Let’s say you’re building yourself a computer, and you cannot get it to start. Or, it starts up and gives you other errors and problems. Here are some common things that can go wrong, and how to correct them.
BIOS beep codes
Make sure you have a case speaker connected. If you are getting 1 long continuous beep, this indicates the system can?t find usable RAM. Reseat the RAM, try different RAM, or try the RAM in a different DIMM slot.
1 long and 2 short beeps indicates video error. Reseat the video card or try another video card.
Nothing on the screen with no beeps
Make sure the hs (heatsink) is installed properly, sits tight, and has thermal paste applied.
Make sure the cpu fan is connected to the correct header on the motherboard.
Clear the Cmos by unplugging the computer, removing the battery, and then move the clear cmos jumper from pins 1&2 to 2&3 for 10 minutes. Replace the battery, and move the jumper back to pins 1&2.
Verify all motherboard jumpers are set correctly.
Verify all case connections are correct ( case switch etc.)
Verify the power supplies 20/24 pin and 4pin 12v are tightly seated to the motherboard.
Still won?t go
Remove all drives and cards except the video. Now remove front sound and usb.
Repeat the above.
The idea here is to get the computer to post and boot into BIOS. If after doing the above, you are able to get into BIOS… let the computer idle in BIOS for a while and watch the temps and voltages.
If everything appears normal, load the BIOS defaults and make sure to save and exit.
Now add the drives and install Windows… then add the remaining cards.
Still won?t go
Remove the motherboard from the case, and place on a piece of cardboard.
Install only the CPU with hsf, 1 stick RAM in DIMM 1, the PSU, the video card, the case switch and the case speaker.
Connect ps2 mouse and keyboard, along with the monitor.
Power on.
If the computer now boots into BIOS, you most likely had a case short. Make sure when installing the motherboard in the case that you use standoffs, and they line up with the mounting holes in the motherboard. None of the standoffs should touch anything else on the underside of the board.
Many people who become interested in building their own system, whether after years of computer use or soon after starting out with computers become interested in this subject that is often discussed in technical forums. Often this means the question of what overclocking is comes up, as well as questions about potential risks and dangers involved in the practice of overclocking. This post is intended to be a basic answer to those questions. It’s not the aim of this post to be all inclusive, so please feel free to ask further questions if you have any.
What is overclocking?
When processors are designed, one of the things that hardware engineers have to do is select and set a clock frequency, measured in megahertz, or millions of clock ticks per second. These clock ticks are produced by a tiny device located in the computer called the system crystal. The way it works is, voltage is applied to the crystal, and the crystal vibrates. It will vibrate at different frequencies if different voltages are applied to it. It’s the same idea as a digital quartz watch, only quite a bit faster.
This clock frequency is based on another part of the design process, which is developing the actual instructions that the processor will execute and the circuit that they flow through. Computer instructions are carried out in the processor in several stages: reading the instruction, interpreting the instruction, performing the calculations, and storing the output. Each instruction takes a certain amount of time to complete its path through the processor and end up as good, stable data on the other side. This amount of time is the base number used in setting the amount of time for each tick of the system clock.
In order to be absolutely certain that the computer is using good, stable data hardware engineers add a little bit of time on to the base number. For example, if our design tells us that we will have good data in 0.6 nanoseconds (ns), in order to be absolutely sure that we have good data, we add in a little bit of extra time to make up for the fact that the materials and electricity we have to work with isn’t perfect. We decide that the clock should tick only every 0.8 ns instead of every 0.6 ns. To figure out how many times that clock will tick in a second, remember that 1 Hz is 1 tick/1 second. We take 1/0.8 ns and get 1,250,000,000 Hertz, or 1.25 GHz. This processor is then set with a clock speed of 1.25 GHz (1250 MHz).
When we overclock a processor, what we’re really doing is making our system crystal vibrate faster, so that we can reduce the padding time between when the results coming out of the processor are good and stable, and when we start our next instruction. We do this by increasing the voltage that’s applied to the processor. Today, that’s most commonly done through a BIOS setting.
What risks exist with overclocking?
