PC won't start No graphics

[jollyjohn]

G'day. I have two PCs

Manufacturer : Acer
Product : L4S5MG/651+

One is my spare PC. which I run every so often to update AV and software. Last weekend I intended to do that but, nothing. The fans are running but I have a black screen. I tried one of the ram modules from the other PC and gave my a long beep followed by two short beeps. I tried spare PSUs but nothing. Also tested with the on board graphics and the gforce graphic card.

I'm totally clueless.

Any ideas

John

[redwudz]

That appears to use a ECS L4S5MG/651+ MB with a Award BIOS. You might open it up and see if the MB does have that designation.

But with a Award BIOS, that 'one long, two short beeps' seems to indicate: 'Video Adapter Error: Either video adapter is bad or is not seated properly. Also, check to ensure the monitor cable is connected properly.'

If you've tried a known good video card, maybe a MB problem. But I would also check the cable and the monitor. Also check the PC end of the monitor cable for broken pins.

One last thing to try, pull the BIOS battery for a few minutes with the PC off and unplugged, then insert it and try a restart, both with on board video if it has it, and a add on video card. Sometimes reseting the BIOS helps if you have other than default settings added.

[jollyjohn]

Thanks redwudz for answering.

The BIOS is:
Manufacturer : Phoenix Technologies, LTD
Version : R01-C1
Date : 07/14/2003 (mm/dd/yyyy)
Address : 256 KB
OEM Signature : Acer AST300/APST Ver:R01-C1 07/14/2003
SMBios Version : Unspecified
DMI Version : 2.3
Never been flashed. I don't see the need to do it.

I installed a new battery the old one had 0.25V.

John

[handyguy]

If you get lights & stuff but no display = power supply

[bevills1]

Is hard drive recognized in BIOS, and will PC boot to CD? I had an old HP that booted to CD, but hard drive wasn't recognized in BIOS. I checked hard drive connections and replaced IDE cable with same results. Finally replacing the hard drive fixed the problem. I suggest trying these steps to see if you may have a dead hard drive like I had.

[redwudz]

Phoenix BIOS beeps are fairly varied in type, but the pattern still seems to point to the VGA display.

handyguy, he said he did substitute the PS.

bevills1, he has no video, so can't see the BIOS.

Probably not useful, but you could try unplugging all drives except the boot and all cards except the video and see what happens. I'd also re-seat all connectors and RAM and PCI cards if you haven't tried that. The MB is somewhat running if it gives you beeps, but it might still have a partial failure.

[Nelson37]

Clarify that you got the beep code AFTER exchanging RAM with another PC but NOT before? Also, when you changed it back to the original RAM, NO beep code?

Do you get one, single beep normally? Or is it totally silent, referencing the previous condition when it worked.

I would exchange the RAM, use only one stick, AND remove the NVidia card, using only the motherboard graphics. Also disconnect all other drives and peripherals.

[jollyjohn]

All the tests I've done had been with only keyboard and mouse connected, all the drives disconnected.

The original ram did /does a long non stop beep.

And no, I cannot see the BIOS only a black screen.

I'll have another go this afternoon.

[jollyjohn]

I tested all my spare PSUs and found two had voltage in one pin only. One good one. Tested all the RAM modules, one by one in both the two slots available. Every time I had one long and two very short and very quick beeps.

Could a buggered PSU damage the MB?

I don’t like to give up on challenges but this one is beyond me.

Thank you all for the help and suggestions.

John

[Nelson37]

Still not understanding this. Do ALL Ram modules give the one long and two short beeps, Or is the original RAM giving one long, non-stop beep? ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
Did the behavior change once the part-swapping began? Can you get back to the original configuration, and get the original single beep code?

Once you can change the error message (the beeps) in any way, that will help to isolate the problem. However, you must verify the change in condition by reversing the change, observing the original error, then changing a second time to verify the new condition.

Example - dead PC with one, long, beep. Change RAM, get one long and two short beeps. Change back to original RAM, get the long beep back. IF putting the original RAM back in does NOT change the beep code, therefore the RAM itself is NOT the cause of the change in code. BUT, the act of putting it in may be flexing the board, aggravating a crack or causing a short to the case. OR, a slight touch to a cracked or broken power lead could be the culprit.

Do not forget to allow for the possibility of more than one thing going wrong, or for inadvertently causing a temporary problem. For instance, installing RAM could flex the board and cause the video card to unseat, giving an error beep.

I haven't looked up the beep codes for that BIOS, but I'll assume Red is correct that this is a video error. Which could be a failed video circuit, or could be dead RAM that the onboard video draws from. Or the original RAM could have a dead short which prevents all operation.

If the original RAM gives a DIFFERENT beep code than replacement RAM, then I would try the replacement RAM and ALSO a seperate video card.

