Post Code: Long Slow Dontinuous Beeps

[Clocker]

I'm building a system of spare parts. It is a BX board with an Award BIOS. Slot One (ECS) with Celeron 300A.

System does not post right now. When I power it up, all I get is a repetitive long slow beep. Each beep lasts about 2-3 seconds and it goes on continuously with about 1 second in between beeps.

I get no video. I have tried a different video card. The problem does nto change if I pull the RAM.

If I pull out the CPU, the system does not beep at all.

What do you guys think it is? It must be either my CPU or Mobo or BIOS I'm guessing. Any ideas? It is possible the CPU or mobo are defective as they are old old spare parts.

BTW: I tried another PS with the same results...

Thanks in advance for any input...

C

 

[Bartender]

The Multiplier and or FSB are set incorrectly and will not automatically update with a different processor installed. At least that is what happened to me a few weeks ago.

 

[Clocker]

Hmmm.. I cleared CMOS but no dice. Thanks for the suggestion though...
C

 

[Tea]

That's the RAM beep code. Your RAM is bad. Notice that it doesn't change when you remove the RAM completely. It could be that there is damage to the tracks leading to the RAM sockets, of course, but you can soon get to the root of the problem by trying combinations of different RAM and different slots.

Another cruncher?

 

[Buck]

That's the RAM beep code. Your RAM is bad. Notice that it doesn't change when you remove the RAM completely. It could be that there is damage to the tracks leading to the RAM sockets, of course, but you can soon get to the root of the problem by trying combinations of different RAM and different slots.

Another cruncher?

Duh. I thought he checked the RAM. Yes, you have bad memory. My AMD Athlon 1400C did this to me last weekend. You'll get the same beeps with no RAM as with the bad RAM. (And I haven't even been drinking )

 

[Tea]

Correction: bad RAM give you continuous beeps. Damed if I know what gives you dontinuous ones.

 

[Buck]

Where is the Grammar Police when you need them?

 

[Clocker]

Ah ha! Thanks for the tip. I didn't think I had any RAM to test this with but I just remembered my i801e system has some nice Mushkin in it. THe RAM I had actually WAS bad. Thanks for the tip. I

THe system now gets to the screen where it identifies the CPU. unfortunately, it says the following (something like this)

MMX CPU at h-89mhz (imagine the h with the left side vertical removed, that is the actual symbol on the screen.

The CPU is actually a 300A Celeron. I've cleared CMOS, pulled the CPU. Pulled the PS and even pulled the BIOS thinking it just needs to be cleared. No dice.

The boot doesn't get past the CPU ID screen and it locks. I can't get into the bios to change the soft-menu settings for the CPU. Any more ideas?

C

 

[Buck]

Clocker, what is the multiplier and FSB set to?

 

[Clocker]

I can't tell you because I can't get into the BIOS. Believe it or not, there are not jumpers on this ECS mobo except to set some power-on features and other non-CPU related stuff...

C

:-(

 

[Buck]

Sorry Clocker, without it here, that is all I can ask. I'm wondering if the CPU is bad too, but that would be odd.

 

[Mercutio]

I've found that disconnecting the PC Speaker really clears up those BIOS beep code problems.

 

[Cliptin]

I saw similar ascii garbage on the screen when I tried to put a PIII CPU into my LX board. I believe my board could not identify the CPU and threw up.

 

[CougTek]

ASCII gibberish at post are sometimes the result of a dying CMOS battery.

 

[Clocker]

I thought the only problem I'd run into as a result of a dead battery is that the BIOS won't maintain settings or keep proper time? It should still post and identify some default type of CPU I believe...right?

C

 

[P5-133XL]

I thought the only problem I'd run into as a result of a dead battery is that the BIOS won't maintain settings or keep proper time? It should still post and identify some default type of CPU I believe...right?

C

With a BIOS that doesn't use jumpers then it stores the FSB and multiplier in CMOS and thus can be affected by a battery. No CMOS then only the default settings will be used and if your CPU won't run using the default then you won't be able to boot. Normally, the BIOS will also record the status of your last boot and if it fails because of no CPU or incorrect CPU settings then switch the settings to the most conservative possible. However, with no battery, it can't store that either.

 

[Clocker]

So I need a new BIOS chip & battery, Mark?

C

 

[P5-133XL]

So I need a new BIOS chip & battery, Mark?

C

Try just replacing the battery, or for those that are cheap just test the battery for proper voltage.

 

[Cliptin]

So I need a new BIOS chip & battery, Mark?

C

The non-volitile part of the BIOS should be fine. Hopefully the battery is seperate from the clock!

 

[Clocker]

I always thought that the battery really isn't THAT important.

I mean, if I'm willing to reset all the BIOS settings and the clock/date/time every time I cold-boot the machine, I don't even really need a CMOS battery. Isn't that correct? Doesn't the CMOS battery just let the system save the settings?

Also, one other point of interest.....when the system freezes after mis-identifying the CPU, all I can do is power-down. The reset button doesn't work. This is leading me to believe either the BIOS is corrupt or the M/B is bad. What do you guys think?

C

 

[Tea]

Swap out the CPU. One or the other is kaput. Sounds very much as though the motherboard is the problem. (OK, OK, I know you probably don't have a spare CPU handy, Clocker. But having enough spare parts around the place to swap stuff around with is 90% of the diagnosis and repair battle.

