No beep is not good sign for a desktop and some laptops. It mean that the POST step never finishes.
On many laptops, instead of a beep, a light code is used instead. It use the 3 xxxlock LEDs of the keyboard. If there seems to be one, please post that light code.
Some of those codes mean that you need a new motherboard.
Whenever you do ANYTHING inside a computer, you ABSOLUTELY NEED to have it turned OFF, and disconnected. If it's a portable, you also need to take the battery out.
It can be a problem with the BIOS or with the CPU itself. It may also mean some bad RAM.
Some other possibility:
You have a bad or unseated video adaptor and it's possible that the internal speaker is simply disconnected, preventing the beep from been heard.
If it's a desktop, try using another video card. Any old PCI card should be enough for that test. Even one dating from before the AGP era.
A bad video on a laptop mean that you need to replace the whole motherboard and it's then often beter to simply replace the whole laptop.
Make sure that everything is properly connected. Pay close attention to the connectors between the PSU and the motherboard. In modern computers, there is usualy an auxiliary CPU power connector that need to be plugged in.
Remove the RAM and put it back in. It may have become unseated or there may be some corosion or something preventing it from be correctly connected.
See if it works.
If not:
Remove the RAM and try with only a single RAM stick. Try using some other RAM, maybe borowed from a friend. Try your RAM into another computer.
If the computer works with only a single stick, or with the borowed RAM or the other computer don't work with your RAM, you have bad RAM. Replace it. in this case, install as much RAM as possible.
If the RAM works in another computer AND replacing the RAM in this computer don't work, then, you have a problem with the motherboard or a bad BIOS chip or a bad CPU. It's not possible to repair the motherboard and the BIOS chip may not be replaceable. You need a new motherboard. Depending on the age of your computer, you may also need a new CPU.
In the case of a bad CPU, you need to replace it. Again, depending on the age and avalaibility, it may mean getting a new motherboard.
Electro, August 2014
