Beep codes
When a PC fails to boot, the BIOS uses the speaker to tell you what failed. The pattern of long and short beeps maps to a specific component. Use the decoder, or jump straight to the most-asked HP codes below.
Most-asked HP codes
HP — 3 long, 4 short beeps
Graphics controller failure on HP all-in-ones, Pavilion and EliteDesk. Almost always thermal — fix before motherboard replacement.
HP — 3 long, 2 short beeps
CPU not functional. The CPU is dead, unseated, or the socket pins are bent.
HP — 4 beeps continuous
Power failure. PSU, motherboard power circuitry, or in some laptops a swollen battery.
How to count a beep code
Three rules:
- Count the long beeps first, then the short beeps.
- A long beep is roughly one second; a short beep is about a third of a second.
- Wait for the pattern to repeat at least twice before counting — getting it wrong by one beep changes the diagnosis.
If your machine is silent at boot (no beeps at all), it is not a beep-code problem — see "laptop won't turn on" instead.