Boot-up sound

[Mrmatt1]

Occasionally, when waiting for the PC to boot-up (before I log in to Windows), I hear a 'bong' sound ?

What could this signify, please ?

 Does it mean there is a problem ?

Thank you.

[Mrmatt1]

Would anyone be able to assist me with this query, please ?

[Deep_World]

Hi @Mrmatt1,
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

I understand how  it can be to hear unexpected sounds during startup, especially when you’re waiting for your PC to boot. 

The “bong” sound you’re describing could be linked to a few different things:

BIOS or hardware alert: Some HP systems emit tones if there’s a hardware check or notification during startup.

Startup chime: Certain models have built-in sounds that play before Windows loads.

To help narrow this down, could you please share:

The exact HP model of your PC or laptop.

Whether the sound is a single “bong” or a series of beeps.

If you notice any other issues (slow boot, error messages, or hardware not responding).

I hope this helps.

[Mrmatt1]

Apologies for the delay, various reasons why not able to respond.

'Bong': not sure why, what circumstances, but occasional.  Could be pertaining to anything really ?  Need to ascertain why.

So far, just a single 'bong'.  I seem to think it could relate to start-up errors.  The 'bong' is occasional, but obviously signifying potential (future) or current problems ?

As for the other reasons / causes - don't know.

Exact model ?  Not really knowledgable enough to be sure, but here goes - according to HP Support Assistant, product number is as follows:

1D9Y4EA#ABU

Hope this may assist you assisting me.

Many thanks.

[Deep_World]

Hi @Mrmatt1,
 

Thanks for your response. 

Thank you for sharing those details with me, and please don’t worry about the delay it’s completely understandable. I can hear the concern in your message, and I want to reassure you that we’ll work through this together.

The occasional “bong” sound you’re describing can indeed be linked to system alerts or startup checks. On HP devices, it may sometimes indicate a BIOS-level notification, a hardware check, or even a minor startup error. Since you’ve mentioned it happens only occasionally and not consistently, it’s less likely to be a critical failure, but it’s still wise to keep an eye on it.

When does the sound occur and where is the noise coming from ? If it’s only during startup, it could be tied to BIOS or hardware initialization.

Any performance issues? If the system runs smoothly otherwise, the sound may be more of a notification than a warning.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Regards

Deep World

[Mrmatt1]

Hello.  Apologies for the delay in replying.

There was recently a change in my circumstances which meant I was unable to be around.

Because it has been a while now, this topic may no longer be relevant.  I do know that whilst I was not around, my nephew performed some modifications to the computer.

However, this post may not be relevant any more.

I will have to let you know, now that I am around again, if I notice a recurrence of what I noticed before, I will let you know again.

It may be pertinent to suspend this topic for now.

Thank you for trying to help anyway.

[Mrmatt1]

OK, update on situation.

Nothing appears awry at the moment, although I did notice the 'bong' sound again at about 1110hrs this morning, just before the log-in screen.

This could be 'normal' although it could signify any number of things ?

There could be lots of ways of trying to ascertain information in order to try and pinpoint things, but I wouldn't know which, or how, without any input / guidance from other forum members.

I'll leave it to other forum members to provide instructions / guidance, or ask questions as to where to next from here.

Thank you for bearing with me so far, and your patience, guys.  However unavoidable events took place meaning I couldn't be around.

Bye for now.

[Mrmatt1]

Another update:

This morning (0904 BST), booted up and noticed another occurrence of that sound again, just before log-in.

Not sure again whether this is usual or not ?  There don't seem to be any problems that I'm aware of yet though.

Thanks again.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Mrmatt1,

Thank you for getting back.

On your HP system, a single “bong” sound before the Windows log‑in screen is usually a BIOS or hardware initialization alert, not necessarily a fault.

Here’s what it can mean and what you can do:

BIOS notification Some HP models emit a tone when the BIOS completes checks or when Secure Boot/TPM keys are being validated.

Hardware check A single tone can indicate a minor alert (like keyboard backlight init or display handshake). 

Multiple beeps would suggest a hardware error code.

Run Hardware Diagnostics

Since your PC otherwise runs smoothly, run HP Hardware Diagnostics (Esc → F2 at startup) to confirm memory, storage, and board health.

Please refer to this link

Because the sound is occasional and singular, and you’re not seeing performance issues, it’s more likely a normal startup chime/alert than a problem. If you start hearing repeated beeps or notice boot failures, that would indicate a hardware fault needing service.

I hope this helps

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

Kuroi_Kenshi

[Mrmatt1]

Hello, I have received your PM today.

At the moment, I am unsure.  I don't know enough really, and am still confused as to whether or not there are any problems.

Sorry if you think I am being evasive.  I will have to get back to you when I am more certain.  There is a lot going on for me, and I am still trying to take the time to understand this.  There is a lot I don't know, and trying to get to grips with.

I don't know whether this model emits a tone when BIOS completes checks or Secure Boot / TPM keys are being validated.  I don't know enough about that.  I do know however that from recent checks with Windows Security that the Secure Boot keys and TPM are fine, and that they have green ticks showing.  They are ready for when the Secure Boot key changes occur.

I am not aware of any instances of multiple hardware beeps yet.

I have ran the PC Hardware Diagnostics (Windows) tonight, and no problems reported.  I have yet to run the UEFI check of the same program.

I will however refer to you about a problem with HP PC Hardware Diagnostics I have reported previously, but I don't believe I had a response to:

In System Information, where it says See System Specifications , System Profile, I get an error message for some reason.  It says:

'Failed to read baseline. Expected end of string, but instead reached end of data. Line number: 224 | BytePositionInLine: 89.'

This is very concerning and I don't know what problem it points to, or how to resolve it.  Any suggestions would be gratefully received, please.  I don't know whether it points to some system error.

Apologies for delays in replying (I have had a lot on), but thank you once again for your time.  It is appreciated.

Thank you very much.