer with a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard that >> I home-built a few years back. I recently built a new computer and >> have been keeping the old one alive until I get the new one all >> checked out and settled in. >> >> Yesterday the old computer wouldn't boot. It makes a BEEP about one >> second long during the boot process but won't go any farther. The >> drive lights flash and the monitor goes through its first sign of >> lighting up, after I turn the computer on, but this is as far as it >> goes. The monitor goes black and the activity lights on the front of >> the computer flash a few times, then everything stops. >> >> I've tried using the original Windows XP Pro installation disk, and >> also a second boot disk that I slipstreamed with SP3 on it. Neither >> boot disk will initiate a start-up process. The CD drive light flashes >> a few times then quits and nothing more happens after the BEEP. >> >> Any ideas as to what I might try next? > >That model mobo apparently has an Award BIOS. One LONG beep from an >Award BIOS often indicates a memory error. I would start by re-seating >the RAM. If there is more than on stick of RAM try using just one, then >the other (in the first RAM slot). >If no improvement, try reseating the PCI cards and other items connected >to the motherboard (power connectors, etc). > >It could be other things, but that's where to start. > Thanks, Glee, I followed your suggestion but didn't get any favorable results. I powered down, pulled the power cord then removed the RAM stick out of the DDRII 2 slot then booted and still got the beep. I then powered down pulled the power cord and removed the RAM stick from the DDRII 1 slot and replaced it with the one I had removed from the other slot. Still beeped at me. I powered down again, pulled the power cord, then put the second RAM stick into the DDRII 2 slot. This had the two RAM sticks switched around from their original positions. Still got the beep. Something I noticed...the CPU cooling fan seems to be erratic. That is it will start running as soon as I click the switch to boot up, but it stops then jiggles intermittently when the beep sound occurs. After the beep sound, this fan starts running normally without further interruption. Could this mean that the CPU has failed? Gordon |