A help desk technician receives a call from a user describing an issue with a computer. The user states that the computer will not power on, that it only makes a beeping sound. Why does the technician ask the user to restart the system and count how many beeps the computer makes?

  • The number of beeps relates to beep codes that are standardized across all manufacturers.
  • Different numbers of beeps can indicate different types of hardware issues discovered during POST.
  • The number of beeps indicates the severity of the hardware issue–more beeps mean a more severe problem.
  • Fewer than 4 beeps usually indicate a problem with software loaded on the computer.