Question from Mika T.:  I have an older Compaq EVO D510 desktop PC with 2GB RAM, 120GB hard drive and Windows XP Professional. I love this computer because it’s the first one I ever owned and I’d really like to keep it running if at all possible.

Here’s the problem: It was working fine till I turned it on one morning and it refused to boot up. It gives one short beep followed by two long beeps, then nothing. Is this a problem that can be fixed without shelling out a ton of cash?

Rick’s answer:  Mika, the beeps you hear after pressing the power button are actually an error code that’s being output by your computer’s Power On Self Test (aka POST). That beep code on a Compaq PC typically indicates a problem with the video circuitry.  [Read more…]