Mainboard won't POST; beeps without RAM

L

leehinkleman

Geek Trainee
A GA 586T2 mainboard out of the case, with CPU, and with only speaker and CPU fan connected, beeps with no RAM, but with one DIMM module, won't beep at all for missing video or missing keyboard or anything else. An AT keyboard lights up when inserted. Please tell me possible reasons why this mainboard won't POST, and why it won't beep for missing video. Thanks for your advice.
 
i would check your motherboard manual, it should tell you what certain beeps / messages / signs mean. If not check the manufacturers website.

Your post was not quite clear enough for me to understand it completely, your computer will beep via the motherboard speaker if you don't have any ram in, without RAM in your motherboard won't post at all.

Then u say: "won't beep at all for missing video or missing keyboard", i presume by u saying this that your motherboard isn't booting properly..

make sure everything is connected / inserted properly.. if it is and it still doesnt work..
make sure that you have cleared your CMOS.

If that doesnt work, strip your system down to find where the problem is:
Start your system up with: just your:
Motherboard
CPU + fan/heatsink
1 Chip of Memory
Video Card / or Onboard

Try a different video card if possible (1 that u know works in another system)

If your motherboard has onboard graphics and you have a seperate graphics card, make sure that you have disabled your onboard graphics card, otherwise it will be trying to use the onboard instead of your seperate graphics card. (will be in your motherboard manual)

Test all your parts in a different computer if possible for example: your ram / graphics card / CPU..

also about your beeping "missing" from your keyboard not being there.. each individual motherboard manufacturer designs there boards to beep on errors that they specify, i know my Gigabyte motherboard doesnt beep on keyboard missing. So it may depend, u can get a list from the motherboard manufactuers website with a list of what your motherboards beeps mean..

hope this helps.
 
Thanks for your answer. The manual says that the only POST beep code is one long and two short beeps to indicate 'no video'. However, the board has an AWARD BIOS and seems to produce the error beep for no RAM, when the RAM module is removed.
The board is resting on a piece of cardboard, with nothing connected except the ATX power supply, the CPU inserted, the CPU fan, on the heatsink, plugged into the power supply, and with the little case speaker connected to its 2 pins(spanning 4 pins though) and with the speaker on the cardboard. When I short the two pins for 'soft power', the board beeps like a phone's busy signal. When I insert the RAM, it won't POST. When I add the AT keyboard, the AT keyboard lights up. But it can't get as far as one long and two short beeps, for no video. Inserting a tested PCI video card and connecting a monitor doesn't help, with no display. It can't seem to POST as far as the missing video.
Thanks again.
 
Thanks, B.
No, it doesn't seem to matter which of the two slots is used to hold the DIMM RAM, and I know the RAM is good, because it tested ok in another machine. The board also has SIMM slots, so I inserted a pair of SIMMS known to work. With those SIMMS also, the board seemed to power up and run, to light up the keyboard, but with no POST and with no beeps.
Thanks again.
 
Right now I can see two things being wrong with the system: either the CPU is bad, or the motherboard is bad. I'm leaning toward the motherboard being bad due to issues with the RAM.
 
Thanks, B. I agree the motherboard has problems, because I've tried other known-working CPUs also, and they haven't helped.
Thanks again.
 
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