Bios long beeps. BIOS speaker signals Or what the computer is telling us. AMI BIOS version

Why do you need a BIOS:

1. When the computer boots, it checks for the presence of basic hardware and its functionality. If, for example, RAM, a processor, or another device necessary for PC operation is “burned out,” the BIOS will give a signal with a special sound (the set of signals will be different for each component).

2. The BIOS loads the bootloader, which in turn loads the OS.

3. BIOS allows the OS to communicate with peripheral equipment.

4. BIOS allows you to configure many hardware components, monitor their status and operating parameters. The settings made by the user are saved there, for example, the current date and time, and allows you to turn on and off the equipment built into the motherboard.
To determine the BIOS type I recommend looking at the time of boot, usually in the upper left part of the screen there is information about the manufacturer and BIOS version, or going into the BIOS settings, usually pressing the Delete key several times after turning on the PC.

UEFI BIOS

AST BIOS

Phoenix BIOS beeps consist of several series of short beeps that follow at a certain interval. For example, a signal with code 1-2-3 will sound like this: one short beep, pause, two short beeps, pause, three short beeps.

Sequence of sound signals, description of errors without table:

1-1-2 Error during processor test. The processor is faulty. Replace the processor
1-1-3 Error writing/reading data to/from CMOS memory.
1-1-4 An error was detected when calculating the checksum of the BIOS contents.
1-2-1 Motherboard initialization error.
1-2-2 or 1-2-3 DMA controller initialization error.
1-3-1 Error in initializing the RAM regeneration circuit.
1-3-3 or 1-3-4 Error initializing the first 64 KB of RAM.
1-4-1 Motherboard initialization error.
1-4-2 Error initializing RAM.
1-4-3 Error initializing the system timer.
1-4-4 Error writing/reading to/from one of the I/O ports.
2-1-1 An error was detected while reading/writing bit 0 (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-1-2 An error was detected when reading/writing the 1st bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-1-3 An error was detected when reading/writing the 2nd bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-1-4 An error was detected when reading/writing the 3rd bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-2-1 An error was detected when reading/writing the 4th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-2-2 An error was detected when reading/writing the 5th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-2-3 An error was detected when reading/writing the 6th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-2-4 An error was detected when reading/writing the 7th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-3-1 An error was detected when reading/writing the 8th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-3-2 An error was detected when reading/writing the 9th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-3-3 An error was detected when reading/writing the 10th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-3-4 An error was detected when reading/writing the 11th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-4-1 An error was detected while reading/writing the 12th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-4-2 An error was detected when reading/writing the 13th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-4-3 An error was detected when reading/writing the 14th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
2-4-4 An error was detected when reading/writing the 15th bit (in hexadecimal) of the first 64 KB of RAM
3-1-1 Error initializing the second DMA channel.
3-1-2 or 3-1-4 Error initializing the first DMA channel.
3-2-4 Keyboard controller initialization error.
3-3-4 Error initializing video memory.
3-4-1 Serious problems occurred when trying to access the monitor.
3-4-2 The video card BIOS cannot be initialized.
4-2-1 System timer initialization error.
4-2-2 Testing completed.
4-2-3 Keyboard controller initialization error.
4-2-4 Critical error when the central processor enters protected mode.
4-3-1 Error initializing RAM.
4-3-2 Error initializing the first timer.
4-3-3 Error in initializing the second timer.
4-4-1 Error initializing one of the serial ports.
4-4-2 Parallel port initialization error.
4-4-3 Math coprocessor initialization error.
Long, continuous beeps—the motherboard is faulty.
The sound of a siren from high to low frequency means the video card is faulty, check the electrolytic capacitors for leaks or replace everything with new ones that are known to be good.
Continuous signal - the CPU cooler is not connected (faulty).

