Computer problem.

[Deleted User]

Medion Tower System.

Working perfectly. Turned my back for about 30 minutes, and came back to a blank monitor. Couldn't get an image from waggling the mouse or briefly pressing the power switch to wake it up.

Switched off, then back on again. Still no image on monitor, and computer was giving out three bleeps, repeating.

After several restarts, bleeping has stopped, but still no screen image.

Monitor tested on Laptop, and is working.

Any ideas/suggestions.

debitcardmayhem

Try reseating the memory sticks

John_Gray

If you know what BIOS the Medion runs (I have one with an MSI/AMI BIOS), you can look up the beep codes.

Debitcardmayhem's suggestion is a good starting point, and reseating the memory cards could be preceded by rubbing the gold contacts with a hard pencil-eraser rubber (and carefully cleaning off all the flakes afterwards!).
All the usual comments about pulling out the power cord, earthing yourself to the case, being careful with the memory cards, and so on, apply...

grumpycrab

Exact model? If there is more than 1 memory module, take 1 out at a time to see it it boots (or gets you into the BIOS).

[Deleted User]

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

Try reseating the memory sticks

Thanks. I'll try that.

grumpycrab wrote: »

If there is more than 1 memory module, take 1 out at a time to see it it boots (or gets you into the BIOS).

Good idea. My machine has 2 RAM modules.

System

I'm with post #2 especially if its a good few years old. Due to dissimilar metals on the pins of the RAM and the contacts in the memory sockets you get corrosion build up. Taking out and re-seating the RAM breaks through that corrosion and makes good contact again.

[Deleted User]

Morning guys.

Tried reseating RAM modules, and installing one at a time. No success.

Can't find a make/number for the BIOS, but the motherboard has the following marked on it.

MS-7857 VER 1.1

and

N1966

Mista_C

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Morning guys.

Tried reseating RAM modules, and installing one at a time. No success.

Can't find a make/number for the BIOS, but the motherboard has the following marked on it.

MS-7857 VER 1.1

and

N1966

Should be an AMIBIOS in that model I believe.

What are the beeps duration? i.e. 3 short, 1 long 2 short, etc.?

[Deleted User]

3 all the same length.

I'd characterise them as short, but I don't know what the long ones sound like.

Mista_C

Definitely a RAM issue by the sound of it. Three short indicates an error in the base 64k while 1 long, 2 short indicates a video card problem. You'd tell the difference, it's a lot like morse code.

When you were switching the memory modules around and about did you try putting a single stick in each slot, one at a time?

Even though the beeps indicate a memory problem it's only an indication of where to start looking, not a diagnosis of sorts.

[Deleted User]

Mista_C wrote: »

When you were switching the memory modules around and about did you try putting a single stick in each slot, one at a time?

Actually no. I put them both in slot one.

I understood that, when installing only one module, you should always use slot one.

I'll try that now.