Num Lock & Scroll lock flashing along with beeps

[JTaylor69]

Hi Everyone

My sister's laptop whenever turned on will beep constantly, along with the scroll lock and num lock LEDs flashing.

It will boot up until the log on screen, where it will just turn off.

The same happens on Windows 7 partition and Vista partition so it will not be an OS specific problem.

However I went into BIOS and it said system memory 600KB and extended memory 800mb (or somewhere near that figure).

I'm guessing this is a memory problem?

or is it something else as I cannot use the memory diagnostic tool as it turns off :(

EDIT: It's not the caps lock key as I had wrote, its in fact the num lock key

[Singh400]

How old is the laptop? What specs?

[e-berlin.org]

Check the RAM - first remove one stick, test with Memtest86+, then do the same with the other.

Did you spill some liquid on it lately? How old is the machine? Is it getting unusually hot?

[x-byte]

If it's a Dell, I think is is the RAM. Though that might be caps-lock/num-lock, not quite sure.?

[JTaylor69]

  On 07/07/2010 at 09:11, Singh400 said:

How old is the laptop? What specs?

1 year and half

1GB RAM

1.8Ghz Dual Core

160 GB HDD

Windows 7 / Windows Vista Basic Dual Boot

The plastic is a bit cracked at the

bottom and it gets very, very hot.

Baterry lasts about 30 mins but I tested without baterry and still seems to happen so that ruled out any battery problems.

I will memtest and post results if it manages to stay on long enough

thank you

[sc302 Veteran]

gets very hot.....stay on long enough.......these 2 statements make me think that it is getting heat soaked and causing a thermal shutdown and won't come back on until it has cooled off enough. the fix is to clean the heat sink, which requires taking the laptop apart. if it still gets hot afterwards I suggest a laptop cooler like this one from antec:

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Notebook-Cooler-USB-Powered/dp/B0000BVYTV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278510616&sr=8-1

[Singh400]

  On 07/07/2010 at 13:36, JTaylor69 said:

bottom and it gets very, very hot.

It should be warm to touch, not hot to too. This IMO points to a over heating issue. Make sure you are using the laptop on a surface that provides good air circulation. So don't use it on the carpet, use a table instead etc etc.

Also, sounds like it could do with a good clean, general dust down. If you are comfortable with computers then do it yourself, or get a friend.

[JTaylor69]

  On 07/07/2010 at 13:50, sc302 said:

gets very hot.....stay on long enough.......these 2 statements make me think that it is getting heat soaked and causing a thermal shutdown and won't come back on until it has cooled off enough. the fix is to clean the heat sink, which requires taking the laptop apart. if it still gets hot afterwards I suggest a laptop cooler like this one from antec:

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Notebook-Cooler-USB-Powered/dp/B0000BVYTV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278510616&sr=8-1

Last night when I tried turning it on, it was cool and not hot as it wasn't used for a good two hours.

However the same thing happened as mentioned in the thread title; flashing and beeping.

[sc302 Veteran]

what is the make and model of the laptop. Beeping is one thing but flashing and beeping could mean something else. You may have to call the manufacturer and see if they can give u "suggestions" as to what the cause is. U must ask nicely and see if the person on the phone is willing "to point you in the right direction".

Sometimes they are cooperative if out of warranty.

[JTaylor69]

  On 07/07/2010 at 14:34, sc302 said:

what is the make and model of the laptop. Beeping is one thing but flashing and beeping could mean something else. You may have to call the manufacturer and see if they can give u "suggestions" as to what the cause is. U must ask nicely and see if the person on the phone is willing "to point you in the right direction".

Sometimes they are cooperative if out of warranty.

On the lid of the laptop it says Hi-Grade, however on the bottom it says Clevo CO.

I tried accessing the Clevo site but it's currently down so no luck there.

By the looks of it, it was made in Taiwan, then rebuilt over here in the UK by Hi-Grade then is sold via catalogue companies which is where my Mum had purchased it (for my sister at Christmas)

So the support for the laptop is bit of a pain, as I had found out when looking for drivers for the thing too when first installing Windows 7.

UPDATE: Just running Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool now just to see whether it is memory that is the problem. It is not flashing or beeping now as we speak, but it probably will shortly as it did before :\

UPDATE 2: The flashing and beeping has just kicked in after 1 minute into the Windows Memory Diagnostic.

Would it help if I posted pictures and maybe a video?

[sc302 Veteran]

http://www.higrade.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1

i would contact them or upgrade to a worldwide brand like hp/dell/lenovo/etc.

sounds very much like a thermal shutdown though. even if it is only up for less than a min.

[JTaylor69]

  On 07/07/2010 at 14:50, sc302 said:

http://www.higrade.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1

working for me...

Hi-Grade site works, however the Clevo site does not work.

The question is who do I ask for support from?

BIOS Screen:

[JTaylor69]

  On 07/07/2010 at 14:50, sc302 said:

http://www.higrade.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1

i would contact them or upgrade to a worldwide brand like hp/dell/lenovo/etc.

sounds very much like a thermal shutdown though. even if it is only up for less than a min.

Will do. Thanks for help :)

Added BIOS screen just in case that may signal anything unusual?

[JTaylor69]

Update on situation.

The caps lock is flashing and the num lock is flashing.

Opened it up, and cleaned it out, there was literally a thick bush of dust, but now its gone.

However, it is now still flashing and beeping so no improvement :(

[zhangm Supervisor]

It is likely that a component on the motherboard is dying.

[Black Flash]

How many times is it flashing? Is there a break between the flashing? I had a problem like this with my laptop a few weeks ago, it's supposed to be a code based on the number of beeps. If you have the laptop model then you should be able to go to the dell website and see if they posted what the flashing codes mean.

[DragonKid]

What type of Dell is it? How many times do they blink and beep in a row? I can look it up and see what's causing the issue.

[JTaylor69]

Constant flashing and constant beeping until it switches it self off after 1 minute or so.

Its a Clevo, rebranded as Hi-Grade.

[ron963]

It's your ram. Take out all the sticks and boot using one ram. If it works then take it out and try the other stick.

I had this issue once where the scroll lock would blink. Worst part about it was that there were no beeps and display.