5 beeps - 5 times - HP Pavilion Model H8-1228 will not start up.

[Bob-from-Pgh]

Help please - PC will not start up.  It beeps 5 times pauses a couple of seconds and then beeps another 5 times.  Total beeps is 25 times.   (5 beeps, pauses, another 5 beeps, pauses, another 5 beeps, pauses,  another 5 beeps, pauses, another 5 beeps.   Screen is blank, no messages, only beeps. 

What is wrong?  Do I need to replace CMOS Battery?   Is Memory bad?   Is motherboard bad?  

Help please. 

Thanks.

[Big_Dave · Accepted solution]

Hi Bob,

Did you make any modifications to your PC?  If no, then run a memory diagnostic which might be hard to do if you can't get the BIOS startup menu to appear. Use ESC key after power on to make the BIOS startup menu appear.

Some suggestions:

Remove the discrete graphics card if one is installed and connect the monitor to the on board video.

If no joy from the above suggestion then remove all of memory modules and try one at time.

[Bob-from-Pgh]

hank you very much.   I hit the Esc key, and the diag. screen came up.   Ran diagnostics.  It came up with memory error.

As suggested, you said remove memory card one at a time.  Did that.  After the 1st one removed, PC booted with NO beeps.   I then reseated the memory card that I removed, and then the PC booted again with no problems.  Shut down and than ran diagnostics again, and this time memory passed with no issue.

Thank you so much.  This would of probably cost over $100 for a PC repair shot to diagnose and fix.

I did order a BIOS battery as I have never replaced it, as I thought that was the problem.

PC is about 5 years old.  

Do you think it wise to replace the battery now, or wait?   Thanks.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

CMOS batteries typically last 3-5 years.  It's a $4 item.