Absolutely a bad PS can damage a mobo. So can a carpet spark from your finger. As far as testing a PSU, you hook it up to a roughly similar board and see if it boots. No other test is relevant.

[jollyjohn]

Nelson37. Thank you for your interest in helping me out. I really appreciate it since I'm learning as I keep trying.

When I said there was one single long beep I miss interpreted that as the two following beeps are so short and fast that almost blend with the long beep. In one of the tests with a rooted PS It gave me a never stop beep, but that PS is as dead as it could be. I have carried out tests with all the RAM modules, spares and from the working PC as well as with all PSUs I have (found two dead ones when I tested them with the multimeter).

Is there an easy way to test a MB?

Thanks again

John

[redwudz]

No easy way to test a MB. They're just too complex. Most times the standard trouble shooting method is to rule out different parts of the PC, then that narrows down the failed part. I generally use parts substitution. If you have a known good RAM module, PS, CPU and video card and HDD and optical drives, and you still have failure at a basic level, that tends to point to the MB as the failing part.

And a failing PS can definitely take out the whole MB. A good reason to avoid cheap PS's. I've lost a whole PC, MB, RAM, video card and HDDs with a failed PS. The only thing that survived was a floppy drive, go figure.

Do what you can with testing, but it doesn't sound good. You might consider a MB replacement if all else fails. Hopefully the CPU is OK.

[jollyjohn]

redwudz thank you for your fast reply.

That is what I thought. Well, not a big loss. These computers were given to me by my son. They through away four of these at the hotel here he is a manager, I got them and made tree working PCs, including parts from my old PC that had broken days before. I gave one to a good friend of mine and kept two for myself.

My next question is: because the box is small the MB dimensions are 9.5” X 9.5” What motherboard can I look for that would fit in the box? I would prefer one with SATA connectors. Don't need anything too powerful.

I will probably need new processor and RAM.

Thanks again.

I may start another thread for this.

John

[redwudz]

That's the standard Micro ATX motherboard dimensions (Actually 9.6" X 9.6"), so there's a lot of choices out there. It depends if you plan to reuse your CPU and RAM and whether you have a AMD or Intel CPU at present. If it has DDR2 or DDR RAM and a older CPU, you might have to look around a bit.

Most of the newer Micro ATX MBs have a lot of options, besides on-board video. I have several with HDMI and lots of SATA connectors. They usually have just one PATA (IDE) connector for older drives, but that's for two PATA drives.

I might suggest one of the Gigabyte MBs for the AMD processors if you want to upgrade. I've had good luck with them. Some of the AMD CPUs are very reasonably priced, less than Intel CPUs. You will likely need new RAM as most all are now using DDR3 or DDR2 at present. The prices for both types of RAM are about the same. Check around for sales and you may find some good deals. I usually look a Newegg first as they seem to have a good selection. I know you're in OZ, but they're still a good resource for feedback and to see what available in the market.

No big deal changing out a MB, though you will probably need a new operating system disc. Windows 7 is about the same price as the older MS OSs.

[Nelson37]

You can buy a $300.00 testing card to check a $100.00 mobo, but I never saw much logic in that.

I will second the Gigabyte and Newegg recomendations.

[jollyjohn]

Thank you guys.

I was looking at this G-B G41M-Combo AU$57.5 Mobo. and E6500 AU$80.00 CPU.

Are they any good choice?

Thanks

John

[redwudz]

I'm not that familiar with that MB, but should be OK. It does have the benefit of being able to use DDR2 or DDR3 RAM. Four SATA connectors. Make sure your power supply has the 4 pin CPU power connector. Most motherboards can use a 20 or 24 pin ATX power connector. http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3505#ov

The Intel CPU: http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=42805

[jollyjohn]

Thanks mate
I've made my mind on the Gigabyte Mobo. and the E6500 CPU. I prefer the four RAM slots against two RAM slots. It gives you more flexibility.

I'll take it easy, it'll take me some time (depending on the cash coming in my pocket) to complete the project, but as it is my spare PC I'm not in a rush to finish too soon.

redwudz, I'm very grateful to you for your help. I'll let you know when I finish.

Thanks cobber.

John

[redwudz]

I still have a old computer build guide up on rapidshare that might be useful. It's in .pdf format. https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/255934-Guide-How-to-Build-a-Basic-Computer?

[jollyjohn]

I still have a old computer build guide up on rapidshare that might be useful. It's in .pdf format. https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/255934-Guide-How-to-Build-a-Basic-Computer?

Thanks, Got it.

I'm not afraid to put together a PC. When I made up these computers I completely disassembled them to clean them. I've never seen so much crap inside a PC. Handfuls of dusty lint, I had to hose the heatsinks with water to get the crap out of the fins. I cut one of the boxes to make an attachment for a slave HDD. Installed extra fans for the Graphic card and HDDs.

I do have a technical background and at 69 still feel the need to learn.

I appreciate your assistance

Regards

John