Does Your Windows 7 Do This?

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DiscreteMeat

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
150
I can't seem to find a software program that I have running that would cause this so I'm wondering if its Windows 7 itself....

Y'all know that sound, that clicking sound you hear when you're browsing folders or if you just click on a different drive on your PC? The typical windows generated click sound - well I can randomly hear that click sound when I'm NOT clicking on any folder or file. Its almost like somebody else is on my PC at the same time!

I've run virus scanners, mal-ware scanners, etc. I've tried closing programs and still, out of the blue I hear that click sound at random times, which is the same sound I hear when I click on a file or folder. My PC seems to run fine. Perhaps this is just something in Windows 7. I don't know but its got me kind of concerned.

Anyway, I thought I'd ask y'all if you think my PC has a problem or if this is normal and what you'd suggest I do . :confused:
 
Type in Change System Sound into search

Make sure you are set to Windows Default

Scroll to Windows Explorer - Start Navigation Sound

Underneath where it says "Sounds" Windows Navigation Start ... change it to None.

See if it keeps happening.
 
That sound is also used for IE8 when it loads a web page - if you're using IE8 for whatever reason, there's a chance that an addon/plugin could be attempting to load data in the background, automagically refreshing a web page, etc. I've had that in the past and it nearly drove me batty till I figured out what it was.

If you're using some other browser than I can't say but, for me (this was years ago) that's what the cause was, that "tick" sound.

As noted above, try changing the system default for that "Start navigation" sound to no sound at all and see what happens...
 
Yeah, it's driving me batty alright. Because it happens when I'm just reading a webpage or something, i.e, I hadn't clicked on anything when I herd the sound.

I'm using Firefox v 3.6.3. I have several Add-ons running though:

Java Console 6.0.2
Adblock Plus 1.2
AI Roboform Toolbar for Firefox 6.9.98
DownloadHelper 4.7.3
IDM CC 6.8
Yahoo Toolbar 2.1.1 (disabled)


bigdogchris said:
Underneath where it says "Sounds" Windows Navigation Start ... change it to None.

See if it keeps happening.
Click to expand...

OK, just before I checked back here I heard it again. Took your advice, it was set to Windows Default and where it says "Sounds" Windows Navigation Start, I changed it to None.

If it doesn't happen anymore, I'm good and problem solved, nothing to worry about?
 
If you don't "hear" it anymore after that change, I'd say let it go. If it starts to bug you and you just gotta know what was causing it in the first place, Process Monitor might help track down the actual cause.
 
Well thanks. I have noticed that now I don't "hear" anything when I click on folders, files or drives now that I changed those settings. So my guess is I won't hear it again at all. I just don't get why I was hearing the clicking sound despite not clicking on anything. That's what is strange. Sure, the symptom is gone due to the system changes. But the cause wasn't discovered.

Let me ask you this, you say "I'd say let it go." So are you saying its nothing to be concerned about, that it's probably just some program or maybe even one of the Add-ons that's causing it? In other words, it I was to try and hunt it down that I'd likely find its harmless?
 
Well, something is causing the sound if you're not actively clicking around on links/etc, so... apparently it is already bugging you now that it's quiet again. :)

Windows uses sounds as alerts and notifications, it doesn't just fire 'em off for shits and giggles - there's a reason that sound is being triggered, the question is whether you're willing to dig and find out what's causing it. I'd say re-enable that Navigation start sound but choose something different that's more noticeable, like the notify.wav or whatever - something that is MORE noticeable because that Navigation Start sound is so damned quite (low in volume).

If you load a web page in any browser and it has elements on the page that refresh automagically, each time those elements refresh (even if you're not actively clicking anything) it will trigger that sound, especially Javascript applets. If you re-enable that sound, fire up Firefox or whatever you're using at any given time, and load some of your regularly visited sites and just sit there with the page(s) loaded and watch the Status Bar at the bottom (enable it if necessary so you can visibly see it - some folks disable theirs) and watch to see if anything appears, if URLs show up and disappear, if the browser shows something is going on, etc.

It's entirely possible to find out what's triggering the sound, it just takes time and effort and a little digging. Change the actual sound to something louder and more pronounced, re-enable it to so it works again, fire up Process Monitor and watch the information as it scrolls by, and filter the info so it's only going to show that .wav file (by name) and then you can track down exactly what it triggering that file to be executed/played.
 
When does it start? Shut off your system and then turn it back on. Log in and then dont do anything. Does it still happen? If not, when does it start? What programs are open?

If it starts right away after a fresh reboot, i'd take a look at your startup processes. See what's loading right off the bat. You can do this through windows but I use CCleaner as it's a tad easier. From there google the names and see what you have running. Disable/delete suspicious or unwanted startup programs.

I'm by no means an expert but this is what I would do.
 
you might want to do a virus scan because my laptop out of no where just started doing the clicking sound a few days ago.. was annoying as hell because id walk past my laptop hearing it randomly clicking.. so i did a virus scan and it found 113 viruses(mostly the same virus just duplicating itself)..
 
Well it's still not fixed technically. I just wanted you to try that to see if it would stop.

Disable all of your add-ons, then re-enabled the sound and restart FF. See if it still makes the noise. If it doesn't then you know it's an add-on.
 
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