posted
One of my computers has started locking up right after it is turned on. Before it even starts the boot process, a long, continuous beep sounds, and it does nothing. It locks on the first boot screen, and shows a message that says I need to go into BIOS to set the correct CPU speed.
It only does this sometimes. Sometimes if I restart it, it will start like normal. Today, however, I went to restart it, and it just kept giving me the same message. I went into BIOS to check the CPU speed. It is not overclocked, I have never done that. The speed was set to auto. I tried starting after checking it, but it still said to set the correct speed.
So, I set the CPU to slower than what it's supposed to run. It is an AMD Athlon 2000+, and now I have it set to run at about 1.7 ghz. After I did this, it started up without complaining.
I fear this means my processor is dying. I've had this computer for almost 4 years. Any other ideas?
Posts: 684 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
I had the same problem with my emachines POS. I had to open up the case and reseat the power switches, then it worked. It's happened again a few times, so I've left the side off the case so I can get to the switches faster.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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Overheating? Dead power supply? The beep makes it sound more like a power supply problem than a heat issue. Does your computer smell at all? (Acrid, smokey, like ozone, whatever?)
Posts: 353 | Registered: Sep 2003
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As TheGrimace pointed out, the regular speed for an Athlon XP 2000+ is 1.66 GHz. I'd check the power supply first; I believe a failing power supply can screw with the CMOS and cause it to lose the BIOS settings for the CPU speed.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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So to sum it up: It's almost certainly not your processor. Most likely your power supply. And fugu's link should help you figure out what the beep means.
Posts: 353 | Registered: Sep 2003
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