The most significant problem that people encounter when trying to overclock their processors is that they adjust the voltage (through the BIOS setting or on the motherboard) too much and cause overheating. Computer processors are electrical circuits made up of silicon transistors. All electrical circuits generate heat as voltage is applied to them and current flows through them. The more voltage that is applied to a processor, the more current there will be flowing through it. Since the amount of heat that comes out of a circuit depends on the amount of current through it, higher current will mean more heat and higher temperatures. Users who overclock their processors often find that they need to use larger heatsinks, fans that move more air, or heatsinks made of copper rather than aluminum, since copper conducts heat away from the processor better. Some users even choose to use liquid cooling systems in order to make sure that their processors don’t heat up too much, because too much heat can cause physical damage to the processor as well as causing the system to crash and shut down. The documentation for most processors will state the safe operating temperature range, and using the temperature sensors in the BIOS as well as those that are available for Windows can help to ensure that the processor is not overheating. Check your documentation for the safe temperatures for your processor before you decide to overclock.
Although overheating is not the only problem associated with overclocking, it is likely that your processor would overheat before you were able to adjust the voltage enough to cause the system clock to tick too fast to get good, stable data out of the processor. Such a thing can cause system instability, odd values and results appearing in applications, and crashes also, but if these things are occurring it would be beneficial to check the processor’s temperature before assuming that it’s too short a clock cycle that’s causing the problem. Overheating is a serious condition that should be taken care of immediately so that no physical damage to the processor chip results.
If you do decide that you want to overclock your processor, consider the risks as well as the advantages and be sure to do your homework. It could mean the difference between a system that gets better performance, and a destroyed processor. Remember that overclocking will not give you extreme performance enhancement like doubling the speed of your processor; it will only give a small boost and only if it’s done correctly. Check out the specifics for your processor when overclocking. Make sure that you do your homework on which settings (either in the BIOS or on the motherboard) to change, and how much it is safe to change them.
If you’re uncomfortable with the BIOS, or in any way unclear on how to safely overclock your processor, my recommendation is not to attempt it. Study more, learn more, and when you’re really clear on how to do so safely, if you still want to overclock, that’s when to try it.
When your computer makes those funny beeping sounds via the system speaker, it’s not doing it to hear itself talk. The computer is trying to tell you something is wrong. How do you interpret those beeps?
No Beeps Short, No power, Bad CPU/MB, Loose Peripherals
One Beep Everything is normal and Computer POSTed fine
Our friend David writes in with another set of questions involving the Playstation 3:
Dear Jason,
First of all, some people have said that the online expereince will get enhanced, therefore making it better. If you know anything about any of this, can you tell me what is going to change?
Also, when you buy a PS3, there is an Ethernet cable included? What is it used for? Can you buy one or a substitute?
My last question is: can you save game data on a USB memory stick or memory card?
Thank you for reading and hope to hear from you soon.
Happy Holidays!
Well David, happy holidays to you too!
First the online experience of the Playstation 3 is receiving a bunch of incremental upgrades. Generally, the feedback has been positive, although the online experience is still not as unified as the Xbox 360. With that being said, every game is going to be different, and no matter how unified the experience is, the individual game experience is going to change from game to game. So, what I would recommend is taking a close look at the games you want to play - if they’re getting bad feedback then you might want to find another game.
The last time I checked, the Playstation 3 did not include an Ethernet cable; however, I’m sure someone can comment on this article and correct me if I’m wrong, or you could ask your local Gamestop, EB Games, or Best Buy employee and they can give you a more definite answer.
If the Playstation 3 doesn’t include an Ethernet cable, or if you find that you need one, they can be purchased from pretty much every place that sells computers and computer parts: Best Buy, Circuit City, Amazon.com, and even eBay. The only thing you’ll need to keep in mind is the distance from the Playstation 3 to your Internet connection (or router, depending on how your home network is setup).
As to your final question, I believe the Playstation 3 only supports storing images and other media files on these devices. Again, I would refer you to the more knowledgeable people in this threat or your local sales associate.
Thanks for the questions David!
If you need any Hardware Help feel free to e-mail me, lordkat@gmail.com
Life-sized holograms may not be the realm of science fiction much longer, if this group of scientists has anything to say about it:
“New hologram technology is producing some of the most accurate and realistic 3D images ever made, making them potentially useful for new applications from car design to city planning. The new holograms are computer-generated views produced from 2D digital images. Engineers say holograms will soon be animated, too.”
