At 11:41 PM 4/1/2000, Kathleen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 > I hear this music from the cpu box itself, as opposed to my
 > speakers... It sounds like Russian music (reminds me of Tetris)
 > ...Apparently yesterday when my son came home from work (I
 > leave the computer on most of the time) he heard the music
 > playing, it had started sometime on it's own during the day
 > and during no use!. He turned the computer off. I restarted
 > when I returned and there was no problem!! What on earth is
 > this, any ideas??
 >
 > I have had no real problems that I can tell.....Though my
 > mouse has been acting weird on occasion.....like it's
 > hyperactive, and causing windows to open and close repeatedly
 > while the pointer flutters madly...
 >
 > I run W98, 300 Cyrix chip, ATI video, SB16, CD-Rom,
 > Office 2000, Quicken, AOL 5.0, AIM, Palm Pilot goodies.


The following was also sent directly to Kathleen.

Two years ago, David Gillett answered the same question. He
provided this link: <http://www.dfiusa.com/support/music.htm>.

He mentioned that if you couldn't get through to it, you
could go to <http://www.dfiusa.com/>, click on the "Support"
button, and then choose "Help, my computer is playing music,
what's going on?" from the list of questions. I had to follow
this path a few minutes ago when the first link didn't work.

Here's what Diamond Flower Electric Instrument Co. USA has to say:

>Question:
>Help, my computer is playing music, what's going on?
>
>Answer:
>For 586ITBD, 586ITXD, 586ITOX, and newer DFI® based systems,
>see the section below titled:  "Damage Free Intelligence (D.F.I.)".
>
>For 686IPK based systems, see the section below titled:
>"Musical Warning".
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Damage Free Intelligence (D.F.I.)
>
>(586ITBD, 586ITXD, 586ITOX and newer DFI® computers with D.F.I.)
>
>Damage Free Intelligence (D.F.I.) is a feature we have added
>to our newer motherboards to warn users of some classes of hardware
>related problems.  It is a warning system on the motherboard
>that plays a warning tune if certain hardware problems
>are detected.
>
>Some users hear strange music coming out of the PC speaker and think
>they have been hit by a virus - they scan the hard drive multiple
>times and reformat it, but it just will not go away.  The user now
>thinks that they have been infected by a virus that no virus
>scanning software can detect today.  This is not the case at all.
>
>The standard alarm/tune/music that they may hear is a variation on
>Beethoven's "Fur Elise." Our production motherboards use this
>tune whereas pre-production/prototype boards may use other
>sound chips.
>
>There are three main sets of reasons that the alarm/tune is
>playing - Processor, Heatsink/Fan and Power Supply related:
>
>Processor related:
>1) processor is missing (insert the processor and set the jumpers),
>2) processor is not seated correctly (check and be sure the ZIF
>socket lever is down), or
>3) processor has bent/broken pin (fix or replace processor),
>4) processor is malfunctioning/bad (replace the processor).
>
>Heatsink/Fan related:
>1) processor does not have a heatsink or fan (add a heatsink with
>fan - all modern processors need it)
>2) processor has a passive heat-sink only (add a fan),
>3) processor's fan/heatsink simply isn't cooling sufficiently
>(use a larger or more efficient heatsink/fan), or
>4) processor is overheating because the fan stopped (replace the fan).
>
>Power Supply related:
>1) power supply's voltages do not meet the ±10% specification (use a
>voltmeter to check the +5V and +12V lines, or change the power
>supply to a different model/brand/type)
>2) power supply's wattage is too low and cannot meet the system's
>continuous power requirements (use a power/wattmeter to check the
>system's power consumption, or change to a power supply with a
>relatively larger wattage, e.g. 250W or 300W), or
>3) power supply cannot meet the transient/instantaneous demand, e.g.
>happens when HDD motor, etc. turns on (use an oscilloscope/DSO
>to monitor the 5V and 12V lines for/during those transient stages).
>
>If they have an AMD K6 or Cyrix/IBM/SGS-Thomson 6x86 processor running
>in there, the reason is most likely due to #3 in the Heatsink/Fan
>section above - the heatsink/fan may not be sufficient for today's
>fast and hot running processors (such as those from AMD and
>Cyrix/IBM/SGS-Thomson). Intel's Pentium MMX (and also most classic
>Pentium processors) do not run that hot since they are manufactured
>under the 0.35 micron process - these require less power and they
>generate less heat. Also, Intel's VRT (Voltage Reduction Technology)
>further reduces the power consumption (to 2.8V) - so overall, these
>Intel processors can use a relatively smaller heatsink/fan combo than
>the other processor brands/types.
>
>This sound can be intermittent or continuous. If there is one or two
>quick beeps/notes, typically at boot-up, it is safe to ignore it. If
>it is not during boot-up or if there's a continuous music/warning,
>then there is something that is definitely not correct and it must
>immediately be checked or serviced.
>(See above for the troubleshooting info.) (Revised 10/6/1997)
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Musical Warning
>
>(686IPK Only)
>
>The 686IPK of course supports the Intel Pentium II processor. The
>Pentium II processor comes in two packages: Boxed Processor and OEM
>Processor. The Boxed Processor (BP) is the one that we always ship
>in our systems (we do not use the OEM type). The BP type comes with
>a built-in heatsink and fan - all from Intel's factory, whereas the
>OEM type does not and companies have to select the right heatsink
>and fan separately. The BP's fan has 3 wires - power, ground and
>fan signal. If the fan stops spinning, then the fan signal/line will
>be asserted and our IPK will play a warning tune/music through the
>small PC speaker. Yes, it plays music and this is not a virus. So
>when customers say they hear sound/music from the IPK system, ask
>them to check the processor fan.
>(Revised 8/14/1997)

Check those fans... If that doesn't help, it may be the output
from the power supply. Get that checked...or install a new one
yourself.

Regards,
Bill

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