Solve : Graphics Card or RAM??

1.	Solve : Graphics Card or RAM??
Answer» Hello all, me again.. posted here about a year ago. I a problem with my computer (same one I had before.. I really just need a new computer. 7 years haven't been very kind to it), in which upon starting up the computer gives 1 long beep, and 2 short beeps.. and the monitor is receiving nothing from the graphics card/computer itself (this is my assumption) I looked up some BIOS codes and found that the beep sequence means a faulty or unseated display adapter, but when I googled the problem, several threads came up saying that it was a RAM problem, and not a display problem. I'm currently running Windows XP on my Sony Vaio RA820G. Not sure about the other information like motherboard and such offhand, but if it's required I can go ahead and search for it. Is there any surefire way for me to figure out exactly what the problem is? Or do I just have to do some guess-work at one point and try things out? Is it RAM or my card? Is the card itself burnt out or just not seated properly? I tried taking out both the memory STICKS as well as the graphics card before putting them back in, yet the problem still persists. I'm not entirely sure whether it was a seating problem yet though, I'm not exactly confident in my ability to put sensitive materials in their proper location, though I've done it before. Or is there anything else that might potentially be the cause I may not have heard of yet? Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you for your time. Quote ...just need a new computer. 7 years haven't been very kind to it... That will make you the target for many unkind remarks. In most parts of the world you can either buy a refurbished computer or have a skilled tech upgrade our old system for about half the price of even the cheapest new computer. A bad graphics card is most likely. Try another card. Also, you could remove the mother board and power supply and clean them both using low pressure air. Dust, moisture and similar stuff can degrade the performance of electronic devices of any type. That may help. Unkind remarks are pretty easy for me to ignore. =) I want my computer fixed, not opinions about my computer's age. I guess I'll have to try and buy a cheap video card and see if it will work. Thanks. The card itself looks okay to my inexperienced eye though. When i swapped the previous Asus Radeon in this same computer, I could tell it had gone out. It had little ''scorch'' marked, and looked as though it literally had burnt out, whereas this one doesn't have a single blemish on it sofar as I can see. My computer's Hard Drive HAS been ''failing'' for a little less than a year now... might that have something to do with it as well?Quote My computer's Hard Drive HAS been ''failing'' for a little less than a year now... might that have something to do with it as well? Yes, don't wait long to replace a hard drive. They can die very fast. PRICES now are better than ever for older IDE type drives. For under $40 you can buy a 'white label' or plain wrapper with about 80GB. New, on EBAY from trusted vendors. And free shipping in some places. A new hard drive would be your best investment, after solving the video problem.I see. Yeah, I've been trying to convince my dad to get a new HDD. He wants to get a new computer, which is understandable.. but the current computer is still pretty beast.. even though it's dying, I rarely have problems with it, it's fast, and doesn't need to be babied.. unlike some of the more recent computers my friends have gotten (though cheap). Thanks for your help friend. =) Hopefully I'll be back soon with good news.hi the long beep for the RAM and the two beeps for the VGA card u need to check RAM first then VGA card hope this helpQuote from: MegamanXZOBMV on June 25, 2011, 06:29:55 PM Unkind remarks are pretty easy for me to ignore. =) I want my computer fixed, not opinions about my computer's age. I feel the same way. When I see people saying "OMFG you should buy a new comp" as if it was a solution to their more specific problem I have to take extra steps to prevent myself from telling them to STFU. Particularly since when I joined this site that is exactly what my situation was, an ancient (10 years old at the time) machine. As for your problem- in a curious twist, the older machine that I referenced (I still have it, in fact, but I digress) had this issue intermittently- One long beep, two short beeps. I know for a fact it was the display adapter in my case, because replacing it (it was an AGP ATI Rage Pro 3D) with a Radeon 7000, solved the problem and reinstalling the Rage Pro for "emergencies" a few times have caused the same symptoms to show up on other MACHINES. In my case it wasn't something that always occured, but I did get the same beep code so I feel this may be related, particularly GIVEN the lack of display. Quote I guess I'll have to try and buy a cheap video card and see if it will work. Thanks. I think this is the way to go as well. Only problem is- you can't really go to a brick and mortar store and get some older card architectures. AGP is pretty much gone from store shelves, and earlier incarnations of PCI-E cards as well. You might want to look on eBay or online retailers, which have immensely good deals on cheap, older video cards that would probably get you up and running just fine. Quote The card itself looks okay to my inexperienced eye though. When i swapped the previous Asus Radeon in this same computer, I could tell it had gone out. It had little ''scorch'' marked, and looked as though it literally had burnt out, whereas this one doesn't have a single blemish on it sofar as I can see. Computer hardware isn't really something you can always diagnose visually; the previously mentioned Rage Pro looks otherwise fine, and so too does the Radeon 7000 I replaced it with (which eventually failed as well). Also older cards sometimes lacked a fan, and dust cakes onto it like a blanket. Cards with fans can have the fans fail, Passive heatsinks can come loose, etc. Quote from: blackiris on June 26, 2011, 03:14:48 AM hi the long beep for the RAM and the two beeps for the VGA card u need to check RAM first then VGA card hope this help This is incorrect. While the machine is going through the POST, it stops at the first problem it finds and beeps the code that blames the offending part. They don't "stack" beep codes. Also, from my experience with the same beep code sequence, it was the graphics card.

