Computer Won't Boot Up After 6 Weeks Of Being Unpluged

[westside]

Hi All

I have been away from my main flight sim computer for 6 weeks and this morning when I went to start it up it wouldn't boot up. It comes on and the fans are working but thats it. Now I did unplug it from the wall before I left and there is a small battery on the motherboard that I can see. It also makes a light constant beep that it never made before. Could that small battery be the cause?Any advice would be helpful.

[idahosurge]

That small battery could be the problem if it is weak.  Unplug the PC from the wall and remove the battery.  Go buy a new one.  Before you install the new one press and hold the power switch on the PC for 30 seconds or so.

Install the new battery and make sure that you install it the correct way.  Plug the PC back in to the wall and hit the power switch, hopefully it will boot up.

If you have a manual for your motherboard see if it gives instructions to clear / reset CMOS, if it does do what it says, if not then do what I suggested above.

[Wingo]

COuld you describe the 'beep' further? This is known as an error code which the motherboard produces when there is a problem. Is it a constant short beep, constant long beep or a combination of long and short beeps. Also, who is the manufacturer of your board as the codes can be different between manufacturers.

Edit: A quick look at known beep codes shows a short continuous beep is a problem with either the power supply or the main board itself. Only way to test this is to change the PSU for a new one. If you still get te error it's your board, if not then it's your old PSU

[ozzy72]

I'd change the CMOS battery on the MOBO first and then check the BIOS settings. I had this go on my PC the other day and it got very fussy about firing up....

[westside]

Thanks For the advice guys. It turns out that the battery was fine. It was the connections to one of the hard drives that was the problem. I reseated all the connections to both drives and the next time I started the system it booted up just fine.

Thanks
Mark