HP Compaq DC5800 - WILL NOT BOOT - 2 Beeps

[Arlen10]

Hi Guys,
I got a PC here that I am having a bit of trouble with. Most of the time it works, but the user has been having an issue where it will not boot at all, and beeps twice in 5 intervals before stopping. I looked this up online and could not find a solution. 2 Beeps for the DC5800 means "Thermal Shutdown." Usually this means the fan is not working correctly or the cpu is overheating somehow. The fan seems to work fine when it is working, and when i start it up and the computer starts to beep, it does spin momentarily before the beeping.

I went ahead and took off the heatsink and cleaned the cpu/heatsink off and applied brand new thermal paste. This actually got it to work the first time and it immediately booted up and worked fine even after restarting and stress testing the cpu with cpu burn. I gave the computer back to the dude but the next day it started having the same issue. I also tried reseating the ram and cpu and all that and trying to different sticks of ram.

I guess it's possible that the fan is the issue regardless of all this? There is no damage on the motherboard. Everything else seems fine. I'm not sure what it could be otherwise. Maybe the motherboard is miss-reading the temperatures?

Anyone got any ideas on where I could troubleshoot next or have had a similar situation? Please assist! Thanks!

Specs:
HP Compaq DC5800
Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
Intel Pentium E2180 2.0GHz
4GB (4 x 1 GB) DDR2 RAM
320GB HDD

 

[tigerg]

You said it was some guy's system? Are you a repair shop trying to fix it?

 

[cdabc123]

a cpu shouldnt overheat even without a fan i recommend a new cpu

 

[Arlen10]

You said it was some guy's laptop? Are you a repair shop trying to fix it?

I'm not really a repair shop but I do personal computer work on the side for friends and people who contact my google page. Also it's not a laptop, it's a compact desktop.

 

[Arlen10]

a cpu shouldnt overheat even without a fan i recommend a new cpu

I do have a LGA775 cpu I could try in it. That's a good idea.

 

[tigerg]

a cpu shouldnt overheat even without a fan i recommend a new cpu

That is just completely wrong. That's the whole point why just about every computer, except ultra low power CPUs have fans on their heat sinks. They can and DO overheat.

 

[Darkbreeze]

a cpu shouldnt overheat even without a fan i recommend a new cpu

That's so wrong and full of fail, I don't even know where to begin. Unless the heatsink was DESIGNED to be used without a fan, it absolutely must have a fan to exchange heat from the heatsink. You need to think about what you're posting. This is dangerously inaccurate and carelessly offered information.

 

[Arlen10]

a cpu shouldnt overheat even without a fan i recommend a new cpu

That is just completely wrong. That's the whole point why just about every computer, except ultra low power CPUs have fans on their heat sinks. They can and DO overheat.

Very true. However I did apply new thermal compound, the fan is working. Also I should add that the computer begins beeping immediately after pressing the power button. I don't think it has a enough time to heat up fast enough, usually it would go on for a couple seconds if the cpu just didn't have proper cooling.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I would replace the fan. If the bios is not getting an RPM signal, and thinks no fan is installed, you will get the behaviors you've experienced. The fan can function normally but still have issues with the reference or tach signal circuit, causing the bios to think there is no fan installed and triggering the thermal failure shut down. One way to test this is to go into the bios, if possible, and see if there is an option to "ignore" the fan signal on that header. You can also try connecting a different fan to the CPU fan header and see if the problem resolves itself. Even a case fan should work for this. If the problem resolves, you know the fan is to blame. If it does not, and no other reason can be found, it's likely an issue with the motherboard.

 

[Arlen10]

a cpu shouldnt overheat even without a fan i recommend a new cpu

That's so wrong and full of fail, I don't even know where to begin. Unless the heatsink was DESIGNED to be used without a fan, it absolutely must have a fan to exchange heat from the heatsink. You need to think about what you're posting. This is dangerously inaccurate and carelessly offered information. In my opinion, I would ignore further comments from this user.

I would replace the fan. If the bios is not getting an RPM signal, and thinks no fan is installed, you will get the behaviors you've experienced. The fan can function normally but still have issues with the reference or tach signal circuit, causing a thermal failure. One way to test this is to go into the bios, if possible, and see if there is an option to "ignore" the fan signal on that header. You can also try connecting a different fan to the CPU fan header and see if the problem resolves itself. Even a case fan should work for this. If the problem resolves, you know the fan is to blame. If it does not, and no other reason can be found, it's likely an issue with the motherboard.

Makes sense. Okay so I got a 4 pin fan that I can use, it's just too big for the computer, I'll go ahead and test it to see if it will work. Thank you.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Make sure it has the same number of pins as the motherboard header, and is the same type. PWM for PWM, voltage controlled 3 pin if that's the type of header it is. You can however use a 3pin fan on a 4 pin header so long as you match up the keys, but you probably already knew that anyhow.

