Beep at startup

General · 03-26-2007, 09:42 PM

My new used computer makes a beep when it starts up. I am not sure if this is supposed to beep to say "hello I am turning on" or if it is a warning message. According to this site one beep means "DRAM refresh failure" and something is broken probably in motherboard. How can I confirm that there this is a beep indicating a flaw somewhere? I saw no messages at startup that looked like errors of any sort. I haven't been able to get Linux installed on it yet, so can't run fancy command line tools.

Crito · 03-26-2007, 10:10 PM

One short beep means POST completed OK. Error beep codes repeat continuously.

jolphil · 03-27-2007, 07:21 AM

Just to add that sometimes an active USB device will give another beep..
jolphil

pwc101 · 03-27-2007, 07:31 AM

From the site you linked:

Quote:

The computer POST (Power On Self Test) tests the computer, insuring that it meets the necessary system requirements before booting up. If the computer fails the POST, the computer then returns a beep code indicating what is causing the computer not to pass the POST. Generally, if the computer POSTs properly, you will receive a single beep (with some computer BIOS manufacturers it may beep twice).

Bold formatting added.

When the computer fails POST, it doesn't boot, but just beeps a set number of times. Since I'm assuming it boots correctly, the single beep means it's passed the POST.