PC switches off and starts beeping!

[zahid]

I built a NEW PC with all NEW parts.

400W PSU
Pentium D 940 6.4 GHz
2GB RAM
X1550 Graphics Card
OPTIARC DVDRW
MAXTOR SATA 250GB
MSI PT890 NEO-V Motherboard

Problem is :

I installed vista on the pc and had problems with it freezing, i downloaded the latest drivers from MSI and ATI which fixed the freezing problem.
Only now when i try to play games, videos, install large programs or move large files(1Gb+) the computer switches off and three beeps come from the internal speaker. ( two different tones, 2nd is slightly higher and longer and the tone pattern sounds like 1-2-1)

I also tried to install XP thinking vista was the problem but when it started to copy the windows files the pc shut off again. Vista will run fine doing minimal task but when i try one of the above the pc shuts off with the three beeps. I get no error message or blue screen.

Tried to uninstall the ATI Drivers just installed, PC switches off beeping.

Help is urgently required.

Btw, I HAVE reseated the Graphics Card and run Memtest for an hour -> No problems.

 

[Nerd]

could you provide more details on the power supply and the memory?

 

[misterd33]

Well aside from the beeping I would put it down to the powersupply. The supply you are using isnt that big for what you have, and the Pentium D series is known to be hungery. Have you check on the event logs to see if it is a logged error, this would help to reveal if it is the system is stalling due to lack of power.

 

[azimuth40]

Well if it is a Pheonix bios and you really have 1 2 1 that is bad news. Your timer chip is shot and motherboard must be replaced. I would check power supply overheating because it is underpowered first. The overcurrent circuits would shut it down and it might come back up with unstable power. However here are beep codes for popular BIOS

http://www.pchell.com/hardware/beepcodes.shtml

 

[zahid]

The PSU is a cheap one.

CASECOM 400W PSU.

I have built other Systems with identical specs. No problem with them.

Maybe its a faulty PSU?

 

[zahid]

Oh, Memory is 2 X 1GB Sticks. PC2-5400. Brand unknown.

 

[Nerd]

skimping on the psu is always a bad idea. But it probably is a board issue.

 

[zahid]

OK, to clarify :

It's not a BIOS error beep. It's more like a 2 seconds jingle and then the PC switches off. It happens after every 10 minutes when I am inside Vista.

I installed SpeedFan and checked the temperature at which this happens. It happens at 67-70 degrees.


To refresh everyone's memory, I am using a NEW Pentium D 940 3.2HzX2
I am using a NEW Arctic Cooling Alpine 7 and all other components are also NEW.
BIOS is set , such that Max. Temperature allowed is 65 degrees.


What do I do now?

 

[PCKid777]

Upgrade the BIOS if possible. Also could be that your CPU is overheating, and you reach your Overheat Shutdown Temperature. Attempt to reseat the Arctic Cooling Alpine and reapply thermal paste if you have any.

 

[Onus]

It happens at 67-70 degrees, and the max allowed is 65? Ok then. Take off the HSF, clean the existing paste off with 91% isopropyll alcohol on a coffee filter or other lint-free material, put on a rice-grain sized glop of new paste, and remount your HSF.
If anything is overclocked, go back to defaults, at least until you know it's again stable.

 

[zahid]

jtt, No overclocking was done. And, I don't think I have good Thermal paste at hand.

I'll wipe off some of the Thermal paste from the Processor's sides, leaving a square area in the middle intact. I'll report back on what happens.

Tnx.

 

[zahid]

Update
-------

I wiped off the Thermal Paste and applied a fresh coat of Silver Oxide in the form of a pea on the middle of the Chip.

Started the system. No luck

Temperatures stay at 45 when system has just started up. But, after 10 mins., temperature rockets up to 67 and the jingle starts up and system switches off.

I tried setting the Max. temperature at which CPU Fan must be at 100% to 60. No improvement

 

[zahid]

Well?