At power-up, a desktop PC emits several short beeps, pauses briefly, and then repeats this pattern in a loop. What does this beep pattern MOST likely indicate?
The CPU is overheating after the system has already booted into the OS.
A hardware error such as a RAM or motherboard fault that prevented POST from completing.
The operating system boot loader cannot be found on the primary drive.
A successful diagnostic routine indicating the system passed POST.
On most BIOS implementations, a repeating series of short beeps signifies that POST detected a critical hardware fault-commonly with RAM, the motherboard's power delivery, or another essential component. It is not an indication of a successful POST; a single short beep (IBM/Award) or a single long beep (AMI) generally signals that no errors were found. Technicians should reference the motherboard or BIOS documentation for exact meanings and begin hardware diagnostics, often starting with reseating or replacing memory modules.
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