compaq beep codes

[ballyhoo]

hello there

i wonder if any one can help me
i have an old compaq deskpro and am experiencing the following beep codes on start up 2 short followed by one long a reasonable pause and then 2 more short

any help would be appreciated

 

[docdebit]

I did a quick google search, this is one of the more complete lists I found:

http://www.2computerguys.com/computers/bios2.html

I do not see your sequence-dont know if it's possible you have a combination of general error and video error. You could try reseating video card and see if anything changes.

drdebit

 

[ballyhoo]

cheers i have tryed reseating video card and a fitting one i know works but still the same.

could the problem lie in the board or the riser ?

 

[killowhat]

http://www.bioscentral.com

 

[docdebit]

I dont know enough to know the answer to that. If it is a combination of 2 shorts for an unknown system error, I suppose it could be almost anything. Are there other symptoms you can post for folks to look at? Do you get any error messages on the screen? Also specific model in case someone reading happens to have experience with that?

You could certainly try reseating the riser and see if it makes any difference. If you're willing to take the risks of damaging another system, you could also test the video card currently in the compaq in another system.

If your bios says something other than compaq, like phoenix or ami, you can look here and see if you can get other ideas.

http://www.postcodemaster.com/index.php3?beepcode=11&bios_bc=16&bios_pc=19

If you have more than 1 memory module, you could see which is slot 1 and try the different mem modules one at a time to see if that makes any difference.

You can also disconnect hard drive, floppy etc and get as close as you can to basic system and see if anything changes.



drdebit

 

[ballyhoo]

hello gain doc

i have tryed a working video card no joy
i have worked back dissconecting and no joy

so i striiped the whole thing down and now the beep code is 1 long and 3 short, god knows why its changed

nothing comes up on the screen but there is hard drive activity as if it is still booting up

cheers for your time

 

[docdebit]

First-to be fair to you-2 things-I'm not a computer repair person and I cant figure out exactly what bios you have-so I cant search very well. More quick searching this am shows a variety of possibilities depending on exactly what bios you have:

http://www.flazh.de/bios/english/beeps.htm

(Memory-ami; Video (memory or adaptor)-award; EGA video-ibm)
This also adds the possibility of keyboard controller for award:

http://www.beemerworld.com/tips/beepcodes.htm

(I am not knowledgable enough to tell you if the troubleshooting tips below have potential for further damage to your system.)

Few comments about troubleshooting:

http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/JR2000/beepcodes.html

Troubleshooting ideas for video-award bios

http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/beep/awardB13-c.html

Some of the places I looked were more vague on award bioses than the others, indicating that a variety of manufacturers took these and modified them to suit their own purposes. So if it's a compaq modified award bios, video problems might be a good candidate for the cause.





drdebit

 

[ballyhoo]

Thanks for your time Doc

I stripped the whole thing down in the end and reseated everything and so far so good

once again cheers