I Need Help!

[Evilclive]

Not sure if this is the right area to post this but here we go.

When i turn on my computer the fans on the video card kick up to 100% i have no video signal on my monitor and the computer makes two long beep sounds followed by another two long beep sounds after a few second pause.

If i hit the reset button a few times it eventually boots up normally....but i get system lockups sometimes (mostly in games). The screen will freeze up for about 5 seconds then the screen will flash and it will continue as if nothing ever happened. I have already sent in the video card on warranty twice and changed my PSU to a much more powerful one, but i still have this problem.

Ive been messing with this computer for about 6 months. I have done all sorts of things to no avail

The PSU in my profile is not the one im using now.

 

[metalmania31]

Check your memory. Reseat them. If that doesn't work pull them all out and install one at a time to see if the same problems happen with that one stick. Also before you pull them out you could run a memory test with memstat 86.

 

[bobkn]

I'm not familiar with your BIOS beep code.

Have you run the memory check utility?

 

[Evilclive]

I ran a memory test program a few months ago, i only did one pass though but it showed no errors. I re-seated my ram earlier today.


Edit: Here is the beep code for my MoBo Desktop Boards — BIOS beep codes

 

[metalmania31]

The 2 beeps is a parity error. That's your memory. So either you have a bad stick of RAM somewhere or one of the RAM slots is bad. So pull all the ram and use one stick to test each slot. If that passes then go through each stick.

 

[Evilclive]

Now im confused i looked at this technical PDF for my MoBo found here http://downloadmirror.intel.com/18131/eng/DP55WB_TechProdSpec.pdf

According to that the beep code im getting means video error.

 

[kucing13]

so you've run memtest and solve nothing right?if it's about video error,have you try updating your video driver?

 

[Evilclive]

I have the newest drivers. Would drivers effect things on POST before it even gets to windows?

 

[TVeblen]

(They change the beep codes to drive us crazy.)

If a video failure at POST: then check for power to the card (PCI-e connectors) and if you have a multimeter, check for proper voltage (12v) on all 3 pairs.

Re-seat the video card and make sure it is clicked in all the way.

Try the card in another PCI-e 16 slot.

 

[Evilclive]

(They change the beep codes to drive us crazy.)

If a video failure at POST: then check for power to the card (PCI-e connectors) and if you have a multimeter, check for proper voltage (12v) on all 3 pairs.

Re-seat the video card and make sure it is clicked in all the way.

Try the card in another PCI-e 16 slot.

Ive checked the connections multiple times and have reseated the card multiple times over these 6 months. I have only one PCI-e slot on my motherboard. When i push the card down it makes a faint click sound and will not go down any farther so im assuming its seated all the way.

 

[CarlTR6]

Can you try your video card in another computer?

 

[TVeblen]

A video error at POST means there is no signal coming from the card when initiated. If the power supply and connections are good then the most obvious would be bad video card or bad motherboard. But you could try some other diagnostics before replacing parts.

Are you overclocking anything?

You might try re-setting the BIOS to defaults or clearing the CMOS (same thing) and see if that changes anything. Be sure to record your current BIOS settings before doing this so you can restore your preferences.

 

[Evilclive]

@Carl: Unfortunately no. The only other computer in my house is a laptop.

@TVeblen: If i turn off the power supply in the back of the computer then back on and reboot then i can get back to windows fine. If i just try to reboot i get that video error beep code. Kinda odd it works then it doesn't.

I dont have anything overclocked.

I reset my bios a couple times in the last 6 months. Also updated my BIOS version and updated my chipset drivers.

Ive already sent in my video card twice and i get it back after a couple of months with no idea if the card was ever broken in the first place or if they fixed it, i get zero feedback from them.

 

[TVeblen]

@TVeblen: If i turn off the power supply in the back of the computer off then back on and reboot then i can get back to windows fine. If i just try to reboot i get that video error beep code. Kinda odd it works then it doesn't.

Aha! That would indicate a defective power supply and would certainly explain the symptoms. Have you tested or replaced that yet?

 

[Evilclive]

@Carl: Unfortunately no. The only other computer in my house is a laptop.

@TVeblen: If i turn off the power supply in the back of the computer then back on and reboot then i can get back to windows fine. If i just try to reboot i get that video error beep code. Kinda odd it works then it doesn't.

I dont have anything overclocked.

I reset my bios a couple times in the last 6 months. Also updated my BIOS version and updated my chipset drivers.

Ive already sent in my video card twice and i get it back after a couple of months with no idea if the card was ever broken in the first place or if they fixed it, i get zero feedback from them.

@TVeblen: If i turn off the power supply in the back of the computer off then back on and reboot then i can get back to windows fine. If i just try to reboot i get that video error beep code. Kinda odd it works then it doesn't.

Aha! That would indicate a defective power supply and would certainly explain the symptoms. Have you tested or replaced that yet?

I have tried two different power supplies. The one in my system specs at the bottom of this post and a new 700w PSU i got a month ago.

 

[kucing13]

Ive already sent in my video card twice and i get it back after a couple of months with no idea if the card was ever broken in the first place or if they fixed it, i get zero feedback from them.

That's a problem since you never knew the condition of the GPU itself

 

[TVeblen]

Yikes! You must be fit to be tied.

When I was having my own video problem I opted to buy a cheap card ($50) just to test to be sure that my GTX260 was actually defective. I put in a 9500GT and all the issues went away and then I was sure before I contacted EVGA for an RMA replacement.

Another thing I started doing years ago was to take a sharpie and trace a small circle in an un-obvious location around one of the solder posts on the back of the circuit board. Then when I get the board back I know if they sent me the same board back. It's not normally necessary as most often the serial numbers are different, but companies like EVGA just put a sticker on the card with the serial number.

 

[bobkn]

Sounds like you've done due diligence. It may be RMA time for the graphics card.

I had a problem in my system with a GTX280. (Nothing as severe as Evilclive is experiencing.) At first, things appeared to be driver failures, but eventually I decided that the graphics card was the culprit. I returned it. (Good sevice from BFGtech - too bad they're exiting the graphics card business.) No problems with the replacement card.

 

[Evilclive]

I haven't had a single freeze today and I have rebooted my computer 4 times today with no failed attempts.(no beep code).

Any idea why one day it works fine and the next it seems to have serious hardware issues?

 

[TVeblen]

There could be many reasons. It could be possessed and knows we are talking about it!

But it could be a change in operating temperature, a change in voltage from the power supply or the motherboard, a change in a driver or drivers or their settings, a change in the contacts after moving things around, etc.

But most often a defect in an electronic component is not that obvious. Maybe it would be more convenient if a video card just cut to black with a little puff of smoke and a big red message on the screen: "Video Dead - Buy New Card". But probably not. It is far more common for these things to die slow and painfully.

I have a failing dimmer switch in my Family Room. If I set it low to watch TV it will work fine some nights, but on others it will flicker or change brightness on it's own very randomly. There is no pattern, just electrons jumping the path like hyper teenagers.

Keep you eye on it. Maybe you got lucky!