Hey guys, i am in a state of real panic at the moment.

I was using my computer, everything was fine. I was downloading some files and decided to uninstall zone alarm pro as it was blocking me from doing various things. This may be unrelated but Zone alarm was actually installed on my other hard drive, so i had to uninstall it from there. Anyway, it asked to restart computer...so i did.

I go downstairs to get a drink and come back to a bunch of beeps. strange, i thought, so i restarted my PC. Everything went normal until it appeared to freeze whilst loading up windows. Now whenever i restart my PC nothing happens except i get a Long beep followed by two short beeps.

Im using a A8N-SLI deluxe and apparently i see that this means a video adapter or motherboard error. I have a 1900XT and have never had any problems with it.

There were a couple of things that came to my head, but im running out of ideas.

Has my card just died? i wasn't playing a game on high graphics or aything like that before it stopped working, seems a bit strange. Also is there any chance that some sort of virus /software problem can effect my computer this way? perhaps by altering the BIOS? i really dont know what im going to do. I have important files on my hard drive which i really need to access asap.

Few more thoughts:
-Could it be due to a build up of dust?
-Overheated?
-virus/corrupted hard drive.

Is there anything i can do to test what the problem is or even access my computer. If i remove the vdeo card does the A8N-SLI deluxe mobo have any sort of oboard graphics? can i run windows in safe mode or something without a graphics card at all?

Thanks for any bits of help guys, im really up shit creek without a paddle.

edit- i was also messing around with SQL server, if that makes a difference...

If you have so, clear the CMOS. Make sure you have the most updated BIOS Can you boot into Safe Mode?

I can not boot at all. My PC just whirrs for a bit before it starts beeping.

The monitor light remains flashing as well, doesn't seem to pick up any signal. As for CMOS, what do you mean by that?

Have you tried reseating your video card?

Do you have another video card to try?

Your system is not outputting video, evidenced by the fact your monitor light keeps blinking.

Also, yes, pc components can just die. If you read the forums you'll see A LOT of posts of it just died. It happens, sometimes with a warning most of the time without.

Thanks for the help, i was thinking about reseating my card. I want to try a different card but unfortunately i only have a old card with a AGP interface which i dont think will work.

I understand components may just fail. It just seems strange to me that it was fine until i restarted my PC. It then worked again for a short while after previously beeping. Ive never had any problems with it , it was still rocking ass in games before its demise

I can not boot at all. My PC just whirrs for a bit before it starts beeping.

The monitor light remains flashing as well, doesn't seem to pick up any signal. As for CMOS, what do you mean by that?

Clearing the CMOS as I understand it clears the BIOS memory. If you built the machine your self, the motherboard manual will tell you how to do this. If you bought the machine, it should be in the manual you got with it or on the mfg website. Usually it just involves moving a little piece of plastic covering 2 pins on the motherboard over one pin after you shut off the computer by unplugging the power cord, waiting a minute, move the plastic cap where it was originally, then starting the computer. Usually the pins are near the battery on the mobo. You really just need the manual to locate the pins. Agree with Scubageek to reseat your video card and if that doesn't not work, try a different card. Clearing the CMOS should address the mobo error and reseating/trying a new video card will let you check the possible video card error. ASUS has the manual for your board on there website under downloads.

Nice, thank you very much g-paw! i will try that out and see if it works.

if you cannot boot it at all and you don't have the knowledge (or know someone who does know how) to fix the current problem I have a suggestion for how you can get to files you need.

you can remove the hard drive, install the drive into an external drive enclosure that has a USB interface then access your files from another computer.

before i clear the CMOS, what will i lose by doing that?

is it just the date/time etc and BIOS settings?

you will lose all settings in the BIOS but you will not lose any data!

Before you clear the CMOS: do these things first as they are non-destructive:


1.) reseat memory
2.) Make sure all the plugs are tight
3.) reseat graphics card and other PCI cards
4.) Unplug the PSU for 1 minute then plug it back in.


The bios is not a likely candidate here since nothing changed except for a reboot. It couldn't hurt to reset it though as part of your diagnostics.
What you lose is the date/time/and anything else you have changed, such as boot order or configurations.

5.) While you are in your case, clean it out with canned air. Make sure the GFX card is clean.

6.) Post after you ahve done these things.

