Compaq deskpro PIII, 450 goes through boot up and post fine. While running, regardless of what program I am running or even if it is just sitting at the windows desktop, I get a short beep from time to time. Have not seen anything that this is affecting, but I would like to know what it might be. I have several other computers of the same make and model and they don't do this. My instinct tells me it has something to do with the BIOS or battery. Am I on the right track?
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Intermittent short beep while running 1
- Thread starter mjsw
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Make sure it's a speaker beep by removing the speaker connector. Not just the case speaker can make a noise like that.
Are you using an ups? or a surge protector? these are prone to beeping form time to time.
So, if it's the case speaker, and it is not triggered by a program you have running, check the bios for alarm settings (temperature or fan speed)
Are you using an ups? or a surge protector? these are prone to beeping form time to time.
So, if it's the case speaker, and it is not triggered by a program you have running, check the bios for alarm settings (temperature or fan speed)
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Thank you for your reply.
It is coming from the computer itself and I am pretty sure is not triggered by a program I am running. (I am running the same programs on the machine with the beep as on one of the other matching make/models that I have that doesn't beep.) The BIOS in this machine does not have temperature or fan speed listings so I am not able to check that. It is a very trimmed down BIOS that the older Compaqs seem to have. I have had the case open when the sound occurs and the fans do not stop running or even change speed (not change speed anyway so that I can either see or hear it.) The beep sounds exactly like the two beeps letting me know everything is great when going through post but it happens long after post and is extremely random and as I mentioned, is only one short beep when it happens. I should mention that I have replaced the ram, sound card, video card, modem, cd rom drives.....but none of these have changed nor stopped the beep.
It is coming from the computer itself and I am pretty sure is not triggered by a program I am running. (I am running the same programs on the machine with the beep as on one of the other matching make/models that I have that doesn't beep.) The BIOS in this machine does not have temperature or fan speed listings so I am not able to check that. It is a very trimmed down BIOS that the older Compaqs seem to have. I have had the case open when the sound occurs and the fans do not stop running or even change speed (not change speed anyway so that I can either see or hear it.) The beep sounds exactly like the two beeps letting me know everything is great when going through post but it happens long after post and is extremely random and as I mentioned, is only one short beep when it happens. I should mention that I have replaced the ram, sound card, video card, modem, cd rom drives.....but none of these have changed nor stopped the beep.
Fans occasionally can emit sounds very similar to the startup beep when they are starting to bind. But they get worse.
Then , as Alexadi said, an alarm beep.
And the M/B speaker driver can fail in a way that produces this. I've seen one, which required a M/B replacement.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
Then , as Alexadi said, an alarm beep.
And the M/B speaker driver can fail in a way that produces this. I've seen one, which required a M/B replacement.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
Years ago there was a "joke" program that was designed to "chirp" and "beep" to make you think that your HDD was failing. Is it possible you have a "joke" virus? Also, do you have a real speaker inside the case, or a tiny pietzo speaker on the mother board?
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- #6
No, the hard drive has been fdisked and wiped (several times for various reasons). I disconnected the "case" speakers and only run external speakers, however, I could swear the beep comes from within the machine but I do not know what a pietzo speaker on the mother board is. How would I locate it?
I'm having problems too with sounds coming fom the motherboard itself.Mine is an nforce2 and it whistles in some 3d applications. Like unreal tournament.
The sound is not from a case speaker or piezzo speaker (a round metal coin shaped thing/ or -if encased in rubber- a round, rubbery, pencil eraser size thing, soldered on the mobo).
It could be a coil that vibrates, a capacitor leaking, either on the mobo or inside the power supply.Some say its the memory dimms, others think it's the cpu itself.
To completely exclude any software/hardware problem except the mobo itself, take a pc that doesn't beep and just replace its mobo with the one from the pc that beeps.
Replace *just* the mobo. Use the'non beeping'cpu, fan and heatsink.
If it still beeps it's the mobo.
Some managed to stop beeps/whistles by touching a coil( that was vibrating) with a pencil eraser. Didn't work for me.
The sound is not from a case speaker or piezzo speaker (a round metal coin shaped thing/ or -if encased in rubber- a round, rubbery, pencil eraser size thing, soldered on the mobo).
It could be a coil that vibrates, a capacitor leaking, either on the mobo or inside the power supply.Some say its the memory dimms, others think it's the cpu itself.
To completely exclude any software/hardware problem except the mobo itself, take a pc that doesn't beep and just replace its mobo with the one from the pc that beeps.
Replace *just* the mobo. Use the'non beeping'cpu, fan and heatsink.
If it still beeps it's the mobo.
Some managed to stop beeps/whistles by touching a coil( that was vibrating) with a pencil eraser. Didn't work for me.
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