Sound signals of the BIOS of the computer

BIOS is a system utility whose task is to check and configure Windows with connected hardware. When the computer starts, it starts the very first to examine the state of the entire system for errors. The result of the check is a short beep.

What are they needed for?

The sound signals of the BIOS indicate the status of the system at the time the computer starts. Most often, at the start, the user will hear one short sound. This means that the diagnosis was completed successfully and Windows is ready to go.

These “beacons” are emitted by a speaker built into the system unit. However, it also happens that in some devices this part is missing, and therefore it becomes much more difficult to determine the cause of any device error. Indeed, a lot of problems can be solved simply by deciphering the signals issued by the BIOS program. But before proceeding with the direct decryption, it is worth paying attention to the process of determining the manufacturer of the program and the motherboard.

Who is the creator?

Finding the manufacturer of the BIOS program is a very important and necessary process, since each company has its own set of signals. To find out which one is suitable for you, and therefore, who is the author of the program, you must perform one of the five algorithms below.

Boot screen

To determine what specific BIOS signals are needed, you can simply pay attention to the boot screen when you start the computer system. Quite often, the information sought is displayed at the very top of the page. To hold the screen at this stage, press the pause button on the keyboard. If instead of the list the logo of the motherboard creator appears, use the Tab button.

Run Program

Another option is to use the search through the Run program. To do this, it is important to follow the steps of the following instructions:

• using Win and R to launch the window of this program;
• enter msinfo32 entry in the search bar and confirm the action;
• find the necessary data in the system information window that opens.

Search and Transitions

You can find the manufacturer of the BIOS version with two very simple algorithms. When choosing the first, you must use the search function. Just type the word “properties” into the Windows search engine, and it will immediately offer to open a standard application with information about the entire system.

The second option is a little long and relevant for the previous series of "Windows". To execute it, you must:

• through the Start menu, go to the section called "All Programs";
• go from here to standard, and then to utility utilities;
• Among the latter, there will be a system information item .

Turn to BIOS

Another way to find information about the developer of this utility is to directly access it. To find out the BIOS version, you need to do the following:

• at the start of the computer, using the input keys (most often Del or F12), go into the BIOS itself;

• Among the sections, you need to find the item of information about the system, going to it, get the desired data.

By the way, the name of the developer can sometimes be written on top of the screen of the program itself. So it may not be necessary to climb sections.

3rd party software

The last option. He is the most confused. You need to download from the Internet a program called CPU-Z. To use it to identify the BIOS version, you must do the following:

• after starting the utility, open a tab called "Board";
• Find the BIOS section and information of interest.

Now that you have figured out the version and manufacturer of your program, you can proceed to deciphering the BIOS signals.

A little bit about the structure

All further material is built on a special system. All subsequent blocks will be structured as follows:

• BIOS manufacturer
• simple signals (consisting only of sounds of the same length);
• composite signals (consisting of short and long).

Developer AMI BIOS

Takes the place of the most popular developer in the world for the past 16 years. Each version of the program has a standard single short signal, which reports on successful scanning of the launched system.

Simple BIOS Signals

The following are options for simple sound alerts consisting of signals of the same length.

• The first BIOS signals are 2 short. They report that an error has occurred in the system related to the parity of the RAM.
• Three short beeps. The problem was found the first 64 KB of RAM.
• 4 short. The system timer is faulty.
• 5 short beeps. The central processor of the computer is faulty.
• 6 short. The keyboard controller malfunctioned.
• Seven short signals. When diagnosing the motherboard, malfunctions were detected.
• 8 short sounds. The video card memory is corrupt.
• 9 short sound signals of BIOS. There is an error in the BIOS checksum.
• 10 short beeps. There is no way to record in CMOS.
• 11 short beeps. There is an error in RAM.
• Another type of BIOS signal is 3 long. During testing, there were problems associated with RAM.
• Continuous signal. The computer’s PSU is damaged or the device itself has overheated.

Composite signals

This includes warning sounds consisting of both long and short signals.

• The first composite BIOS signals are 1 long and 1 short. The power supply of the device was damaged.
• One long and two short. An error occurred in the operation of the video card or the RAM turned out to be malfunctioning.
• One long and three short. The same as the previous option.
• One long and 4 short. The video card is missing or not connected.
• One long and 8 short. The monitor is not connected to the computer. Or there are problems with the video card.
• Five short and one long. RAM was not found.

