[jane1972]

Help!!

Wrote recently as PC becoming unstable and seemed to coincide with installation of Fuji digital camera software. Eventually a system 32 error came up and we repaired from XP disk. Then all running ok ish for about 3 weeks. Then started to go wrong again. Began to freeze or crash during use - often during games - and couldnt restart in any way and had to switch off. Also began telling us on booting: "Warning - frequency has changed". Now can't start computer - it just beeps about 5 quick beeps and Mitsubishi monitor goes into power save straight away. Can't access safe mode or activate monitor menu system. Tried using a different monitor to see what was happening, but went to power save too. We have no idea what the problem(s) is (are) or even how to go about things or even in which order. Help us please as beginning to get extremely disillusioned. Thanks Jane.

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i think there sum problem in ur RAM cuz tht is wen the cpu beeps

[Knight_Wolf]

i think there sum problem in ur RAM cuz tht is wen the cpu beeps

[jane1972]

And that would mean doing what exactly? Buying new RAM? Does that mean all the other problems may well be solved, or that that would be the start of a whole fixing process? Ta Jane

[james_8970]

Please don't go and buy ram because I don't believ thats your problem.
If you listen closely every time you boot your computer it gives you a beep. For windows, once is a good thing, it means that everything is running as it is supposed to. If it beeps more then once, then there is a problem. So then you need to decode the beep sound.
Go to this site. http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
It appears that there is a System timer failure, don't know to much in this area however. But when i went to another site it explained that it was usually a motherboard failure. If this is the case then you may need to replace your motherboard, however this is not a process i'd suggest to anyone who has never opened a case before.
James

Edited by james_8970, 08 October 2006 - 09:53 PM.

[wannabe1]

Actually, this one could swing either way...

jane1972...When you boot your machine, on the first DOS-like screen, it should give you the BIOS version installed on the machine (AMI, Award, Pheonix...). Can you give me that information please?

wannabe1

[jane1972]

Thanks for the replies. The beeps = 1 for the power on, then (these at a lower pitch) 2 in quick succession then I think 8 steady beeps.
As for the BIOS - can't say for sure because nothing coming up on screen any more as monitor going straight to power save. If my memory serves me correctly it's AMI, but will need to consult with other half as I work with PCs at school and it could be these I'm thinking of. How does this affect things?

[wannabe1]

There is a very good possibility that this is the video card, though the RAM is still a question mark to my mind. If you do, indeed, have AMI BIOS, then it is almost certainly the video that's causing the problem. Phoenix beep codes also point to video as being the culprit. Neither, however, completely rule out the RAM.

With the beep codes pointing to video and your display problems, I'd be leaning very heavily on the side of a bad video card.

[jane1972]

Thanks for that. We did start getting a warning message saying that a multimedia controller had failed to install. Might this appear if we had a dicky video card? We had a separate card put into our PC when we bought it (a 128mb ATI Radeon 9500). Is the best way forward to buy another graphics card and install it?

[jane1972]

Have had no reply for a week. I know I should be patient but we really need to do something to get the machine going again. Any further suggestions??? Please help.

[wannabe1]

Let's take a look in Device Manager...right click on My Computer and choose "Properties". Click the "Hardware" tab and then the "Device Manager" button. Do You see any yellow ! or ? displayed next to any devices?