 

[Arlen10]

Make sure it has the same number of pins as the motherboard header, and is the same type. PWM for PWM, voltage controlled 3 pin if that's the type of header it is. You can however use a 3pin fan on a 4 pin header so long as you match up the keys, but you probably already knew that anyhow.

Got it. I'll let you know what happens. They owner is bringing by the PC tomorrow. Thanks for the help!

 

[Darkbreeze]

Anytime at all.

 

[RealBeast]

a cpu shouldnt overheat even without a fan i recommend a new cpu

That is just completely wrong. That's the whole point why just about every computer, except ultra low power CPUs have fans on their heat sinks. They can and DO overheat.

Agreed! Other than the ultra low power models, CPUs will quickly overheat even with minimal tasks. I've had a couple overheat when just idling when the HSF had come loose in transit after I built them when I first hooked them up to power at client locations.

 

[Arlen10]

Anytime at all.

a cpu shouldnt overheat even without a fan i recommend a new cpu

That is just completely wrong. That's the whole point why just about every computer, except ultra low power CPUs have fans on their heat sinks. They can and DO overheat.

Agreed! Other than the ultra low power models, CPUs will quickly overheat even with minimal tasks. I've had a couple overheat when just idling when the HSF had come loose in transit after I built them when I first hooked them up to power at client locations.

Hi Guys, So I tried hooking up a new fan and it did not work at all. Actually it gave me 5 beeps with the new fan. When I put the old fan back it gives me 2 beeps. 5 beeps indicates a ram issue. I'm going to run memtest and see how it fairs. It sometimes boots but sometimes doesn't.

 

[Arlen10]

Also when it did the 5 beeps all the fans turned to 100% (power supply and cpu fan) and it would just stay like that until I pulled the power. Maybe the 2 beeps indicates thermal shut down on ram...? 5 indicates bad memory? Maybe combination of the fan and the ram? Will test it and let you guys know. I also ran Prime95, it filled most of the ram up but not all of it during the stress test. I had no problems when running Prime95 for 2 hours.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'd take all the RAM except one module out and try it. If it doesn't work, swap it for another module. If you can manage to get into the bios at all, be sure to set the CPU fan to disregard the signal or ignore until you get this straightened out. I'd make sure your CPU cooler isn't too tight as well. You don't want it loose either, but sometimes overtightening of the CPU cooler can cause issues like this. If you're using a power strip, eliminate it and plug directly into the wall. I've seen almost every symptom you can imagine be caused by a crappy power strip.

Unplug all non-essential hardware like storage and optical drives until you can resolve the issue enough to get it to POST.


Double check everything outlined here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems


And maybe bench the motherboard as follows:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1753671/bench-troubleshooting.html

 

[Arlen10]

I'd take all the RAM except one module out and try it. If it doesn't work, swap it for another module. If you can manage to get into the bios at all, be sure to set the CPU fan to disregard the signal or ignore until you get this straightened out. I'd make sure your CPU cooler isn't too tight as well. You don't want it loose either, but sometimes overtightening of the CPU cooler can cause issues like this. If you're using a power strip, eliminate it and plug directly into the wall. I've seen almost every symptom you can imagine be caused by a crappy power strip.

Unplug all non-essential hardware like storage and optical drives until you can resolve the issue enough to get it to POST.


Double check everything outlined here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems


And maybe bench the motherboard as follows:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1753671/bench-troubleshooting.html

Ran 4 passes of memtest. 0 errors.
I can get the system to boot. It just doesn't work sometimes. I'll give a few of your suggestions a try. Cooler is just snug, not too tight. I'll try taking it off the power strip i'm using. This issue is weird... All temps are good I can't figure out what's causing this.

 

[Darkbreeze]

At this point, if you've already done all the things that were suggested, and keep in mind, I've seen PLENTY of memory modules pass memtest, but still have issues, so I'd do the one at a time thing regardless, but it might be worth removing the CPU and using a magnifying glass or fairly strong reading glasses, that magnify, check the CPU and motherboard for any slightly bent or discolored pins or sockets.

Just for grins, try removing the CMOS battery for 30 seconds and then reinstall it, do this before you remove the cpu to check for bent pins/sockets.

As old as that system is, it may even need a replacement CMOS battery by now.

I think it's entirely possible that the motherboard thermal sensor has failed and might be the source of the trouble. Unfortunately, there's really not much of any way to test that. Since you're able to get into the BIOS, at least some of the time, see what the temps are showing as in there as well. It actually looks like that BIOS is pretty minimal, and may not have the option to set the minimum fan speed to ignore. There is a setting for minimum fan speed though, so double check that it does or does not have an ignore setting, or just set it on the lowest possible slider setting.