In contact with

It starts with diagnosis. You can often use the diagnostic tools of the PC itself, or rather the BIOS. If everything is in order, 1 signal is sent to the speaker. If earlier, during normal operation, you also did not hear any signals from the speaker, then you need to check whether it is even in the system unit. In most cases it looks like this:

If you hear multiple sounds, there is most likely a hardware error. A specific error is indicated by a combination of speaker signals. Depending on the BIOS manufacturer, they may differ from each other. Before deciphering the signals, you need to find out which BIOS is on your motherboard. This can be done in several ways:

1. Look at the documentation for the computer, namely the instructions for the motherboard.
2. View the name upon boot or by going into the BIOS setup.
3. Open the cover of the system unit and read the name of the chip from the BIOS.

When the manufacturer is found, you can check the combination emitted by the speaker with the data in the tables below:

Hearing a BIOS signal (1 long beep), the user usually becomes wary. After all, as you know, in most BIOSes the message about the successful completion of hardware testing sounds somewhat different, although it is similar - one signal, but a short one. Is there any cause for concern in this case? Practice shows that in most cases - Yes.

First of all, it is worth defining the concept of “long signal”. In many cases, one continuous sound can be considered long. If you hear a similar sound and you have an Award BIOS installed, then this means that the power supply is faulty. In the case of Phoenix BIOS, in a similar situation, there is a malfunction of the CPU cooler fan. In the Compaq BIOS, this type of sound indicates a problem with the RAM.

However, most often the user may encounter a slightly different situation, when there is only a long but time-limited signal. This type of signal is used by many BIOS manufacturers to encode error messages.

However, one long BIOS beep is a sound that is often used for more than just signaling errors. For example, you can find BIOS versions from the well-known manufacturer American Megatrends, in which the BIOS signal 1 long beep is used to notify that tests have completed normally, instead of the usually used short beep. A similar approach is also used in the Mylex 386 BIOS. This factor should also be kept in mind, especially if you are dealing with a certain computer for the first time.

In AST BIOS, one long squeak has a completely different meaning, namely, an error detected when testing the first channel of the DMA controller. Typically, this situation means the microcontroller is faulty, which may result in the need to replace the entire motherboard.

An attentive user may notice that the computer makes sounds when turned on. Usually this is one short squeak from the speaker (device on the motherboard). But during operation, other signals may be emitted. Read about what they mean and how to find out what to do with them in this article.

The first thing you need to do is find out which one you have. You can find out about this when you turn on the computer, when letters appear on a black background. Look at the top or bottom of the abbreviations AMI or AWARD BIOS.

Learned? Then let's go!

BIOS BEEP: AMI BIOS

A fairly common situation is the problem when, when turning on the computer, the user hears one long and two short BIOS beeps from the system speaker. In this case, the operating system does not load at all, and the user sees a black screen in front of him (sometimes messages indicating a problem may appear, but, as a rule, they are absent). Read on to learn how to interpret this sequence of signals and what to do to correct the situation.

One long, two short BIOS beeps: what does this mean?

Let's start with theoretical information. When you turn on your desktop computer or laptop, all hardware is checked. The primary BIOS system (or its modernized UEFI version) is responsible for this. For each such system, the use of strictly defined signal sequences is provided, which can indicate either that the test was completed successfully, or that problems were found in the operation or initialization of the equipment. In general, to figure out what the problem is, you need to refer to the technical documentation of the primary system or at least read what different sequences and combinations mean.

In general, if the user hears one long and two short beeps from the BIOS of ASUS or any other developer of the primary system, we can immediately conclude that something is wrong with the installed hardware. Unfortunately, the system does not provide notifications about faulty components.

The only situation is a message about the absence of a connected keyboard. But this mostly applies exclusively to stationary terminals, since on laptops such a message can only appear if the built-in keyboard has become unusable. Connect any other external keyboard, for example, via USB and check how the system boots.

One long, two short BIOS beeps: what to do first?

