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Computer won't start

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by brianscottshoemaker

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was playing with my web cam when my computer froze up so I hit the reset button and it acted shut off but all the fans and lights were still onand then every thing started back up but nothing on the screen was working. so I held down the power button fo a count of 8 or 10 and it shut down all the way this time but when I turned it back on It beeped three times and every thing came on but nothing was happening.

what the heck is going on here.

10 replies

by older mycroft

You sound a little impulsive and rather quick to act without thinking first.

If you DO mind me saying so - it's still the truth.

Now, to the matter in hand - we don't know what you've got until you tell us. You can see it but we can't. So:

What is the make and model of the computer?
What is the operating system?

What do you mean "[i]playing with my web cam when my computer froze up[/i]" - what EXACTLY were you doing.

Final question - Do you make a habit of forcing your computer to shut down?

by brianscottshoemaker

I only use the reset button maybe once or twice a year.

I was recording a journal with the web cam.

the computer is an older gateway with a p4 in it 1.5 gigs of ram and two 30 gig hard drives in it.

I know it was hasty but I sat there for a half hour waiting for the computer to unfreeze before I decided to to reset it

by older mycroft

Maybe you could say what model is printed on the computer casing?

We can't tell yet if it is a laptop or not.

Also what operating system is it running?

by wizard-09

1st we need a make of the machine, what OS your running then we can tell you what the POST beep is.

Maybe the RAM check out the site for post beep codes.

http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm

click on document once you have found the beep code.

Keep us informed as to your progress if you require further assistance.

If you think that any of the posts that have been made by all TR Members, have solved or contributed to solving the problem, please Mark them as Helpful so that others may benefit from the outcome.

by brianscottshoemaker

well the os is xp service pack 3

the model # is MFATXSTL EL2 500S

that is the best I can find on the case

by older mycroft

You can check out the error code (the number of beeps) here:

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

You should have seen your BIOS mentioned for a brief few seconds every time your system turned on, in one of the lower corners of the screen, or it may have flashed up on the screen during the boot process.

by older mycroft

[b]If you're unsure as to which BIOS you need, you can find out by restarting your system. On restart, the BIOS information will be displayed almost immediately.

Your screen will display a phrase like "PhoenixBIOS" or "AMI BIOS," followed by a copyright date. There is also a series of letters and numbers. These letters and numbers indicate the BIOS version you have on your system. [/b]

http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/help/whichbios.shtml

by 2blueuk

just cut all power to motherboard, including the 20/24 pin power connector on the mobo (just take it out) take out the CMOS battery and somewhere around the battery should be a jumper labled CLRCMOS (or something like that) just short those out for a few seconds, put the battery backin, power up.
If it doesnt sort the problem try playing around with the memory.

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