BIOS Configurations and Upgrades

Nov 28, 2001

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BIOS Configurations and Upgrades
Specific Tests to Determine Whether Your BIOS Needs an Update
How BIOS Updates Are Performed
Plug-and-Play BIOS
Other BIOS Troubleshooting Tips
Accessing the BIOS Setup Programs
How the BIOS Reports Errors
Reading BIOS Error Codes

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How the BIOS Reports Errors

The BIOS will use three methods for reporting errors: beep codes, error/status codes, and onscreen messages. Error/status codes must be read with a special interface board, whereas the others require no special equipment.

BIOS Beep Codes and Their Purposes

Virtually all systems make a polite "beep" noise when started, but most systems have a special series of beep codes that serve the following purposes.

Beeps alert you to serious system problems, many of which can prevent your system from even starting (a so-called fatal error) or from working to its full potential (a so-called non-fatal error).

Because most fatal and many non-fatal errors take place before the video subsystem is initialized (or might indicate the video isn't working), beeps can be used to determine the cause of the problem.

A system that can't start and is reporting a problem with beep codes will give the code once and then halt. To hear the code again, restart the computer.

Use the following tables of beep codes to determine why your system will not start. To solve the problem reported by the beep codes, repair or replace the device listed in the description. If your repair or replacement has solved the problem, the beep code will no longer sound when you restart the system.

For errors involving removable devices (socketed chips, memory, or video), an easy fix is to remove and replace the item because a device that's not securely in its socket will cause the test to fail.

NOTE

For an exhaustive list of BIOS codes, beep codes, and error messages, see the CD accompanying Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 12th Edition.

AMI BIOS Beep Codes

NOTE

AMI BIOS beep codes used by permission of American Megatrends, Inc.

Beeps	Error Message	Description
1	DRAM Refresh Failure	The memory refresh circuitry on the motherboard is faulty.
2	Parity Error	A parity error occurred in system memory.
3	Base 64KB (First Bank) Memory Failure	Memory failure in the first bank of memory.
4	System Timer Failure	Memory failure in the first bank of memory, or Timer 1 on the motherboard is not functioning.
5	Processor Error	The processor on the motherboard generated an error.
6	Keyboard Controller Gate A20 Failure	The keyboard controller might be bad. The BIOS cannot switch to protected mode.
7	Virtual Mode Processor Exception Interrupt Error	The processor generated an exception interrupt.
8	Display Memory Read/Write Error	The system video adapter is either missing or its memory is faulty.
9	ROM Checksum Error	ROM checksum value does not match the value encoded in BIOS.
10	CMOS Shutdown Register Read/Write Error	The shutdown register for CMOS RAM failed.
11	Cache Error/L2 Cache Bad	The L2 cache is faulty.
1 long, 3 short	Conventional/extended memory failure	The motherboard memory is faulty.
1 long, 8 short	Display/retrace test failed	The video card is faulty; try reseating or moving to a different slot.

Award BIOS Beep Codes

Currently only one beep code exists in the Award BIOS. A single long beep followed by two short beeps indicates that a video error has occurred and the BIOS cannot initialize the video screen to display any additional information.

Phoenix BIOS Beep Codes

The following beep codes are for the current version of Phoenix BIOS, version 4.0, release 6. Other versions will have somewhat different beeps and Port 80h codes. To view the Port 80h codes, you will need a POST diagnostics card with a two-digit LED readout, available from many sources for diagnostic tools. I recommend a PCI-based POST card because ISA slots are becoming obsolete.

NOTE

Phoenix BIOS beep codes used by permission of Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.

Beeps	Port 80h Code	Explanation
1-2-2-3	16h	BIOS ROM checksum
1-3-1-1	20h	Test DRAM refresh
1-3-1-3	22h	Test keyboard controller
1-3-3-1	28h	Autosize DRAM
1-3-3-2	29h	Initialize POST memory manager
1-3-3-3	2Ah	Clear 512KB base RAM
1-3-4-1	2Ch	RAM failure on address line xxxx
1-3-4-3	2Eh	RAM failure on data bits xxxx of low byte of memory bus
1-4-1-1	30h	RAM failure on data bits xxxx of high byte of memory bus
2-1-2-2	45h	POST device initialization
2-1-2-3	46h	Check ROM copyright notice
2-2-3-1	58h	Test for unexpected interrupts
2-2-4-1	5Ch	Test RAM between 512KB and 640KB
1-2	98h	Search for option ROMs; one long, two short beeps on checksum failure
1	B4h	One short beep before boot

IBM BIOS Beep and Alphanumeric Error Codes

After completing the power on self test (POST), an audio code indicates either a normal condition or that one of several errors has occurred.

NOTE

IBM BIOS and alphanumeric error codes used by permission of IBM.

