Fix: Laptop Beeps 8 Times during Startup
If your laptop starts beeping eight times over and over again when you try to boot it up but doesn’t actually boot into its Operating System (and doesn’t even display anything on its screen), there is a problem with your laptop’s screen or graphics processor. This issue only affects laptop computers, especially those manufactured by Dell. If a laptop beeps eight times over and over again when booting up and doesn’t display anything on its screens even though it is apparent (because of power button lights and noise made by its internal components) that it is turned on, it is affected by this problem.
This problem can be caused by a multitude of different things, all of which have to do with either an affected laptop’s screen or its graphics processor. Some of the most common causes of this issue include poorly seated or loose connections between a laptop’s motherboard and its screen, a faulty laptop screen and a faulty graphics processor. For this problem, there are a couple of methods that can be used to determine whether or not a laptop’s screen is causing the issue, although these two methods, in many cases, also double as solutions to this issue. The two methods are as follows:
Method 1: Power Button + D on boot
Press the laptop’s power button to begin booting up.
As soon as the laptop starts to boot up, press and hold the D
Release the D button once you see colors flashing all over your laptop’s screen. This is a screen diagnostic test designed specifically for laptops.
If the colors flash across the laptop’s screen completely and without any breaks, the problem is almost certainly being caused by the graphics processor. However, if the diagnostic displays any problems with the screen, the problem might be with your laptop’s screen or the connections between the screen and the motherboard. If this method also managed to fix the problem, the laptop will boot up as usual following the application of this solution.
Method 2: Power Button + Fn key on boot (For Dell laptops)
Power the laptop up.
As soon as the laptop starts powering up, press and hold the Fn key on your laptop.
Release the Fn key once you see the Dell logo on the screen with text saying “Diagnostic boot selected” in the corner.
The LCD BIST test will begin following this screen. The LCD BIST test will test your laptop’s screen independently of the graphics processor, so if your screen performs at optimum values in the LCD BIST test, the laptop’s graphics processor is most probably at fault here. The LCD BIST test may also fix this issue, and if it does so, the laptop should be able to boot up successfully following the LCD BIST test or the next time you try to boot up.
If the two methods listed and described above turn out to be unsuccessful at fixing this issue, the possible solutions are bound to be hardware-based. Whether you find that the problem is with the faulting laptop’s screen or its graphics processor, it would be best to have a professional take a look at it to fix the problem.