Thanks for the help, i was thinking about reseating my card. I want to try a different card but unfortunately i only have a old card with a AGP interface which i dont think will work.

I understand components may just fail. It just seems strange to me that it was fine until i restarted my PC. It then worked again for a short while after previously beeping. Ive never had any problems with it , it was still rocking ass in games before its demise

Do you have a friend with a video card that you can borrow just for the test?

I would really try the reseating of the video card first. KISS, keep it simple stupid, 9 times out of 10 works better than trying to do odd ball stuff that requires more knowledge than you possess.

Ahh I had a PSU go out after a reboot. I know first hand things just go bad.

For your reference here is a site telling you want all of the beeps mean.

http://www.amptron.com/html/bios.beepcodes.html

Try this:
This is a little guide I made up for doing a barebones setup. It is a great troubleshooting tool that all of us need to use at one time or another. If you can see any changes that will improve this guide, or the procedure, then please post them as this is a work in progress.

BAREBONES SETUP

You are going to have to do a barebones setup and test each component. This will read a lot harder than it actually is. The initial procedure takes only around 10-15 minutes. The follow on troubleshooting may take a lot longer though. Also, please do not skip steps. Do everything in order and as listed or your troubleshooting will be flawed.

Caution: Please remember that turning a PC off does not mean there is no power going through it. Modern systems maintain a trickle of power to keep the standby functions running. You either have to turn off the switch on the Power Supply Unit (PSU) itself or unplug the system from the wall. Unplugging is best. If the green LED on the mobo is lighted you have power to the board. Make sure it is out before proceeding. Also, be aware of static. Make sure you wear an ESD strap or discharge yourself on a steel part of the case before touching anything inside.

First, unplug the PC from the wall and then push the power switch for a second to discharge any "leftover" electricity and then open up the case. Disconnect all the drives (floppy, CDROM, DVD etc.)from the motherboard (mobo) and also disconnect your Hard Drive(s) from the mobo. Do not leave the hard drives connected, the system will boot into BIOS just fine with no hard drive attached. Unplug the power from all those drives you disconnected from the mobo and remember to disconnect the front panel firewire and/or USB ports. If you have a PS2 keybard and mouse, use them instead of the USB models.

Next, remove all the RAM, except for one stick, from the mobo. Some mobos are very picky about where the RAM needs to be placed so make sure the one stick of RAM is in the correct slot as per your manual. On the A8N SLI Deluxe this slot is the third one (B1) as you move away from the CPU.

If you're SLI then remove the second video card. Remember to set the SLI Selector Card to single. Unplug the EZ plug molex from the board.

Now you are stripped down to a barebones system. The PSU, the mobo itself, 1 stick of RAM, the CPU/HSF and one video card. Reset your CMOS/BIOS while the system is stripped down, unplugged and open. You do this by removing the battery and then moving the jumper near the battery around. On the A8N SLI Deluxe there is a set of three pins, with two covered by a jumper, right next to the battery. After removing the battery, you move the jumper from pins 1&2 to pins 2&3 and let it set for a few seconds, then reset the jumper back to pins 1&2 and replace the battery. BIOS will be back to default settings after doing this.

Now, check that everything is seated correctly, RAM, video card and its power plug if applicable and the 3 pin CPU HSF power plug. Check that both 4 pin (P4 Power)and 24 pin power is connected and secure. Now plug the PSU back into the wall and turn it on. The green LED on the mobo should be lighted. If the LED is lighted then turn the PC on. Hopefully she boots right back into BIOS.

If you get back into BIOS you can start troubleshooting by turning the PC off, unplugging it and reconnecting peripherals one at a time. The idea here is to connect and reboot, until something hangs your system up. This, presumably, is the bad piece of gear. Start with the optical drive and floppy drive, then the hard drive with the OS on it and finally the second video card if applicable.

If you cant get into BIOS then you know it is either the PSU, the RAM, the CPU, the mobo itself or the video card. Change out each of these until you get into BIOS. I would start at the PSU as it is usually the guilty party in a situation like this and is also easy to change in and out (you are down to just 2 plugs, now, remember). Next up would be the video card and/or RAM and if still no luck then things get hard as you now have to consider either the CPU or the mobo.

Good luck and happy hunting.

remove/swap/reseat/try different ram. In my travels, ram is usually the most likely culprit for a mobo beep.