In the last few weeks my computer has been acting a bit strange. Every now and then when I turn it on the motherboard will immediately start beeping. The pattern is an alternating high then low beep. According to this that means my CPU is overheating. Not sure if that's accurate. I was just shutting the comp off immediately by holding down the power button then restarting it and it then works fine. I haven't changed any hardware in a very long time, the last change being months ago when I added a USB 2.0 card since the motherboard is so old it didn't have USB 2.0 ports.

The comp has also shut down completely randomly once or twice in the last 2-3 weeks.

Any ideas TL? Not sure what I should do. I was planning on building a new rig eventually but I wanted to wait until SC2 or D3 is given a concrete release date. Ideally I want to make my current rig last as long as I can. Hopefully this problem is a simple fix.

Thanks TL.

404.Delirium

United States1190 Posts

May 02 2009 04:24 GMT

Oftentimes a beeping computer is a sign of one of the ports not being attached properly (ie: VideoCard, SoundCard, RAM, etc.)

Have you popped open your case and taken a look inside? It seems strange that this would just start happening if you haven't fiddled with anything though.

Edit: I didn't mention overheating because you already had, it is a very good possibility that you just need to unplug it and run a vacuum across the components

Elite00fm

United States548 Posts

May 02 2009 04:24 GMT

I had this exact same problem, this is definitely overheating. Just clean the dust out of your fans (very quick and easy) and you should be fine.

Jank

United States308 Posts

May 02 2009 04:34 GMT

On May 02 2009 13:24 404.Delirium wrote:
Oftentimes a beeping computer is a sign of one of the ports not being attached properly (ie: VideoCard, SoundCard, RAM, etc.)

Have you popped open your case and taken a look inside? It seems strange that this would just start happening if you haven't fiddled with anything though.

Edit: I didn't mention overheating because you already had, it is a very good possibility that you just need to unplug it and run a vacuum across the components

NEVER use a vacuum to clean the dust from your computer, it can create static electricity and fry your components. Go buy a can of compressed air and use that if the dust is creating a heat issue.

Piste

6162 Posts

May 02 2009 04:35 GMT

On May 02 2009 13:24 Elite00fm wrote:
I had this exact same problem, this is definitely overheating. Just clean the dust out of your fans (very quick and easy) and you should be fine.

404.Delirium

United States1190 Posts

May 02 2009 04:39 GMT

On May 02 2009 13:34 Therapy wrote:

Show nested quote +

NEVER use a vacuum to clean the dust from your computer, it can create static electricity and fry your components. Go buy a can of compressed air and use that if the dust is creating a heat issue.

I use a long plastic extension and and use a blow-function. I also wear a grounding bracelet when working with my computer =p

Edit: I guess I should mention I also remove any charge by handling the case before touching a sensitive component or else someone will complain.

Racenilatr

United States2756 Posts

May 02 2009 04:50 GMT

This used to happen to my old computer ALL the time.It was very annoying. Try to make the alarm go off at a higher temperature through BIOS or us CPUFan or something like that to help speed up your fan.

IzzyCraft

United States4487 Posts

May 02 2009 05:04 GMT

More then 1 beep means problem.

GHOSTCLAW

United States17042 Posts

May 02 2009 05:32 GMT

if you can figure out how to adjust the "warning" temperature, that's the easiest way to turn off the noise. However, just cleaning it and seeing if it helps seems like the best option.

Phyre

United States1288 Posts

May 04 2009 04:36 GMT

#10

So I blew out a ton of dust that was stuck in the heatsink over the cpu and cleaned out the fans as well, hopefully the comp will go back to functioning normally now. Thanks for the advice guys!

Phyre

United States1288 Posts

May 04 2009 05:46 GMT

#11

Quick update:

My comp just froze up completely, everything on screen just stopped moving. The mouse cursor stopped moving, the video I was watching stopped, etc. Literally like my screen became a still picture. I tried ctrl+alt+delete and any other hotkey I could think of but the comp seemed to be unresponsive, didn't even hear it doing anything aside from the normal fan whirring. This happened once a day or two ago before I cleaned the dust out and it just happened again so I guess the problem isn't fixed.

So I powered down my comp and restarted. I did take a quick glance at this little sensor screen I have attached to the motherboard and while my comp was stuck it said the CPU was running at 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit). After restarting and leaving it on for a a good 10-15 minutes it looks to be at around 31-21 C (87.8 F). If I remember correctly, this is the normal temperature it always ran at. It's an AMD 3000+ with stock cooling if that helps at all. So I'm guessing the beeps were right, I'm guessing the CPU is somehow overheating. The heatsink and fan sitting on top of the CPU seem clean though and I haven't changed anything related to the cooling on this comp since 2004.

Any suggestions?

GHOSTCLAW

United States17042 Posts

May 04 2009 06:46 GMT

#12

get a new heatsink. It really is overheating. Make sure you apply thermal paste (possibly you applied it incorrectly the first time).

Phyre

United States1288 Posts

May 04 2009 16:14 GMT

#13

On May 04 2009 15:46 GHOSTCLAW wrote:
get a new heatsink. It really is overheating. Make sure you apply thermal paste (possibly you applied it incorrectly the first time).

I can't imagine it being incorrectly applied since the comp has been working fine since 2004ish without problems.

When I get home I'll probably take the heatsink off the cpu and take a look though. Some other people I've asked think it might just be usual wear and tear since it is around 4-5 years old now.

QuanticHawk

United States32021 Posts

May 04 2009 16:43 GMT

#14

On May 04 2009 15:46 GHOSTCLAW wrote:
get a new heatsink. It really is overheating. Make sure you apply thermal paste (possibly you applied it incorrectly the first time).

Try cleaning it first, cuz that's what happened to me.

GHOSTCLAW

United States17042 Posts

May 04 2009 17:25 GMT

#15

I kind of assumed that he had already cleaned it, becuase he said he cleaned the whole inside of the computer.

It looks like the processor really is overheating, and if the heatsink is applied on properly (and possibly you need to put it on full blast all the time, either by powering it from an external power source or by changing a bios setting), theen it shouldn't, no matter how much power it's using.

Phyre

United States1288 Posts

May 05 2009 02:13 GMT

#16

The only thing I can think of that I changed in the last month or so is adding a usb 2.0 card. Could that possibly cause problems like this? It doesn't seem possible but I could certainly be wrong. It doesn't block the cpu fan at all, it's in front of the gpu fan though. Would it be worth taking the card out and seeing what happens or would that just be silly?