I have an Acer Power FH, 3.20GHZ with 2.00GB RAM. When I reboot, I get a long beep. There is no video on the monitor during this time. If I shut off the computer, it boots fine and seems to operate normal until I try to reboot.
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I have an Acer Power FH, 3.20GHZ with 2.00GB RAM. When I reboot, I get a long beep. There is no video on the monitor during this time. If I shut off the computer, it boots fine and seems to operate normal until I try to reboot.
Try reseating the RAM and hard drive cable(s) first.
If it still gives you the long beep, try testing the RAM:Memtest86 - A Stand-alone Memory Diagnostic
http://www.memtest86.com/
Windows Memory Diagnostic
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
And while you are in there check that the graphics card is firmly seated too - that can also give a long beep on some systems. The ideal thing to do is to take out the RAM modules and graphics card and gently clean the contacts with a pencil eraser.
I have already taken the memory out and cleaned it. I have also tried one stick at a time.
Test the memory with the programs SpywareDr posted the links to. Trying one stick at a time is not testing the ram/memory.
Also do what SuperSparks suggested.
I have ran the memory tests and no problems were found.:confused:
Did you check that the video card was still seated in its slot?
I don't have a video card. I believe it is built into the mother board.
How long did you run the memory tests?
And I see on Acer's site you do have onboard video.
How is the dust inside?
I ran memory test for about eight hours. Dust is not too bad. Already cleaned inside case with compressed air.
Any more suggestions?
During the bootup process you should see the name of the BIOS maker. Go to thier web site and see what one long beep means.
As near as I can tell, the BIOS is Acer. The only two 1 beep codes apply to the memory. Codes 1C and 1E.
Take the side off the case and make sure that the CPU fan is running when it beeps. If it isn't then the beep means you are getting a fan failure warning.
The fan continues to run during the long beep. This is getting frustrating!
Backing up the truck a little bit...
If you cold boot the machine in the morning does it boot up OK?
Or do you only get the beep during a reboot? And does it do it every time you reboot?
Did the problem start after you installed some application or made ANY type of change to the machine? It could possibly be some app isn't shutting down properly.
Yes the computer boots fine when I boot it each morning.
It only beeps on reboot and yes, it does it every time.
I was backing up my hard drive to my second hard drive using copy commander when I noticed the problem. I have since uninsulated partition commander(includes copy commander). When partition commander was installed, the computer would beep on its own after about 5-10 minutes.
Does it beep if you shut down and power off (not restart), and then power it up again?
No, it does not beep if I power off and then power up again. It only beeps when I restart.
That sounds like it might be a hardware issue. It could be a power supply problem, or a memory issue, or maybe a motherboard problem.
Motherboard problem is what I think :( It's clutching at straws a bit, but reflashing the BIOS may be worth considering.
How do I reflash the BIOS?
Is re flashing the BIOS risky?
Yes it is....And, since the pc was working well for a long time - I'm not sure so flashing would help. The BIOS generally doesn't go bad so to speak.
It could just be a bad BIOS battery.
How do I check the BIOS battery?
You could try using a multimeter on it, but that wouldn't guarantee it would work properly installed in your computer. I'd just replace it, especially if it was several years old. Most batteries are the silver coin type, generally a CR-2032.
Pop the case open. Take battery out. Take battery to drug store to match the part number.
My date/time is fine. Does that mean the battery is good?
Generally - yes it does...but how good it is is unknown...Its a $3.25 part;)
I guess I should go ahead and replace it. We live in the sticks so I won't get to town until Monday. I'll let you know how it works.
The BIOS battery fixed the problem! Thank you all so much. I've always been able to get problems resolved on this forum.
Thanks for the update.
WOW...I think "we" got lucky...But then again - we love stories with happy endings.
That's great news, I'm glad you got it fixed :)
It's back! My computer booted fine this morning but when I restarted, it started the same long beep with no video. I restarted it twice yesterday but it appears that it still has the same old problem. Any suggestions?
I wonder if you could have developed a motherboard fault, where the battery is being rapidly discharged. I've come across that before. Do you have a multimeter, or could you borrow one? If so, check the battery voltage - it should be close to 3.0 volts.
At this point, I'd say it is either a motherboard issue or possibly a power supply problem. Motherboard is most likely though.