Do you know, some poor fools think that Tannin is the best computer repair technician in town. But you and I know that he just makes a point of having more obscure spare parts lying around the place than anyone else. Hell, most of the time Kristi and I do the repairs, and everyone walks around saying how clever Tannin is.

 

[Clocker]

Actually, I have more devious plans for this new crunching box I'm building.

More to come early this week. Clocker's thinking that a 300A @ 504 (what that CPU used to be good for) is not good enough for team Storageforum.net to maintain momentum.....

I will donate this mobo and CPU to anyone who wants it in the for sale forum. It will be free except for shipping cost....

C

 

[Cliptin]

Doesn't the CMOS battery just let the system save the settings?

Also, one other point of interest.....when the system freezes after mis-identifying the CPU, all I can do is power-down. The reset button doesn't work. This is leading me to believe either the BIOS is corrupt or the M/B is bad. What do you guys think?

C

Yes, that is exactly what the battery does. There are default settings that are kept in a non-volitile area of the CMOS and it read-only. When you go into the BIOS and make changes, the changes are stored in the volitile area and maintained through power-downs by the battery.

As you know, on some motherboards you can change pretty significant settings through the BIOS. In particular, FSB and ram. On other MBs, the FSB is controlled through jumpers. Technically, It would be possible to have both on a MB but I've not seen it.

So, if you are working with a MB that does not have jumpers the BIOS will control the FSB. If the battery goes dead, the CMOS will revert to the settings saved in non-volitile memory. If those settings do not match the CPU you have in the system, then several things might happen.

Sometimes motherboards operate under the rigid structure that unless all the settings match then it won't work. Others will work but maybe at a slower speed.

Due to all the variables involved, the simplest procedures should be tried first. Spend five dollars to buy the silver, coin-type CMOS battery. If that does not fix the problem you will be able to use the battery in the future.

The other alternative is to look and see what BIOS version is installed. Then research the minimum CPU that the BIOS can handle. Find/Buy one and see if that works. This is probably the default for the BIOS. As I said changing the battery is the easiest.

If you truly love this board with all your heart, it might be worth taking it to a shop with gads of hardware they can test it against.

 

[Barry K. Nathan]

MMX CPU at h-89mhz (imagine the h with the left side vertical removed, that is the actual symbol on the screen.

The CPU is actually a 300A Celeron. I've cleared CMOS, pulled the CPU. Pulled the PS and even pulled the BIOS thinking it just needs to be cleared. No dice.

It could be an old BIOS that doesn't support the CPU (if you have another CPU there that does work with this mobo, you could put that one in, update the BIOS, and try the Celeron again). That, not a dead battery or the like, is what it's usually been when I've seen that kind of garbage.

 

[Tea]

It would be an extraordinarily old BX board that didn't support a Celeron 300A. Hang on a tic, I'll check it on Tannin's web page. Yup. The BX debuted in April '98 (at least the 100MHz FSB P-IIs did, and that's the chipset that was the first to support them), the Celeron A came out just four months later, in August '98.

Your board is stuffed, Clocker. I'll take five to one on it.

 

[Mercutio]

I've got a perfectly good Abit LX6 sitting here, sans CPU, to supplant Clocker's offering, if that's the case. Of course, you won't do much overclocking with it, but for an Abit board it was above average.

 

[Cliptin]

I've got a perfectly good Abit LX6 sitting here, sans CPU, to supplant Clocker's offering, if that's the case. Of course, you won't do much overclocking with it, but for an Abit board it was above average.

I've got a PII 333 to go with Merc's board if someone wants it.

 

[Barry K. Nathan]

It would be an extraordinarily old BX board that didn't support a Celeron 300A. Hang on a tic, I'll check it on Tannin's web page. Yup. The BX debuted in April '98 (at least the 100MHz FSB P-IIs did, and that's the chipset that was the first to support them), the Celeron A came out just four months later, in August '98.

In October 1998 there were still BX boards on the shelves with BIOSes from May 1998 or so, at least in the US.

I guess I made the assumption that the motherboard and CPU were of similar age. Now that I think about it, I have no idea whether that assumption was correct.

 

[Clocker]

Your board is stuffed, Clocker. I'll take five to one on it.

huh?

Good work guys. Maybe the board is just fine. Either way, I don't have a CPU for it....

C

 

[The Grammar Police]

Stuffed.

Adj - kaput, broken, US, unservicable, no good, failed, NBG, shuffled off this mortal coil, rooted, hasn't got any smoke left in it, dead, disfunctional, deceased, has the pox.

 

[Tea]

Well, either board is bad or the CPU is bad. I'll give you five to one that it's the board. Even modern CPUs fail quite rarely, and CPUs of that generation almost never fail. I've got three or four Pentium IIs in that general speed range, which anyone is welcome to, but it will be the board.

(Unless it's the CPU, of course.)

 

[P5-133XL]

Well, either board is bad or the CPU is bad. I'll give you five to one that it's the board. Even modern CPUs fail quite rarely, and CPUs of that generation almost never fail. I've got three or four Pentium IIs in that general speed range, which anyone is welcome to, but it will be the board.

(Unless it's the CPU, of course.)

Unless the CPU has been abused (handling, overclocking, fried PS) the battery is much more likely to fail and the same go's with the bios. The order of failure is MB, Battery, CPU, BIOS: The order of checking Battery, MB, CPU, BIOS. The checking is based on cost/inconvienence and likelyhood of failure.

I note that this thread is moot, in that clocker is giving away the CPU & MB and is unwilling to proceed further: It just isn't worth more time.