NOT BOOTING UP

[Nick G]

Hi there

 

My Pc was working fine until Wednesday morning, when I switched it on I left it to boot up and when I returned it was showing a very pale blue screen on the monitor ( no writing) so I switched it of to boot up again but it will now only get to the point were it makes a beep which normally precedes the monitor coming on and the pc starting it's bootup.

 

Now I get one longish beep and three short beeps then nothing the fans are whirring away and one small red light comes on in the top right hand of my keyboard but thats it no monitor action or anything else.

 

I have had the PC for about three years from Mesh Computers and it runs Windows Vista Home Premium has a 500gb hard drive the motherboard is a ASUS P5N-E SLI and 4gb ram. ( I'm pretty sure thats correct ).

 

I disabled the graphics card some time ago as it was causing the PC to crash all the time but it has always run OK since apart from lots of lines on the screen but I can live with that.

 

Thanks

 

Nick G

[Jelly Bean]

Hello and welcome.

 

Your video card has either failed or your RAM is bad...

 

Remove all RAM if you have more than one stick inserted.

 

Place on stick of RAM in the slot nearest CPU reboot the computer.

 

Does it now turn on?

 

Remove the RAM stick and insert another and again reboot.

 

Do this untill all RAM sticks are tested....

 

I disabled the graphics card some time ago as it was causing the PC to crash all the time but it has always run OK since apart from lots of lines on the screen but I can live with that.

 

 

I am confused about this statement?

[Nick G]

Hi there and thanks for the advice,

 

I have tried swopping the RAM sticks but still the same getting the single beep followed by three short beeps and no further.

 

I disabled the graphics card some time ago as it was causing the pc to crash ( as far as I could ascertain) and after I did this the pc ran ok well it didn't crash that often. It would still run some videos and youtube etc. I tried to download software patches from NVIDIA but still kept crashing.

 

Do you think the graphics card has finally given up and that is why no bootup. ??

 

Thanks again

 

Nick G

[KenB]

Hi,

 

1 long + 3 short beeps is usually linked to a video error. Either a fault with the card or the m/board itself.

 

Do you have onboard video in addition to the card?

If so - take the card out and try using the onboard.

 

Not sure if you are running from the onboard connection at the moment - are you ?

Edited March 29, 2011 by KenB

[Nick G]

Hi there I'm not really sure if I have an onboard video card but the pc still will play videos

youtube etc and I have disabled the Nvidea graphics card so I guess it may have.

 

How can I tell and where will it be located ? as I cant check the system of the PC as it will not boot up.

 

Also if I remove the graphics card the monitor is linked to it so where do I plug in my monitor.

 

Thanks once again for your help

 

Nick

[PseFrank]

Also if I remove the graphics card the monitor is linked to it so where do I plug in my monitor.

 

You should see a second VGA port on the back of your tower...Use that one.

[Nick G]

Hi

 

I have looked at the rear of my tower and I can see two leads coming out from what I think is the graphics card leading up to the monitor.

 

Above this is what I think is the motherboard as it has the connections for the keyboard,printer and broadband on it, it also has a vacant multi-pin port that could be the VGA port.

 

The connections to the monitor from the graphics card are a direfferent size to the one coming out of the motherboard.

 

any advice please.

 

Thanks again

 

Nick

[PseFrank]

The VGA port on your motherboard will probably be coloured blue. Look for a blue port...

[Nick G]

Hi

 

I have removed the graphics card from the machine and tried to boot up but got the same beeps. I then put the graphics card back and when I switched on got a single high pitched continuous beep (not good !! I think ).

 

I don't think I have a seperate VGA port on the motherboard only a parallel port which is plum coloured.

 

thanks

 

Nick

[PseFrank]

Ok...it would seem that you do not have onboard graphics. So I'm thinking that the problem is with your existing graphics/video card.

 

I am however a little confused as to whether or not you can see anything on your screen at all?

 

Hi there I'm not really sure if I have an onboard video card but the pc still will play videos

youtube etc and I have disabled the Nvidea graphics card so I guess it may have.

 

If you have no graphics card working, and there is no onboard graphics...Then how where you able to play a Youtube video?

 

How are you able to see anything at all on your screen?

 

Do you have access to another monitor (Borrow from a friend or neighbour maybe).

 

Confused??

[Nick G]

Hi

The graphics card is a Nvidea GE Force 8800GTX which I was sure I disabled in the control panel of my PC. As I think it was causing my PC to crash.

 

I not sure how or why I could still run videos etc but it did.

 

I did notice that when I was looking inside the pc tower I saw somthing on the motherboard with ASUS SLI Selector Dual video card and Single video card printed on it, this was behind the Nvidea graphics card on the motherboard.

 

Although there does not appear to be a blue port on the rear of the tower other than the ones attached to the Nvidea graphics card.

 

The only multi-pin port on the motherboard is a parallel port which is a burgandy colour.

 

Do you think the problem is with the monitor.

 

I am a bit concerned with this single continuous high pitched beep that the pc now makes on boot up.

 

Thanks for the help and advice

 

Nick

[Nick G]

Hi

 

Just a quick update.

After my last post I put the graphics card back in the PC and It no longer makes the continuous high pitched tone but has gone back to making the one long and three short beeps that it was making before,which is a sort of progress methinks !!!

 

thanks

 

Nick