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Why is my computer beeping on bootup? Screen not appearing.

Hi. I got a relatively old PC off of my friend about a week ago. It was working fine but I shut it down with the power button when it froze.

Now when I turn it on it makes a series of beeps (6) and the computer does not start up.

I really need the computer for my writing so any answers on how to fix this problem simply would be most appreciated.

Update (01/10/2017)

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Here is the back of my computer.

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Did you ask your friend about it?

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Yes. She said that it hasn't happened before. Have you any advice on or expertise in this model?

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That image link doesn't work, so just tell us if you have any display ports running horizontaly, and what types of connections they are.

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Good! It does have a graphics adapter, so replacement is easy and relatively cheap.

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@pccheese, the picture shows his monitor plugged into on board video and it also has what looks to be a ATI video card in the top slot.

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Matthew Moynihan clarify your 6 beeps. Are all the same length or do you have something like 1 beep followed by 1 more and then a burst of 4 beeps? Also check your system lights. Your power button light and hard-drive light may indicate a computer problem. Your Dell Optiplex 745 should also have some diagnostics light to help you troubleshoot a problem. Your computer should have four lights labeled "1," "2," "3," and "4" on the front or back panel. The lights can be off or green. When the computer starts normally, the patterns or codes on the lights change as the boot process completes. If the POST portion of system boot completes successfully, all four lights display solid green. If the computer malfunctions during the POST process, the pattern displayed on the LEDs may help identify where in the process the computer halted.

NOTE: The orientation of the diagnostic lights may vary dependent upon the computer type. The diagnostic lights can appear either vertical or horizontal. Let us know exactly what you see or hear.

6 beeps is commonly a POST beep error for ROM BIOS error. Remove your RAM and try one ram chip, then the other, individually. Also try different slots.

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@oldturkey03 , Do you have any idea why I would be locked out from answering questions, the last 3 I tried come up with this screen

Don't worry. We got this.

Our website just experienced a problem.

There is a problem with this server application.

Our support team has been notified, and we will fix the error as soon as possible.

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If you require further assistance, contact us at 1-866-61-FIXIT.

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That's kind of ironic.

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@lpfaff1 no idea why that is happening. If it continues, go on Meta and leave a message over there. Maybe @evan can take a peek at it and see if it has to do with anything in your profile...

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@oldturkey03 @lpfaff1 it looks like we have everything squared away now. Let me know if you see any issues crop up again.

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@evan thank you Sir.

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If I understand your issue correctly, according to your beep code (6), your video card has failed.

http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/e...

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Yes! Good answer. Repairing is very difficult on a GPU, so you will have to buy a new one. Tell me how much you can spend, and I will recommend one. Gpu's can be as cheap as $20, Wich would work fine for that older PC. I've actually built computers before, so I know what to get. Swapping a video card is really quite easy, and it should take less than five minutes.

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Matthew, If it does have a separate video card, try reseating the card before replacing it(remove card then re install) and give i a try, some times they lose connection and this is all it takes. If it has a fan on the card clean it also (blow it out with a can of compressed air. Good luck with your device.

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Yes, reseating might help, but it is unlikely.

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Matthew Moynihan, @avanteguarde @pccheese @jayeff , I checked the link posted by SW and the 6 beep code was for the Dell Vostro not the Dell Optiplex.

Mathew, look at the link for the Optiplex codes to see if you are reading the beep code correctly and get back to us. Good luck.

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@pccheese , do not just look at the title, actual look at the content/instruction.

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Hi,

It might not be just a GPU problem.

(the GPU is integrated by the way so perhaps all that is needed is a video card to be installed.)

The Dell Optiplex 745 also suffered from the infamous Dell Optiplex bad capacitor problem. It may be best to check this out first to see if it is the cause of the problem before trying a new graphics adapter.

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Update (01/10/2017)

Hi @pccheese

Not doubting you, but it may depend on what it was first shipped with.

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Based of off images of the inside, that PC does have a video card.

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Matthew, can you take a picture of the back of the computer? It is the easiest way to tell if your computer has a removable or dedicated graphics card.

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Matthew Moynihan, @avanteguarde @pccheese @jayeff , I checked the link posted by SW and the 6 beep code was for the Dell Vostro not the Dell Optiplex.

Mathew, look at the link for the Optiplex codes to see if you are reading the beep code correctly and get back to us. Good luck.

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Matthew Moynihan will be eternally grateful.
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