hp pavilion a250n beeps on powerup wont boot
 

My trusty hp pavilion a250n powers up, but does not boot. Once the fan starts, a series of one long beep followed by two short beeps repeats until I turn the power off. Nothing is displayed on the monitor (I tested the monitor on another system and it's fine).
I did briefly look through HPs website and found nothing usefull. HP support wants US$40 to even talk to Me.
If you know what this series of beeps is trying to tell Me I would appreciate your halp.

Thanks
Cliff

It all depends on what bios is on the mobo, as to what the beeps mean, but have a look at this site to see if you can interpret the beep codes.

But if it's an AWARD bios, it usually means that it's a video card failure (it could just be not seated correctly. Another bios beep code site is here.

Baldrick

Thanks Baldrick - I'll try to reseat it and see if that helps.
Cliff

Have you made any changes to your machine lately, such as adding or removing components? Usually if the machine beeps, it means something isn't connected properly. Check that the RAM, hard drive, video cable, keyboard cable, and mouse are all properly and snugly seated in their connectors.

The guide that Baldrick65 referenced is a great resource BTW -- J.W.

I have replaced the video card and seen no change in the results - still a repeating pattern of one long beep and then two short ones.
The machine has not been changed - no new components, and nothing removed.
Any additional ideas appreciated.
Cliff

Have you also verified (and/or reseated) all the cable connections? If so, and the problem still persists, it could be the result of a failure on your mobo. Acording to the beep guides, the likeliest reason for these beeps is a bad video adaptor, and if so, the fastest, easiest, and probably cheapest solution may be to replace the mobo. Good luck with it. -- J.W.

Same exact thing happened with my a250n. Turns out when I was upgrading my RAM, I didn't push the sticks in all the way -- so just make sure all of your connections are secure, as others have already mentioned.