[redoak]

A computer I thought had "had it" came back to life yesterday before once again dying, at least temporarily.

The machine sometimes boots, other times it gives out four, evenly spaced "beeps" followed by nothing but a black screen.

Yesterday it did the latter first, then on a second powering up it booted. After three hours of updating utilities, installing new programs and other maneuvers, the computer suddenly went to a black screen. This happened coincident with my clicking on the My Documents task bar icon.

Can someone give me a diagnosis of the cause of this behavior?

Thanks, {redoak}

[zabusant]

Hi redoak!

The post beeps are specific to the type of BIOS - AMI, IBM, Award, Phoenix... So first off you need to check that. Then you can google "BIOS post codes [your type]" and you'll get the diagnostic info easily.
Hope it helps

[devil_himself]

or look here - http://www.bioscentral.com/

[redoak]

Thanks to both of you. I am in the process of looking for info re the beep codes. Furthermore, I am learning about BIOS and "POST," so, even if all is lost with the computer, I am more "savvy" than before.

I will keep this Thread open for a while longer.

{redoak}

[redoak]

I found the following in the on-line "Instruction Manual" for my computer: "In general, if the POST detects a system board failure (a critical error), the computer halts and generates a series of beeps. If failure is detected in an area other than the system board (such as the display, keyboard, or an adapter card) an error message is displayed on the screen and testing is stopped. It is important to remember that the POST does not test all areas of the computer, only those that allow it to be operational enough to run diagnostic programs."

It would appear that I have a "mobo" problem!

{redoak}