Continous beeping is an indication of a faulty power supply.
Sudden hard crash, beeping
Within the past couple of weeks, my HP Pavillion Windows Vista 32 bit computer has been crashing on me. The monitor loses signal and I can hear sounds as if the computer is restarting, but then sometimes it doesn't restart. Usually I have to hit the power button to turn it off, then turn it back on again. One time it even had to run a system recovery and I had to restart it a couple times before Windows could start. I turned off the automatic shut down setting but apparently that didn't do the trick. Tonight there was a new symptom. When it crashed it started beeping, very long beeps, and they wouldn't stop until I unplugged the power supply (hitting the power button did no good this time). I checked the Phoenix BIOS beep codes but none of them fit.
All of my fans are running normally and temperatures are fine, although the crashes seem to happen a lot when I'm running high-memory programs. I installed a new graphics card almost a year ago, an EVGA GeForce 9600 GT 512mb, but it didn't come with a power connector. Or at least, not one that I recognize. There's a tiny 2-pin connector slot on it but I have not idea what it connects to. None of the other GeForce 9600's I've found online have the same connector. They all have 6-pins. And my Bestec 300W power supply doesn't seem to have anything that fits in it. It has one four-pin cable that is labeled with "P8" which is connected to another cable connected to the hard drive. Not sure if my graphics card's lack of a power connection has anything to do with it. Its temperature is fine. It stays at a pretty standard 60-70 C.
Everything inside seems to be running normally and quietly. Although I've been looking for people having similar problems and the most similar ones turned out to be memory card issues. Obviously it might not be memory card issues for me, but how would I go about testing my memory cards? I have two of them currently installed, both came with the computer when I bought it brand new.
I can't recall changing anything in my computer right before the crashes started happening. The last piece of hardware I installed was my graphics card and that was almost a year ago.
All of my fans are running normally and temperatures are fine, although the crashes seem to happen a lot when I'm running high-memory programs. I installed a new graphics card almost a year ago, an EVGA GeForce 9600 GT 512mb, but it didn't come with a power connector. Or at least, not one that I recognize. There's a tiny 2-pin connector slot on it but I have not idea what it connects to. None of the other GeForce 9600's I've found online have the same connector. They all have 6-pins. And my Bestec 300W power supply doesn't seem to have anything that fits in it. It has one four-pin cable that is labeled with "P8" which is connected to another cable connected to the hard drive. Not sure if my graphics card's lack of a power connection has anything to do with it. Its temperature is fine. It stays at a pretty standard 60-70 C.
Everything inside seems to be running normally and quietly. Although I've been looking for people having similar problems and the most similar ones turned out to be memory card issues. Obviously it might not be memory card issues for me, but how would I go about testing my memory cards? I have two of them currently installed, both came with the computer when I bought it brand new.
I can't recall changing anything in my computer right before the crashes started happening. The last piece of hardware I installed was my graphics card and that was almost a year ago.
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It wasn't one continuous beep, though. It beeped several times before I powered it down. They were really long, even-length beeps that don't match any beep codes. Probably would have continued beeping if I had let it.
Well, I found a power supply calculator anyway and it told me that I should have at least a 450w PSU, preferably 500w. My current PSU is only 300w! And after a bit of research, apparently my Bestec is a very cheap brand that they tend to throw into off-the-shelf computers. A cheap, underpowered PSU could very well explain the crashes I've been having. I'm surprised it took as long as it did to start giving me problems, considering I installed my fairly fancy graphics card almost a year ago. Probably should have researched the specifications a little better before doing so.
I ordered a Corsair 600w after doing some research on good brands and compatibility. Got a pretty good price on it and it'll give me some room for growth.
I'm hoping this might also fix the problems I've been having with slowness and occasional internet breakage. I've heard that a faulty PSU can cause those things. Or at least it can cause problems in other components which cause those things. My boyfriend's computer on the same router accesses the internet lightning fast without a hiccup whereas mine struggles to load pages almost constantly.
Anyway, thanks for the tip off on the power supply. I'll be sure to post updates here on whether or not I was successful once my new PSU arrives. For now I've turned down the graphics on every game I run just to be on the safe side.
I ordered a Corsair 600w after doing some research on good brands and compatibility. Got a pretty good price on it and it'll give me some room for growth.
I'm hoping this might also fix the problems I've been having with slowness and occasional internet breakage. I've heard that a faulty PSU can cause those things. Or at least it can cause problems in other components which cause those things. My boyfriend's computer on the same router accesses the internet lightning fast without a hiccup whereas mine struggles to load pages almost constantly.
Anyway, thanks for the tip off on the power supply. I'll be sure to post updates here on whether or not I was successful once my new PSU arrives. For now I've turned down the graphics on every game I run just to be on the safe side.
Replacing the PSU is a good move anyway. Your 300W PSU was underpowered gor your GPU and we recommend a minimum 550W good quality PSU for any PCI-E GPU.
Corsair 600W are either the Builder's or Gaming Series. Those series are not the best quality Corsairs but they're a big improvement over what you have been using.
Corsair 600W are either the Builder's or Gaming Series. Those series are not the best quality Corsairs but they're a big improvement over what you have been using.
Grah, and after doing more research the Corsair 600w isn't going to fit in my computer as it has a side fan but my case has no side opening. It must have a rear fan configuration in order to fit. So I'm looking at this one instead: Zumax ZU-600W X3 Series 600W Computer Power Supply ATX12V EPS12V PSU Zumax Power Supplies 2 x 80mm Fans Black Nickel Coating Chassis Turbo Fan Switch Supports SATA PCI-E-Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com
This is what my computer looks like: HP Pavilion a6030n Athlon64 X2 2.5GHz 2GB 320GB DVD±RW Vista a6030n
I'm pretty sure these are compatible, but want to show them here just in case. Does this look like a good PSU for me? I'm also not familiar with the brand but I haven't heard anything bad about them necessarily.
EDIT: The dimensions of the Zumax are exactly the same as my current PSU.
This is what my computer looks like: HP Pavilion a6030n Athlon64 X2 2.5GHz 2GB 320GB DVD±RW Vista a6030n
I'm pretty sure these are compatible, but want to show them here just in case. Does this look like a good PSU for me? I'm also not familiar with the brand but I haven't heard anything bad about them necessarily.
EDIT: The dimensions of the Zumax are exactly the same as my current PSU.
Hmmm. Okay, now I'm confused. This guy seems to have put a PSU with a configuration like the Corsair I was looking at into a case with a rear exhaust opening, just like mine. Now that I see photos of how it would fit, I'm thinking mine would work with a Corsair just fine. This is the Corsair I was looking at: Corsair CMPSU-600CX Builder Series 600W ATX12V v2.3 Computer Power Supply Active PFC 120mm Fan -Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com
Would the Corsair work with my case? Or should I just get the Zumax to be safe?
EDIT: I'm honestly seeing better reviews for Corsairs than Zumaxes so if I can make it work, I'd rather get the Corsair.
Would the Corsair work with my case? Or should I just get the Zumax to be safe?
EDIT: I'm honestly seeing better reviews for Corsairs than Zumaxes so if I can make it work, I'd rather get the Corsair.
Looks like a normal mini tower case. Any standard PSU will work. All PSU's have a rear fan. Most also have an internal fan, usually on the bottom, but sometimes on the front. Either configuration will work in that case, as it's open under and in front of the PSU.
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