BIOS Beep Codes

Today I find it more and more common that PCs don't beep at start many PC cases no longer contain a built-in speaker, but most motherboards still provide the header pins to accommodate one. (Some boards, on the other hand, have a tiny piezoelectric speaker built in and some don't) I find this a shame as the BIOS Beep Codes (unfortunately not all the BIOS' use the same codes as each other. Two of the main BIOS manufactures AMI and Award (now Phoenix) have different codes for there errors) can be very useful in diagnosing problems with a PC.

My ASUS P5Q motherboard was shipped with a small speaker that can be plugged in if I decided to use one.

A few give a on-screen display warning ... not much use if there is a Graphics Card problem

My Gigabyte mobo came with a plug-in speaker too. I don't use it because it would buzz sometimes, probably a bad speaker. Drove me nuts!

I have an LED display on the motherboard that displays the post codes if there are any problems.

The real problem is that the beep codes on motherboards are going increasingly undocumented, especially in the manuals.

Unfortunately many Motherboards just don't give anything (as said unless a speaker is attached) maybe its because some find the post beep annoying.

Edit - Yes i have noticed that Thrax.

I think all manufactures should change the beep codes to a front panel LCD screen of the case or at least an add on option to one of the front bays. Where by the LCD screen converts the beep codes to error numbers universally. Sort of like the hand held OBD II card diagnostic computer for car owners. You just plug it into your cars main computer port run the test, get the code, get the part and fix your own car woos. Now that would be a cool PC device to have.

I was thinking the very same thing when the thread started but didn't say anything. Now that you mentioned it I will agree 120%.

Thats a very good idea (diagnostic display)

I too am from a time when computers gave a beep during POST. One older system here crashed the other night and when I restarted it, 3 beeps--- memory or motherboard fault in an Intel 945 series motherboard. I re seated the RAM and no more problems.

The newest machine here ( 2 days old) I built on an EVGA X58 Classified motherboard. This mother board not only beeps at POST but also has (as you mentioned) an LED display on the motherboard that if so choosing, you can actually follow the turn on sequence through post and the LED will show various things about motherboard status when running. I have not figured out all what can be learned from it yet but its a step in the right direction as Bassfisher6522 suggested. Would EVGA have made it where the display could have been remoted to the front of the case it would have been even better.

When my 945 crashed the other night I had to Google the motherboard series to find the beep codes. The manual for the motherboard was a lost somewhere a few years ago. Luckily the codes were available online. I wonder how many different mopther board model error codes still are.

Carr