The issuance of such a sequence of signals may not always be associated specifically with physical breakdowns of the installed equipment. It is quite possible that somewhere on the motherboard the contacts have simply come loose or become clogged. All components may be in perfect order, but dust or contamination of the inside of the computer can lead to the fact that some elements of the filling are simply not detected.

In the simplest case, if you receive one long and two short signals from the BIOS, you should immediately turn off the computer and completely disconnect it from the power supply. After this, you need to pause so that the residual currents disappear (ten minutes will be enough), then remove the side cover of the stationary PC case from the side accessing the motherboard and perform a basic dust removal. A regular vacuum cleaner with the minimum suction power set is suitable for this. When cleaning, you need to be very careful not to damage the components installed on the motherboard and the motherboard itself, otherwise the entire computer system will stop working. And replacing a motherboard is clearly not a cheap pleasure.

Problems with the graphics chip

Basically, most situations when the user hears one long and two short BIOS beeps are usually attributed to problems with the graphics adapter, since it is the adapter that is responsible for displaying the image on the screen, and if it malfunctions, problems arise with the inability to start the operating system.

In different BIOS versions (and from different developers), this sequence of signals may indicate different failures. For example, IBM BIOS issues such signals only if the computer is equipped with Mono/CGA video cards. But since such chips are practically not found today, such situations are very rare.

In the case of AST BIOS, such a sequence is issued only if problems are observed with frame scanning.

Compaq BIOS gives one long and two short beeps if initialization of the graphics adapter is not possible at all. The same situation is observed with the primary systems Award and Quadtel.

The problem can only be fixed physically. To do this, you need to remove the video card from the corresponding slot on the motherboard and first check its functionality on another computer. If it works as expected, the slot itself may need to be cleaned. You can also try inserting it into a different connector. If the card does not work, it will have to be replaced.

Possible problems with RAM

But problems are not always associated specifically with graphics adapters. For example, AMI BIOS generates one long and two short signals if problems with RAM are detected (for a video card, a sequence of pulses in combination 1-3 is used).

In this case, the memory sticks should be removed one at a time when the power is turned off, turning on the computer after each removal and checking the functionality of the system. When the damaged strip is found and the system boots in normal mode, you will simply have to replace it by installing similar equipment in its place. In this case, you should take into account which generation the RAM belongs to, and also pay attention to the characteristics of the motherboard itself in terms of ensuring that it supports the installed brackets both according to the standard and the maximum volume. Otherwise, you will not be able to use the maximum capacity, since the one determined by the motherboard may be much less.

What to do if the problem persists?

But let’s assume that it was not possible to get rid of the malfunctions using such simple methods. Let's take a situation where a Samsung laptop produces a similar combination. One long and two short BIOS signals are enough to determine problems with the hardware, but disassembling the device yourself is not always advisable.

In some cases, you can do much simpler, since the problem may be incorrect settings of the primary system. To get started, use reset parameters from the appropriate section, save the changes and check how the loading will proceed. If such actions do not give results, it may very well be that updating the BIOS will help. True, such actions must be performed competently, so as not to render the primary input/output system itself unusable.

A similar solution can be applied to stationary computer terminals. But this situation can mainly be associated with replacing hardware or installing new components, when an outdated version of the BIOS is unable to recognize modern devices. In this case, updating the firmware is the best option to fix the problem.

Instead of an afterword

It remains to add that the situation when a sequence in the form of one long and two short BIOS signals is output through the system speaker can, in principle, be corrected. Since the true reason for this behavior of the system is not clearly indicated, you will have to perform the described actions exactly in the order in which they were given in the above material. It is advisable not to use reset and update immediately, but leave them as a last resort if methods of physical intervention are powerless. However, first, clean the stationary unit from dust. This is the first remedy. With laptops the situation is more complicated, especially if the device is under warranty. If none of the above suggestions help, you will have to contact an authorized service center. And avoid contacting private sellers who do not have relevant experience in repairing computer equipment. Then many more problems may appear.