ATI Video card installed; No system beeps

[Swifty]

Ever since installing an ATI Video card (Radeon HD 3400) and the
associated ATI drivers, I no longer get beeps from my system speaker
(the ones you get from the BIOS settings page, or when you have memory
faults, using the tiny speaker inside my system unit). I get beeps from
the BIOS program, so the hardware is functioning OK.

What should I do to try to resolve this? I see that there is an upgrade
to the driver on the ATI webpage (I have 8.4, they have 8.5) and I'm
going to try this.

Note: This is nothing whatsoever to do with my soundcard/speakers which
are working perfectly. I'm talking about the system beeps that you still
get even when you've removed the soundcard and disconnected the speakers!

 

[Rene Brehmer]

Ever since installing an ATI Video card (Radeon HD 3400) and the
associated ATI drivers, I no longer get beeps from my system speaker
(the ones you get from the BIOS settings page, or when you have memory
faults, using the tiny speaker inside my system unit). I get beeps from
the BIOS program, so the hardware is functioning OK.

Forgive me, but your post makes no sense.

When your computer starts with cold boot, you should get 1 beep, meaning
"POST pass". If you get any other beeps, of any kind, then you have a
hardware failure, either with the system board or an addon card. If you get
1 long beep, then your keyboard is missing or failed test (USB keyboards
tend to do that on some systems, but you can disable the keyboard check to
get around it).

Not all errors result in beeps. Only fatal ones. And certain errors will
cause your computer to shut down immediately after failing POST.

You should NOT get beeps from the BIOS settings page unless you hit a wrong
key, or you have some impending failure it's trying to inform you about.

A system that doesn't beep is a healthy system (or should be). You should
worry if your computer beeps at you, not if it doesn't. That's the part
that makes no sense. If you think you have a hardware failure, what makes
you think that? And post your issue instead. Wanting beeps when none are
needed is confusing at best.

What should I do to try to resolve this? I see that there is an upgrade
to the driver on the ATI webpage (I have 8.4, they have 8.5) and I'm
going to try this.

Still don't get what it is you're trying to resolve. Upgrading your video
driver unless you have video performance problems, or graphic errors, is a
really bad idea. Especially with ATI's drivers.

Note: This is nothing whatsoever to do with my soundcard/speakers which
are working perfectly. I'm talking about the system beeps that you still
get even when you've removed the soundcard and disconnected the speakers!

If everything works fine, then why do we care if it doesn't beep?
--
Rene Brehmer
IT Technician

North Hill Inn
http://www.northhillinn.com

 

[Swifty]

If everything works fine, then why do we care if it doesn't beep?

Well, clearly you don't. However, AccessKeys (for the visually
handicapped) uses the system speaker, and not the sound card, for its
warning beeps, and I'd like those back.

I am a technician, working in IT since 1967, and I was proving that the
hardware was functioning by demonstrating that it worked during the BIOS
control program. Incidentally, I get *no* beeps on a successful POST
("Power On Self Test" lest we start discussing newsreaders) so I
mentioned pressing invalid choices in the BIOS program to prove that the
hardware is functioning correctly. If I hadn't mentioned this, then we'd
have dozens of responses from people who don't know what the "system
speaker" is, telling me to check my soundcard. Well, no point in that,
JS Bach never sounded better at the moment, but this is irrelevant.