Technical Support...
PC Hardware Troubleshooting Guide...
Pc Boot problems: (beep codes)
IBM BIOS
Indicator System status
No Beeps - No Power Loose Cord, or Short.
1 Short Beep - Normal POST Computer is ok.
2 Short Beep - POST error Review screen for error code.
Continuous Beep - No Power Loose Cord, or Short.
Repeating Short Beep - No Power Loose Card, or Short.
One Long and one Short Beep Motherboard issue.
One Long and Two short Beeps Video (Mono/CGA Display Circuitry) issue.
One Long and Three Short Beeps Video (EGA) Display Circuitry.
Three Long Beep Keyboard / Keyboard card error.
One Beep Blank or Incorrect Display Video Display Circuitry.
Award and Phoenix BIOS:
Indicator System status
1 short beep Normal
2 short beeps CMOS error
1 long and 1 short beep RAM error
1 long and 2 short beeps Video card error
1 long and 3 short beeps Keyboard error
1 long and 9 short beeps ROM error
Long continuous beeps RAM not installed correctly
Short continuous beeps Bad power supply or over heating
Problem with power supply or CPU chips:
Make sure the power connector is connected correctly and fitted firmly in the mother board socket, some mother boards require two connectors from the power supply, refer to mother board manual. If the problem persists try using a different power supply. Check CPU fan, remove chip and clear dust, make sure it is mounted properly.
Video card problem:
Remove video card and inspect for cracks or bad connectors. Make sure the video card mounted correctly in the slot, try using a different video card.
Keyboard error:
Either the key board is not functioning or is not attached correctly, try a different key board, if its has a PS/2 connector then make sure its not plugged into the mouse connector.
RAM error:
Remove ram inspect for cracks, bad connectors or dust. Insert the chip back into the slot and make sure its firmly seated properly in the slot, if the mother board has more then one slot then make sure the chip is in the first slot (i.e. closest to the CPU). If the problem persists change ram. Download MS memory diagnostic.
No beeps and no POST
Pull everything out of the machine except for the CPU and power the PC up. The PC should now only consist of a power supply, a motherboard and a CPU/HSF. This means your PC should have no video card, RAM or IDE cables. You should have no PCI cards and that includes modems and sound cards. Have a power button and speaker hooked up to the board so you can turn it on and listen for beep codes.
If you have the PC stripped down this much and you still do not get any beep codes, then you may have an issue with either the CPU, motherboard or power supply.
Problems after booting:
PC Freezes:
Check CPU fan, case fan and power box fan, make sure all are working and clean off dust. Check hard drive, CPU, power supply for over heating. Some video cards may also heat up and create excessive heat inside the case. Make sure that the case is kept cool, by maintaining good air flow.
Scan hard drive for bad sectors. Make sure all devices are functioning properly are plugged in. Unplug any faulty device. Unplug any new devices or software installed.
PC Restarts while in use:
One problem could be bad RAM, replace RAM and restart machine. Open up resource hungry applications like Office, Photoshop, many instances of internet explorer until all the ram is used up. If system doesn't freeze or restart then return old chip to manufacturer.
Check capacitors on motherboard make sure that they aren't bulging, leaking, or burned. If they are - that's the problem.
Scan for viruses.
Voltage problem or overheated components:
If the computer is actually functioning and the computer beeps continuously, then there is a problem with a voltage on the power supply being incorrect or the CPU overheating. Go into the BIOS and check CPU temperature, fan speed and voltages