What Are BIOS Beep Codes
The screen will be pitch black, and the PC won’t boot, but it will make a series of beeping noises while stuck in a strange boot limbo.
This is what’s known as a “beep code,” and it’s a way for your computer to let you know that something has gone wrong. If you find yourself with a computer that does nothing but beep at you, it probably means you need to take some additional steps to get it working again. But how do you decipher what to do from a seemingly random series of beeps?
When power is turned on, POST (Power-On Self-Test) is the diagnostic testing sequence that a computer's basic input/output system (or "starting program") runs to determine if the computer keyboard, random access memory, disk drives, and other hardware are working correctly.
If the POST detects something is off, it will try to warn the user that something is wrong. If it’s a minor error, it’ll beep and show a warning on-screen telling you what’s wrong. However, due to the nature of hardware and how vital each component is to get a computer up and running, you may not get an on-screen message. If something is wrong with the video card or RAM, for instance, the computer can’t show you an error through the monitor. It therefore relies on making beeping sounds from the motherboard to warn you that something has gone wrong.
So a computer has failed its POST test and is now making beeping sounds. What do you do in this situation?
How do you translate those beeps into something you can actually use?
Thankfully, beep codes are basically audible error messages, telling you what went wrong within the computer. The tricky part is deciphering the meaning behind the beeps so that you can diagnose and fix the issue. Different manufacturers may have implemented different beep codes into their system, so it’s best to double-check who designed the motherboard before you search for a solution. Once this is done, you need to verify what beep codes the manufacturer created for the hardware. This can be as simple as searching for your motherboard’s brand and then “beep code” in your favorite search engine. This should then bring up manufacturer websites or help forums that will list the codes for you.
Hopefully the error message is easy for you to understand so you can fix it right away. Sometimes computer manufacturers will include a beep code that signals that the POST check completed without any errors. If your computer makes a beeping noise but boots up totally fine, it’s probably just telling you that everything is going smoothly. If you’re still worried about it, check the company’s beep codes and compare what you hear to what they list.
What is POST (Power On Self Test)
This is what’s known as a “beep code,” and it’s a way for your computer to let you know that something has gone wrong. If you find yourself with a computer that does nothing but beep at you, it probably means you need to take some additional steps to get it working again. But how do you decipher what to do from a seemingly random series of beeps?
When power is turned on, POST (Power-On Self-Test) is the diagnostic testing sequence that a computer's basic input/output system (or "starting program") runs to determine if the computer keyboard, random access memory, disk drives, and other hardware are working correctly.
If the POST detects something is off, it will try to warn the user that something is wrong. If it’s a minor error, it’ll beep and show a warning on-screen telling you what’s wrong. However, due to the nature of hardware and how vital each component is to get a computer up and running, you may not get an on-screen message. If something is wrong with the video card or RAM, for instance, the computer can’t show you an error through the monitor. It therefore relies on making beeping sounds from the motherboard to warn you that something has gone wrong.
So a computer has failed its POST test and is now making beeping sounds. What do you do in this situation?
How do you translate those beeps into something you can actually use?
Thankfully, beep codes are basically audible error messages, telling you what went wrong within the computer. The tricky part is deciphering the meaning behind the beeps so that you can diagnose and fix the issue. Different manufacturers may have implemented different beep codes into their system, so it’s best to double-check who designed the motherboard before you search for a solution. Once this is done, you need to verify what beep codes the manufacturer created for the hardware. This can be as simple as searching for your motherboard’s brand and then “beep code” in your favorite search engine. This should then bring up manufacturer websites or help forums that will list the codes for you.
Hopefully the error message is easy for you to understand so you can fix it right away. Sometimes computer manufacturers will include a beep code that signals that the POST check completed without any errors. If your computer makes a beeping noise but boots up totally fine, it’s probably just telling you that everything is going smoothly. If you’re still worried about it, check the company’s beep codes and compare what you hear to what they list.
What is POST (Power On Self Test)