Member Avatar for tomroberts11

Hello!

I have a Gateway, 520GB, it recently got wet while powered down but after that i dried it out and it worked fine, about 2 weeks later, i tried to boot it up and it doesnt work, i get three long beeps and the fan goes crazy but no start up screen, it stays on with the fan at full speed.....

Can anyone helpm ive tried removing all the ram, aswl as the graphics card etc...

Cheers

Tom

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Dani AI

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Quick summary for : because this machine got wet earlier and now shows three long beeps, full-speed fans and no POST/video, this points to a low-level hardware POST failure — not the Windows load. That means reinstalling Windows (as suggested) is premature. and were right to point toward beep-code references and memory/POST faults, but the water history and your note that removing the hard drive stops the beeps are important diagnostic clues that point at either a power/short issue or damaged components on the motherboard/PSU.

Try these prioritized checks (do them with power unplugged and ground yourself):

  • Visual inspection: look for corrosion, green/white residue, discoloration, bulging capacitors or burned areas around CPU, RAM slots and power connectors.
  • Minimal POST: disconnect all drives, USB devices and cards. Boot with only PSU, motherboard, CPU+fan, one known-good RAM stick and monitor.
  • Memory isolation: test each RAM stick alone in each slot. Try a known-good stick from another PC if available.
  • CMOS reset: remove the coin cell for 60 seconds or use the clear-jumper procedure, then retry minimal POST.
  • PSU check: a failing PSU can cause strange beeps and full-speed fans — try a different PSU or a PSU tester. The fact that unplugging the HDD changes the beeps suggests power/short behavior to me.
  • Bench test: remove the board from the case and run it on a non-conductive surface to rule out standoff shorts.

If you see corrosion, clean gently with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol and a soft brush, let it dry fully (24–48 hours) before powering on. If minimal POST still fails after the above, the motherboard (or possibly the CPU) has likely been damaged by moisture and replacement or professional repair is the realistic next step. For data safety, remove the HDD and connect it to another PC to retrieve files before further tests.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for ganesh2280

The solution to the problems to verify if the Operating system loads properly.

Please ensure that when you switch on the PC you see the Windows logo screen perhaps reinstalling Windows from a CD might resolve the issue.

Member Avatar for sparkax

3 Beeps means
BIOS:
AMI Memory Failure
IBM (early) Memory Failure
IBM (later) Keyboard Failure
COMPAQ SCSI failure
DELL Keyboard Failure

Member Avatar for tomroberts11

Hi

Thanks for your help, unfortunately no results yet!

When the PC tries to boot there is no start up screen atall, it can power the monitor but is not displaying anything. When I unplug the hard drive the beeps stop but still no screen, the problem still exists whether there is a keyboard plugged in or not so i think that rules out that error possibility.

Any other ideas?

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