PC bleeping

[arclight]

Desktop PC running Windows 7 professional.
Over the last 4 days - every 3 minutes exactly a single bleep comes from the onboard speaker.
That sound is produced irrespective of whether the computer is on or off.
Very, very occasionally a two tone bleep will be heard (happened once this morning).

Mains power to the case is on 24/7.

The PC is now rather old (approx 10 years) and I plan to replace it in January. However, if a major failure is brewing I would get a new PC quickly.
The inside of the case is clean (yearly maintenance).

Advice from anyone who can spare the time will be appreciated.
If a new motherboard battery is needed I will see to that, but no major expense in view of planned renewal.

Thanks in advance.

 

[stupar]

@arclight
Do you know what brand of motherboard you have as each brand have their own beep codes which are used to help identify an issue.

Normally a new motherboard battery requirement manifests itself in other ways but if you can confirm the motherboard make/model then there will be a beep code list which should confirm what the issue is

 

[Canon Bob]

Try checking the event log in Windows admin tools....you might see an item with the same frequency being reported (for times when the PC is powered up)

 

[arclight]

@arclight
Do you know what brand of motherboard you have as each brand have their own beep codes which are used to help identify an issue.

Normally a new motherboard battery requirement manifests itself in other ways but if you can confirm the motherboard make/model then there will be a beep code list which should confirm what the issue is

Thanks Stuart,
ASUS motherboard. I looked up the beep codes and 1 beep is supposed to mean everything is OK. I suspect they mean one beep and only one beep, but not another one every 3 minutes.

 

[stupar]

Thanks Stuart,
ASUS motherboard. I looked up the beep codes and 1 beep is supposed to mean everything is OK. I suspect they mean one beep and only one beep, but not another one every 3 minutes.

Yeah during POST beeps help identify issues but in your case one beep means all is good. Once beep every few minutes after POST doesn't seemed to be covered so a bit grey area.

Try disabling temperature (and/or voltage) monitoring in the BIOS (if you can). It might be that you've got a faulty temp sensor (or controller) that may cause or report temperature spikes when there are none.

 

[arclight]

Try checking the event log in Windows admin tools....you might see an item with the same frequency being reported (for times when the PC is powered up)

Thanks Bob,
I had a look through the event logs. Nothing there that stands out.

 

[arclight]

Yeah during POST beeps help identify issues but in your case one beep means all is good. Once beep every few minutes after POST doesn't seemed to be covered so a bit grey area.

Try disabling temperature (and/or voltage) monitoring in the BIOS (if you can). It might be that you've got a faulty temp sensor (or controller) that may cause or report temperature spikes when there are none.

You could be onto something there.
A good few months ago I was getting a fan speed error message at start up and I had to cancel it out in the BIOS to permit the PC to start. I know I read somewhere that a run down battery could have be causing a reporting error. I tried disabling fan speed error reporting and that allowed the PC to start, but the BIOS refused to store that setting. That is when I came to leaving the power to the case on 24/7 which eliminated the error reporting and permitted trouble free start ups.
I'll figure out how to disable voltage monitoring in the BIOS.
I suppose installing a new battery would be a worthwhile precaution.
Would you know in motherboard batteries are standard or unique to different makes (if so I'll need to open up the PC to get the batt number.

 

[Box Brownie]

I find it odd that it beeps the way you describe when the PC is running or 'shutdown'! NB are you shutting down or putting the PC into sleep or hibernate instead......and if so is this different to what you were doing a few days ago, before you noticed the problem?

When you restart the PC from its shutdown state does it do the usual (normally quite noticeable) single beep, this is the POST (Power On Self Test) beep indication of all AOK? Is the beep you describe of the same tone & loudness?

Is this a commercially built PC or homebrew? Have you had the case open within the past 4 days, though I have never come across it before some motherboard/builds have 'case intrusion' alarm beeps!

 

[Tori_T]

Would you know in motherboard batteries are standard or unique to different makes (if so I'll need to open up the PC to get the batt number.

Pretty much every PC now uses CR2032 3V coin cells.

 

[Scirocco_09]

Motherboard battery I reckon. Had this before...

 

[arclight]

I find it odd that it beeps the way you describe when the PC is running or 'shutdown'! NB are you shutting down or putting the PC into sleep or hibernate instead......and if so is this different to what you were doing a few days ago, before you noticed the problem?

When you restart the PC from its shutdown state does it do the usual (normally quite noticeable) single beep, this is the POST (Power On Self Test) beep indication of all AOK? Is the beep you describe of the same tone & loudness?

Is this a commercially built PC or homebrew? Have you had the case open within the past 4 days, though I have never come across it before some motherboard/builds have 'case intrusion' alarm beeps!

 

[arclight]

I find it odd that it beeps the way you describe when the PC is running or 'shutdown'! NB are you shutting down or putting the PC into sleep or hibernate instead......and if so is this different to what you were doing a few days ago, before you noticed the problem?

When you restart the PC from its shutdown state does it do the usual (normally quite noticeable) single beep, this is the POST (Power On Self Test) beep indication of all AOK? Is the beep you describe of the same tone & loudness?

Thanks,
Is this a commercially built PC or homebrew? Have you had the case open within the past 4 days, though I have never come across it before some motherboard/builds have 'case intrusion' alarm beeps!

I have hibernation disabled. Not doing anything different. The bleeping has appeared out of the blue.
The POST bleep indication occurs as normal. The 3 minute interval bleep is much softer and at a lower volume.
PC was commercially built by Chillblast.
The bleeping has unaccountably stopped. At lunchtime I installed two lots of Windows critical updates (restarted to complete the process) then closed down for a few hours. I fired up the PC about 30 mins ago ........... no bleeping.
Don't you just love mysteries

 

[arclight]

Motherboard battery I reckon. Had this before...

Thanks Scirocco and Tori_T
I intend to put a new battery in.

All the help and suggestions from everyone are much appreciated.

 

[arclight]

Update

New battery installed yesterday. All is now well.
I measured the voltage on the old battery ........... 2.36 V. That is well below what is required. 3V lithium batts are normally useless below 2.7V.