List of BIOS beeps
The list of BIOS beeps describes the possible beeps from the computer - the BIOS can be issued.
When the computer starts, the BIOS carries out a Power On Self-Test . If errors are detected that make it impossible to start the computer and display an error text on the screen, the error is indicated by signal tones, a sequence of beeps characteristic of the respective error, via the system loudspeaker .
The form and meaning of these tones differ from BIOS to BIOS.
Intel BIOS
| volume | description | possible sources of error |
|---|---|---|
| Single beep | F2 Setup / F10 boot menu prompt. No mistake. | |
| 2 beeps | Video failure | Add-in graphics card missing; incompatible processor |
| 3 beeps | Memory failure | Memory failure |
| High / low beeps | CPU thermal trip warning | Processor cooler / fan |
AMI BIOS
| volume | description | possible sources of error |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × briefly | No error or memory refresh failed | (RAM, motherboard) |
| 1 × long | Memory / power supply failure | Power supply, power plug on the motherboard |
| 1 × long 1 × short | Motherboard failure | Mainboard |
| 1 × long, 2 × short | Video problem: graphics card is not seated properly or is defective | graphic card |
| 1 × long 3 × short | Graphics video RAM defective | graphic card |
| 1 × long 6 × short | Keyboard controller defective | Keyboard controller on motherboard |
| 1 × long 8 × short | Video memory faulty | Video memory on graphics card |
| 1 × long 9 × short | ROM-BIOS checksum error | ROM BIOS |
| 2 × long 2 × long | Video failure | Video BIOS ROM, video adapter |
| 2 × long 3 × short | Probably wrong CMOS values | BIOS (CMOS reset required) |
| 2 × short | Parity could not be reset | R.A.M. |
| 3 × short | Error in the lower memory block (first 64kByte) | R.A.M. |
| 3 × long | Error in the keyboard interface | Motherboard |
| 3 × short 3 × long 3 × short | RAM module defective | R.A.M. |
| 4 × short | System timer failed | Motherboard (system timer) |
| 5 × short | Processor failure | CPU |
| 6 × short | No memory installed (old: Bios cannot switch to protected mode) |
RAM (old: motherboard (keyboard controller)) |
| 7 × short | Exception interruption failure | CPU |
| 8 × short | Display memory error | graphic card |
| 9 × short | CMOS / ROM checksum error | CMOS battery, CMOS |
| 10 × short | CMOS read error | Motherboard, CMOS clear jumper |
| 11 × short | L2 cache defective | Cache, CPU (L2 and L3 cache in the CPU these days), motherboard |
| several times briefly | Power supply failure | Power supply to the motherboard |
| Siren sound | temperature | Fan failed, temperature too high (MB / CPU), voltage too high or too low |
| Continuous tone | Storage / video problem | Memory or graphics card cannot be found |
| no sound | Power supply or motherboard failure | Power supply, motherboard |
Award BIOS
- 1 × long: DRAM refresh failed.
- 1 × briefly: POST completed successfully.
- 1 × duration: power supply failure.
- 1 × long, 1 × short: Mainboard error: fatal error on the motherboard.
- 1 × long 2 × short: Graphics card error: Incorrect video ROM BIOS checksum; Monitor control defective; no graphics card found.
- 1 × long, 3 × short: video error: defective RAM-DAC (Digital Analog Converter), which is responsible for converting computer data into video data, defective; or monitor detection process faulty or video RAM faulty, the monitor may not be connected or the cable is defective.
- 2 × short: Parity Error: POST faulty (one of the hardware test procedures is faulty).
- 2 × long, 2 × short: Video error: (either the checksum error of the video BIOS ROM or the installed video adapter has an error in horizontal rewind).
- 3 × short: Base 64 KB Memory Failure: Base memory defective, RAM error within the first 64 KB.
- 3 short 3 long 3 short: RAM defective.
- 4 × short: Timer not Operational: System timer (Timer 1) possibly battery / battery defective.
- 5 × briefly: Processor Error: Processor defective; Video storage.
- 6 × short: 8042 Gate A20 Failure: Keyboard controller defective (8042 module / A20 Gate). Processor cannot switch to protected mode.
