computer does not start just beeps
- Thread starter jmcka13
- Start date
Sounds to me like you have incorrect or faulty RAM DIMMs installed in your PC. Try removing or reseating one or more of them and let us know what happens.
You can do the below too
Firstly check to see the motherboard if power by looking for LEDs on the board, they should be on if the PC is plugged into power, even if the PC is not actually running. If no LEDs show when the PC is plugged into power and turned on at the wall on PSU, chances are the motherboard is dead.
1 - Check to see if the switch on the back of the power supply is switched OFF. If it is, turn it ON, hey presto, PC works! (this nearly ALWAYS gets me!!)
2 - Check to see if you have accidentally dislodged or forgotten to plug in your power switch wires into the motherboard! It's the simple things to look for first!
3 - Failing that, check to make sure everything is plugged in. Check 24-pin motherboard power and 4-pin/8-pin (depending on PSU and motherboard) CPU power connector especially. Also check 6-pin PCI express on graphics card if there is one
4 - If there is a floppy drive, remove it or unplug it.
5 - Start removing or reseating any extra PCI expansion cards such as modems, additional USB card, sound cards etc etc. Remove one by one and test to see if the PC will boot after you have removed. Eg - remove sound card, see if the PC boots, if it doesn't, remove modem, see if the PC boot etc etc.
6 - Start reseating or removing RAM sticks or try RAM in different combinations/bays. I recommend doing this first for your machine.
7 - Remove or reseat any dedicated graphics cards and see if the PC will boot using the onboard video if the motherboard and CPU support it. If not, remove the graphics card, install it temporarily in a known working PC, and see if the PC boots with it installed. If it doesn't boot with the card installed, there's your problem.
8 - Remove the CMOS battery and reinstall it a minute or two after you have removed it
9 - Try another known working power supply or remove the power supply installed in your system and try it in another known working system and see if you get the same problem.
You must make sure you ground yourself before doing any of this stuff. Plug the PC into power, make sure the power is turned on at the wall, touch a part of the case that is bare metal (a screw usually works) and then you are done. Try not to move around too much as you will build up charge again. To ground yourself again, just touch the same screw or bare metal part of the chassis you touched before.
You can do the below too
Firstly check to see the motherboard if power by looking for LEDs on the board, they should be on if the PC is plugged into power, even if the PC is not actually running. If no LEDs show when the PC is plugged into power and turned on at the wall on PSU, chances are the motherboard is dead.
1 - Check to see if the switch on the back of the power supply is switched OFF. If it is, turn it ON, hey presto, PC works! (this nearly ALWAYS gets me!!)
2 - Check to see if you have accidentally dislodged or forgotten to plug in your power switch wires into the motherboard! It's the simple things to look for first!
3 - Failing that, check to make sure everything is plugged in. Check 24-pin motherboard power and 4-pin/8-pin (depending on PSU and motherboard) CPU power connector especially. Also check 6-pin PCI express on graphics card if there is one
4 - If there is a floppy drive, remove it or unplug it.
5 - Start removing or reseating any extra PCI expansion cards such as modems, additional USB card, sound cards etc etc. Remove one by one and test to see if the PC will boot after you have removed. Eg - remove sound card, see if the PC boots, if it doesn't, remove modem, see if the PC boot etc etc.
6 - Start reseating or removing RAM sticks or try RAM in different combinations/bays. I recommend doing this first for your machine.
7 - Remove or reseat any dedicated graphics cards and see if the PC will boot using the onboard video if the motherboard and CPU support it. If not, remove the graphics card, install it temporarily in a known working PC, and see if the PC boots with it installed. If it doesn't boot with the card installed, there's your problem.
8 - Remove the CMOS battery and reinstall it a minute or two after you have removed it
9 - Try another known working power supply or remove the power supply installed in your system and try it in another known working system and see if you get the same problem.
You must make sure you ground yourself before doing any of this stuff. Plug the PC into power, make sure the power is turned on at the wall, touch a part of the case that is bare metal (a screw usually works) and then you are done. Try not to move around too much as you will build up charge again. To ground yourself again, just touch the same screw or bare metal part of the chassis you touched before.
DCIScouts
VIP Member
While this is not 100% for sure, if it was turning itself off after some use, then it was probably overheating somewhere, regardless of if the fans were working or not. At this point, whatever was overheating may be damaged to the point of no longer working, and therefore won't allow the computer to boot up. Especially if this turning itself off problem was going on for a while...
Sorry I can't be of more specific help, but that's my suspicion at this point.
Sorry I can't be of more specific help, but that's my suspicion at this point.
Have you tried all of them? If not, which ones have you tried?
Have you tried removing or reseating the RAM, remember you need some RAM installed for it to boot, so if you removed all the sticks and then wondered why it is still beeping that's why. Remove each stick one by one.
The_Other_One
VIP Member
Pop the case open and look for bad caps. They can either be blulging or leaking...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague
HPs are notorious for having bad boards and typically it's pretty clear when they fail. They are also notorious for having bad power supplies. If you've not tried another, give it a shot.
Assuming you've done the other suggestions (specifically reseating RAM or testing per stick), I'd say it's probably a bad board.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague
HPs are notorious for having bad boards and typically it's pretty clear when they fail. They are also notorious for having bad power supplies. If you've not tried another, give it a shot.
Assuming you've done the other suggestions (specifically reseating RAM or testing per stick), I'd say it's probably a bad board.
yes i had ram in the computer when trying to booting up. the only listed idea not tryed is try another power supply because my other working computers are to old and use diffrent sorts of pin plugs.
also tryed looking for blulging or leacking caps did not find any in power supply or on moter borad.
also tryed looking for blulging or leacking caps did not find any in power supply or on moter borad.
Last edited:
I still think you have defected RAM module(s) because of the beep code. What code is the computer beeping, ie - 1 long beep, 3 short beeps, 2 long ones etc etc?
I can't really think of anything it could be other than perhaps a dying motherboard or incompatible CPU, but as this is an HP I highly doubt you have an incompatible CPU.
I can't really think of anything it could be other than perhaps a dying motherboard or incompatible CPU, but as this is an HP I highly doubt you have an incompatible CPU.
You may want to have a look at this http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=bph07107#N194 scroll down to the Beep Code Descriptions section and see if any of those match the beep code you were getting.
Sorry for the late response.
Sorry for the late response.
Zangetsu
New Member
Plug everything out:
HDD, video card(s), optical(s), cardreader, rams, then put on the pc. What happens? What kind of beep do you get?
If you get a beep and no screen, 9 out of then your mobo is still intact. The first thing you do is try just one ram in one slot. And what happens then?..
HDD, video card(s), optical(s), cardreader, rams, then put on the pc. What happens? What kind of beep do you get?
If you get a beep and no screen, 9 out of then your mobo is still intact. The first thing you do is try just one ram in one slot. And what happens then?..
