[SOLVED] Single beep on startup but computer boots normally

Apr 12, 2022
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This concerns a Fujitsu Lifebook NH751, about 11 years old and running Windows 7.So far it's been super reliable and I can't afford to change just at the moment, although I know it must be running on borrowed time.

A few weeks ago, for the first time, as soon as I pressed the switch to power up and the Fujtisu splash screen appeared, the laptop emitted a single short beep. This is now happening randomly - perhaps something like 1 in 12 startups. Windows loads normally without any obvious glitches. Plus, the machine is running perfectly and there's no evidence of anything wrong with the "vitals". I had look in Event Viewer on the off chance it might show something amiss- but nothing abnormal at all.

I'm wondering whether the beep indicates a DRAM refresh failure, but if so can't understand why the machine boots normally. It's a Phoenix Bios and I thought that a single beep simply meant that POST has been completed successfully - but that doesn't explain why the sound has just started "appearing".

Grateful for any ideas about this.
 
Solution
1 Beep

A single beep from a Phoenix-based BIOS is actually an "all systems clear" notification. Technically, it's an indication that the Power On Self Test (POST) is complete. No troubleshooting necessary!

https://www.lifewire.com/phoenixbios-beep-codes-2624547

All the actual errors are all 4 beep code sequences
https://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm#phoenix

So the beep isn't a problem, its more a mystery why you can hear it now when you couldn't before. I can't answer that question, maybe dust was in speaker or something before?
Apr 12, 2022
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Thanks, Colif and Kerberos_20. Really appreciate the quick response. As you'd gather I've been spooked by this because it just started happening suddenly. Are there any tests I can run?
 
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Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
sees your post on bleepingcomputers

if its like other life books, the beep codes associated with errors are long sequences such as
short short short pause short long pause = The DMA page registers are faulty

I see one reference to error 10 being 1 beep but thats not on your laptop, its just the one I used for example above- https://www.manualslib.com/manual/246288/Fujitsu-Lifebook-A1010.html?page=67

I don't see a list of them in here - https://manualzz.com/doc/62119558/fujitsu-lifebook-nh751-manual
 
Apr 12, 2022
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It is a mystery, Colif.

I've Google'd of course and getting a definitive answer has proved possible. Nothing in the Fujitsu manual as you say, except a rerefence to beeps when the battery is failing.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
1 Beep

A single beep from a Phoenix-based BIOS is actually an "all systems clear" notification. Technically, it's an indication that the Power On Self Test (POST) is complete. No troubleshooting necessary!

https://www.lifewire.com/phoenixbios-beep-codes-2624547

All the actual errors are all 4 beep code sequences
https://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm#phoenix

So the beep isn't a problem, its more a mystery why you can hear it now when you couldn't before. I can't answer that question, maybe dust was in speaker or something before?
 
Solution

MG Clark

Prominent
Jun 30, 2022
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Thanks, Colif and Kerberos_20. Really appreciate the quick response. As you'd gather I've been spooked by this because it just started happening suddenly. Are there any tests I can run?

One reason it only does it sometimes might be that you've got the BIOS set to do a 'Fast Boot' most of the time. If certain conditions happen, though, the computer will do a 'Normal Boot' instead of a 'Fast Boot'. Most computers will only give the single beep to say "everything's OK" when doing a normal boot, and they will skip the beep when doing a fast boot.

You might want to check your BIOS and see if 'fast boot' or 'fast startup' is enabled and under what conditions. Then see if there is a setting that tells it to use 'normal boot' or 'normal startup' when certain parameters are/are not met.

For example, I've got my my computer set to do a 'fast boot' most of the time. But if the computer shut down due to a power failure (even though the UPS shut it down safely before the battery ran out), I've got it set to do a 'normal boot' the next time I turn it on. That allows the full set of POST diagnostics to run and catch anything that might have been affected by whatever caused the switch to battery power and eventual shutdown.

With an eleven years old laptop, I'm guessing it could be a power related issue. If you leave it plugged in most of the time you'll probably get a 'Fast Boot' when you start it up. But if you unplug it for a while (maybe to take it somewhere else?) and the battery discharges below the "safe" level the BIOS may pick up that it went from S3 to effectively "unplugged" without the proper protocol and will run a 'Normal Boot' the next time you start it up.
 
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