- 7 × briefly: Processor exception Interrupt Error: Virtual mode exception error (CPU has generated an interrupt error).
- 8 × briefly: Display Memory Read / Write Error: video memory cannot be addressed; Graphics card defective or not installed (not a fatal error).
- 9 × short: ROM checksum error: ROM-BIOS checksum incorrect, EPROM, EEPROM or Flash-ROM component defective, BIOS defective or not correctly updated.
- 10 × short: CMOS Shutdown Register Read / Write Error: CMOS cannot be read / written. Main board is defective and must be replaced.
- 11 × briefly: Cache Error / external Cache Bad: L2 cache on the mainboard is defective.
- Continuous tone: if Gigabyte board with Award BIOS and a continuous tone or tone that goes out after a long beep and then sounds again, then: RAM problem, component is incorrectly connected or is defective
From ver. 6.0 (merger of Phoenix and Award), same error signals for Phoenix Award BIOS.
| volume | description | possible sources of error |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × briefly | No mistake | |
| 2 × short | undetermined error, error is displayed on the monitor | |
| 1 × long | Memory problem | R.A.M. |
| 1 × long, 1 × short | Error on the motherboard | Motherboard |
| 1 × long, 2 × short | Error in the graphics card | graphic card |
| 1 × long, 3 × short | Error in the keyboard controller (from Ver. 3.03) | Keyboard, motherboard |
| 1 × long, 3 × short | Error in the graphics card (from version 4.5) | graphic card |
| 1 × long, 9 × short | ROM error | |
| 3 × long | Error in the keyboard interface (3270) | Keyboard, motherboard |
| 4 × long | Fan temperature control error | Regulated fan |
| Continuous tone | Memory or video problem | Memory or graphics card not found |
| Repeats briefly | Motherboard power supply | |
| Repeatedly long | Storage or video problem | Memory or graphics card cannot be found |
| Siren sound | Fan failure, temperature too high, voltage high / low | Fan, power supply |
| Sporadic ping, pong beep | CPU voltage, CPU fan | CPU voltage setting, CPU fan |
| 10 sec continuous tone - OFF | CPU fan failure / speed | Fan, BIOS setting |
Phoenix BIOS
| volume | description | possible sources of error |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × 1 × 3 × short | Write / read CMOS errors | CMOS |
| 1 × 1 × 4 × short | BIOS ROM checksum error | BIOS battery, BIOS |
| 1 × 2 × 1 × short | System timer defective | Motherboard |
| 1 × 2 × 2 × short | DMA controller defective | Motherboard |
| 1 × 3 × 1 × short | DRAM / motherboard defective | Motherboard |
| 1 × 3 × 3 × short | 64 KB memory chip defective | R.A.M. |
| 1 × 3 × 4 × short | 64K logic chip failure | R.A.M. |
| 1 × 4 × 1 × short | 64 KB address line defective | R.A.M. |
| 1 × 4 × 2 × short | 64K parity error | R.A.M. |
| 1 × 2 × short | Checksum error in the option ROM | BIOS battery, BIOS |
| 2 × short | RAM defective | R.A.M. |
| 3 × 1 × 1 × short | Master DMA register defective | Motherboard |
| 3 × 1 × 2 × short | Slave DMA register defective | Motherboard |
| 3 × 1 × 3 × short | Master interrupt register defective | Motherboard |
| 3 × 1 × 4 × short | Slave interrupt register defective | Motherboard |
| 3 × 2 × 4 × short | Keyboard controller defective | Keyboard, motherboard |
| 3 × 3 × 4 × short | Graphics card memory defective | graphic card |
| 3 × 4 × 1 × short | Graphics card initialization error | graphic card |
| 3 × 4 × 2 × short | Graphics card controller defective | graphic card |
| 4 × 2 × 1 × short | Faulty timer interrupt | Motherboard |
| 4 × 2 × 2 × short | Faulty shutdown function | Motherboard |
