WinXPPRO beeping at start up

Aloha,
This might be a hardware issue also.
At startup my machine tries to bootup but then it starts beeping a warning of some sort. 1 long beep followed a second later by a short beep then about 3 sec later the same series of beeps.
whatchathink...mahalo-n-mele kalikimaka (hawaiian for thx & merry x-mas)
dandla

 

The only code I see that matches that sequence just says motherboard issue which isn't that informative.

Does the PC have a model number from Dell or HP or similar manufacturer?

If you have any unnecessary devices attached unplug them and try again.

 

aloha Sach2,
thx for the feedback. no peripheral devices.
Where do I find the information about the codes you quoted?
big thx...dandla

 

Here is the beep code list but motherboard issue is not giving much information. It would be useful if you had a model number for a store bought computer or a motherboard model number.

Other than that it is a matter of disconnecting as much as possible to see if it will boot and if it does then adding them back one by one to try to figure out what is causing the problem. If it doesn't boot with only keyboard, monitor and one RAM module then it is likely a bad motherboard.

 

Re: Computer just started to beep at bootup

Merry Christmas to you as well.

The beep codes can mean different things depending on what BIOS your system is using. For Compaq BIOS, one long and one short beep means a BIOS ROM checksum error; for IBM it means a system board failure; with AST it indicates DMA channel 1 test failed . . . there are many more.

It would help to know what make and model computer you have - this way we can determine what BIOS is in play, and to be exact in finding out what is wrong. If your computer is home-built, please advise the model number, etc. of the mainboard.

 

aloha all on the bright and clear x-mas day in Hawaii,
Thx DavidGP for the merge...
Thx Spad for the very helpfull reply...This is a custom built machine for my underwater video edinting. It was built in 2006, and the mobo is Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H with BIOS v. F2 01/02/2009
Based on your query, I found my user manual and it says the my beep codes reflects a "memory or mobo error". With that info how do I narrow it down particularly when I can't get it to boot up?
mahalo-n-aloha
dandla

 

Try pulling all your RAM sticks and plugging 1 in at a time to ensure they are all working.

 

Aloha hrlow2...mele kalikimaka...hawaiian for merry x-mas,
Thx for the tip...I'll try it probably tommorow. I'm presuming that if they all work or if there is no change then it's a mobo issue.
mahalo-n-aloha...dandla

 

Not quite.
If they ALL work, plug into a second slot and try with 2 sticks.
If that works, go for another.
May be a bad slot for the RAM.