Many of these errors can be fixed by restarting the computer.

AWARD BIOS

This manufacturer is also quite famous in the world. The interface of the BIOS version from this developer is quite similar to the classic version and has not been changed for more than ten years.

Simple sound alerts

As before - one signal at the start means the successful completion of the diagnosis. The following are short BIOS signals.

• 1 short repeating sound. There was a problem with the power supply.
• One long repeating signal. An error has occurred with RAM.
• Two short beeps. During the diagnosis, small malfunctions were detected.
• Three long beeps. Keyboard controller malfunction.
• Continuous signal. The power supply is damaged.

Signals from several types

Now back to the complex signals of the program.

• The first BIOS signal is 1 long and 1 short. RAM turned out to be faulty.
• One long beep and three short beeps. An error occurred in the operation of the video card.
• 1 long beep and 3 short beeps. The keyboard has malfunctions.
• The latest BIOS signals - 1 long and 9 short sounds. An error occurred while reading information from the ROM.

Further signals will differ from those that were given now.

Phoenix BIOS

This version of the program has a special sound alert system. The numbers here indicate the number of repetitions of the signals, and the “-” sign indicates a pause between them. Details will be explained on the first option.

Type 1-1:

1-1-2 (further the last digit of the combination will be written out). The BIOS signals sound like this:

• 1 short, 1 short, 2 short. There are pauses between them. This kit reports problems in the power supply.
• 3. Writing data to CMOS is not possible. Do not rule out the fact that the battery on the motherboard expires. Or the board itself was damaged.
• 4. The BIOS ROM checksum is wrong. Type 1-2.
• 1. Error programmable interrupt timer.
• 2. The problem with the DMA controller.
• 3. An error occurred while reading or writing to the DMA controller.

Type 1-3:

• 1. There is a problem with memory regeneration.
• 2. Unable to start the RAM test.
• 3. The RAM controller is faulty.
• 4. The same as above.

Type 1-4:

• 1. An error has occurred in the address bar of RAM.
• 2. RAM parity error.

Type 3-2:

• 4. An error occurred while initializing the keyboard.

Type 3-3:

• 1. The battery that is built into the motherboard has expired.
• 4. A video card error was detected.

Type 3-4:

• 1. Faulty video adapter.

Type 4-2:

• 1. The system timer has failed.
• 2. Termination of CMOS failed.
• 3. The keyboard controller has encountered a problem.
• 4. An error has occurred in the CPU.

Type 4-3:

• 1. An error occurred during the RAM test.
• 3. During operation, a timer error has occurred.
• 4. There was a problem with RTC.

Type 4-4:

• 1. A serial port error has been detected.
• 2. The parallel port is defective.
• 3. There were problems with the social processor.

How to fix errors

The following are recommendations on how to fix many of the errors that occurred during the operation of the system. It is worth noting that often the problems of loading the system arise when the modules of different parts of the device have poor contact. Remember, before examining the computer, unplug it from the power!

ATTENTION! If you do not understand very well how your computer works, but are faced with one or more combinations of BIOS sound alerts, then just write down the signal type. After that, take the device to a service center and report a problem. Providing a signal will help the wizard in finding a solution.

Now about the tips.

• If one of the above combinations of signals appears, it is necessary to remove the module, clean it from dust and return it to its place. Also carefully clean the contacts. A good option to clean the connectors and remove dirt is a dry toothbrush.
• After receiving any signal that deviates from the norm, it is recommended to inspect the entire computer. Pay attention to the presence of dents or other physical damage to parts. Also, there should not be any plaque and sagging. Replace parts if available.
• In the event that no physical damage was found, you just need to return all the BIOS settings to the original ones. To complete the task, you need to find the switch near the battery on the motherboard, rearrange it to position 3-4, wait about thirty seconds, and then return to position 1-2.
• When repairing the device, make sure that there are no touches on the terminals of the microcircuits.
• Do not use metal or abrasive items during computer repair. Moreover, you should not clean their contacts and modules of parts. It is better to use a soft eraser.
• Do not repair your computer if the warranty has not expired. The most correct solution would be to bring the purchased device back to the store’s service center or return it under warranty.