Decoding motherboard signals. One long, two short BIOS beeps - what does this combination mean?
Many people know that when you start a computer, the BIOS is first loaded, which immediately scans and checks all devices for serviceability and ability to function normally. BIOS when loading Windows are a consequence of the fact that some kind of error has been detected in the system.
Of course, it is almost impossible to remember all of them, so you should always have the instructions in front of your eyes. Or, for example, print this article and use it in the future.
It is worth noting that BIOSes differ from different manufacturers, and, accordingly, too.
For reference, I would like to say, how you can determine the BIOS brand so that you know, just in case something happens, and can correctly identify the initialization error. The name is visible when loading the PC, or using some programs, for example, Everest (Aida).
Let's start with the oldies. I don’t think it’s worth describing all kinds of signal options, but it’s worth mentioning only the most basic and frequently occurring ones.
1 short:
Blank screen and 1 signal: The video system is faulty and therefore no information is displayed on the screen.
2 short: monitor is not connected.
Problems have been detected with the motherboard.
If
A short signal that either repeats periodically or is simply continuous: some failures or defects in the motherboard or power supply.
If there is no signal at all, then this means that you have a motherboard or a power supply.
SignalsAMI BIOS:
1 short: POST completed successfully. That is, no errors were found.
1 long and then 1 short: Some problems were discovered with the power supply.
1 long and then 4 short: video card not detected.
2 short: The printer or scanner is turned on.
3 long beeps: RAM problems. Try reinstalling it or replacing the rulers.
4 short: The system timer has failed.
5 short: Some problems have been detected with the processor.
7 short: at mat. problems have been detected on the board.
8 short: The video card memory generated an error.
1 long and then 2 short: the video card has some problems (Mono / CGA)
If 1 long and then 3 short: the video card has some problems (EGA / VGA)
1 long and then 8 short: There is no monitor or the video card is faulty.
Blank screen and no signal: the processor has failed, or there is poor contact at its legs.
The signal is continuous: The power supply is faulty or the computer is overheating
BIOS signals from Award:
1 short: POST completed successfully. No flaws found.
2 short sounds: Only minor interference was detected. It will be necessary to check the contacts and various fastenings of cables, hard drives, and the like.
3 long: an error caused by the controller for working with the keyboard.
1 short and then 1 long: error reading or writing information from RAM.
1 long and then 2 short: Video card errors detected.
1 long and then 3 short: error reading or writing information from video memory.
1 long and then 3 short: error reading or writing data from ROM.
A short signal that repeats periodically: Some defects were detected in the power supply.
A long signal that repeats periodically: Problems with RAM.
Repeating sound signal, sometimes at high and sometimes at low frequencies: Problems with the processor.
Continuous signal: Malfunctions in the power supply.
And lastly... If you have some other version of BIOS, or you want to find out all the sound ones, then go to the manufacturer’s website and look at the instructions. If you do not find detailed instructions on such sites, then try looking for more detailed information on the links provided in the Everest program.
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Not everyone will think about what they mean BIOS beeps when we press the PC power button. It is the BIOS that causes such sounds, which can be short or long. Different types of BIOS have different sound signals, in this article I will try to talk about all of them, as well as solve some of the problems that accompany them.
Purpose of BIOS beeps
When you turn on your computer, you hear a squeaking sound. Usually it is short and comes out of the speaker located inside the system unit. Such a signal does not bode well and indicates that the program has successfully diagnosed the POST self-test, which is responsible for checking components for serviceability. If everything is fine, this will be the signal.
On some PC models, you may not hear anything at all, but this is only thanks to the manufacturer, who did not build a speaker into the computer. Unfortunately, the absence of a speaker is not a good solution, since it will not be possible to determine a malfunction, for example, of a video card.
If some kind of malfunction occurs, you will hear a sound when you turn on the computer. There may be several of them, and they may be long, depending on what is faulty. Usually the instructions already contain all the necessary information about BIOS signals, but if you don’t already have this manual, then read this article and perhaps you will find a definition of certain BIOS signals.
Recommendation! If you decide to look inside the system unit, for example, to check the presence of a speaker, then be sure to turn off the power to the PC, and do not look immediately, but a few minutes after turning it off.
How can I find out who made the BIOS?
In this section, I will show you how to find out who made your motherboard BIOS firmware. You need to know this, because in different models, sound signals indicate different violations.
