Inspiron 11 3162/3164
Purchased Inspiron 11 3162 six years ago, finally took it out the box and turned it on, now it won't stop beeping - five beeps. Otherwise it works just fine. The only time it won't beep is if I turn off the laptop OR if the audio is being used, like if I'm listening to something on youtube. I have to play a looped song so it won't beep. As soon as the music ends the beeping continues again. I have to constantly play music on my laptop, usually on mute so it's not distracting, just to temporarily stop the beeping. Also, when I turned on my laptop, the beeping is much louder momentarily, sounds like a smoke detector alarm for about a minute, then it's not as loud. Anyone have suggestions?
5 beeps is generally an indication of a CMOS battery problem. And considering that the system sat in a box for 6 years (did I read that correctly), entirely possible. That procedure is here in the owners manual. A video is here showing the procedure and the part is available here and here.
Enter System Setup (BIOS).
If you have an Inspiron™ portable computer, press the <Down Arrow> key to highlight the Quiet Boot option. ...
Change the status to Enabled.
Press the <F10> key to save and exit. ...
Click the Start button, click Shut Down, click Shut Down, and OK.