Member Avatar for Bokamber

Working fine yesterday but when I switch on the power light / indicator flashes. Initially loud beeps then quieten to continuous beep - nothing on screen but orginally had "No signal". Tried removing cards, RAM, disconnecting HDD etc, re-siting CPU etc - all to no avail. Fans are working fine.
Any further suggestions? Thanks in advance.

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Dani AI

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Following the tests reported by and the suggestions from , here are focused diagnostics that were not covered in detail in the thread. These steps aim to narrow the fault to PSU, motherboard electronics, or an inaccurate POST/beep reading, and to give safe, actionable checks that remain useful years later.

  1. Visual board audit — with mains unplugged and the board cooled, inspect all electrolytic capacitors and VRM area for domed tops, brown/white crust at the base, or electrolyte leakage. Even small bulging or residue is a strong indicator the board needs repair or replacement; replacing caps requires matching capacitance, voltage and choosing low-ESR/105C replacements.

  2. Power-supply verification — confirm stable rail voltages rather than relying only on fan motion. Measure on the ATX connector: yellow-to-black = +12V, red-to-black = +5V, orange-to-black = +3.3V (acceptable +/-5%). If a multimeter is not available, swap in a known-good ATX PSU — a definitive and quick test.

  3. Eliminate shorts and case issues — test the motherboard on a neutral, non-conductive surface outside the case with just CPU, one known-good RAM stick, PSU and speaker connected. Missing or mispositioned standoffs and stray screws can produce the symptoms described.

  4. Clarify POST/beep source — make sure the audible tone comes from the motherboard speaker header (not an unrelated front-panel buzzer). Attaching a known-good mini speaker to the board header helps read beep patterns reliably. Identify the BIOS vendor printed on the BIOS chip or silkscreen and consult that BIOS’s beep-code table for precise mapping.

  5. POST diagnostics and socket check — a PCI POST card will show hex POST codes if the board reaches POST stages. Also visually inspect the CPU socket/pins for damage; bent pins or foreign debris can stop POST early.

  6. CMOS and firmware — replacing the CR2032 battery is cheap and worthwhile if the battery is old. Firmware corruption can require a BIOS recovery or board swap and is a lower-probability, higher-effort path.

Safety notes: always unplug mains, discharge capacitors by waiting, and use ESD grounding when handling components. If these steps do not isolate the fault, the likely culprits are a failing PSU or failed motherboard electronics; those are the usual end-of-life repairs for consumer eMachines of this era.

Member Avatar for HECSpc.com

When your pc will not boot but you hear a constant beeping that indicates that you have a bad ram stick. I see that you disconnected the ram try cleaning it and inserting it into the other ram slot if that does not work replace the ram.

Member Avatar for Bokamber

Thanks, I have now tried that - no joy. Any special way of cleaning?

Member Avatar for HECSpc.com

Any cleaning solution will due alcohol or 409 on a cloth, but if it does the same thing then you have a bad stick of ram.

Member Avatar for Bokamber

I have tried cleaning and as I have 2 sticks of RAM have tried switching etc but no luck.
Incidentally when I try to start PC without any RAM I get the same beeping noise.

Member Avatar for HECSpc.com

Yes, That is what should happen when you remove the ream is that the computer should constantly beep. So you have 2 mem sticks and it is doing the same thing with both, try unplugging the main power off the board then clear the cmoc by jumping the jumper near the battey. leave it like this for 5 min or so the reconnect see if it does the same thing if so then it has to do with the memory either the memory it self or the board.

Member Avatar for Bokamber

"clear the cmoc by jumping the jumper near the battery."

Excuse my ignorance but could you clarify above please. I've located the battery at least !

Member Avatar for Bokamber

I did find 3 jumpers not far from battery which I disconnected and then reconnected. These were 2 Power and 1 HDD. Near the battery is - I think ! - System fan connector.

Member Avatar for HECSpc.com

It will be a jumper near the battery, it will have only 3 pins 2 are jumped by a little block called a jumper if you move that jumper from the 2 and jump it it will be pin 1-2-3 pin 1-2 should have the jumper now move it to 2-3 then back to 1-2 .

Member Avatar for Bokamber

Reading L to R from battery :

1). Front USB connector.
2). Jumper White / Black (2 pin) POW S/D
3). Jumper White / Red (2 pin) HDD LED
4). Jumper White / Green (2 pin) POW LED

(4) has 3 pins and jumper currently occupying 2nd & 3rd pin (L to R)

Thanks for your help AND patience!

Member Avatar for HECSpc.com

That is for your front switches and lights the one you are looking for has no wire comming out of it, I still have a few dead e-machine motherboards here. What you should be looking for is a black or white jumper block. connected to 2 pins out of 3 next to it should say CMOC or bios configuration. If you can not find this just remove the cmoc battery for 20min and put it back and see what happens. I have fix over 70 e-machines in the past year with the same problem and 90% had to have the power supply and board replaced.

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