I have a PC that I built about two years ago and it will not boot.

When I power it on, nothing happens on the screen, the fans work, lights light up, and then the computer beeps.

The beeps are two long beeps followed by a short beep, then it repeats.

I have already removed the RAM, disconnected the DVD drive, and disconnected the HD and that did not fix the beeps.

Does anyone have any ideas?


Gigabyte GA-MA78GM motherboard with AMD processor.

Depends on the BIOS version but I believe you will find that it is a memory error. You have to have some memory in the system for it to work so try one stick at a time and see if you can figure out which one has gone bad.

..hi there!..maybe your BIOS cannot initialize the video screen to display any additional informations..or maybe your RAM (memory) is faulty..try to replace or swap a new memory to it..i hope it helps!..^_^..

Two beeps is usually a memory fault. Take Rch1231's advice, so yea, try using one RAM stick at a time, see which is the faulty one.

Thank you.

So that (removing the RAM) worked, sort of. It turns out that both RAM modules work. I guess they just had to be removed and reinserted.

More new problems, now I can't get a steady video output. I can get as far as the Windows loading screen (XP) and then the picture dies out. The computer keeps running, drives spinning, CPU working, fans running etc., the picture just goes out.

If I hit del to go into the BIOS menu, the screen will flicker on and off. The screen is also fuzzy. The menu loads, the screen just flickers. I have a HDMI going into a sharp flat screen. The TV reads it as a signal, then no signal, then a slight signal, etc.

What a weird computer day.

Probably going to a resolution that the particular monitor or flat screen cannot display. Reboot and the millisecond the BIOS message clears start hitting the <F8> key and keep hitting it till you get the "Windows Advanced Options Menu". Then select Enable VGA Mode and the system will start with standard low resolution VGA driver. Once the system is up you can go in and change the display properties to something that works with your monitor and reboot and it should be fine.

maybe the MBR is destroyed, rebuild it.

i think lucky4you gave awful advice dont listen to it
rch1231' s advice sound good

Distinguishing fault listening
Boot blank screen for common fault that we can start by identifying the host to identify the alarm horn.
Award BIOS motherboard failure warning table
1 short: the system starts normally.
1 long 1 short: Memory or motherboard error.
1 long 2 short: Monitor or video card error.
1 long 3 short: Keyboard controller error.
1 long 9 short: BIOS motherboard damage.
Continue to ring (with intermittent long sound): memory is not seated or damaged.
Kept ringing: power supply, display and graphics are not connected. Check all the connectors.
Repeating short ring: Power problems.
AMI BIOS motherboard failure warning table
1 short: Memory refresh failure.
3 short: the system base memory (1st 64KB) check fails, need for memory.
4 short: the system clock error.
5 short: the central processing unit (CPU) error.
6 short: Keyboard controller error.
7 short: real mode system error, can not switch to protected mode.
8 short: Display memory error.
9 short: BIOS test error.
1 long 3 short: memory error.
1 long 8 short: Display the test error, the display data cable not plugged in or the card not inserted firmly.
Need of special note is that in practice, many users found most frequently encountered failure of such a blank screen is mostly due to memory is not seated or damaged, the speaker issued intermittent alarm sound, you can check the memory key is loose or
Dust, can remove the memory will be cleaned up memory slot or memory, or memory slot for a plug, or try changing the root of memory.

hey mina thanks for the bios beep codes but did you notice that the 2 beeps that mjoe has talked about is not there :(

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.