First option
The simplest thing you can do is turn on the PC and for a couple of seconds you will notice a window in which the BIOS manufacturer and some other parameters are already indicated. The most popular manufacturers are AMI And AWARD. There are, of course, others.
Second option
To do this, you need to find an item that shows information about the computer and the BIOS firmware itself. Usually the tab is called System Information.
Third option
Boot into Windows andopen the window "Run" using keys Win+R. Enter the command there msinfo32. On the left you should be in the section "System Information". On the right we look at the point "BIOS version».
Fourth option
You can also use various utilities, for example, AIDA64 or CPU-Z. The free program CPU-Z has a tab "Pay", where you go. There is a subsection "BIOS" and all the necessary information about it.
Using the AIDA64 program, go to the section "System board" on the left and click on the item there "BIOS", all information about Bios will be listed there.
How to decipher BIOS beeps?
So, we figured out the BIOS manufacturer, now I will show the designation of beeps, but only for a few versions.
BIOS AMI beeps
One of the most famous companies American Megatrends Inc. Abbreviated as AMI BIOS. In 2002 it was already such. So, the normal beep is a short sound. It means that everything is fine, after which the OS will begin loading. Now let's look at other sounds.
| Signal | Designation |
| Long continuous | The power supply is faulty, the computer is overheating. |
| Two short | RAM parity error. |
| Three short | Error in the first 64 KB of RAM. |
| Four short | |
| Five short | |
| Six short | Error in the keyboard controller. |
| Seven short | Problems with the system board. |
| Eight short | Problems with video card memory. |
| Nine short | BIOS checksum error. |
| Ten short | CMOS recording is not possible. |
| Eleven short | RAM error. |
| 1 long and 1 short | There's something wrong with the power supply. |
| 1 long and 2 short | Problems with RAM or video card. |
| 1 long and 3 short | Problems with the video card or RAM. |
| 1 long and 4 short | There is no video card in the slot. |
| 1 long and 8 short | Lack of monitor connection, something with the video card. |
| Three long | Test completion with error, RAM problems. |
| 5 short and 1 long | There is no RAM module. |
Sometimes the sounds are false; if you turn off the PC again and then turn it on, there is a possibility that such a signal will no longer appear. If you hear more than one short sound, but ones like those shown in the table, then you need to solve the problem.
Sound signals AWARD
The next popular manufacturer is AWARD. Let's consider its sound signals. Then someday I’ll write about all the existing types of BIOS, and also recommend a book in which everything is described in great detail.
The normal sound signal, indicating the serviceability of all computer components, is still the same as in the first option - a short signal. The remaining sounds are listed in the table below.
| Signal | Designation |
| Continuous signal | Power supply failure. |
| One short, repeats | There's something wrong with the power supply. |
| One long, repeating | Problems with RAM. |
| One long and one short | RAM malfunction. |
| One long and two short | Problems with the video card. |
| One long and three short | There's something wrong with the keyboard. |
| One long and nine short | Error reading data from ROM. |
| Two long | There are non-critical faults. |
| Three long |
Phoenix beeps
In this type of BIOS, sounds are accompanied by pauses, that is, if 1 sound is heard, then there is a pause, then another sound, and another pause, and then two sounds, then the signal is recorded in the form of these same sequences of pauses and sounds - 1-1-2 . Now I will show this in the table.
| Signal | Designation |
| 1-1-2 | Problems with the central processor. |
| 1-1-3 | CMOS recording is not possible. The CMOS battery is dead, which means it needs to be replaced. Problems with the system fee. |
| 1-1-4 | Invalid BIOS ROM checksum. |
| 1-2-1 | The programmable interrupt timer is faulty. |
| 1-2-2 | There is an error in the DMA controller. |
| 1-2-3 | There is an error in reading/writing the DMA controller. |
| 1-3-1 | Problems with memory regeneration. |
| 1-3-2 | The RAM test does not run. |
| 1-3-3 | |
| 1-3-4 | The RAM controller is damaged. |
| 1-4-1 | There is a problem in the RAM address bar. |
| 1-4-2 | RAM parity error. |
| 3-2-4 | There were problems initializing the keyboard. |
| 3-3-1 | The CMOS battery is dead. |
| 3-3-4 | Problems with the video card. |
| 3-4-1 | Problems with the video adapter. |
| 4-2-1 | Problems with the system timer. |
| 4-2-2 | Problems with CMOS completion. |
| 4-2-3 | Problems with the keyboard controller. |
| 4-2-4 | Error in the operation of the central processor. |
| 4-3-1 | RAM testing failed. |
| 4-3-3 | Errors in the timer. |
| 4-3-4 | Problems with RTC operation. |
| 4-4-1 | Problems with the serial port. |
| 4-4-2 | Parallel port problems. |
| 4-4-3 | Problems with the coprocessor. |
This is interesting:
The most common BIOS beeps
Of course, there are many more sound sequences for different types of BIOS, and there would be much more tables here. Therefore, I decided to consider the most popular signals that most users encounter.
