system won't boot up

[fluxquantum]

hi everyone,

i have an old P4 1.6a system that i use as a file server. it's been going strong for years until yesterday. i came back home from work and it was completely shut down. i leave the system on 24/7. when i try to turn it on, it will try to post but instead i get a continuous beep that sounds more like a warning. it sounds like dee-doo, dee-doo, dee-doo, etc. the specs are as follows:

P4 1.6a
1 Gig of rambus (4 x 256 MB PC800)
Geforce 2 MX 400
P4T-E Motherboard
80 Gig Maxtor (Master)
200 Gig Seagate (Slave)
3Com Nic
NEC DVD burner
Antec True 480W Power Supply

i went into the bios when the system did function and noticed the cpu vcore was dipping below normal. the text was displayed in red. i'm not sure if the cpu is dying or if it's the power supply. all the fans rotate and there's a green indicator light on the motherboard when the system powers up. i tried resetting the cmos to no avail. anyone have ideas? thanks in advance

 

[stu1811]

psu is prob failing. do you have an extra psu to put in and test it? If you have a digital multimeter measure the 12 rail.

 

[fluxquantum]

Originally posted by: stu1811
psu is prob failing. do you have an extra psu to put in and test it? If you have a digital multimeter measure the 12 rail.

okay, i measured the 12v rail and the multimeter is giving me 12.19. i even replaced the cmos battery. still no luck. could it still be a failing power supply?

 

[The J]

You could try looking up the beep code on the motherboard manufacturer's website or search Google for beep codes for that board.

Try this site: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/awardbeep.htm

The table gives codes that should be valid on any board with an Award BIOS. You can read the comments below it to see if one matches your board.

 

[Shadow Conception]

Does the PSU blink at all?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I believe the signal you are getting that rather sounds like a European siren refers to heat problem. If the cpu is not overheating, perhaps the heat cutoff/warning in the bios is incorrectly set.

 

[fluxquantum]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
I believe the signal you are getting that rather sounds like a European siren refers to heat problem. If the cpu is not overheating, perhaps the heat cutoff/warning in the bios is incorrectly set.

i think you maybe on to something. i decided to gut the system. i took off the heatsink and looked underneath. it seems that a lot of dust has been trapped in between the cpu and heatsink. i believe this is causing the cpu to overheat. i'm going to clean it off and reapply some arctic silver and see what happens.

remember the old swiftech?

Swiftech MCX4000

 

[fluxquantum]

okay, here's an update. i ordered a zalman 7000b along with arctic silver 5 to cool my cpu. anyways, i slapped everything together and still get the ambulance alarm. i even took the motherboard out of the case and put in only the bare essentials - video card, memory, and cpu. i also shorted the two atx power pins to power on the system. everything powered up fine except the fact that i still get the overheating alarm and no display.

so, do you think it's the cpu or motherboard? the power supply is fine since i tested the system on a known good power supply and still get the alarm.

 

[fluxquantum]

anyone have ideas?

 

[fluxquantum]

okay, i had to purchase a replacement board off of e-bay. once i swap boards i'll let you know how it goes.

 

[jameswhite1979]

yeah MoBo i think you are hearing beep codes can make a reference to the tones with for that MoBo but not really worth reaplceing. the only other thing to do is takes it all apart and remount just the basics.

 

[fluxquantum]

Originally posted by: jameswhite1979
yeah MoBo i think you are hearing beep codes can make a reference to the tones with for that MoBo but not really worth reaplceing. the only other thing to do is takes it all apart and remount just the basics.

hi there,

not to be rude but i actually did that. i took the motherboard out of the case and only inserted the bare essentials one by one and i still get the ambulance alarm. i'm still waiting on the replacement board to arrive. i'll keep everyone posted.

 

[fluxquantum]

hi everyone,

i received my replacement motherboard today. i slapped it in the case, hooked everything up, and voila...the system is now up and running like a champ. therefore, the original motherboard went bad. everything else works great. no more ambulance alarms!