Indeed of desparate help! Please?

ComradeBadger

ComradeBadger

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Right, you know my earlier thread about RAM problems - well, I ended up just taking the old RAM out, clearing CMOS and putting the old RAM in. And I'm STILL getting the momery failure beep. While I was reseating the video card we had a power surge, and the computer powered itself on while my hands were on the 3d card and then turned off. Was quite scary.

Anyway the specs are:

Jetway V266B motherboard
256mb PC133 RAM
Radeon 9800Se
Athelon 1.59Ghz

This computer NEEDS to be up and running urgently. Please help me out: what could be causing these problems? The power surge? But it wasn't working BEFORE that :|
 
check the other cables? turn it on and hope for the best? It might be ok. a power surge would turn it on and off as there wouldn't be any power to keep it running, if the power was off to begin with.
 
ComradeBadger said:
I've tried that many times - same error beep.
Click to expand...
so it doesn't powerup atall then?

what kind of beeps is it given, what does the manual tell you for those beeps (manual and/or google search)
 
It's a long beep repeated a few times - it's not on that page

The computer boots fine when there is no Molex connector going to the 3D card - leading me to believe it's either the PSU or it's the 3d card.. can anyone confirm/help?
 
Did you build it yourself?
EDIT: I don't see why your video card would cause the computer to fail. I would take a shot in the dark, and say it's the PSU.
 
Yeah I built it myself, it's been running for a year or so with no trouble..

I'm inclined to agree that it's the PSU, since after testing with peripherels that draw power also causing the error when it is otherwise stable (3d card with no power cable attached = stable PC [can't see if it boots into Windows though :p ])

I hope it's the PSU, since a new one of them would be easy to get.
 
ComradeBadger said:
It's a long beep repeated a few times - it's not on that page

The computer boots fine when there is no Molex connector going to the 3D card - leading me to believe it's either the PSU or it's the 3d card.. can anyone confirm/help?
Click to expand...
read the manual as to what the beeps mean for your motherboard, nobody can help you until you do that.
 
ComradeBadger said:
Yeah I built it myself, it's been running for a year or so with no trouble..

I'm inclined to agree that it's the PSU, since after testing with peripherels that draw power also causing the error when it is otherwise stable (3d card with no power cable attached = stable PC [can't see if it boots into Windows though :p ])

I hope it's the PSU, since a new one of them would be easy to get.
Click to expand...
Try popping in a different video card in. (If you can) If it doesn't work, then it's the PSU. :)
 
The only other video card in the house is PCI-express :p

The BIOS beep code suggests memory failure - endless loop of beeps. I had the 3d card plugged into the PSU and the monitor and it booted, but I got no image on the screen.
 
I doubt that a memory failure BIOS beep would be caused by a faulty graphics card. If your PSU went horribly wrong, your computer would either fail to turn on, turn off immediately after powering up, or fry. I'm thinking that your RAM stick(s) are probably dead. Hopefully, your RAM slot(s) still work.

If you have more than one stick of (working) RAM, power up with one installed at a time, and in different slots, so you can check which ones are alive. If you only have one stick, well, you'd better open up your wallet.
 
I've got 2 - except one is DDR PC2700 and not supported by the motherboard, and the other is PC133 - and in the computer.

You reckon the power surge(s) has fried the RAM? I've tried them all in different slots.
 
THE 3D card is causing an iregulairty in the Voltage in the psu whihc tusrns upa spoon int he cpu and it tells it not to start up :) i have a case fan which when plugged in my pc would power up and the turn off, was quite scary:p

So basically swap out the card with a diff one and test it / swap out psu and do it, if its you who works at the computer store thing find a spare psu and try it ;)
 
Most likely; just hope that the RAM slots (and anything else in the computer) aren't dead, too. If you're still getting video output, you won't have to replace any pricey components (video card, monitor, maybe the PSU and maybe the CPU.) That just leaves your hard disks, optical drives, and any other expansion cards. You can see if you'll make it past POST or not without those three.

To start off without wasting loads of cash, get another stick of PC133. If you still get the memory error with this new stick in different slots, then you'll have to get another motherboard. If the memory error goes away, but you still can't POST, you can rule out the RAM, and troubleshoot whether the PSU has become defective. Just to be on the safe side, don't use that (possibly) dead stick of PC133 again.

Plus, in the future, unplug or turn off your PSU whenever you're working inside of your case. You wouldn't want this event to happen again, right?
 
Sodabus, the PSU was turned off when I was working inside the case, that's what made it more scary.

Yeah, I'm gonna go to work tomorrow and borrow a few parts for testing :) if they let me :D
 
I had a similar problem with my R9700Pro a while back. I don't know what caused it, but I ended up with a bad Molex connector. Try connecting a different molex than the one you normally use.

Yours could be a completely different problem though.
 
I had beeps before and couldn't figure out what was the problem, I think I fixed it by disabling/enabling the correct drivers for the video card. It took alot of messing around to get it to stop beeping... damn I can't remember.