- 1 long and 2 short sounds– usually this signal indicates problems with the video card. Check if the video card is inserted well into its slot, also do not forget that dust and dirt can cause problems with connecting devices, so it is better to clean everything. Take out the video cards, wipe the contact tracks with an eraser, and do it very carefully. Then put it back in. If the difficulty persists, then you can try inserting the video card into another slot or switching to the built-in one, provided that it is on the motherboard. We are talking about integrated.
- 1 long sound- indicates a problem with the RAM.
- 3 short sounds– Again errors in the random access memory device. There is the following option - remove the RAM modules and clean the contacts, as well as the slots from dust and dirt, swap them, replace them with other RAM modules. Alternatively, you can reset the BIOS.
- 5 short sounds– this signal indicates a processor malfunction. It is possible that you purchased a new processor that is not compatible with your motherboard. Also check all contacts and clean any dust.
- 4 long sounds– the signal indicates problems with the cooling system, that is, with coolers. Perhaps they are completely faulty or work slowly. There are two options: clean them from dust, or change them.
- 1 long + 2 short sounds– a malfunction of the video card or from the RAM connectors.
- 1 long + 3 short sounds– may also indicate problems with the video card and RAM, or something with the keyboard. We'll have to check everything.
- 2 short sounds– I can’t say for sure, check your documentation. There may be a problem with the RAM.
- Several short sounds– just count how many sounds and see if such a combination is in the table.
- No PC boot or BIOS sound– if there is no sound, then most likely you do not have a speaker, or it is faulty. If the computer does not boot, check the power supply.
Tips for troubleshooting problems with your computer emitting BIOS beeps
I almost never had any components fail, and sound signals appeared only due to poor contact of some components. For example, the RAM modules or video card were inserted poorly. Sometimes something just went wrong and simply restarting the computer helps. Sometimes it can help in solving problems altogether.
I want to say that people who do not know should not take any action. If you have friends who can help, then contact them, or go to the service.
- Sometimes you can correct the situation like this: remove some component and wipe its contact from dust, and also blow out the connector. Then put everything back in. You can clean the contacts with alcohol and a dry cloth or an eraser.
- Look at all the components and elements located inside the system unit. Is there a smell of burnt components, swollen capacitors, oxide and other bad phenomena?
- Before you climb inside the system unit, disconnect it from the power supply, and also remove static electricity from yourself. You can simply touch the power supply itself with your hands.
- Do not touch the board pins.
- Never use metal tools to clean modules.
- Assess the situation before starting work. Your computer is under warranty, but you don’t even have work experience? Then give it back under warranty, or ask a knowledgeable friend to help.
Please ask any questions in the comments. I hope this article helped you in solving your problems.
If you hear two short BIOS beeps shortly after turning on your computer, then this is an alarming symptom. Such signals are generated by the system speaker of the motherboard during the PC hardware test (POST) procedure and indicate a detected malfunction.
Since different BIOS encode error signals differently, the meaning given to this message in the BIOS depends on the specific motherboard, or more precisely, on the BIOS chip with which the board is equipped.
In the IBM BIOS, two short BIOS beeps indicate a video system malfunction. For Award, 2 short BIOS signals code a non-critical fault, that is, a fault after which the computer can continue booting. Such a malfunction could be a failure of a hard drive or a BIOS checksum error. Typically, in this case, the BIOS will display a detailed error message indicating the faulty component, and the computer can usually continue to boot, but only after pressing a specific key, for example, F1. Sometimes, to correct an error, the user will need to enter BIOS Setup to make the necessary changes there.
However, it should be borne in mind that even if the computer can be successfully booted after two short beeps are displayed, you should consider eliminating the problem, since it will bother you again later.