| 4 × 2 × 3 × short | Error in gate A20 | Motherboard |
| 4 × 2 × 4 × short | Interrupt in protected mode | Motherboard, BIOS |
| 4 × 3 × 1 × short | DRAM error above 64 KB | R.A.M. |
| 4 × 3 × 3 × short | Timer defective | Motherboard |
| 4 × 3 × 4 × short | Real time clock defective | Motherboard |
| 4 × 4 × 1 × short | Serial port defective | Motherboard |
| 4 × 4 × 2 × short | Parallel port defective | Motherboard |
| 4 × 4 × 3 × short | Co-processor failure | Motherboard (co-processor) |
IBM BIOS
| volume | description | possible sources of error |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × briefly | No mistake | - |
| 2 × short | Indefinite error | Error is displayed on the monitor |
| 1 × long 1 × short | Error on the motherboard | Motherboard |
| 1 × long, 2 × short | Graphics card or motherboard failure | Graphics card, motherboard |
| 1 × long 3 × short | Graphics card failure | graphic card |
| 1 × long 3 × short 1 × long | Graphics card failure | graphic card |
| 3 × long | Keyboard interface error | Keyboard, motherboard |
| Continuous tone | Power supply failure | Power supply, power plug on the motherboard |
| repeated briefly | Power supply failure | Power supply, power plug on the motherboard |
| repeated long | RAM failure | R.A.M. |
MR BIOS
- " T " = low tone
- " H " = high tone
- " - " = pause
| volume | description | possible sources of error |
|---|---|---|
| TH-TTT | BIOS ROM checksum error | BIOS, BIOS battery |
| TH-HTT | DMA page register error | Motherboard |
| TH-THT | Error in the keyboard controller (self-test) | Mainboard (keyboard controller) |
| TH-HHT | Error in the memory refresh logic | R.A.M. |
| TH-TTH | Error in the DMA controller (master) | Mainboard |
| TH-HTH | Error in the DMA controller (slave) | Mainboard |
| TH-TTTT | Error in the memory bank (sample test) | R.A.M. |
| TH-HTTT | Error in the memory bank (parity logic) | R.A.M. |
| TH-THTT | Error in the memory bank (parity error) | R.A.M. |
| TH-HHTT | Error in the memory bank (error data bus) | RAM, mainboard |
| TH-TTHT | Error in the memory bank (error address bus) | R.A.M. |
| TH-HTHT | Error in the memory bank (read error) | R.A.M. |
| TH-THHT | Error in the memory bank (read / write error) | R.A.M. |
| TH-HHHT | Error in the interrupt controller (master 8259 port 21h) | Mainboard |
| TH-TTTH | Error in the interrupt controller (slave 8259 port A1h) | Mainboard |
| TH-HTTH | Error in the interrupt controller (master 8259 port 20h) | Mainboard |
| TH-THTH | Error in the interrupt controller (slave 8529 port A0h) | Mainboard |
| TH-HHTH | Error in the interrupt controller (address error port 20h / A0h) | Mainboard |
| TH-TTHH | Error in the interrupt controller (master 8259 port 20h) | Mainboard |
| TH-HTHH | Error in the interrupt controller (slave 8259 port A0h) | Mainboard |
| TH-THHH | Error in the system timer (8254, channel 0 - IRQ0) | Mainboard |
| TH-HHHH | Error in the system timer (8254, channel 0) | Mainboard |
| TH-TTTTH | Error in the system timer (8254, channel 2) | Mainboard |
| TH-HTTTH | Error in the system timer (8254, OUT2) | Mainboard |
| TH-THTTH | CMOS RAM error (read and write test) | BIOS |
| TH-HHTTH | Real-time clock error | Mainboard |
| TH-TTHTH | Checksum / memory error of the graphics card | graphic card |
| TH-HTHTH | Keyboard controller error | Mainboard |
| TH-THHTH | Memory parity error | R.A.M. |
| TH-HHHTH | Error in an I / O channel | Mainboard |
| TH-TTTHH | Gate-A20 test error (8042 timeout) | Mainboard |
| TH-HTTHH | Gate-A20 blocked in OFF status (A20 = 0) | Mainboard |
| TH-THTHH | Real time clock is not updated | Mainboard |