Curse

betrayal · Dec 26, 2009, 10:25 AM // 10:25

Hi, just couple days ago my PC I had for over 2 years start acting up, mostly because of Strike Extreme motherboard CPU INIT issue but that's the whole different story.
Any ways at the last minute I don't wanna miss GW event so I went to Fry's Electronic for some replacement, probably an hour before they close, I am very impatient. This is what I have for my PC at the moment

-EVGA P55 SLI motherboard, I don't know how to OC so this board should be good for gaming.
-Intel Core i7-860 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
-BFG 8800 GTS OC 640MB video card from the old PC (wanted to get GTX 295 but it was sold out).
-2x2GB DDR3 Patriot PC3-16000(2000MHz) 9-9-9-24.
-COOLMAX CUG-700B 700W ATX12V v2.2 Power Supply from old PC.
-Everything else is from old PC, HD, DVD-ROM, etc..

The only problem that bothers me is when I hit the power on the PC it starts, then shut off completely after 4 seconds or so then automatically start up again and boots into Window, there are 3 beeps, 1 long and 2 shorts at the 2nd start. Other than that everything works fine, games and applications run really smooth. When I restart the PC this doesn't occur, only when I shut off the PC and turn it back on. I was thinking maybe its my PSU but 700W should be enough right? I might need a new one for GTX 295 any ways.
So any ideas why this happen? Thanks in advance
I'm a really low tech person so no fancy terms please. My PC is operating Windows XP SP3 btw but I don't think it has anything to do with start up problem.

Hey_homies · Dec 26, 2009, 10:41 AM // 10:41

Hmmm...thats weird. 3 beeps I think means having something to do with your RAM. Im not sure but try testing your RAM or read your motherboards manual and see what the beeps mean.

betrayal · Dec 26, 2009, 11:05 AM // 11:05

http://www.evga.com/articles/public.asp?AID=24
This is the beep codes for EVGA
My motherboard is AWARD BIOS

Quote:

1 extended beep, followed by 2 short beeps Video failure Reseat the video board - replace if board is determined to be faulty.

so what does it mean by video failure?

Hey_homies · Dec 26, 2009, 11:09 AM // 11:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by betrayal

http://www.evga.com/articles/public.asp?AID=24
This is the beep codes for EVGA
My motherboard is AWARD BIOS

so what does it mean by video failure?

You could try resetting your video card and see if it helps. If it doesn't, then I would replace it. Try putting in another video card and see if it stops those beeps

N E D M · Dec 26, 2009, 12:02 PM // 12:02

does that mobo have onboard graphics chip as well?

betrayal · Dec 27, 2009, 04:26 AM // 04:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by N E D M

does that mobo have onboard graphics chip as well?

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813188055
according to newegg there is no onboard graphic chip

Quaker · Dec 27, 2009, 04:31 PM // 16:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by betrayal

so what does it mean by video failure?

In this case it probably means that the motherboard can't detect the video card. In some cases, because of timing issues, the system is unable to detect a component from a "cold" start, but once the board has been powered up, the timings work out during a re-start.

First thing to try, as the error code suggests, is to "re-seat" the card. Which basically means to make sure that the video card is fully seated in it's slot. A full "re-seat" would mean to remove the card and plug it back in, but you can often simply push down on the card to ensure it is fully seated. The connections on a PCI-e card are very small and sometimes just a small piece of dust or a hair can interfere with a connection.
So, if simply pushing down on the card doesn't get it to work, then the best thing to do is to remove the card, blow some compressed "air" into the slot to remove any debris, and then re-install the card (fully).

Beyond that, if it still has problems, you could try putting the video card into the other PCI-e slot, to see if maybe the primary slot is damaged.

Next after that would be to try a different power supply or if the power supply is a "multi-rail" design, try rearranging the various power connections to balance the power between rails. It's always possible that the power rail circuit supplying the video card has too much of a load or is too slow coming up.
Edit - found the info. That power supply has three 12v rails and the reviews aren't good.

So, trying to balance the rails would be good - this review may help:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...=Story&reid=68

betrayal · Dec 28, 2009, 04:57 AM // 04:57

Thanks for all the replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaker

In this case it probably means that the motherboard can't detect the video card. In some cases, because of timing issues, the system is unable to detect a component from a "cold" start, but once the board has been powered up, the timings work out during a re-start.

First thing to try, as the error code suggests, is to "re-seat" the card. Which basically means to make sure that the video card is fully seated in it's slot. A full "re-seat" would mean to remove the card and plug it back in, but you can often simply push down on the card to ensure it is fully seated. The connections on a PCI-e card are very small and sometimes just a small piece of dust or a hair can interfere with a connection.
So, if simply pushing down on the card doesn't get it to work, then the best thing to do is to remove the card, blow some compressed "air" into the slot to remove any debris, and then re-install the card (fully).

Beyond that, if it still has problems, you could try putting the video card into the other PCI-e slot, to see if maybe the primary slot is damaged.

Next after that would be to try a different power supply or if the power supply is a "multi-rail" design, try rearranging the various power connections to balance the power between rails. It's always possible that the power rail circuit supplying the video card has too much of a load or is too slow coming up.
Edit - found the info. That power supply has three 12v rails and the reviews aren't good.

So, trying to balance the rails would be good - this review may help:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...=Story&reid=68

I cleaned up the slot real good, I've tried different video card slot and I've tried replace multiple video cards but the problem is still the same. So I don't think the problem comes from the card. Probably from the power supply as I expected. Can you show me how to balance the rail?

betrayal · Dec 28, 2009, 05:53 AM // 05:53

NVM this thread, the EVGA peeps said thats 100% normal for P55 cuz it has 2 clocks operating something. First power up for the first clock, then shut down power up for the 2nd clock. I still don't get the 3 beeps though.

Quaker · Dec 28, 2009, 08:56 PM // 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by betrayal

Can you show me how to balance the rail?

The most basic thing would be to spread the various power connections between the various (12v) cables coming from the power supply. These would be the cables that have the power connectors for the drives and the video card. Use one cable for the drives (hard drive, CD, etc.) and a separate one for the video card, if possible. (The 3rd rail would probably already be dedicated to the motherboard.)
If there is a manual for the power supply, it may have a diagram showing what connectors go to what rail. Or you could check the manufacturers website.