Hard-drive bleeping at me and screen blank

BOBS

Ok - using computer yesterday - just normal internet usage - when the screen went blank and a constant beep from the hard-drive. Ctrl.Alt.Del made no difference and screen stayed blank although the monitor light was on. All I could do was turn off at wall - left 5 mins and turned on and still beeping and blank screen so turned off again.
Left until last night and computer has worked fine since.
What was this ? does it mean its on last legs?

Thank you (again) for any help!! :beer:

Browntoa

beeps are BIOS beeps , the number and duration of them indicates a problem

initailly open the cover of the PC and remove any dust and rubbish in the fans and processor fins to make sure its not overheating and also unclick and reseat the RAM and any PCI cards. Also check all the leads to drives etc are plugged in properly

fwor

Generally a constant beeping tone means that the CPU is overheating. The tone comes from a sounder on the motherboard, not the hard drive.

Take a look at the vents on the base unit - if there's signs of dust/fluff then there's a good chance you will need to open the case up and brush or vacuum the dust from the heatsink(s).

BOBS

Thanks will take it apart and do that tonight - too many little fingers here at the moment that would like to help me and would prob do more damage - I know I will soon need a new system - this one is 4 years old but trying to hold out for a laptop at Christmas.
Thank you for quick replies ..

Richie-from-the-Boro

- do you mean tick tick tick from the hard drive, or ;
- do you mean beep beep beeping sound ?

Beeps - If you now have no display, you can not read the black / white boot up screen to decide which motherboard / BIOS [ type ] you have
- - here is a list of the three types and their code(s)
- - how many high - low / and or / long - short beeps are there ?

TickTick -If you are hearing a tick tick from the hard drive its a different issue altogether but should not stop your display working

Which is it, and what are the sequence of beeps ?

BOBS

It was a continuous beeping noise - each beep not high or low really and lasting 1 sec and 1 sec intervals - approx... with no display at all.
Leaving computer off for a few hours seemed to resolve the problem - going to try suggestions above and unscrew cover and remove dust etc (but not until later as I have a house of little mindees......)

Richie-from-the-Boro

Continuous means different things on differing BIOS brands but leaving it off for hours suggests overheating /PSU problems. Get back later when you have a little peace & quiet.

danjourno

Inside your PC, you'll see a fan thats locked into place. It is sat on top of the processor which gets very hot when the computer is on. The fan makes sure it stays cool.

If the fan stops working, most computers will automatically switch off or beep in order to stop the processor from burning out.

(Only recommended if you are a sensible person). Next time it happens, disconnect the PC from the power and open it up. Carefully touch the metal that is near the fan. If it is very hot, then the fan might need replacing (only a matter of a couple of pounds from a computer shop). Sometimes wd40 or canned-air can get it spinning properly again).

Russel245

For when your computer is running, you may want to download something like CoreTemp and run it in the background. It should tell you how hot your processors are running, anything up to 60-70oC is within normal parameters, most processors will cut out between 90-100oC

It could also give you a bit of warning if you're PC is warming up that could help avoid damage.

If your PC is hot, location can be a huge factor. Best to have it on an open flat surface like a desk with ventilation space. It's hard to say what is convenient with your current furniture arrangement, but generally its good to avoid thick carpet and enclosed locations.


Also, I don't know how experienced with computers you are so sorry if this is obvious, but, unplug, it, drain the capacitors in it (by holding the on switch with it unplugged) and don't try to clean it with a duster.

BOBS

Update - beeping happened again this afternoon - lasts 8 secs and 1 sec quiet repeating .......
It is sitting on a computer shelf with plenty of ventilation around it - not near radiator/window either.
Logging off now to open hard-drive and get at it with a hoover and Mr Sheen ........ ;-) ......... well a wee gentle clean around anyway.,

BOBS

OK took apart hard drive and cleaned around all the hard-drive inner bits and fans - so suppose just wait and see if that cures my bleep!!

Russell 245 - do you just mean hold the on switch down for a minute to drain capacitors ??

Danjourno - fans seem to be turning freely.

Thank you all