Answer»

Hello all, me again.. posted here about a year ago.

I a problem with my computer (same one I had before.. I really just need a new computer. 7 years haven't been very kind to it), in which upon starting up the computer gives 1 long beep, and 2 short beeps.. and the monitor is receiving nothing from the graphics card/computer itself (this is my assumption)

I looked up some BIOS codes and found that the beep sequence means a faulty or unseated display adapter, but when I googled the problem, several threads came up saying that it was a RAM problem, and not a display problem.

I'm currently running Windows XP on my Sony Vaio RA820G. Not sure about the other information like motherboard and such offhand, but if it's required I can go ahead and search for it.

Is there any surefire way for me to figure out exactly what the problem is? Or do I just have to do some guess-work at one point and try things out? Is it RAM or my card? Is the card itself burnt out or just not seated properly? I tried taking out both the memory STICKS as well as the graphics card before putting them back in, yet the problem still persists. I'm not entirely sure whether it was a seating problem yet though, I'm not exactly confident in my ability to put sensitive materials in their proper location, though I've done it before.

Or is there anything else that might potentially be the cause I may not have heard of yet?

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you for your time. Quote

...just need a new computer. 7 years haven't been very kind to it...

That will make you the target for many unkind remarks. In most parts of the world you can either buy a refurbished computer or have a skilled tech upgrade our old system for about half the price of even the cheapest new computer.

A bad graphics card is most likely. Try another card.

Also, you could remove the mother board and power supply and clean them both using low pressure air. Dust, moisture and similar stuff can degrade the performance of electronic devices of any type. That may help.
Unkind remarks are pretty easy for me to ignore. =) I want my computer fixed, not opinions about my computer's age.

I guess I'll have to try and buy a cheap video card and see if it will work. Thanks.

The card itself looks okay to my inexperienced eye though. When i swapped the previous Asus Radeon in this same computer, I could tell it had gone out. It had little ''scorch'' marked, and looked as though it literally had burnt out, whereas this one doesn't have a single blemish on it sofar as I can see.

My computer's Hard Drive HAS been ''failing'' for a little less than a year now... might that have something to do with it as well?Quote

My computer's Hard Drive HAS been ''failing'' for a little less than a year now... might that have something to do with it as well?

Yes, don't wait long to replace a hard drive. They can die very fast. PRICES now are better than ever for older IDE type drives. For under $40 you can buy a 'white label' or plain wrapper with about 80GB. New, on EBAY from trusted vendors. And free shipping in some places.

A new hard drive would be your best investment, after solving the video problem.I see. Yeah, I've been trying to convince my dad to get a new HDD. He wants to get a new computer, which is understandable.. but the current computer is still pretty beast.. even though it's dying, I rarely have problems with it, it's fast, and doesn't need to be babied.. unlike some of the more recent computers my friends have gotten (though cheap).

Thanks for your help friend. =) Hopefully I'll be back soon with good news.hi
the long beep for the RAM
and the two beeps for the VGA card
u need to check RAM first then VGA card
hope this helpQuote from: MegamanXZOBMV on June 25, 2011, 06:29:55 PM

Unkind remarks are pretty easy for me to ignore. =) I want my computer fixed, not opinions about my computer's age.

I feel the same way. When I see people saying "OMFG you should buy a new comp" as if it was a solution to their more specific problem I have to take extra steps to prevent myself from telling them to STFU. Particularly since when I joined this site that is exactly what my situation was, an ancient (10 years old at the time) machine.

As for your problem- in a curious twist, the older machine that I referenced (I still have it, in fact, but I digress) had this issue intermittently- One long beep, two short beeps. I know for a fact it was the display adapter in my case, because replacing it (it was an AGP ATI Rage Pro 3D) with a Radeon 7000, solved the problem and reinstalling the Rage Pro for "emergencies" a few times have caused the same symptoms to show up on other MACHINES. In my case it wasn't something that always occured, but I did get the same beep code so I feel this may be related, particularly GIVEN the lack of display.

Quote

I guess I'll have to try and buy a cheap video card and see if it will work. Thanks.

I think this is the way to go as well. Only problem is- you can't really go to a brick and mortar store and get some older card architectures. AGP is pretty much gone from store shelves, and earlier incarnations of PCI-E cards as well. You might want to look on eBay or online retailers, which have immensely good deals on cheap, older video cards that would probably get you up and running just fine.
Quote

The card itself looks okay to my inexperienced eye though. When i swapped the previous Asus Radeon in this same computer, I could tell it had gone out. It had little ''scorch'' marked, and looked as though it literally had burnt out, whereas this one doesn't have a single blemish on it sofar as I can see.

Computer hardware isn't really something you can always diagnose visually; the previously mentioned Rage Pro looks otherwise fine, and so too does the Radeon 7000 I replaced it with (which eventually failed as well). Also older cards sometimes lacked a fan, and dust cakes onto it like a blanket. Cards with fans can have the fans fail, Passive heatsinks can come loose, etc.

Quote from: blackiris on June 26, 2011, 03:14:48 AM

hi
the long beep for the RAM
and the two beeps for the VGA card
u need to check RAM first then VGA card
hope this help

This is incorrect. While the machine is going through the POST, it stops at the first problem it finds and beeps the code that blames the offending part. They don't "stack" beep codes. Also, from my experience with the same beep code sequence, it was the graphics card.

Solve : Graphics Card or RAM??

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