Audio Code	Sound Graph	Description
1 short beep		Normal POST—system okay
2 short beeps		POST error—error code on display
No beep		Power supply, system board
Continuous beep	—————	Power supply, system board
Repeating short beeps		Power supply, system board
1 long, 1 short beep	-	System board
1 long, 2 short beeps	-	Video adapter (MDA/CGA)
1 long, 3 short beeps	-	Video adapter (EGA/VGA)
3 long beeps	- - -	3270 keyboard card

Microid Research Beep Codes

The MR BIOS generates patterns of high and low beeps to signal an error condition.

The following beep codes are for the current and recent versions (3.x) of the MR BIOS.

NOTE

MR BIOS beep codes used by permission of Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.

Port 80h Code	Beep Codes²	Error Messages
03h	LH-LLL	ROM-BIOS Checksum Failure
04h	LH-HLL	DMA Page Register Failure
05h	LH-LHL	Keyboard Controller Selftest Failure
08h	LH-HHL	Memory Refresh Circuitry Failure
09h	LH-LLH	Master (16-bit) DMA Controller Failure
09h	LH-HLH	Slave (8-bit) DMA Controller Failure
0Ah	LH-LLLL	Base 64KB Pattern Test Failure
0Ah	LH-HLLL	Base 64KB Parity Circuitry Failure
0Ah	LH-LHLL	Base 64KB Parity Error
0Ah	LH-HHLL	Base 64KB Data Bus Failure
0Ah	LH-LLHL	Base 64KB Address Bus Failure
0Ah	LH-HLHL	Base 64KB Block Access Read Failure
0Ah	LH-LHHL	Base 64KB Block Access Read/Write Failure
0Bh	LH-HHHL	Master 8259 (Port 21) Failure
0Bh	LH-LLLH	Slave 8259 (Port A1) Failure
0Ch	LH-HLLH	Master 8259 (Port 20) Interrupt Address Error
0Ch	LH-LHLH	Slave 8259 (Port A0) Interrupt Address Error
0Ch	LH-HHLH	8259 (Port 20/A0) Interrupt Address Error
0Ch	LH-LLHH	Master 8259 (Port 20) Stuck Interrupt Error
0Ch	LH-HLHH	Slave 8259 (Port A0) Stuck Interrupt Error
0Ch	LH-LHHH	System Timer 8254 CH0/IRQ 0 Interrupt Failure
0Dh	LH-HHHH	8254 Channel 0 (System Timer) Failure
0Eh	LH-LLLLH	8254 Channel 2 (Speaker) Failure
0Eh	LH-HLLLH	8254 OUT2 (Speaker Detect) Failure
0Fh	LH-LHLLH	CMOS RAM Read/Write Test Failure
0Fh	LH-HHLLH	RTC Periodic Interrupt/IRQ 8 Failure
10h	LH-LLHLH	Video ROM Checksum Failure at Address XXXX, Mono Card Memory Error at Address XXXX, Mono Card Memory Address Line Error at Address XXXX, Color Graphics Card Memory Error at Address XXXX, Color Graphics Card Address Line Error at Address XXXX
11h	none	Real Time Clock (RTC) Battery is Discharged
11h	none	Battery Backed Memory (CMOS) is Corrupt
12h	LH-HLHLH	Keyboard Controller Failure
14h	LH-LHHLH	Memory Parity Error_18h_19h
14h	LH-HHHLH	I/O Channel Error_18h_19h
14h18h19h	none	RAM Pattern Test Failed at XXXX, Parity Circuit Failure in Bank XXXX, Data Bus Test Failed: Address XXXX, Address Line Test Failed at XXXX, Block Access Read Failure at Address XXXX, Block Access Read/Write Failure: Address XXXX, Banks Decode to Same Location: XXXX and YYYY
12h15h	none	Keyboard Error—Stuck Key Keyboard Failure or no Keyboard Present
17h	LH-LLLHH	A20 Test Failure Due to 8042 Timeout
17h	LH-HLLHH	A20 Gate Stuck in Disabled State (A20=0)
17h	none	A20 Gate Stuck in Asserted State (A20 Follows CPU)
1Ah	LH-LHLHH	Real Time Clock (RTC) is Not Updating
1Ah	none	Real Time Clock (RTC) Settings are Invalid
1Eh	none	Disk CMOS Configuration is Invalid, Disk Controller Failure, Disk Drive A: Failure, Disk Drive B: Failure
1Fh	none	Fixed Disk CMOS Configuration is Invalid, Fixed Disk C:(80) Failure, Fixed Disk D:(81) Failure, Please Wait for Fixed Disk to Spin Up
20h	none	Fixed Disk, Disk, Serial Port, Parallel Port, Video, Memory, or Numeric Coprocessor Configuration Change
21h	none	System Key is in Locked Position—Turn Key to Unlocked Position
29h	none	Adapter ROM Checksum Failure at Address XXXX

Note for beep codes: L=low tone and H=high tone

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