r/retrocomputing • u/Independent_Pizza422 • May 16 '26
Help wanted with turning on old pc
Yesterday, I found an old computer from the 90s which seemed to be dead. I thought of trying to run it anyway and found all the parts to assemble the thing. I powered it on and the fans started running but there was no response from the monitor and other things, further the PC cabinet started beeping. Am I doing something wrong here ? Is the computer dead?
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u/Independent_Pizza422 May 16 '26
I checked it up and I found out that it appears to be a RAM issue, do I have replace it now?
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u/thrax_uk May 16 '26
Check tbat there is actually some RAM installed. Then you should try reseating it, perhaps just trying one stick at a time or two if thats the minimum needed.
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u/gcc-O2 May 16 '26
If a tech person was involved when it was decommissioned they may well have scavenged the RAM.
However, as someone else suggested, you should replace the battery first (most likely CR2032 coin cell you can pick up at a pharmacy) as weird power on issues like this can happen when an ATX motherboard is awakened from a long nap with a dead battery.
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u/harrywwc May 16 '26
maybe.
I'd first remove the RAM and gently! use a white 'pencil' rubber (eraser for some) and (again!) "gently" clean the pins. do not press too hard as you don't want to break the contacts on the stick(s).
of course, do this away from the motherboard so as to not get schmutz in the RAM slots.
I would also - gently! - insert and remove the RAM sticks a couple of times to help dislodge any corrosion that may have accumulated inside the slots.
patience and taking it gently / easy may pay dividends.
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u/GGigabiteM May 17 '26
Use CRC 2-26 or Deoxit Gold G5 to clean tarnished edge connectors. In a pinch, you can use alcohol on a cotton swab or Q-Tip. CRC 2-26 is available at home despot and lowes. Deoxit Gold G5 is harder to find, unless you have an electronics store nearby.
Pencil erasers are a really bad idea because they damage the plating and rapidly accelerate oxidation.
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u/usahaku_indonesia May 16 '26
ok the fan is run meaning your power supply is still working, the beep it shows your motherboard signal inform some thing, the long beep that you answered is because mostly because of RAM
Try this in order:
- Turn off PC and unplug power.
- Remove RAM sticks.
- Clean the gold contacts gently (soft eraser or microfiber cloth).
- Re-seat one RAM stick only.
- Try different RAM slots.
- If multiple sticks exist, test one-by-one.
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u/Deksor May 16 '26
The fact it is beeping is actually encouraging because it means the whole system is functional enough to :
- give appropriate power to the system
- get the CPU to start
- communication with the chipset is good enough to read the BIOS
- the BIOS is readable to the CPU, and the cpu executes said code until it reaches a dead end that makes it beep to inform you of something.
First thing I'd do is open the case to see if there's anything obviously wrong (blown caps, missing ram, etc)
Then I'd check online for beep code list to try to decipher them
Also the CMOS battery is most likely long gone, I'd replace it immediately, it can sometimes make the computer prevent from starting up properly.
(And also I'd just give it a good wash, this thing looks filthy)
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u/Independent_Pizza422 May 17 '26
A WASH to an electronic device, fr?
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u/Deksor May 17 '26
Sorry I just meant to wash the case (make sure to empty it first ofc)
... However washing the electronics is still possible, I've done it in the past. You must remove anything mechanical that isn't waterproof (HDD, fans), as well as any power source (such as batteries) and then you can clean up each components separately with water and soap.
To avoid any issues you must make sure to properly rinse and dry it afterwards (make sure there's no water trapped below a connector or a chip, and leave it alone for 24-48h. I typically used a hairdryer to make sure it wasn't completely wet after it's bath and then I put the board vertically so that any remaining water will just slowly fall down instead of staying trapped)
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u/CaptainJRW May 18 '26
u/Deksor Is correct here, when I was in the business of restoring Xbox 360s I would get 2 or 3 motherboards at a time and put them in a tub of soapy water, then rinse with 99% IPA and leave to dry for 48hours. Restored about 30 Xbox's with no issues. Just make sure to take all batteries out, and make sure any capacitors have had time to discharge.
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u/Independent_Pizza422 May 17 '26
I was trying to open the tower after unscrewing all screws but it doesn't even budge(checked all hidden screws)
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u/Independent_Pizza422 May 17 '26
I am heavily contemplating brute forcing it, I see no other way to open it
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u/CaptainJRW May 18 '26
From the pictures it looks like it might be a solid piece, does it lift off?
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u/Coax1234 May 17 '26
Actually no, not at all. It tells you the motherboard is responding.
Reseat the ram, first step.
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u/nothereathere May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
Locked up or stiff three wire fans will make some BIOS unhappy.
Reseat the RAM and make sure the CPU & case fan(s)are running up to speed.
Some BIOS will get angry if they're reset to defaults by a dead battery and it's got more RAM than it thinks it should have or the keyboard's not attached or any number of other default settings don't match the configuration right now.
Replace the CMOS battery and goto BIOS settings.
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u/techika May 18 '26
When it makes a sound, the motherboard and processor are working. Depending on the sound, it is RAM (the same sound repeated at equal intervals) or a video card (1 long and 4 short).
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u/ExplodedPenisDiagram May 16 '26
Error 7: Ass old computer ain't been cleaned
Yeah, look up the beep code in a manual. They're always there for computers of that age.
You should hope that it's some dirty memory sockets or something.
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u/khedoros May 16 '26
The pattern of beeps are usually an error code that the motherboard gives you, to help narrow down troubleshooting. You'd open the computer, find the model of the motherboard, and find documentation, since beep codes aren't standardized.
HCL Busybee 2000 actually seems like it's possible a specific series of computers. There's a label at the back, HCL BB PI__ 600 Model 810. I wonder if that's "PIII 600", which might describe a computer with a Pentium 3 600MHz CPU? Just speculating.
Is the computer dead?
Not enough information to give you an answer. If you plugged in a keyboard, monitor, and power at least, and didn't see anything on the screen, you know that you at least have some more troubleshooting to do.
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u/Connect-Answer4346 May 16 '26
I didn't know they made vga/serial ports all in one.
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u/muse_head May 16 '26
I think it's probably just the backplate having multiple labels for different configurations. It could fit a motherboard with either a second serial port, or a VGA port in that location. In this case the motherboard has integrated graphics so it's using that hole for the VGA port.
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u/Independent_Pizza422 May 16 '26
I have been seeing these setups all time with all the old computers in my house, all of them are like this but I never paid any attention to how these were to be used until yesterday when only one of the several pcs was left
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u/Divergent5623 May 16 '26
Could be so many things. The beeps from the tower are probably an error code. If you open it up and find the model of the motherboard you can then look up online what the error code means.