Need beepcodes! ASUS P5N32-E SLI

As I mentioned in the Lounge earlier tonight, I am installing the shiny new Zalman cooler tonight. It went great. The thermal grease and little brush are awesome, it had all the parts and installed smoothly. What is about to give me a migraine headache after hours of work is that my computer still won't POST.

We bought the new Zalman cooler to replace the old cooler that had died. The reason we did is because the computer wouldn't run with a dead cooler. It made it through POST, all the way to the hard drives, and then it started one single long, never-ending, beep that required powering down before it ended. It still does that.

I have checked every single connector inside the PC, using the diagrams in the motherboard manual. Twice. I then compared the connectors to the close-up digital photos I took of them before unplugging them, and compared that to the diagrams again. I'm pretty sure everything is connected properly.

I am starting to fear that my CPU is a no more. Did my treacherous, back-stabbing, weasel of a water cooler deviously murder the processor he was supposed to protect before he deserted his duties? :mad

There is one big difference from before. The old water cooler unit did not start up when powered on. The pump never activated, the LEDs never came alive. Zalman does. The fan spins the moment I press the power button, and it's so quiet and shiny it's flat out sexy. I just wish the thing would boot... :cry

What drives me absolutely off the walls here is that ASUS didn't put the beep codes in the manual! :banghead It would really help me troubleshoot if I knew what the never-ending beep means!

Please, someone... anyone... where do I find the beep codes for my motherboard? I looked on Bioscentral.com, but the one I need to look up is not listed there.

 

I noticed that - I found the user manual for the P5N32-E SLI, and it mentions error beeps and to "check below" for a chart . . . but no chart exists! :confused

Anyway - it appears your board has Award BIOS . . . and below is a general description of the beep codes Award uses (and if they are correct, it doesn't look good for your CPU, I fear I do hope, miss, it's wrong):

Beeps Error Message Description

1long, 2 short --- Video adapter error Either video adapter is bad or is not seated properly. Also, check to ensure the monitor cable is connected properly.

Repeating (endless loop) ---- Memory error Check for improperly seated or missing memory.

1long, 3short -----No video card or bad video RAM Reseat or replace the video card.

High frequency beeeps while running -----Overheated CPU Check the CPU fan for proper operation. Check the case for proper air flow.

Repeating High/Low ----- CPU Either the CPU is not seated properly or the CPU is damaged. May also be due to excess heat. Check the CPU fan or BIOS settings for proper fan speed.

(The 1-2 pattern is generally not a video error although it can be. It is generally a memory problem. The 1-3 error is generally always a video problem.)

 

Some clarity please

So is post completing or not
ie
1. do you get a single beep at post and then past the post sequence, you start getting a long continous beep
or
2. Post is not completing and you get the one continuous beep

Is it possible to acess the bios at all and if possible, have you checked cpu temp and cooler fan speed? (I know you referred to water cooling in your post but I presume that this new Zalman cooler is air based)

I have never heard of one continous beep at post personally.

Good Luck

 

My computer will beep continuously when it detects that the cpu fan is not spinning, either when it has become disconnect or if a wire/cable gets into the fan. could be the issue here, it may be turned off in the bios, because it was previously water cooled.

 

Now that you say this, I do vaguely recall an issue on a pc (years ago) whose cpu fan was slow spinning and which caused RPM drop outs in the bios.

What used to happen was that when in the bios, the cpu fan rpm speed would suddenly go to zero and a few moments later register again. The bottom line was that below a certain cpu fan RPM level the mobo failed to detect the frequency of the fan signal and if I remember this correctly, caused an unusual beep sequence (was a continuous buzzer).

Good Luck

 

Bad choice of words on my part. I blame it on sleep deprivation and a bad headache. Thanks for catching it. The situation is the computer goes through POST no problem. Starts to spin the hard drive, then the long beep and nothing else happens after that. I have to cut power to stop the beep.

Sorry for the shoddy explanation... hopefully that makes more sense. The least I could do it be clear with facts if I want help, right?

 

Spad, thanks for the list. I looked it over but the long continuous beep I hear doesn't seem to be on it. Unless that's what they mean with "loop"? :confused I tried to check the RAM by just pulling all four modules out last night, and the computer still and made the same loooong beep. Removing the memory didn't change anything about its behavior at all

If it is then I have a problem, since I don't have a working water cooler I can hook up to get to the BIOS and change the settings. No one I know uses water cooling either, so I can't borrow one.

Hm, that makes a certain amount of sense, and a continuous beep instead of a continuous buzz sounds like it might be roughly the same. The fan on the new cooler spins constantly, I watched it closely to make sure it was okay and it never slowed down or stopped. As far as I can tell from simple observation, it's running at a constant speed. Of course, the BIOS might not detect this correctly.

I looked in the motherboard manual and I see Fan Speed Monitor settings, which are "read only" so they can't be changed by the user. There is a Fan Speed Control page in the BIOS, where the fan speed can be set to either manual or Auto. Manual lets me configure everything about when to run the fan and how much, Auto give the motherboard and temp sensors control over those things. I don't remember what it's set to, and can't get to BIOS to check since, no matter what I do, the monitor is not getting a signal.

I'm torn on what to do next. Do I start pulling expansion cards to rule them out or in the (delusionally optimistic) hope that one of them is causing this, or do I just jump to CPU replacement right away?

 

Well the rpm signal would not prevent you accessing the bios or getting a vga signal (at least those were not the symptoms when I had this problem).

