Why computer beeps when turning on

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Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Source So, to understand it, the first thing you need to do is find out what BIOS you have this can be achieved by reading the manual. However, because of the wide variety of different computer manufacturers with this BIOS, the beep codes may vary. If any other correctable hardware issues is found the BIOS displays a message. However, because of the wide variety of models shipping with this BIOS, the beep codes may vary.

One Long and one Short Beep Motherboard issue. One Long and Three Short Beeps. Three Long Beeps Keyboard or Keyboard card error. Macintosh startup tones Tones Error Error Tone.

Startup tone, drive spins, no video Problem with video controller. Powers on, no tone. Logic board problem. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Tim Fisher. VP and General Manager, Lifewire.

Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn. Many of these errors indicate hardware problems that a service technician should fix. However, some errors are easily fixed. For example, keyboard controller errors often mean that your keyboard isn't plugged in.

For information about Mac beep codes or startup tones, see Apple Support's About Mac computer startup tones. For more about beeps and error codes, see ComputerHope.

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Though if your motherboard is dead , all bets are off. Sometimes it's as simple as improperly seated RAM. Whatever the case, the codes are there to let you know that something is wrong so you can get on your way to diagnosing and fixing the problem.

It's important to note that the motherboard maker is not necessarily the same as the BIOS maker, so it's best to consult your manual as the codes can vary. And, unfortunately, there isn't a standardized beep code regardless of what BIOS firmware is in your machine.

But here's a general idea of how you can figure out what beep code your computer is making when it tries to POST.