Forums > Off Topic > Computer beeps

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Unicorn Lynx (181788) on 6/12/2010 4:28 AM · Permalink · Report

Is my old computer dying?.. When I try to play any game on it, it starts beeping (internal sound, not speakers). The beeping is seemingly random, but occurs whenever I do something: either walk as a character in a game, or simply scroll down a website... it doesn't occur when I do nothing.

I checked solutions online and none helped (cleaning, checking the RAM, etc.). So this is it? It's dying?..

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chirinea (47504) on 6/12/2010 4:37 AM · Permalink · Report

Jammed keys? That kind of beeps usually happen when too many keys are pressed at the same time, maybe you have some jammed keys in your keyboard. Or maybe the "shift" or "control" keys are locked.

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Unicorn Lynx (181788) on 6/12/2010 4:44 AM · Permalink · Report

No, I checked those too... it just beeps whenever I do something. It doesn't beep when everything is still. Opening any program causes one beep. Scrolling down web pages - several. Typing causes beeps sometimes. Walking in a game causes constant beeps.

I'm going crazy...

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Unicorn Lynx (181788) on 6/12/2010 4:47 AM · Permalink · Report

Oh, and I just pressed some keys together for test; the beeps it makes in this case are lower pitch than those it makes now.

Now it has two sounds, two high notes in octave (two Ds, actually...) The "cluttered keyboard" sound is a lower A.

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Pseudo_Intellectual (66248) on 6/12/2010 5:09 AM · Permalink · Report

find an old TSR program to disable the PC speaker, then play on in peace 8)

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Unicorn Lynx (181788) on 6/12/2010 5:16 AM · Permalink · Report

But what if something terrible is happening to my computer?..

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Rola (8486) on 6/12/2010 4:43 PM · Permalink · Report

I'm not a hardware guy, so don't laugh, but isn't there a warning beep on some motherboards alerting about overheating? If you're idle temperature is just under the threshold - taking actions means CPU peaks and warnings?

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Unicorn Lynx (181788) on 6/12/2010 4:52 PM · Permalink · Report

The weird thing is that I disable beeps in system menu, and disabled all the warnings in BIOS - it still beeps.

I measured computer's temperature: it was around 55-60 degrees Celcius. In the BIOS, the alarm (that I deactivated anyway) would go off only if it went over 75. It still beeps.

I opened it and found the insides absolutely clean. I still cleaned the fan a bit - it still beeps.

Nothing seems to work. It's madness.

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formercontrib (157536) on 6/12/2010 5:35 PM · Permalink · Report

Take it easy, if i have to decide between my PC beeps or: I think I'm going off my rocker .. i always choose my PC beeps ;)

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Unicorn Lynx (181788) on 6/12/2010 5:43 PM · Permalink · Report

Well, I've known for a long time that I'm nuts, but I don't want my PC to become like me... :)

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beetle120 (2415) on 6/15/2010 11:27 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

My computer was beeping like that a while ago, people told me that it may be a BIOS virus. I am not a hardware guy so I don't know how true their guess is but it might be an avenue to explore.

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Slug Camargo (583) on 6/16/2010 12:02 AM · edited · Permalink · Report

[Q --start Unicorn Lynx wrote--] Now it has two sounds, two high notes in octave (two Ds, actually...) The "cluttered keyboard" sound is a lower A. [/Q --end Unicorn Lynx wrote--] Best problem description ever =D Not that I would know what to say even if I could identify one sound from the other. I was just saying.

By the way, I always found it odd that the notes in English have letters instead of names, as in "Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si =/= C D E F G A B" What's that about? o_O

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chirinea (47504) on 6/16/2010 1:11 AM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start Dr. M. "Schadenfreude" Von Katze wrote--]By the way, I always found it odd that the notes in English have letters instead of names, as in "Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si =/= C D E F G A B" What's that about? o_O [/Q --end Dr. M. "Schadenfreude" Von Katze wrote--]Not only in English, I guess. Guitar books down here come with those letters to identify chords played in the songs. You see "C" but your read it out loud as "Do" ("Dó" in our case).

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Unicorn Lynx (181788) on 6/19/2010 7:46 AM · Permalink · Report

Well, actually, the letter system is older that the "do-re-mi" one; in many countries it is the only official one - and that includes all English and German-speaking countries. French, Italian, and Spanish-speaking people prefer "do-re-mi", as do Russians and Israelis. In China, it's a bit weird: separately, the sounds are called "do-re-mi", but in conjunction with tonal designations, "A-B-C" is used.

The "do-re-mi" names are actually the first syllables of words of a Latin prayer. They were first introduced for singing purposes only.

Oh, and by the way, the computer stopped beeping when moved to a new apartment. Weird :)

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The Fabulous King (1332) on 6/19/2010 9:41 AM · edited · Permalink · Report

Oh, and by the way, the computer stopped beeping when moved to a new apartment. Weird :)

Your computer is possessed by spirits that have taken an interest in guiding your life!

Or maybe, there was something wrong with the domovoi in your previous apartment, and the minor spirit inside your computer just sensed the wrongness in the air. And now it's okay.

Or perhaps it was the domovoi of your previous apartment itself that beeped your computer?

You should consult with your shaman. Computer spirits are very small and scared creatures, so they need a lot of kindness.

And animal sacrifices.

I could slice a few goats for you if you'd like.