The list of AMI BIOS sound code messages also contains two short beeps. But in this case, the error causing such a message is related to the RAM test. If such an error occurs, you should check that the RAM modules are securely installed in the slots.
AST BIOS may also produce 2 short beeps, but this is usually associated with another problem - a keyboard controller testing error. In Quadtel BIOS, two short beeps mean something else - CMOS RAM damage. Finally, the Compaq BIOS emits two short beeps when it detects a general motherboard error. The 2 short signals have the same meaning in the BIOS, which is equipped with IBM ThinkPad laptops.
It happens that you start the computer, and it makes strange sounds, signals, squeaking, purring... Moreover, both short and long sound signals appear. Often, when sounds appear, the computer will no longer start. What to do in such a situation? There is an answer!
Listen to the beeps first. Remember how many short and long sounds there were. Then look in the special list of beeps BIOS your combination, and you will find out what the computer is complaining about.
List of test sounds POST (PoweronSelf-Test)
Let's look at the types of signals:
One short beep- no errors found. Your personal computer (PC) is fully operational.
Two short beeps- RAM parity error.
The solution to this problem is to restart your PC. Clean the connectors from dust. Check that the RAM modules are installed correctly. The memory modules may need to be replaced.
You can check the serviceability of the modules using the program memtest86+
Three short beeps— error during operation of main memory (first 64 KB).
The solution to the problem is to restart your computer. Check that the RAM modules are installed correctly. Clean the connectors from dust. The memory modules may need to be replaced.
Four short beeps— indicates a system timer malfunction.
Solution: The motherboard may need to be replaced or repaired. You can try resetting the system BIOS.
Five short beeps- The central processor is faulty.
The solution to the problem is to clean the connectors from dust. Check that the processor is installed correctly. It may need to be replaced. Try a similar processor to identify the exact problem.
Six short beeps— the keyboard controller is faulty.
The solution to the problem is to check the connection of the keyboard connector on the motherboard. If that doesn’t help, try using another keyboard to make sure the keyboard connector is working. PS /2. If this does not give results, then use USB keyboard. The motherboard may need to be replaced.
Seven short beeps- the motherboard or processor is faulty.
Solution: Check all pins on the motherboard. The north bridge on the motherboard may have failed.
Eight short beeps— they talk about a problem with the video card.
The solution to the problem is if the video card is integrated into the motherboard, then you need to install an external video card. If an external one is installed, check the connections. If all else fails, then try another video card to identify the problem.
Nine short beeps- fatal checksum error on the contents of the BIOS chip.
Solution: if the computer starts, then go into the BIOS and reset the settings to standard. Then check the time and date settings. If it doesn't help, you'll need to reflash it. BIOS . The new version can always be downloaded from the motherboard manufacturer's website. If you are too lazy to suffer, then the problem can be solved by installing a new motherboard.
Ten short sounds— it is impossible to write to CMOS memory. Perhaps you decided to reflash the BIOS or wrote down the wrong one...
The solution to the problem is to reflash the chip, replace the CMOS chip or motherboard.
Eleven short beeps— external cache memory is faulty.
Solution: if the computer starts, then go into the BIOS and reset the settings to standard. Then check the time and date settings. If it doesn’t help, then try “throwing up” the working processor.
One long and two short beeps; one long and three short beeps; one long and eight short beeps - indicates a faulty video card orits installation is incorrect.
Solution to the problem - check the connection of the monitor to the connector on the video card, and also check that the video card is installed correctly in the slot AGP or PCI-Express . The video card may need to be replaced. Drop in a working video card to check.
One long continuous beep and repetition of short signals- they tell us about a malfunction in the power supply.
Solution to the problem - check all connections to the power supply (cord, surge protector, connector), and then in the system unit: from the power supply to the components.
Repeating long signals— incorrect operation of the RAM or modules are disconnected or not inserted completely.
Solution to the problem - check whether the RAM is installed and whether it is fully seated in the slots (if there is more than one RAM stick). Try running one at a time to identify the faulty memory module. Clean the connectors from dust.
Often, with many problems, resetting the BIOS and setting the standard correct settings, as well as correctly setting the time and date data, helps. You can reset the BIOS by removing the battery from the motherboard for 10 minutes.
Dear friend! I hope these tips helped and you were able to troubleshoot your computer. Do not forget about safety precautions when working with electrical appliances.