For my problem Im sure I fixed it by messing with the hardware or device manager or somewhere around there.

I don't think this is the problem but you might try making sure the RAM is fully seated and the tabs are locked

Why didn't you unplug the computer before servicing it?
BAD idea
 
Thing is, I can't get into Windows. I've reseated the RAM countless times, and the tabs are locked.

Oh, and generally turning the PSU off at the back is fine.. no need to unplug if you do that, and due to the dodgy electrics in my house I was eager to avoid pulling the plug out and putting it back in - often causes a surge.
 
hmm try going into BIOS and setting the ram speed to best performance maybe see if that works
 
dont you have a surge-protecting power extension?
you should, also protects your phone and modems(broadband)
 
you can smell something burnt?

ComradeBadger said:
Can't get into BIOS either.

:|
Click to expand...
You put RAM in, the computer detected it and didnt like that flavor, you took the RAM out and put the original RAM back in, and now it won't go into BIOS even...

you either:
1) changed something .. jumpers, dipswitch, software edit
2) or some hardware is not installed correctly, or
3) you fried something.

My brother used to fix computers, now he fixes his arcade machines up.
He told me like usually you can smell something burnt if something did fry.
 
Jumpers are all back to the way they were, I made a note of it. There is no dipswitch. I can't smell anything burned.

I put a different 3d card in, I now don't get the memory errors, but there is no image on screen, the monitor just sits there with a yellow light on.
 
Hmmm, well maybe with the surge, you killed everything? The 3D card, memory, and the PSU probably killed the processor or something.
 
I don't get the damaged CPU error, or the memory error anymore.

I'm using a PCI graphics card atm - let's hope it works

Gonna try an AGP one, then a different PSU.

(All borrowed from shop)



I'm getting the memory error now with everything plugged in. The keyboard doesn't respond to capslock and numlock keys - the monitor doesn't display anything.

Wtf is going on?
 
If your monitor stays black, your monitor is probably set to the wrong signal. Try switching between auto, bnc and d-sub. I once bought a new motherboard + cpu before figuring out the problem was that simple.:(
 
There is no option to change the signal :/

Tried a new PSU in there - no change, still the memory error beep.

****ing hell
 
Uhm.. for the monitor thing, try a different monitor.
If you don't have one, just 'borrow' one from your new job :)
 
ComradeBadger said:
Wtf is going on?
Click to expand...
Motherboard = dead.
Sorry, if everything is dying, I am led to believe you killed the motherboard. :\
 
ray_MAN said:
Motherboard = dead.
Sorry, if everything is dying, I am led to believe you killed the motherboard. :\
Click to expand...


Yeah, sounds like motherboard. I'm no expert like.... but it would make sense I guess. :(
 
Well, having got back from work, where we tried every componant in it - it's the mobo - buggered from electrical damage from the old PSU (currently occupying a bin outside Woolies) which looks like it's been shorting for a while.

I didn't kill anything :p

Yeah - new mobo time :|
 
ray_MAN said:
Motherboard = dead.
Sorry, if everything is dying, I am led to believe you killed the motherboard. :\
Click to expand...

why'd it take so long for someone to figure this out :p

I was thinking that the whole time. :)

yeah, your chipset is prolly gone down the drain.
 
ComradeBadger said:
I've got 2 - except one is DDR PC2700 and not supported by the motherboard, and the other is PC133 - and in the computer.

You reckon the power surge(s) has fried the RAM? I've tried them all in different slots.
Click to expand...



are you 100% sure its the ram?
do a memtest
http://www.memtest86.com/

if u have a floopy drive. well maybe u can run this without floopy drive not sure..but leave this program scanning ur memory for errors overnight just to see if its the memory.
if it is u will have to buy new memory.
 
Dark8Master89 said:
are you 100% sure its the ram?
do a memtest
http://www.memtest86.com/

if u have a floopy drive. well maybe u can run this without floopy drive not sure..but leave this program scanning ur memory for errors overnight just to see if its the memory.
if it is u will have to buy new memory.
Click to expand...
He diagnosed the problems as the motherboard already. Also, he can't even load Windows, so memtest won't work.
 
You don't need an OS to run Memtest86. Besides, the motherboard's defective, and you can't run Memtest86 if you can't get past POST.
 
Sodabus said:
You don't need an OS to run Memtest86. Besides, the motherboard's defective, and you can't run Memtest86 if you can't get past POST.
Click to expand...
Indeed. We had a diagnostic card in there anyway.. replaced the battery on the mobo as well :p

:|

Well at least it wasn't my PC eh :D
 
I know you've kinda chucked the board in the bin, but I was gonna say, that this board (I had one, but sold the pc to my dad with it in) Has 4 memory slots, 2 for PC133 Sdram & 2 for DDR Sdram.
Putting PC2700 ram in a board that only supports PC2100 will work, but the PC2700 will only run at PC2100.

More than likely though the board is toast, the power surge having taken care of that.
 
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