Interpreting POST Audible Codes
This section covers the audible codes that may occur before or during POST that do not necessarily have an error code or text message associated with them.
WARNING! When the computer is plugged into an AC power source, voltage is always applied to the system board. To reduce the risk of personal injury from electrical shock and/or hot surfaces, be sure to disconnect the power cord from the wall outlet and allow the internal system components to cool before touching.
Beeps | Meaning | Recommended Action | |
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1 short beep and 1 long beep | Bad memory or memory configuration | Check that the memory modules have been | |
followed by a three second | error. | installed correctly and that proper modules are | |
pause |
| used. | |
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2 short beeps and 1 long beep | No graphics card installed or graphics | For systems with a graphics card: | |
followed by a three second | card initialization failed. | 1. | Reseat the graphics card. Power on the |
pause |
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| system. |
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| 2. | Replace the graphics card. |
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| 3. | Replace the system board. |
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| For systems with integrated graphics, replace the | |
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| system board. | |
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3 short beeps and 1 long beep | CPU configuration error or invalid CPU | 1. | Upgrade the BIOS to proper version. |
followed by a three second | detected before graphics card initialized. | 2. | Change the processor. |
pause |
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1 short beep followed by a one | No legacy floppy drive or optical drive | 1. | Check cable connections. |
second pause | found. | 2. | Run the Computer Setup utility and ensure |
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| the device port is enabled. |
2 short beeps followed by a three second pause
No floppy diskette or CD found.
1.Check the type of drive that you are using and use the correct media type.
2.Replace the diskette or CD with a new one.
3 short beeps followed by a | Flashing not ready (missing utility or | Upgrade the BIOS to proper version. | |
three second pause | BIOS image file, etc.) |
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4 short beeps followed by a | Flashing operation has failed (checksum | 1. | Verify the correct ROM. |
three second pause | error, corrupted image, etc.) | 2. | Flash the ROM if needed. |
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| 3. | If an expansion board was recently added, |
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| remove it to see if the problem remains. |
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| 4. | Clear CMOS. |
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| 5. | If the message disappears, there may be a |
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| problem with the expansion card. |
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| 6. | Replace the system board. |
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5 short beeps followed by a | BIOS recovery was successful | No action required. | |
three second pause |
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14 Chapter 2 Troubleshooting | ENWW |
