Keyboard lights flashing and BIOS beeping at start up

[campion2]

Hi

My friend's P4 Medion machine is confusing us at the moment.

Worked fine for a while, now when we switch the power on at the wall
the processor fan starts turning and the 3 keyboard lights flash
rapidly and the power light flickers.

When we turn the PC on, it has no display and the BIOS beeps a 5
second tone - no others, just the 5 second tone, repeated every 5
seconds

Any ideas??

I'm guessing RAM or VIDEO CARD but has anyone had similar experience??

 

[Nick]

Yes I have. Check your RAM.

Do you see anything on the screen? If yes then how far does it get? Has
the system been opened at all? You might find some RAM isn't pushed in
enough.

 

[campion2]

System doesn't get past the POST. The keyboard lights / power light
flash as soon as the power is turned on at the wall.

The system, whilst new, did work for a very short time although
someone else offered to add a modem to it and opened the case (why I
don't know as there was already a modem in it!).

Apparently the symptoms appeared about the same time - but in
fairness, it could have been knackered before this guy opened the
case.

We can't contact him at the moment as he is away visiting his sick
mother, but I think he has already swapped out the video card as there
is an older ATI card in the case and when the system did boot it kept
finding the new card - but with no drivers to load we had to ignore
the new hardware message at boot up.

He also pulled the processor out - heat sink and all - Don't ask me
why he did that. Couldn't get the processor off the heat sink and fan
assembly so we were extremely lucky to be able to push the whole thing
back in without doing any damage! The machine worked fine at that
stage - apart from the nag screen about the diferent video card.

I guess it's possible that, as it worked fine to start with and fine
after I put the processor back in, that something is slightly loose.
I seated the video card well but haven't touched the RAM.

I think I will try my spare video card and, if that doesn't work,
start unplugging everything and see what gives. Problem is, the
machine is 20 miles away at present.

 

[kony]

Hi

My friend's P4 Medion machine is confusing us at the moment.

Worked fine for a while, now when we switch the power on at the wall
the processor fan starts turning and the 3 keyboard lights flash
rapidly and the power light flickers.

When we turn the PC on, it has no display and the BIOS beeps a 5
second tone - no others, just the 5 second tone, repeated every 5
seconds

Any ideas??

I'm guessing RAM or VIDEO CARD but has anyone had similar experience??

Yes, the idea is to not turn it off at the wall. There's a reason for
the power button on the front.


Dave

 

[DaveW]

Sounds like a bad power supply or motherboard to me.