Check to see if the motherboard is getting power. Use the motherboard’s
documentation to locate the Power LED connector and verify that the
connection is good.
Use a multimeter to check the power of the motherboard’s power
connectors or plug an LED attached to a wire into the power connector
to test that the motherboard is getting power.
If all else is okay, the power supply may be bad. See Chapter 14 for more
information on the power supply.
1 beep, 2 beeps, or 3 beeps These typically indicate a memory error of
some form:
If you have just installed memory, make sure it is properly seated in the socket.
Verify that you used the same type and speed memory and that you have
filled a bank before installing memory in another bank.
Replace the memory with known good chips and reboot.
The term “known good” is used frequently in troubleshooting guides to describe
FRMs, components, and software configurations that are tested and known to
be in good working order.
4 beeps, 5 beeps, 7 beeps, or 10 beeps Reboot the PC a few times to verify the
count on these errors because these codes indicate that the motherboard has a
serious problem and may need to be replaced or sent to the manufacturer for
repairs. See Chapter 4 for more information on the motherboard.
6 beeps The common code for a keyboard failure. During the boot cycle, the
keyboard controller is what is being tested.
If the motherboard has a separate keyboard controller chip, make sure it
is properly seated. A condition called “chip creep,” where the heating and
cooling of a circuit board can cause a chip to push out of its socket, can
affect the seating of an individually mounted integrated circuit (IC). Often,
gently but firmly pressing it back into its socket can solve this problem.
Check the keyboard connection and the keyboard itself. It is unlikely that
the Super I/O chip in the chipset (see Chapter 5) is bad, so the problem
must be with the physical components of the keyboard.
8 beeps This code indicates a problem with the video adapter card:
Reseat the video card and check its onboard memory to ensure it is also
seated properly on the card.
If the problem persists, try a replacement video card. 9 beeps Like the motherboard beep codes, you need to be very sure of the
count and that the number of beeps is not 8 (video problems) or 10 (motherboard
problems). Nine bee ps indicate a bad BIOS chi pthat is not a chi pcree p problem.
Chapter 24: Troubleshooting PC Hardware^623