MyDead_PC

G

gkg101

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
422
Opteron 185 dual core
Asus A8N-E Socket 939 single slot motherboard
2 Gigs Corsaire XMS ddr400pc3200c2
EVGA 8800 GTS 320
Antec SmartPower 500W PSU

I bought my computer in 2005 from ABS and have since upgraded it from the single core system it was to the dual core one described above. Everything was fine until I switched it on 2 nights ago. It never posted. Thankfully I have this back-up computer I'm using now.
Anyway, instead of the single post beep, I heard one long beep followed by 2 short ones. I found out that this beeping pattern = graphics adapter. Luckily I had my spare 7800 GT to test. But that card didn't change a thing. I still heard the 1 long and 2 short beeps. I don't feel like seating this and unseating parts just yet - I checked all connections and didn't feel anything amiss. The system was completely stable with all modern games. Ran cool enough. No real warning of the inpending failure. Thanks in advance for anyones' thoughts as to what might be wrong. Oh, and if I do need a new motherboard and wish to keep all my current components, what is available? I might considere an SLI board (8800 GTS 320 is going for $200 on newegg).
 
I have your exact board. Try putting the card in the second pci-e slot. It is a 4x slot (only runs at 1x) with a connector at the end to hold in a video card. Its basically there if you need to add another video card for more displays. See if you get video if you do then you probably need a new mobo as the 16x pci slot has died.

Edit: its the black slot that is seen in this picture.
 
Well I'll try that, munkle. I didn't know about that lesser graphics slot.
 
Found the slot. Thanks for the photo.
No post. Still got the same series of beeps.
 
Make sure that either video card is pushed all the way into the motherboard. One long beep and two short beeps usually mean a video card problem
 
gkg101 said:
Oh I seated them back and forth already trying to find the culprit
Click to expand...

Your motherboard could be gone. Sometimes stuff just dies. I had my wrt54g's wan port die when I unplugged the power to reset it. When I plugged it back in the wan port was dead.
 
Try clearing the CMOS? That's the first thing I do when nothing else works, i've seen CMOS data get corrupted for no good reason......
 
gkg101 said:
Antec SmartPower 500W PSU
Click to expand...

If anything is dead, I'd blame this part. The SmartPower2.0's are infamous for having inadequate cooling. Their "smart" fans aren't smart enough, so the PSU gets too hot for its own good, since it uses fuhjyyu capacitors. How hot is it in your room? I'd try another PSU if I were you.
 
Thanks everyone for the input.
Okay, let me try clearing the CMOS. And yes, maybe the PSU isn't supplying enough power for the graphic systems to work. I'll report back later after work. I do hear a high pitched humm coming from the PSU when idle (when it's plugged in with the power off). But heat shouldn't be the problem since my PC failed upon a cold start. I'll report back late tonight
 
gkg101 said:
... But heat shouldn't be the problem since my PC failed upon a cold start. I'll report back late tonight
Click to expand...

Heat kills the capacitors. The cold won't fix the capacitors if they've already failed from a previous session of being on and getting too hot.
 
I would definitely look at the PSU. It may be dead or just not supplying enough power anymore. You have a rather power hungry graphics card hooked up to it.

I don't remember for sure off the top of my head but I'm sure both video cards you have there require additional power from the PSU as the motherboard can't supply the necessary power. If you have another plug from the PSU which you can use to plug into the video card, I would try that. There is a chance the one you are using is bad. If so, the video cards aren't getting enough power and can't initialize making the motherboard think there is something wrong with the cards.

 
Well heat might have destroyed the motherboard , true, but operating temps have been good. Oh, and i'm not running SLI, I'm just switching my main card to secondary non SLI PCI-e slot (available on my model) as a test. By the way, my PSU produces a high pitched annoying nosie when plugged in and not running anything
 
My Dead PC:
Opteron 185 dual core@2.8
Asus A8N-E Single slot nforce4
2 gigs of Corsaire XMS PC3200 400 ddr
8800 GTS oc@620/880
Antec SmartPower 500W PSU

Well I just got home from work, my last post I wrote from work. I'm gonna check my dead rig out after I relax writing this. Luckily I've an extra SmartPower 500w PSU lying around which I might like to swtch in to see if that does the trick. I mentioned earlier that I hear this really high pitched, not so silent humm coming from my dead PC's PSU when nothing is drawing power (except for the PSU itself ?). I guess it's normal, but if I hear otherwise from someone here, I'll start my quest by switching in my spare PSU.

And if anyone has the patience to read this, it could be a interesting clue....or not.
You see, as I was powering on and off during the period of initial discovery of the failure, I noticed that sometimes I didn't hear the 1 long and 2 short beeps. The only noise was all the fans turning. At this point, the power-on button on the case didn't work to turn off the computer. I had to unplug from the back. Does this mean anything?
 
You're going to want to get a different PSU anyway. One of the Corsair 520HXs for example. I've had those Antec SmartPowers kill components when they go out, so it could easily be the PSU /and/ the motherboard.
 
well I got this extra PSU by mistake and it has never been used. ABS sent it to me when I complained that the outside facing fan didn't spin upon start-up. I should have known that it doesn't turn until a threshold is reached. Silly me. Silly ABS tech support. But I'm thinking that even if SmartPower sucks, It will probably serve me to the end of my systems useful life as far as games are concerned. But I hope your're wrong if you suspect my motherboard being fried. And I hope my GPU is okay as well. Any other thoughts out there?
 
I know the smartpowers 2.0's and truepowers 2.0's have a problem with failing but they usually don't take out components with them. I got mine replaced under warranty for leaking caps. Leaking caps usually don't blow your system.
 
That's hopeful, Munkle
Any ideas on why sometimes I get the beep pattern and sometimes not? Could that motivate to me attempt the PSU switch? On another front, I never reset a CMOS. Does resetting the CMOS keep your BIOS in-tact. I never never made a copy of my BIOS.
 
SmokeRngs said:
I would definitely look at the PSU. It may be dead or just not supplying enough power anymore. You have a rather power hungry graphics card hooked up to it.

I don't remember for sure off the top of my head but I'm sure both video cards you have there require additional power from the PSU as the motherboard can't supply the necessary power. If you have another plug from the PSU which you can use to plug into the video card, I would try that. There is a chance the one you are using is bad. If so, the video cards aren't getting enough power and can't initialize making the motherboard think there is something wrong with the cards.

Click to expand...

Yes both my new and old cards have used those connectors. It's possible it's a bad plug. But I don't think I have two of them, there seems to be only one of those connectors on my because my board is single slot. But it's probably not the problem, I don't think. More likely the PSU itself before the plug?


[update edit]
Correction: I indeed have two PCI-e plugs. They come with the PSU. I just now found them in the packaging of my unopened spare unit. I'll switch them, see if anything happens, thanks
 
coolie_d said:
Try clearing the CMOS? That's the first thing I do when nothing else works, i've seen CMOS data get corrupted for no good reason......
Click to expand...

Well I never done it before...must research the method for my board (asus a8n-e, bios version 1011) Does the process reset automatically or will I need a copy of my BIOS? Does the BIOS sit above or below the CMOS or is this a ingorant question?

Update Edit: I reset the CMOS following the Asus pdf manuel got online. No change. I'm thinking I will put in my spare PSU. If that doesn't work, I'll assume it's the motherboard, unless both of the cards I tested were somehow dead...not likely but who knows.
 
have you tried a pci gffx card? I keep one on hand for troubleshooting situations like this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top