hello, i recently built a computer for someone I know, and it was working flawlessly, installed windows, drivers, etc. No problems at all! Then, my girlfriend wanted me to set up her computer where the other computer was plugged in, and when I moved the computer to the other side of the room and plugged it in, all of a sudden, it doesn't work at all! Nothing I've tried
helps - resetting the battery, switching the ram, video cards, removing all pci cards, ide/floppy drives, etc.. It shows nothing on the monitor, and just beeps at me. I've never heard a computer beep like this before, and I know about debugging problems based on how many beeps, how long, etc, as I am A+ certified. The computer beeps in two alternating tones, high and low, and sounds like some sort of siren is going off. WTF?! Any help
would be greatly appreciated! The person is starting to get pissed off and I can't figure it out.

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

Usually a siren sound means the CPU is overheating, In my BIOS for example it is possible to change the threshold of when the alarm should sound maybe yours has got set too low. I know that in the current heatwave we have been having here, if I just close the door on my cabinet that's enough to set it off, whereas it was never a problem before.

It doesn't make sense to me that it should do this the moment you switch it on however. But I have no idea what else a siren sound might be.

I experienced this problem once myself and found it out as being that the CPU was getting too hot. Have you checked the processor and heatsink assembly to make sure thats ok.

ok on reading through my coursework I have managed to establish that you most likely have an Award BIOS. am i correct?

This is a quote from my A+ delegate manual

BEEPS - REPEATING HIGH/LOW

MEANING - CPU, not seated properly or overheating.

A repeating high/low beep sound will sound like an emergency vehicle siren. Act immediately.

if it happened just after you moved it it's most likely something come loose, as you've checked most things and the beep codes point to the proscessor. i would suggest removing the heatsink/fan assembly. make sure it is clean and dust free, same with the proscessor. clean and replace the old heat paste, you only need a tiny bit. then put it back together making sure it's all properly re seated. if it still doesn't come on unplug it, drain any residual power by hitting the on switch, then clear the cmos using the jumpers or removing the battery, short the contacts and replace. this will reset the bios. then reconnect and all should be ok. the only thing you will have to do is set up the bios the way you like it as it will now be on factory default settings

I can't help feeling we're all talking amongst ourselves here now, no sign of the thread starter, I hope the pissed off owner hasn't done anything nasty!

check fan on the cpu

check fan on the cpu

any luck with it yet? :)

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.