Computer Beeps When I Turn It On: Here Is what It Means
If your computer starts beeping when you turn it on and doesn’t do anything else, this means that there’s a problem it is trying to tell you about. And we’re going to learn in today’s article what it actually means.
The number of beeps and their intensity will tell you exactly what the problem is and how to fix that problem.
Of course, it’s difficult to know them all by heart – and it’s also pretty scary to hear your computer beeping without knowing what the hell is going on, but we’re here to help you and tell you exactly what the computer is trying to tell you.
So if you turn on your computer and it starts beeping instead of properly booting, you have a problem. Here is what type of problem you have, based on the number of beeps and/or how long they last:
One Beep and computer boots up: everything is normal, no need to worry!
Dy bipe: POST/CMOS Error
One Long Beep, One Short Beep: A problem with your Motherboard
One Long Beep, Two Short ones: Problem with your Video Card
One Long Beep, Three Short ones: Problem with your Video Card
Three Long Beeps: No Keyboard / Keyboard Error
Continuous long beeps: Problem with your Memory
Continuous Hi-Lo Beeps: CPU Overheating or Overheated
Now you know what each type of beep message means and it will be a lot easier for you to find and fix the problem. These beeps usually start after installing or changing new hardware, so simply replacing them with the old ones should fix your computer and tell you that indeed your new hardware was the problem.
Some items can get at you dead on arrival (had this problem with my RAM memory right before the launch of Fallout 76, and waiting for it to be replaced was horrible – but it happens!) and in other occasions, you might have not installed them correctly.
So no matter what type of beeps you are getting from your computer, you should first make sure that you have correctly plugged the new piece of equipment and restart your computer. Try again, then try once more to make sure that everything’s plugged in properly.
If it doesn’t work, try replacing it with an old one. If it still doesn’t work – it’s time to call somebody who knows more about this than you do. Although you can still brag that you know exactly what the beeping error codes mean and hopefully you won’t have to go as far as having to call the service guy to look at your desktop computer!
