Answer:
In the event of a critical error during the POST (power on self test), most BIOSes (Basic Input/Output System) use beeps via the internal speaker (or external speakers in the case of voiced messages) to alert you to what’s wrong.
Your PC resorts to beeps or a combination of beeps and pauses to indicate it has encountered specific problems. The “language” your PC uses depends on what type of BIOS it has. You have to translate beep codes based on the model and manufacturer. The two most dominant BIOS manufacturers are AMI (American Megatrends, Inc.) and Phoenix Technologies, but there are many others.
To determine your BIOS manufacturer and version number, click Start and Programs (All Programs if you’re using Windows XP). Navigate to Accessories, click System Tools, and then click System Information. In the System Information window, scan the right pane for BIOS Version/Date under the Item column. In the adjacent Value column, you will find the manufacturer and version of your BIOS. For example, here’s the data you might see for popular BIOS versions from the two leading manufacturers:
Phoenix Technologies, LDT 6, 00 PG, 8/21/2003
American Megatrends Inc. 1006.005, 5/6/2003
American Megatrends Inc. (AMI BIOS)
* If BIOS beeps 1-3 times and fails to boot = problem most likely lies with memory modules
* If BIOS beeps 4-7 or 9-11 times and still fails to boot = problem with your motherboard or your expansion cards
* If BIOS beeps 5 times = most likely a processor error
* If AMI BIOS beeps 8 times = direct your attention to the system video adapter
Phoenix Technologies (Phoenix BIOS)
* If BIOS beeps once, pauses, beeps twice, pauses, beeps twice, pauses, and beeps three more times = direct attention to BIOS itself
* If BIOS beeps once, pauses, beeps four times, pauses, beeps twice, pauses, and then beeps once more = alerting you to a problem with the CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor), which is the memory that stores the BIOS.
* If BIOS beeps once, pauses, beeps three times, pauses, beeps once, pauses, and beeps one more time = error with memory modules
The lack of an industry-wide standard for BIOS beeps means that to successfully troubleshoot your beeps you need to look up your BIOS manufacturer’s beep code list for your particular BIOS version. Phoenix and AMI both have downloadable PDF documents that detail beep codes and what they refer to. You can obtain a list of AMI BIOS beep codes at www.americanmegatrends.com/support/bios.cfm. Phoenix beep codes are available at www.phoenix.com/resources/bios-postcode.pdf.
For additional information, please refer to the article in the "See Also:" section below.
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