Equally, removing the expansion cards is an avenue but I equally feel that it will prove to be a fruitless exercise (worth a try as it is quick)

Good Luck

 

Replacing a video card would be considerably less of a hassle than replacing the CPU... I'll give it a shot later today and report back. I'm busy venting my frustration on darkspawn in Dragon Age right now.

Will definitely report back this evening at the latest.

 

Reporting back:

Removed sound card and lower graphics card. No change in PC behavior.

Put lower video card back in, left sound card out. Removed top video card. Still no change.

Gave up on trying to get video signal, removed lower graphics card and tried without monitor plugged in. No change.

So... that leaves me with a dead CPU, no?

 

Well if I do have a dead CPU, the silver lining here is Intel gives 3-year warranties on them, and I'm pretty sure I'm still within that time period. And if it's not under warranty anymore, Newegg just happens to have some very nice upgrades in stock...

I'm irritated that it's going to take even longer to get the computer back up and running, but at the same time, I'd rather have a good idea what the problem is, than fumbling blindly.

And testing the videocards in a different PC is a good idea, unfortunately I don't have any other system around that they will fit in. They're huge.

 

Don't feel too bad.
I purchased a new game to play on my machine. CPU , RAM , and disk space is more than required.
BUT, my video card is sub-par for it. Running onboard graphics because there isn't even a slot for a plug-in card.:cry

 

Oh, that's just not fair... not even an AGP slot?

 

Only slots on the motherboard are for the RAM sticks.

 

Decidedly unfair in every way.

Can't you play it if you turn down all graphics settings either? *gaming forum personality begins to take over*

 

Have tried that. No good.
Was mistaken. There is 1 PCI slot, but used by the NIC. Sucks.

( and you thought you had it bad)

 

Only until I convinced myself I'm stuck with a bad CPU. That's perfectly fixable, so now my situation is only inconvenient, not bad.

Out of curiosity, which game?

 

Sims3. Been a Sims fan for some time now, and just getting to this one.

(It's OK to laugh. I still like the games.)

 

My taste in games is weird enough I don't dare laugh at what others enjoy playing. :-D

And I've heard it's graphics intensive. Pity.

 

Your thread. Done hijacking. Going out now to vent some frustration myself.
Thanks for the shoulder.

 

Any time

 

I have been watching with interest, and thought at first- sounds like cpu , as the long singular sound does lean to it- but, have you tried removing the new heatsink, and reseating the cpu, then replacing heatsink, and fan ?- a bit obvious, but we all forget the obvious when stressed out.

 

have you tried resetting the bios/cmos by way of the jumper?

 

Situation update:

While venting, okay, "whining", about my computer situation at work, a co-worker poked his head around the cube wall and asked what kind of socket motherboard I have? Turns out he had a spare socket 775 CPU sitting on a shelf that he offered to lend me, so I can troubleshoot and find out what's going on. I said "thank you", and he brought it in to work this morning.

So when I came home tonight I started working on removing the old CPU, something I hadn't done up until this point, since I had no other CPU to test the socket with anyway. When I did, the CPU pins stayed behind in the socket. All of them. Some of the cute little chips in the middle too. Both pins and chips are thoroughly melted into the socket and can't be manually removed.

I'm sure you all know me well enough by now to imagine what I said when I turned the old CPU over and discovered what had happened to it... LOL

I'm now in the market for a new motherboard and CPU. Oh joy.

 

OMG!:eek Whatever happened to the thermal protection?:confused That should be a good pic.:-D

 

need pics!
if you haven't already tossed it under a truck.

 

Just for you guys, I took some pictures and uploaded to my Photobucket account. Here you go.

Yes, it's awesome in all it's horridness. No, I'm not happy...

 

:hammerOuch!
My favourite saying really comes into its own-
'Often the obvious eludes us'
But, really it amounts to- 'That is not going to be the problem- Nah- must be something else.- could not have ........'
So we spend hours testing everything else, and then get the smack in the mouth:crybaby
Hard luck Mimsy:***

 

lol (not at you mimsy) but I hear a "you know you're a geek when... " joke comin on.

 

So that's what a quad look's like on the inside. Was that Intel or AMD? I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

It was an Intel E6850, in other words, a 3GHz dual-core. Newegg will be shipping me a P5N-D motherboard and an E8500 shortly.... I threw in a new video card too, just for the hell of it.

 

I would have gone for a Q9500 quad for the same price but then that's me. So what you going to do for cooling then? Stock HS/F?

 

I flipped a coin. I don't care for benchmarks that much, I want my games to run optimized, and most of them are still optimized for duo-core CPUs (at least the ones I play). And I still have the Zalman cooler that happens to be a perfect fit for LGA 775 CPUs, so I'm going to use that.

 

:eek Talk about an epic tragedy. Not a pretty picture, at all . . .

 

Situation update #2:

Newegg got confused about the shipping on my order and it arrived one day too early. Oh no. Woe is me. LOL

And it's working!!! :celebrate

After spending a couple of hours cursing the awesome-looking cable management inside the case that made it impossible for me to get things done smoothly. My back is killing me from bending over the case and I broke at least three nails and cut my finger on a sharp edge in the case. But it's working. The Guy is on that computer now, very happy to have his "play computer" back so he can surf without having to worry about his work laptop saving his gaming blog list.

I am on Black Lotus, enjoying a well earned drink. :wine

 

Congratulations. Good to hear that you got it going again.
Hope I never have that happen to me.