Computer Advice Sought (total vanity)

OK a couple of people have already suggested some good steps. Do check the link posted a couple of times and look up the beep code. IF you don’t know what BIOS it is, often it is printed on a label on the CMOS chip, look on the motherboard. In that CPU range it could have Award, AMI or Phoenix most likely. If it boots at all, it will have a BIOS logo screen if they haven’t put a company splash screen there. If it won’t boot, look on the CMOS chip, usually 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, no telling where in might be but often not far from the memory slots.

First thing...any time you leave a computer unplugged and stored for a while, you can run across problems related to bad electrical contact.

Remove every card in it, and replace them a couple of times each. They are all keyed so they cannot be replaced backwards. The most common culprits are video and memory cards.

You can also use a standard pencil eraser to clean any contacts on the cards, it works great. But it won’t get inside the slots they plug into. Spray some contact cleaner into those, give it a couple of minutes to dry and it may help.

When it gives you a beep code it’s usually telling you it can’t communicate with a component.

If the CMOS battery goes out it usually won’t result in a beep code, you’ll see it when it keeps telling you the date and time need to be reset. UT’s usually a CR2032 battery, available anywhere watch batteries are sold, Harbor Freight carries them too, and the local Dollar Tree has them two for a buck, I just bought some today. (my guitar tuner uses the same one, and a kitchen scale I got recently)

BIOS -

Basic Input Output System - A database of system specific information the CPU needs to boot up, permanently stored on a CMOS chip.

CMOS - Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor - A physical IC chip on the motherboard, powered by a battery, that keeps a permanent record of all BIOS information. If the battery goes dead, it will usually only lose the date and time, and often a few things will revert to default settings, like boot sequence. Other information is queried on boot, like number and size of hard drives installed, amount of RAM, and so forth. So it will detect and add those items without user intervention once the battery is replaced.

If the computer has a secondary power switch on the power supply, you’re in good shape. Turn the switch OFF, make sure it’s plugged in to a grounded outlet, and keep one hand touching the metal case while unplugging and replugging all the cards in it, that avoids damage due to Electrostatic Discharge. (static electricity) You can create enough ESD to fry components turning in your chair. To give you an idea, when you walk across the room and touch a door knob and it shocks you, that means you just took 2000 volts of static electricity. 2500 volts if you can see it. It takes less than 100 volts to fry any card in the computer. I’ve fried modems by forgetting to ground myself before touching them. It really sucked when I had to replace a couple for customers...out of MY pocket...

Another thing to do - Take it out in the garage, blow it out with a can of compressed air. Do not use a vacuum cleaner or shop air compressor, too much pressure. Vacuum is just a bad idea. The motherboard often has very small plastic parts called jumpers fixed on pins to make certain settings. If those are blown off or sucked off by a vacuum, it won’t work again and you might have to hire someone like me to look up the motherboard and figure out what the jumper settings are, find some jumpers and replace them.

Blow out all the dust inside the thing, pay special attention to the fins on the CPU heatsink. All that dust acts like a blanket and holds heat in. Heat is your enemy.

If you’re handy with a screwdriver you can also remove the power supply and blow it out well, usually not necessary though. Check the fans, they should rotate freely if you flip them with a fingertip. Any that do not should be replaced.

Do not remove the heatsink from the CPU if you do not have fresh thermal paste and know how to apply it. It’s used in every computer to transfer heat better between CPU and heatsink. It does need to be replaced, but only if you know how. I used to charge people $10 for this job. No idea what most shops would charge, I was way cheaper than any one else in town, at least for minor stuff like this...

I’m betting your beep code is telling you there is a bad electrical contact somewhere, removing and reseating every card in it will most likely solve the problem. Occasionally it can also mean it found a bad memory chip or bad video GPU. Most likely a bad contact though.

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