This issue i identical with respect to everything but the Novell app. I have had the one lone and two short beep scenario for a period of three months. Compaq dragged it out till the warranty expired then they told me that it was the motherboard or an aspect thereof. Do I start with all new motherboard or is there a means of troubleshooting the video card once I restablish the video (temporarily) by reformatting with OEM 2 disc set? How much should it cost to replace a Cmos battery?