One of the few sounds in life that I do not want to hear is the noise of beep codes coming from my computer during start up. Technically speaking, the beeps will occur during the power on self test or POST. During the POST, the BIOS tests and configures a variety of the computer’s components to make sure that they are operating properly. If any problems are detected with these components, the BIOS issues a single beep or combination of beeps.
Unfortunately, beep codes can be indicative of major problems with the computer, and so they bring fear to the hearts of those that are faced with hearing them. Seriously though, the beeps are annoying, but they are not scary enough to merit a panic attack. The beeps are simply warnings that something is afoot. Deciphering the beeps allows me to know what steps I must take in order to fix the problem.
In particular, beeps and combinations of beeps indicate specific problems related to the computer. These beeps are emitted from internal speakers that are located in the computer. Additionally, the BIOS can create a POST code output. This code can be read with a special tool.
How and why do the beeps happen? The BIOS (the Basic Input/ Output System) creates the beeps to alert me that the computer has encountered specific problems during start up. If the BIOS can access the display adaptor and display an error message, then the beeps are not issued. The BIOS might continue to start up the computer if the problem is not too serious. However, a serious problem will result in an incomplete start up. The language or specific combination of beeps depends on the particular BIOS the computer is using.
In order to translate these beeps, I need to know what manufacturer is responsible for the BIOS on my computer as well as what specific version the BIOS happens to be. Once I know this information, I can locate the information I need to determine what the beeps mean. Although many others exist, two of the more common manufacturers of BIOS are Phoenix Technologies and American Megatrends, Inc.
Since an industry standard does not exist, it is important to determine my manufacturer and version of BIOS to decipher the beep codes. One beep with one specific BIOS might not mean the same as one beep on another BIOS and so on.
If I don’t know what version number of BIOS I have or what manufacturer created it, I can get the information from the computer. Navigating from Start to Programs to Accessories to System Tools to System Information, I can look for this information. The manufacturer is usually listed first, then the version number.
Common problems indicated by BIOS beeps include problems with the BIOS, problems with the CMOS or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (the memory that is responsible for storing the BIOS), and problems with memory modules.
Susan Keenan | June 27th, 2008
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